do cables really make a difference

Jeff Hogsten · Post by **Jeff Hogsten** » 14 Mar 2004 10:27 am

I want some opinions as to the difference cables make in your sound. Ive heard some people say the Lawerence cable is best and a few years ago guitar player even did a shootout. I just wonder what some of you are using and how much you really think it matters

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 14 Mar 2004 10:51 am

As with all things...
(Strings, Cords, Tubes, Pre/Buffer Amps, V-Peds, Pickups, etc...)
...It only matters if YOU can hear a difference (or can't get the same effect by bumping your amps volume and treble a wee bit).

Otherwise, your just another guy (like me)who often times can't see the Emporers new cloths.
[This message was edited by Pete Burak on 14 March 2004 at 11:18 AM.]

Eric West · Post by **Eric West** » 14 Mar 2004 11:21 am

Having done a "hillbilly shootout" in a local studio years ago, I will state that I noticed less susceptability to the picking up of outside interference on the thinner cables, and have been told that the difference is that there is less surface area of "grounding shield" in the thinner cables to "recieve" RF freqs from outside sources like electric motors, rheostats and the like. From what I read on "non musical" sites, I believe that this has been borne out in things like aerospace use. Volume is iffy at best unless you've got a mechanical "string plucker". ( Mr Hankey?).

They are a lot easier and faster to fix, I've found.

As for "tone", I'm definately with My esteemed neighbor Sen Burak, in that it's in your perception.

The way things are represented in todays advertising, if you got a bullseye bar, SIT strings, a hilton pedal, a matchbox, a Pod, and a Webb amp, you wouldn't even have to show up at the gig. Your sustain would last a week...

EJL

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 14 Mar 2004 11:33 am

WHEN I switched to George Ls, I heard a difference - my tone got a little sharper.

All I had to do was back the treble off a little and I had my sound back!

RR

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 14 Mar 2004 11:37 am

George L's. No doubt about it.

Paul King · Post by **Paul King** » 14 Mar 2004 11:47 am

I bought some George L's at the show Saturday in Texas. They are easy as pie to put together and I sure can tell a difference.

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 14 Mar 2004 2:08 pm

Eric

It's the same with the golf magazines - I've worked out that with a certain driver, a high-tech ball, a better glove, etc, etc (each promising to add 10% to my distance), I should - IF I use them all at the same time - be able to hit the ball about half a mile....[This message was edited by Roger Rettig on 14 March 2004 at 02:10 PM.]

Joey Gaskins · Post by **Joey Gaskins** » 14 Mar 2004 2:25 pm

I got some George L's yesterday and it seems to be I had a little more treble kind of sound. Never changed a setting on my amp. Was very pleased, so was the crowd last night.

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 14 Mar 2004 2:31 pm

Moved to 'Electronics' section.

Loren Morehouse · Post by **Loren Morehouse** » 15 Mar 2004 2:59 pm

I use nothing but George L's. They're small in diameter, sound great and you can cut the length to whatever you want. I really love the no soldering part of it! Loren.

Larry Clark · Post by **Larry Clark** » 15 Mar 2004 4:58 pm

For many years I made up my own cables using Belden 8402 mike cable and Switchcraft 280 plugs. I read the Guitar Player Magazine "Shootout" on cables a while back and like a previous post was thinking this is just another case of the "Emporers New Clothes" type of thing. I was quite surprised with the improvement I heard with the George L cables as far as fidelity and tone over what I had been previously using.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 15 Mar 2004 5:18 pm

Cables will definitely make a difference, especially when using a pot pedal and humbucker (high impedance) pickups. Cheap cables, or too much cable, can rob you of highs. Whether or not it's significant depends on the type of tone you like to start with.

Ron Randall · Post by **Ron Randall** » 15 Mar 2004 6:30 pm

George L's. I could hear the difference between these and ordinary guitar cable.
I liked the difference I heard.
Therefore, I replaced all my 1/4 guitar cables with George L's. I have eliminated one variable in the tone equation.

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 16 Mar 2004 9:45 am

i replaced my cables w; George L's too
yes, there is a clear difference
along w; a Hilton VP - All Clear

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 16 Mar 2004 10:17 am

Question for you people.

Do you find any noticeable gain (output) in
the various cables you have had the opportunity to try?.

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 16 Mar 2004 10:41 am

Did ya ever notice that we tend to use big, fat, round cables from the guitar to the effects and amp. Yet the cables from the probe to the BNC jack on a Tektronix or Hewlett Packard oscilloscope are these dinky, tiny, thin flimsy things? We're only handling signals thru about 5-10 kHz yet the 'scope is good to 100 mHz. Maybe there's a secret there. It would stand to reason that a large diameter shield, fat dielectric, and 18-20 gage center conductor would make a great capacitor, just the thing to round off the square corners of a square wave test pulse (demonstrating the effect of limiting the high frequency throughput).[This message was edited by Ray Minich on 16 March 2004 at 10:42 AM.]

