InstrEd Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 45 minutes ago, Brian Walton said: Wow, you have have had some terrible instrument cables then! Probably right. They were old cables handed down to me from years ago. I was just getting back into playing and money was tight. I'm sure it had something to do with it but the house was really close to the relay tower for WMAQ Chicago radio. the house was built in the 50's and the attic had the foil back insulation. I ripped that up and put fiberglass in the attic. I'm glad we only lived there for 3 years. First house that we got a great deal on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byron Dickens Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 6 hours ago, Brian Walton said: I agree Monster is overpriced snake oil. But that isn't what the OP is looking at. All cables are not equal assuming you have a top quality guitar and amp (and not a lot of fuss going on between them). Sure various cable are fine, but just any old cable can impact tone and response when using professional guitar equipment. These differences don't really matter with active outputs (on guitars, keyboard, etcs), but with vintage style passive pickups and a no-nonsense tube amp, there can be differences. Then again, you might have enough hearing damage to notice the difference, and there are other areas to improve tone more dramatically....but once one addresses those, cables are part of the equation (perhpas the last part). "Reputable brand" is the key term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bats brew Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 i have all of my cables custom made. a vendor called Performance Audio is just .5 mile from my work, their prices are excellent. i usually ask for Mogami or Canare cable, and whatever end i need, typically Neutrik. ends up being just as cheap as the cheaper cables i would buy at GC or sweetwater. https://www.performanceaudio.com/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mesh Posted September 17, 2019 Author Share Posted September 17, 2019 14 hours ago, batsbrew said: i have all of my cables custom made. a vendor called Performance Audio is just .5 mile from my work, their prices are excellent. i usually ask for Mogami or Canare cable, and whatever end i need, typically Neutrik. ends up being just as cheap as the cheaper cables i would buy at GC or sweetwater. https://www.performanceaudio.com/ Hey Bats, do you request/specify all the individual connectors (i.e. connector A, B, color boot, color ring etc...) from here: https://www.performanceaudio.com/custom-cables-1-4-ts-instrument-cable-made-from-canare-gs-6-neutrik-connectors.html or speak with them and tell them what you generally want? I have no idea about those connectors and wouldn't know which ones to pick... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Walton Posted September 17, 2019 Share Posted September 17, 2019 15 hours ago, Byron Dickens said: "Reputable brand" is the key term. Whirlwind, Pro-Co, Planet Waves, Fender are all repuitable brands. They are not producing cables that have the properties that Evidence Audio or VanDenHul or Vovox are creating and I'd argue they are worth a dime more. Are they worth $60+ more per cable, well that depends on the individual as well as the quality of the gear they are plugging in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Walton Posted September 17, 2019 Share Posted September 17, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Mesh said: Hey Bats, do you request/specify all the individual connectors (i.e. connector A, B, color boot, color ring etc...) from here: https://www.performanceaudio.com/custom-cables-1-4-ts-instrument-cable-made-from-canare-gs-6-neutrik-connectors.html or speak with them and tell them what you generally want? I have no idea about those connectors and wouldn't know which ones to pick... Most are the same model Neutric NP2X. The question is do you want a 90 right angle or Straight connector on one or both ends (the silver ones are just fine). I would stay away from the silent option as they are not reliable at all. The color boot/ring is just an aesthetic thing if you want to be able to tell your cables apart. Also the link you sent posted is for Canare Cables, be aware they are on the dark sounding side. If you play a Tele, might be fine..but they can get muddy with something like a humbucker guitar. Mogami is more neutral. Edited September 17, 2019 by Brian Walton 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mesh Posted September 17, 2019 Author Share Posted September 17, 2019 35 minutes ago, Brian Walton said: Whirlwind, Pro-Co, Planet Waves, Fender are all repuitable brands. They are not producing cables that have the properties that Evidence Audio or VanDenHul or Vovox are creating and I'd argue they are worth a dime more. Are they worth $60+ more per cable, well that depends on the individual as well as the quality of the gear they are plugging in. The current cable I'm using is actually from Whirlwind (a gift from my good buddy Daryl1968 who works for them) and do like it a lot (a big improvement from the cable I've used for decades). Man, this music gear