??? about different cables- not George L's

Ron Whitworth · Post by **Ron Whitworth** » 13 Jul 2002 8:24 am

Hello;
I have a pile of old no longer used cables that quit working a long time ago-misc;i mean some are guitar cables & some are speaker cables.All of them have the 1/4" phone plug soldered onto the ends..I want to go thru & repair the ones that can be fixed & put back into service. My ???-
Is there a way to tell which ones are speaker cables & which ones are guitar cables.Are the 2 stranded wire ones for speakers or is there a better way to tell with a meter?? Thanks for any/all replies.I appreciate it. Ron

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 13 Jul 2002 9:27 am

Ron, most all instrument cables have a braided shield around a center conductor, whereas, the speaker cables have just two (heavier) wires surrounded (usually) by a thick neoprene jacket...there is no "braided shield" in most speaker cables.

Bob Tuttle · Post by **Bob Tuttle** » 13 Jul 2002 9:29 am

The guitar cables will have one center conductor and a braided shield . The speaker cables will have two stranded wire conductors. Hope this helps.
Bob

Ron Whitworth · Post by **Ron Whitworth** » 13 Jul 2002 10:18 am

Thank You Gentlemen;
I knew i would find an answer here & fast to boot!!!.Just can't beat this Forum & the folks on it...Thanks Again...Ron

ajm · Post by **ajm** » 13 Jul 2002 12:00 pm

The speaker cables often resemble a regular old lamp cable with two wires running side by side.

Jim Florence · Post by **Jim Florence** » 19 Jul 2002 8:46 pm

Ron, for what it's worth, be sure to observe the polarity in the speaker cables. The speakers must be in phase. Look real close at the wire. It is allways marked with one wire round and the other will have a ridge of some sort.
Jim

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 20 Jul 2002 7:54 am

Jim: I agree with what you say about in phase but in stereo systems (for steel guitar) some of us are running one of the cabinets out of phase for an enhanced stereo effect. I know of three local players here that are doing this and I read some where on the Forum that Jay Dee Mayness is also doing this. I also know that not everyone who listens to this, hears the change that reversing one side makes. It may be a personal hearing thing.

Thought you might like to know !!

Regards, Paul