Drak Posted July 14, 2004 Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 I read this post by this guy on another forum...he must be a studio musician or something. Anyone here ever notice the small differences in cables that this guy does? It sounds like he's comparing pickups! I mean, C'mon man! This guy is off the hook! Sheesh! Shut up and play yer guitar, son! __________________ My 20' length of Klotz LaGrange guitar cable arrived today, and if the initial tests hold true with "tomorrows" ears, it looks like I just might be using a new guitar cable besides George L's. To me ears, the Koltz cable is CLEARER, LOUDER, and BEEFIER than the George L's. The clarity of the Klotz cable, simply put, is stunning. Not only can you hear EVERYTHING you want to hear, this cable has raised the bar on touch sensitivity and articulation as well. Even picking as lightly as I possibly could, the notes were full and defined. I found myself adding (and enjoying) some "jazzy" stuff along with a few blues numbers I played, as the notes felt and sounded so alive. I also tested the Klotz cable with some higher gain sounds and found it to be excellent there as well. I had read in one of the reviews (for the Klotz cable) that a high end "glare" was present when this cable was used for the higher gain stuff. I didn't find this to be the case at all. As a matter of fact, I found the Klotz really added some GREAT string to string definition and kept everything from sounding muddy. All in all, I think this cable is a real winner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ki swordsman Posted July 14, 2004 Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 meh.. lots of people can hear huge differences in cables some really do change the sound a fair bit... and i've read the george L and klotz cables do kick ass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southpaw rocker Posted July 14, 2004 Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 yeah right... spend $100 on monster cables and have no money for a good guitar. i think it really doesn't make a big difference. drak's right just play your guitar. gees, Can I do a review on picks and pick holders? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob7 Posted July 14, 2004 Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 gees, Can I do a review on picks and pick holders? I don't see why you couldn't, and I'm pretty sure some guitarists would re-evaluate their pick choice if you did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ki swordsman Posted July 14, 2004 Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 yeah right... spend $100 on monster cables and have no money for a good guitar. i think it really doesn't make a big difference. drak's right just play your guitar. gees, Can I do a review on picks and pick holders? have you ever bought certain strings cos you thought they sounded better? and there's no need to spend heaps of cash, you can make high quality leads by getting good cable and attaching the ends yourself some people choose their amps searching for the best sound... same thing only it makes a bigger difference right?... good leads have less tone degradation and less unwanted noise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted July 14, 2004 Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 <RANT>Any good low capacitance cable is going to be sufficient for a decent guitar cable. And remember, both Hendrix and SRV preferred those old coiled cords, with loads of capacitance because, as Stevie said, "...they [don't] pass [as] much electricity...". If $300.00 cables make you feel better, and you can afford them, by all means use them, but don't try to tell me that there's an audible difference between them and any quality guitar cable unless you can demonstrate it with either a spectrum analyzer or a double-blind listening test. My cheap 10 year old SpectraFlex reads the same for audio frequencies as the most expensive Monster Cable that my local music store had. And don't even get me started on "oxygen-free" copper! I knew when everybody started pushing Class A amps as the new thing that Hi-Fi Syndrome wouldn't be far behind - next you'll be seeing gold-plated strings for "pure harmonic overtones with less blurring and better imaging" or some other equally bogus marketing gimmick! Just another lame attempt to get you and your money to part company. Drak's right, shut up, and play yer guitar!</RANT> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPL Posted July 14, 2004 Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 I believe cables can make some difference but there is more hype than perfomance with most cables. If you want good cables at a good price check out these. I haven't tried them yet but those with better ears than me say they're great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ki swordsman Posted July 14, 2004 Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 personally i'm not a cable purist, i just use anything decent but i'm just saying if there wasn't noticable difference it wouldn't have built such a following, and if there is a difference it's not dissimilar to preferring certain strings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted July 14, 2004 Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 This is what I use : http://store.haveinc.com/Ebus30/Parts/Part...al_Code=CURRENT as for picks, I have to make my own, and I'm keeping it a secret. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ki swordsman Posted July 14, 2004 Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 i think it might be a dud link... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted July 14, 2004 Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 Two years ago I would have said this guy was off his rocker. But the band leader I've been playing with since then has demonstrated a truly amazing ear. I thought I had a good ear, but our group leader is on another plane. Some people have it. Example; a few weeks ago we were rehearsing, 6 different instrumentalists (2 guitars, bass, 2 keyboards, drums) and 6 singers. This is a hot song. We get to this measure in the song, and he stops everyone and says "Wait a minute, who's off?". We go back and forth over this passage about 5 times, and we finally figure out that it's me playing A7 instead of Am7 (brain fart). I sh*t you not, there must have been about 30 notes in the air, and our guy picks out my bonehead maj3rd out of all of it. I was blown away, and he's done this kind of thing before. Forget about cables, our guy could probably hear the differences in different kinds of solder. And I don't even want to think about all the permanent hearing damage I suffered before I even got out of high school.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Jabsco Posted July 14, 2004 Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 The only difference Ive noticed in cables is the gain. some are a little noisier, and some are lighter, thats all. no major tone differences. that guy is probley getting endorsed by koltz company now. 40 bucks is the most i would ever spend on a good 10 foot cable. there is one that I really like tho, it has a built in mute button on the imput so that you can press it, and it cuts off all noise so you can switch guitars on stage. im sure one of you electronics wizzes could make that for half the price they ask tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted July 14, 2004 Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 The only clear difference I ever heard with a cable is the length. 20 foot cables eat so many of the high freqs that they sound muddy. 