daz
6 posts
Dec 30, 2009
4:07 PM
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I finally bought the epiphone valve jr. combo and love it! I'm using it with a bottle o' blues mic but I have an old crappy guitar cable that cracks and crackles when I move around while playing. My question is: Does the cable make that big a difference and if so, is there a brand or type that anyone suggests?
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pharpo
41 posts
Dec 30, 2009
4:27 PM
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Cable makes a big difference. Monster cable is good but more expensive. I use this stuff ..I think it's called Live Wire. I get it at the Guitar Center....I like it because if it breaks or malfunctions...I bring it back and they replace it free ! It's about 20.00US for an 18ft cable, and comes in multiple configurations.
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Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. - Charlie Parker
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MrVerylongusername
741 posts
Dec 30, 2009
5:14 PM
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The thing about cables is that cheap ones are crap, but that does not necessarily equate with "the more you spend the better the cable".
There are some cable manufacturers who will blind you with pseudo-scientific bullshit about their cables.
Those exchange for life deals sound like a good deal, otherwise just make sure you get good quality shielding, low capacitance cable and good quality (neutrik) connectors.
In audiophile circles there are gullible fools who will spend thousands (seriously!) on speaker cable. Placebo effect... If you expect it to be that much better (and let's face it if you'd paid that much you'll have high expectations) it will sound better to you.
Good quality cables make a noticeable difference in the highs and mids, this is down to reducing cable capacitance. You can get that kind of improvement with cables that cost £20-£30 (or dollar equiv.) After that it's all snake oil.
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Greg Heumann
205 posts
Dec 30, 2009
5:25 PM
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"Cables make a big difference".
I could not (respectfully) disagree more. Of all the things that make a difference, cables make the LEAST. Your own tone of course (I have to say that or someone else will discount this entire post.) Your amp, your mic, your harp - all make a bigger difference. There IS a difference in quality of construction which translates to longevity, AND quality of the cable itself - some are softer than others making them easier to coil and store. But neither of those implies a difference in tone. And yes, a really awful cable can have capacitance, resistance and shielding issues. You certainly do NOT have to spend big bucks to get good cable. I agree with MVLUN: "after that it is all snake oil."
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/Greg
BlowsMeAway Productions
BlueState - my band
Bluestate on iTunes
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daz
7 posts
Dec 30, 2009
5:40 PM
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Pharpo,MVLUN and GH, Thanks for the input. So you believe I could go to Guitar Center and get a good cable? Do I ask for low capacitance cable and neutrik connectors and do brands like Live Wire have what I need in the long run? Thanks.
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rabbit
71 posts
Dec 30, 2009
6:10 PM
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Google-up the word "spinstigator."
They're very pricey but I'm intrigued
by the rotary joint that keeps the
cable untangled.
Last Edited by on Dec 30, 2009 6:10 PM
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daz
8 posts
Dec 30, 2009
7:51 PM
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I don't think tangling is my problem as much as the crackleing i get or just sound quality. I'm thinking for 20 bucks or so , I can seriously upgrade my cable. Do you agree?
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Greg Heumann
206 posts
Dec 30, 2009
8:06 PM
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If you're talking about a guitar cable - 1/4" male at both ends - yes, you should be able to get a perfectly good cable for $20.
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/Greg
BlowsMeAway Productions
BlueState - my band
Bluestate on iTunes
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oldwailer
999 posts
Dec 30, 2009
9:09 PM
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Guitar Center has those cables (I guess they might be Monster cable) and they have a little on/off switch in one of the plugs (1/4" plugs). This is a very handy feature when you want to lay down your mic and go get a beer without having to change any settings at all. And, like somebody said, just take it in to any GC store and say it's screwed up and you get a new one.
I don't remember what mine cost--but I've had it for about 5 years and it's still good.
Jason Ricci has said (I hope I'm remembering right) that the very expensive gold wire cables really make a difference--but he has a lot better ears than I do. . .
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walterharp
159 posts
Dec 31, 2009
7:06 AM
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With a short cable, capacitance makes little difference. However, harp players that use cables tend to go on the longer end of things, and then it does start to make a difference. You loose high end sound. The effect is much more apparent with a guitar or when playing very clean on harp. If you are always compressing a microphone and playing through an amp on grungy settings you are not going to hear it. I have tried several ~$20 18-20 foot cables against the lava cable ($70) that I use. I can hear the difference. Huge difference? No, but it is there. Plus the cable is very heavy duty and has a cool tweed wrap.
I figure, drop a couple hundred on a good microphone, a thousand or more on a good amp, buy some better tubes for that amp (30-50 bucks a piece). High end harps that are not even customized are running around $70... how bad of an investment is really top notch cable?
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pharpo
42 posts
Dec 31, 2009
1:12 PM
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Daz - Within the context of your question. Replacing your current cable with a new one will make a big difference...it will get rid of the noise - you will not hear a huge difference between types of cable when it come to sound.....what you will notice is their longevity. I have found that the 14.95 specials DO NOT take much punishment. I have had much better luck with the Live Wire or Monster cables that will run 18-20 bucks. Then if they break they are free to replace.
Happy New Year.
Paul
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Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. - Charlie Parker
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congaron
380 posts
Jan 01, 2010
4:56 AM
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I have a cable I've used for so long I don't even know if they still sell it. Radio shack. It has gold connectors, but I don't believe that has any effect on tone. Inside the connector, there is hot glue inside the strain relief all the way up to the back of the plug. Very rugged. I don't even know how many years i've used it for guitar...maybe 7 or 8 with daily usage for several hours during the first three years. I have gigged with it many times and have never needed my spares. They used to sell one with a braided jacket over the plastic..it was more money, but probably good too. FWIW, I am in the cable makes little tonal difference on short runs camp. There was a speaker cable test where monster cable was compared to a coat hanger..double blind..no audible difference. Not a shielded cable scenario. But for short runs, I've never heard any difference in tone. I have compared the cheapo cables that come in a guitar packaged with an amp to my good cable and one of my son's "even better" cables. I can't hear it. To my ears, a low impedance mic with xlr to xlr for the run from mic to transformer to amp allows a quieter run than putting the transformer on the mic then running a guitar cable to the amp....I can hear that.
Now I'm wireless, so none of that matters to my rig anymore..except at jam night, where it isn't worth the trouble to be wireless. There I just cable into my amp with xlr cable to impedance transformer to amp.
Last Edited by on Jan 01, 2010 5:06 AM
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