can be one huge rabbit hole that never ends... Truly appreciate the excellent tips and info Brian. Of course, I'm just a hobbyist musician and don't have the high end gear to justify these "top of the line" cables, but it certainly is very interesting and very useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bats brew Posted September 17, 2019 Share Posted September 17, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, Mesh said: Hey Bats, do you request/specify all the individual connectors (i.e. connector A, B, color boot, color ring etc...) from here: https://www.performanceaudio.com/custom-cables-1-4-ts-instrument-cable-made-from-canare-gs-6-neutrik-connectors.html or speak with them and tell them what you generally want? I have no idea about those connectors and wouldn't know which ones to pick... mesh, i usually know what i want when i go in, and they are very accommodating. you can use that form, yes, it's very simple and straightforward. i like the neutriks. and if it's something they don't have in stock (like, purple mogami) they order it, don't charge me anything to do it, a nominal fee to put it together, i'll go at lunch,, and usually they build it while i wait, but if they're busy, i'll pick it up at end of day. pretty sweet arrangement. now, i use George L's cables for a lot of my connections, board patches, main line from board to amp, and i think they are stellar. use the straight plugs only. scratch that, i have a bunch of 90 degree push in patch cables, and none have ever failed me. if my pedalboard was gigging a lot, i'd have everything soldered. flat head plugs, mogami cables. but i aint gonna do it now! but for TRS and XLR, it's always custom built cables, also, performance has pre-made 'performance' branded cables on the wall, already made, in typical lengths, but i'm always asking for the odd length. i LIKE the neutrik ends, but i only use them in the studio...i think i'd go for something more robust for stage work. i know it's hard to see, but the blue guitar cable has a neutrik on one end (1/4") and a angle that was soldered, with a stress collar on it, attached to the strat... and the purple cable coming off the palmer on top of the roland speaker cab, that's canare with neutrik xlr's on the ends, gping directly to interface... i have 4 of these mic cables made up, all with neutrik, plus a couple of shorter TRS and xlr cables for patching. i like canare for guitar, mogami for mic recording and patching. Edited September 17, 2019 by batsbrew 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bats brew Posted September 17, 2019 Share Posted September 17, 2019 and i've a/b'd the canare against mogami, there is very little difference on 15' cables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bats brew Posted September 17, 2019 Share Posted September 17, 2019 these are what i buy off the wall, pre made, for recording patch cables: https://www.performanceaudio.com/accessories/cables-connectors/cables/mogami.html?cable_type=6916 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Walton Posted September 17, 2019 Share Posted September 17, 2019 (edited) 19 minutes ago, batsbrew said: i like canare for guitar, mogami for mic recording and patching. I like the opposite. Canare is more robust for the Mic Cable and the higher cap doesn't matter since they are balanced cables I like Canare for a live stage cable for guitar due to the robust nature, but I do not like the tone suck on my instruments (even running 10 ft cables. As for George Ls, not a fan of the design (and I've a/b them in guitar runs and not a fan of the sound either. Granted that doesn't really matter once you hit a buffered signal on your pedal board. Mesh - Wirlwhind makes some of the most robust cables out there. Good choice when reliablity is paramount. Edited September 17, 2019 by Brian Walton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bats brew Posted September 17, 2019 Share Posted September 17, 2019 18 minutes ago, Brian Walton said: I like the opposite. to each, his own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb Posted September 17, 2019 Share Posted September 17, 2019 And I tend to like half of the opposite of the opposite. 😁 (Mogami - don't have any Canare) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Walton Posted September 17, 2019 Share Posted September 17, 2019 42 minutes ago, craigb said: And I tend to like half of the opposite of the opposite. 