Guitar Cables and Me

Greg

So I read this article yesterday which got me thinking about my no-name brand cables, which haven't failed me for a year or two now, have been very durable and reliable and don't colour my tone in any unsatisfactory way at all.

Here is the article: http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2008/May/Guitar_Cable_Roundup_Part_One.aspx

So I figured that I'd like to get a pair of Mogamis (not the platinum's) for when I want to record in studio. Since I record so infrequently and when I do I really want my (pricey) 6120 to sound at it's best and using an average cable that might hinder the guitars performance (even on a minute level) just isn't on the cards!

So I went to a local shop and, of course, they only had Fender, Cort and Proel...

So I browsed Musician's Friend and they're about $50 a piece.

Then I browsed wantitall.co.za and they're ~R1250 a piece!!! (http://www.wantitall.co.za/Electronics/Mogami-Gold-Instrument-18R-Guitar-Instrument-Straight-to-R-A-Ends-18-feet__B0002Z3N8E)

AAAHHHH!!!!

What a rip!

Whats your opinion on cables?

kayDUB

I make my own ? Mogami instrument cable and either neutrik or amphenol jacks.

I think Marshall Music Cape Town will also make them up for you. They do stock the mogami cable.

RJN

Hi

R1260 per cable ? ? ? ? ? Are there any sexual favours included ?

Call me cheap but since i dont do any pro recording , i usually work on a R300 budget per Guitar Cable.

Lets be honest , will you really hear the difference between a R300 cable and a R1200 cable ?

Greg

kayDUB wrote: I make my own ? Mogami instrument cable and either neutrik or amphenol jacks.

I think Marshall Music Cape Town will also make them up for you. They do stock the mogami cable.

BOOM!

Gonna check it out...

rikus

Greg wrote:
kayDUB wrote: I make my own ? Mogami instrument cable and either neutrik or amphenol jacks.

I think Marshall Music Cape Town will also make them up for you. They do stock the mogami cable.
BOOM!

Gonna check it out...

+1 Make sure it's the Mogami instrument cable (W2524) and not the mic cable. The Amphenol heavy duty straight plugs work great for guitar cable and they're built like tanks!

Check out the video for a nice step by step guide for making a nice cable

=

ezietsman

I made my own Mogami cables with Amphenol jacks. The amphenols are rubbish, of the 6 jacks I bought (2 guitar cables, 1 speaker cable) 2 of them is broken and another 2 is breaking. The plastic bitsies are brittle.

To be honest, next time I'd rather just get one of those Dimarzio cables with the cloth covering, just because they don't have molded jacks and the extra covering should make them a bit more durable, soundwise, I don't believe they make any difference, unless you run really long (like 20m or more) cables. On the other hand, my cheap Proel cables from years ago still functions just fine.

arjunmenon

+1 on the Mogami. Fellow forumite Matta made me a few cables with Amphenol jacks some time back that are really built like tanks.
Good stuff with a decent amount of flex.

My opinion on cables is that there's crap cable and then there's good cable....and there's a lot of marketing hype out there.
I've got some Klotz, an Elixir cable, a Lava cable, a Kirlin cable with Neutrik jacks and run of the mill Proel cables.
Of the lot, i really love the Elixir cable, but it has an annoying habit of winding on itself.

Also, regardless of what cheap no-name cable i test, i usually consider the following:

1. Is it well shielded?
2. Are the jacks soldered?
3. Does it straighten out nicely and have a fair amount of flex?

Once these have been ticked off, i plug the guitar straight into the amp using the cable being tested.
I then switch back & forth between the test cable and my go-to cable.

kayDUB

There are different amphibole jacks, the T2MP (iirc) are the good ones, more expensive tho.
I actually find the mogami cable doesn't unwind so nicely, it's a bit stiff and coils on itself. But not too bad.

BluJu

Nothing wrong with planet waves.

Greg

Sweet vid!

JeremyE

I must admit I'd like to hear the difference between the cables I use and a Mogami cable! I don't buy in to much on the cable front. My main cable I gigged for about 3 years in church and it gave absolutely no issues. hence I have never ventured out and bought Mogami. Personally I have always wanted a bullet coil cable, I think they look the business!

psyx

Bullet cables seem to be good quality and don't cost an arm and a leg. They also make some nicely decorated cables

AlanRatcliffe

kayDUB wrote: I actually find the mogami cable doesn't unwind so nicely, it's a bit stiff and coils on itself. But not too bad.

It's a bit stiff at first, but when it breaks in it softens up a bit. I often find that cable that is nice and flexible at first ends up too flexible.

Neutrik plugs only for me - they last forever, so pay for themselves time and again. Moulded plugs often mean a high copper content cable that cannot be reused with any reliability (it oxidises too quickly with a regular plug), and of course you cannot replace the cable between the plugs, so when they die, they are better off left dead.

Psean

Brendon "BluJu" Neuhaus wrote: Nothing wrong with planet waves.

V8

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Neutrik plugs only for me - they last forever, so pay for themselves time and again.

+1. I've a few sets, after 8 years I reckon they'll outlast me. (They've definitely outlasted the cabling and every other cable I've ever had ?). Minor irritation with the right angled ones & breaking the plastic cover, still 100% operational, just looks a bit tatty - I see the design is different now, so problem solved.

A quick search reveals that you can get them local for around R35/plug, if your local store don't stock 'em. R70 + cost of cabling is damn reasonable imho.

http://za.rs-online.com - They also have the right angled ones, useful for certain instruments with input jacks in silly places.
http://www.audiowarehouse.co.za/index.php/

Also saw this while searching, http://za.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Neutrik/NP2RX-TIMBRE/?qs=%2fha2pyFaduh3Kc8nW66hx8kNAfLm4PN6%252bh9XlBR1vYs%3d - A plug that does 'timbre', whatever next?

Big-G

I also make my own.... I have been using only neutrik connections for the past decade, and never had a plug fail me yet. Every now and then I have to chop the last few inches of cable and resolder the plugs on because of wear and tear from regular use which will break other cables far far quicker, but the secret is not just great connectors, but good quality cable....

For this I just buy a 100m real of Van Damme Cable, as again I've been using this for the past decade or so with no real issues, other than the above mentioned, or the occasional accidental chopping of a cable when some careless twit decides to trap it under an amp or staging. Usually the van damme copes fine with this, unlike cheaper cables.

The issue is not so much whether these higher quality cables give you a sound that is 'true to the sound of your instrument', etc, but rather that it is not interferring with the signal from your instrument by adding unwanted noise, or in more severe cases, reducing the actual signal coming from your instrument. A good quality cable will allow you to re-use it over and over again without having to worry as to whether the next time you take it out the case its gonna work or not.

Oh, and I generally source my plugs and cables from RS too! Cheapest I've found, but can be a pain in the butt if you don't have a card to pay with. Their Cape Town branch holds very little stock, so they have to order it in from Joburg which slows things down somewhat!

I have bought Planet waves and DiMarzio cables when I didn't have time to make my own, and they seem to have lasted well so far (+/- a year now), and the thing I like about Planet waves is that they offer a lifetime gaurantee on some cables.

Cheers
G!

Greg

Those Timbre cables are interesting but personally I'd like to have ALL my guitar coming through the cable and then adjust EQ with the amp.