10 feet sounds better, and 3 feet better still. The problem is that you can't gig with a 3 foot cord. Oh, I use a special 12 foot cord that I made a few years ago. It had the best ballance of walking distance to guitar tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Jabsco Posted July 14, 2004 Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 LOL, do thoes wireless setups sound bad? you could think aobut burnin off 300$ that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted July 14, 2004 Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 LOL, do thoes wireless setups sound bad? you could think aobut burnin off 300$ that way. I've never used them, despite all the bands wishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted July 14, 2004 Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 If high frequency cable loss is your trouble, simply use EMGs, or add an active buffer like Don Tillman's FET Preamp Cable, and run as long a cable as you like. It's never been an issue for me, and nobody I've played with has been able to tell (wthout looking) whether I'm using the wireless or my 20 foot cable, but all but one of my basses and most of my guitars have active electronics - it might be a much bigger problem with, say, a vintage Tele. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted July 14, 2004 Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 The first cable I ever bought, back in 1984, was one of those bill lawrence ones, with the brass looking screw-on ends. I put up with that piece of junk for years. Probably all that it needed was to have soldered ends put on instead. Well, I had some switchcraft ends on another cable. Loaned that to a relative. a-hole relative has problems with it. Goes to the music store with it, and the salesman says, " that cable is a piece of junk, throw it away". A-hole relative goes home and actually throws it away in the trash on me, along with cutting the ground lug off my amp, so he could plug it into the outlet in the basement. Ok, I shouldn't have told that story, but it still pisses me off. I bought the canare cable with neutrik ends, because at the time I was looking for a cable, I had this "amps" issus of GP, and that't the cable that Paul Rivera said he liked the best at that time. I agree about the length. No more than 10 feet. Don't forget about keeping the contacts clean. And, I would think most people here would make their own cables. I made a few now. You just need some little jig to hold the cable and ends while you solder. I had made one with clothes pins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcow Posted July 14, 2004 Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 i dunno, cables to me seem all the same, except some cables buzz more. i gto some of those coil cablesw that hendrix used off ebay for like 10 bucks and they are great, but i don't notice a huge difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StratDudeDan Posted July 14, 2004 Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 i know if i am playing through an old or bad cable, but that's the only time it ever makes any difference to me. if the wiring is corroded, the rubber is broken, the ends rusted or something like that, yes. i notice. other than that, i play bass through a Peavey 20' purple cable, straight to right angled, and i play guitar through a Peavey 20' blue cable, straight to straight (strats don't like right angled tips). <RANT> i could probably get a 6' Monster cable (and pay more...), have it sound exactly the same to me. gold wiring and everything or whatever they use to hype their "monster" cables that exceed all normal laws of physics and carry electricity "better" than another cable made out of the same stuff, just next door in the other factory. </RANT> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPL Posted July 14, 2004 Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 The first cable I ever bought, back in 1984, was one of those bill lawrence ones, with the brass looking screw-on ends. I put up with that piece of junk for years. Bill has been selling cables for less than a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted July 15, 2004 Report Share Posted July 15, 2004 The first cable I ever bought, back in 1984, was one of those bill lawrence ones, with the brass looking screw-on ends. I put up with that piece of junk for years. Bill has been selling cables for less than a year. No, I bought it in 1984 , like I said. Never paid attention if they continued to sell them, so I just did a Google search : "After a long absence (15-20 years?), Bill Lawrence's solderless plugs and static-free low-capacitance cable are finally available again. For those who don't remember them, BL's plugs and cables were the originals that "George L" (imo rather badly) copied after several years of being BL's U.S. distributor. BL's latest are just amazing, even better than the originals and miles ahead of what "George L" is offering today. The cable is much more flexible, without even a hint of microphonics, and the plug is both beautifully machined and plated _and_ far easier to install. BL even supplies a couple of little Allen wrenches for the setscrew! The real kicker is the (introductory special?) price: $48 + S&H for 50' of cable and ten plugs. Here's the URL for the page at BL's website" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Vai Posted February 6, 2005 Report Share Posted February 6, 2005 I have just a quick question. I'm going to build Don Tillman's Preamp Cable, but I don't know what cable to get. I want a 15ft cable that costs around $30 (but I could go with a 20ft cable). I don't care what brand it is, I just want the best cable for the price. Which cable would be the best? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyG Posted February 6, 2005 Report Share Posted February 6, 2005 i personally stick with planet wave cables. they're slightlly more expensive and they do have the hype of oxygen free copper and gold plated contacts. but they're built solidlly and i know they'll last so as far as im concerned it was worth it re: length, i have a 10 foot from guitar to pedal board and a 20 foot from pedalboard to amp. its all buffered and my tone is so screwed anyway that "cable degredation" doesnt really matter to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted February 7, 2005 Report Share Posted February 7, 2005 read this article, myths about cords. That said, I have done a blind test with my $10 dollar cheapo and a $50 monster cable. I seriously have to say that the monster cable did help the tone. The cheapo sounded more muddy and of course it picked up more noise. With the monster the notes were clearer and the note definiation on chords was much better. NOW that was an an acoustic (where the littlest thing makes a big difference), on my electric I cant tell ANY difference. Also putting cheap cables between effect pedals or using cheap pedals will give you bad results and not let you hear as much of the sound of your cable. You CAN hear a difference when recording. But thats when listening to it on the recording monitors. On your sound system you wont tell a difference. SO I think the conclusion is that it doesent really matter (because the difference is so small) but I still buy "expensive" cords just because they last longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marossy Posted February 7, 2005 Report Share Posted February 7, 2005 To me, this stuff is mostly nonsense and is in the same category as "oxygen free" copper wire. Gimme a break! I do agree that the more expensive cables last longer and are usually a little more heavy duty - probably a little more stranded wire inside. More stranded wire = a little bit more strong signal to the amp. Which is then interpreted as being "sharper", "clearer", blah, blah, blah. At least that's how I see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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