do cables really matter that much?

[blackba]

I think the cables make a difference up to a point. I can hear a difference between the bargain basement cables and mid end cables, never dived into the $100+ cables though.

I just make my own, proco wire or Canare wire with Neutrick gold ends or G&L right angles. They work well, the price of the bulk cable has gone up with the price of copper

Spend the money for a decent cable in IMO. Also shorter is better. You are better off using a 10foot cable when a 25foot cable.


Some people claim power chords make a difference too, I don't buy it though. Speaker cables, instrument cables, mic cables, RCA cables, etc make a difference in my experience.

Also I would avoid cables with molded ends, they are impossible to repair, so you better hope they exchange them on warranty.

 

[Gitfiddler]

not preach about brands? that's the antithesis of what guitar forums are about

 

[-=MYK=-]

As a touring artist I must say, once you're a pro like me, you won't even need cables.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

As a touring artist I must say, once you're a pro like me, you won't even need cables.

MYK, sometime ago I was browsing HC late one night and you posted that avatar of yours as a response to damn near every thread on the front page. Comedic gold I tell ya, just wanted to say thanks

 

[zepman]

I mean, I know if I buy a 20 ft cable for 5 dollars it might be a cheapo

but pretty much anything from a reputable company, I won't be able to tell the difference right?

I mean those Dimarzio 15 ft cables are like 30 bucks.

Basically what I'm sayin is "what are the cheapest good cables I can buy"?

Dude, Core One's are the best bang for the buck out there. I have tried almost all of them and NOTHING touches the core ones in build quality/tone anywhere near their price range.I am especially fond of the Core One coiled cables, they look cool and sound great. Paul Gilbert is using them now also......If you wanna try one PM me and I will set you up a killer deal on one.............John

 

[King Crimson]

I mean, I know if I buy a 20 ft cable for 5 dollars it might be a cheapo

but pretty much anything from a reputable company, I won't be able to tell the difference right?

I mean those Dimarzio 15 ft cables are like 30 bucks.

Basically what I'm sayin is "what are the cheapest good cables I can buy"?

Just go wireless. All the "real" pros do. The average Joe in the audience could care less about your tone.

 

[bunghole]

I mean, I know if I buy a 20 ft cable for 5 dollars it might be a cheapo

but pretty much anything from a reputable company, I won't be able to tell the difference right?

I mean those Dimarzio 15 ft cables are like 30 bucks.

Basically what I'm sayin is "what are the cheapest good cables I can buy"?

Dude, Core One's are the best bang for the buck out there. I have tried almost all of them and NOTHING touches the core ones in build quality/tone anywhere near their price range.I am especially fond of the Core One coiled cables, they look cool and sound great. Paul Gilbert is using them now also......If you wanna try one PM me and I will set you up a killer deal on one.............John

i'll be out of town for a while, but i'll definitely keep this in mind when the time comes to buy some

 

[64DUECE]

I love CBI cables. Good quality and price.

 

[JamesPeters]

Yes, Virginia, there is a difference.

If you have a meter with a capacitance test feature (one that is sensitive enough for the pF range) you can even test different cables to see why. The funny thing is that some "low capacitance" cables with significantly high price tags have higher capacitance per foot than some Yorkville instrument cable (what's considered "cheap but good quality" here in Canlandia, available at Long & McQuade stores). Also, some people I know prefer the "added low end and warmth" of Planet Waves cables were surprised to learn their capacitance ratings were among the highest of the cables I tested (which made perfect sense to me based on what I'd heard).

Beyond the capacitance, my opinion is to judge the cable based on its quality for the price. I mean: is it going to last, is its warranty (if you get free replacements) worthwhile, and so forth. Because besides the capacitance difference, as long as the cable is built well I haven't heard a "make or break" difference in sound in any instrument cable yet. A lot of the super-cork-sniffy things people say about cables such as their "imaging" and so forth can boil down to their capacitance (and might be explained in various ways depending on the effect a particular hears with their specific setup). I don't put any faith at all in various claims of how molecules are aligned in certain cables or whatever. I keep an open mind about cables, but I have to be realistic; after all, I wouldn't be able to do what I do if I let placebo effect and marketing lingo distract me from drawing my own conclusions about the effectiveness of certain components.

 

[zepman]

Hey James, have you noticed that many if not most cables DO sound different depending on which end is plugged into the amp.I mark mine because they are somehow "directional".Some are more pronounced then others but there is a difference I sure cant explain................John

Merry Xmas to you and your family Bro

 

[Chubtone]

I was at Tone Merchants one day when they were doing a cable demonstration for a guy. First the $50 Monster cable and it sounded good. Then was a $125 cable, I forget the brand. I heard a little bit more low end. Then I heard the $200 Evidence Audio cable. I heard the same amount of lows as the previous cable and a little more high end.

Dang man, I could hear a difference. The cables sounded different. I was literally seconds from shelling out $200 for the Evidence Audio when it occurred to me.... did Hendrix have an Evidence Audio cable on Little Wing? How about SRV? How about Eddie on the 1st 6 Van Halen albums? How about Lynch on Under Lock and Key? Or DiMartini on Lay It Down? Ronni Le Tekro on Tell No Tales or Intuition? Did Nuno use them?

See where I'm going? I didn't buy the cable.

 

[zepman]

I mean, I know if I buy a 20 ft cable for 5 dollars it might be a cheapo

but pretty much anything from a reputable company, I won't be able to tell the difference right?

I mean those Dimarzio 15 ft cables are like 30 bucks.

Basically what I'm sayin is "what are the cheapest good cables I can buy"?

Dude, Core One's are the best bang for the buck out there. I have tried almost all of them and NOTHING touches the core ones in build quality/tone anywhere near their price range.I am especially fond of the Core One coiled cables, they look cool and sound great. Paul Gilbert is using them now also......If you wanna try one PM me and I will set you up a killer deal on one.............John

i'll be out of town for a while, but i'll definitely keep this in mind when the time comes to buy some

Thanks Bro, I will do you right when you are ready............John

 

[JamesPeters]

Hey James, have you noticed that many if not most cables DO sound different depending on which end is plugged into the amp.I mark mine because they are somehow "directional".Some are more pronounced then others but there is a difference I sure cant explain................John

Merry Xmas to you and your family Bro

Thanks John! All the best to you and your family too!

With the way shielding is done in some cables, I can understand how there can be a difference depending on how it's connected. As with others, I'm hesitant to discard the idea of placebo effect especially when I haven't heard a huge or consistently noticeable difference in sound by reversing the direction of a cable. I do know that if I move as little as an inch (or even move my head by that amount) I can hear a significant difference in the sound. With that in mind, I try to be very careful about making observations of changes in my setup. It brings me back to the days when I was prototyping the JP-50 and I had a 4-position rotary switch on the back which wasn't connected to anything. You'd be surprised what people "observed" when this switch was adjusted, even if I insisted they remain still and played exactly the same way before and after the change. People hated me for that...

 

[guitarslinger]

coaxial TV cable with 1/4" jacks is the best cable I've ever heard.

However, it's really stiff, and the wire will break some day down the road.

just a solid core of copper. I think I got 100 feet for $5.