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 16 Mar 2004 1:31 pm

Jody, to answer your your question...no. I find no significant gain differences in various cables. I do, however, notice differences in frequency response - which may be perceived as a difference in overall gain by some players.

Wayne Franco · Post by **Wayne Franco** » 16 Mar 2004 3:54 pm

I really like the George L Cables. I actually like the thick ones over the smaller diamater cables. I just got a new amp system (Stereo Steel). My chord to the amp is much shorter because it is right next to me in the rack rather than all the way back to a standard Evens amp. I tell you, even whith ears that have been effected by too many "rock" drummers over the years I hear strings ringing Loud and Clear I've never experienced before. I have to think part of it is the shorter cable length to the pre-amp in the rack plus the extra horse power of 600 vs 200 watts.

Buck Dilly · Post by **Buck Dilly** » 16 Mar 2004 4:41 pm

John Bechtel · Post by **John Bechtel** » 16 Mar 2004 10:41 pm

Well, in 56 yrs. I've never noticed much, if any difference in the cables I was using. (usually made-up from Beldon Cable and Switchcraft Plugs) For the past several years I've been using all Peavey Cables, mainly because; they work and they l©©k good! I've really never tried any other Commercial Brands. I've never considered it necessary!

------------------
“Big John” Bechtel
Franklin PSG D–10 (9 &

Fender ’49–’50 T–8 Custom
Fender ’65 Reissue Twin-Reverb Custom 15”
http://community.webtv.net/KeoniNui/BigJohnBechtels

John Bechtel · Post by **John Bechtel** » 16 Mar 2004 10:45 pm

Well, in 56 yrs. I've never noticed much, if any difference in the cables I was using. (usually made-up from Beldon Cable and Switchcraft Plugs) For the past several years I've been using all Peavey Cables, mainly because; they work and they l©©k good! I've really never tried any other Commercial Brands. I've never considered it necessary! Ever since I went back to using only one (1) amp, I have about (6) 10’ cords that I no longer need! I guess I should put these like new cords on Buy and Sell

------------------
“Big John” Bechtel
Franklin PSG D–10 (9 &

Fender ’49–’50 T–8 Custom
Fender ’65 Reissue Twin-Reverb Custom 15”
http://community.webtv.net/KeoniNui/BigJohnBechtels

John Bechtel · Post by **John Bechtel** » 16 Mar 2004 10:52 pm

W. Franco; Your post kinda reminds me of Gracie Allen! She cut the lamp cords off short, to save electricity!

No offence intended; I'm just kidding! It was just a reminder to me of days gone by. Carry on.

------------------
“Big John” Bechtel
Franklin PSG D–10 (9 &

Fender ’49–’50 T–8 Custom
Fender ’65 Reissue Twin-Reverb Custom 15”
http://community.webtv.net/KeoniNui/BigJohnBechtels

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 17 Mar 2004 4:05 am

Jody, I have never found any significant detectable difference in the cables I have used. I have used the GeorgeL small diameter cables and they do take up less room in your pac-seat.

The "quick-connect" feature was convenient for emergency repairs, but my experience was that they were somewhat temperamental and would also easily "disconnect", or worse, degrade with abuse such as being walked on or caught by someone's toe.

I eventually returned to Peavy or any other good quality cords with soldered connections.

www.genejones.com [This message was edited by Gene Jones on 17 March 2004 at 04:08 AM.]

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 17 Mar 2004 5:16 am

The perception is real! Just try A/Bing cables to and from your vol. pedal.
The noticeable difference may vary depending on the quality of cables you are using now. The Geo. L's and Bill L.'s are the most transparent cables I have found so far.

Mark Herrick · Post by **Mark Herrick** » 17 Mar 2004 9:23 am

We seem to be very concerned with the quality of the cable that gets the signal from the guitar to the amp, but would it not be equally important in getting the signal from the amp to the speaker?

Here is a link I found recently to an audiophile website. They seem to be quite impressed with the sonic improvement of these do-it-yourself speaker cables:
http://www.venhaus1.com/diycatfivecables.html

It seems to me that, since the audiophile guys are using mostly tube amps, these might work just as well in an instrument amplifier. They are apparently a pain in the butt to make, but then again, for a combo guitar amp, you're only talking about a foot or so at most, not 15 or 20 feet.