😁 (Mogami - don't have any Canare) I don't actually use either for instrument runs on my own rig, They serve as backups for others in the stuido if the session runs out of better cables. The "best cable quest" resulted in a pile of cables that are rarely used. I do use Canare for XLRs though, has to be the star quad ones though. Did tests against more expensive cables and those results were negligable. Great build , flexibility and shielding qualites for the money. Balanced is much different than unbalanced runs though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted September 26, 2019 Share Posted September 26, 2019 On 9/16/2019 at 6:02 PM, InstrEd said: Probably right. They were old cables handed down to me from years ago. I was just getting back into playing and money was tight. I'm sure it had something to do with it but the house was really close to the relay tower for WMAQ Chicago radio. the house was built in the 50's and the attic had the foil back insulation. I ripped that up and put fiberglass in the attic. I'm glad we only lived there for 3 years. First house that we got a great deal on. I had a radio station move so close to my home, if the tower fell, it would come close to hitting us. Nothing could keep the signal out of my gear. I called the FCC, and the radio station and the FCC used the same engineer. I ended up moving, but it was only a rental so it was no big deal. ------ As far as sound in concerned, nobody but you and .0001% of the word will hear any difference. As long as the cable is at least mid-priced and the external shield is 100%, I'm OK with it. As I said before, if I can go Balanced, I do. Playing live, 60 Hz hum is the biggest problem. Lights on dimmers, marginal wiring in the venue, ice machine on the same circuit or what have you. I found for me: 1) Plug everything into the same line conditioner 2) Keep cable runs as short as possible 3) Use mid-priced major brand cables As long as it isn't humming, the audience doesn't know the difference. If I were recording, I might have different preferences. Insights and incites by Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitflipper Posted September 26, 2019 Share Posted September 26, 2019 22 minutes ago, Notes_Norton said: I called the FCC, and the radio station and the FCC used the same engineer. In a previous life, I used to be the service manager in a shop that sold marine, ham and cb radios. The CB'ers were always getting complaints about interference because they wanted to talk to South America and the legal 5 watts wouldn't cut it. Their neighbors would then call the FCC, who would send me out to do a field-strength measurement. Me, the same guy whose boss had sold them the illegal gear in the first place. It was an easy gig - all I had to do was call the offender ahead of time and tell him I was coming over, so he could stash his 1KW amp in the closet. I'd fill out a report for the FCC and that was that. But then it happened to a friend of mine. His neighbor's illegal CB was interfering with all the TVs in the neighborhood. We had to come up with a more permanent solution. I suggested that he insert a pushpin through the fellow's coax going up to his antenna. Next day, he shows up at my shop with blown power transistors. I repaired it and took time to demonstrate to him that it was working - so that when he returned the next day with more blown transistors he couldn't blame it on my repair. He must have gone to another shop after that, so I don't know how many more times he blew up his amp before figuring out his antenna was shorted. Yes, this post is on-topic. It's about cables. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb Posted September 26, 2019 Share Posted September 26, 2019 31 minutes ago, bitflipper said: In a previous life, I used to be the service manager in a shop that sold marine, ham and cb radios. The CB'ers were always getting complaints about interference because they wanted to talk to South America and the legal 5 watts wouldn't cut it. Their neighbors would then call the FCC, who would send me out to do a field-strength measurement. Me, the same guy whose boss had sold them the illegal gear in the first place. It was an easy gig - all I had to do was call the offender ahead of time and tell him I was coming over, so he could stash his 1KW amp in the closet. I'd fill out a report for the FCC and that was that. But then it happened to a friend of mine. His neighbor's illegal CB was interfering with all the TVs in the neighborhood. We had to come up with a more permanent solution. I suggested that he insert a pushpin through the fellow's coax going up to his antenna. Next day, he shows up at my shop with blown power transistors. I repaired it and took time to demonstrate to him that it was working - so that when he returned the next day with more blown transistors he couldn't blame it on my repair. He must have gone to another shop after that, so I don't know how many more times he blew up his amp before figuring out his antenna was shorted. Yes, this post is on-topic. It's about cables. Love it! 😁 You sure you didn't work for Harris Waste Management? There was a Dave who came down from your area that was a bit flipper for them (their office was near Airport Way in the Portland area). Same look too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InstrEd Posted September 26, 2019 Share Posted September 26, 2019 Funny I had the CB radio that had the booster too. We would only use it really late at night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InstrEd Posted September 26, 2019 Share Posted September 26, 2019 Whoops I forgot to add the word CABLE😆 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gswitz Posted September 26, 2019 Share Posted September 26, 2019 Like the song Fred, you only have to have something in common with the prior post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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