Expensive Cable makes Noticeable Difference!!? - Planet Waves Circuit Breaker

Skylark

Just got a Planet Waves Circuit Breaker Cable - 20Ft - R460
(Never thought I would ever pay that much for a cable... but I'm learning to appreciate the value of quality)

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Planet-Waves-Circuit-Breaker-Cable-Right-Angle-Straight-102564960-i1129323.gc

Its the slightly rigid 24AWG Double shielded High quality cable.
The minute you pull it out and handle it, the good quality is clearly apparent.

I also have the normal Planet Waves 20Ft standard floppy cable that cost about R240 that I normally use
Great cable - never noticed it not being amazing

After playing for a few minutes with the old cable which is in mint cond , I plugged in the new Planet Waves Circuit Breaker Cable and instantly noticed a totally noticeable volume and clarity increase.
When I mean significant - the guitar started screaming more and was noticeably louder - more "toney"

Didn't believe it at first - thought I had bumped the level knob or something
Repeatedly swapped cables numerous times to make sure it was definitely the cable

Was pleasantly surprised - seen all those premium cable adverts before and just thought blah blah

Anyone had a similar experience?
Maybe Matta will have some pearls of wisdom - seen he makes up cables/amps/efx so must have heard some good cables in his time.

The circuit breaker feature is an absolute winner - very verrry useful

Instrument used was a Godin with Seymour P90's into 5W Laney Lionheart :goodtimes:

AlanRatcliffe

Yeah - I have a pair of 3m Carver cables with Neutrik plugs I made up a few years ago. Rigid as all hell so they are only really suitable for playing here, but they do make a noticeable difference to clarity and high end.

The thing is that most electric guitar's circuits are passive and high impedance, so the cable actually acts as part of the tone circuit and affects the pickup loading.

Planet Waves do seem to use an overall high quality cable, but I don't really like their plugs.

Skylark

Is there any min maximum resistance for guitar cables?
ie a good cable should be min resistance of :
And the maximum allowable resistance is :

Is low resistance a reflection of a good cable?
One of my cheap ancient & worn cables has a resistance considerably lower than the Planet waves and it seems to play fine (ie no shorts)

Is a good cable a mixture of low resistance and shielding and low capacitive tendencies etc
Does the capacitance of a cable act like a comb filter?
how does length effect all of this and whats a the maximum length you can go before it starts messing with the signal

And what would be defined as an optimal cable to record with in studio?

Thanks in advance!! :applause:

AlanRatcliffe

You get a lowpass filter effect with higher values - comb filtering only happens when you have phase issues.

It's more about the capacitance than the resistance (resistance is measured per kilometre length, while capacitance is measured per foot - which should tell you something), and cable length increases capacitance, even with the best cables. The lower the capacitance the better to keep the effects outside the audible range. 15pF/ft is as good as it gets, but anything lower than 50pF/ft is usable.

You must remember that guitar isn't HiFi, so there is no right or wrong cable. A higher capacitance cable may lose some highs, but that may be the effect that the player wants. Some guys love the old curly cables (Hendrix was one), which are horrendous to my ears - but I'm not playing a CBS Strat into a Marshall either.

I've learned a few simple rules when it comes to cables. Keep cable lengths as short as possible and, when in doubt, buy Mogami or Canare. You can't go wrong with those brands - they sound good and last a long time. It's what the majority of pro players and studios are using for good reason.

Mr-M

I've had one of those Planet Waves Circuit Breaker cables for around 5 years now. Never failed me and sound quality-wise it is a great cable. I also noticed a big difference in tonal quality when I switched from my old cable. The Planet Waves Custom series sound just as great IMO - been using those for a long time as well. Thumbs up from me.

Skylark

Thanks for the technical info Alan
Aside from the personal preferences of a player , what specs would a reference cable have?
I mean a cable that has the maximum tranparency/minimum signal colouring and minimum signal loss
ie a cable to transport the guitars tone as close as possibile to the way the pickups/tone & Volume control outputed the signal to the guitar bodies output jack.
How would I identify such a cable - what characteristics would it exhibit? (like the resistance , AWG , shielding I should watch for)

AlanRatcliffe

You're missing the point a little - with guitar cables, the cable is part of the circuit - it doesn't just transport the signal from the guitar to the amp - it responds to both and they respond to it. Kind of the way a guitar amp doesn't just make the guitar sound louder. So the important thing is what it sounds like, not what it doesn't sound like (which is how specs are measured and represented) and that will differ with every different guitar and every different amp. Once you are working with good cables, they all sound great - but then the subjective nature of tone and personal taste comes into play.

Ultimately, specs are useless beyond simply weeding out the really cheap and nasty stuff. If there are any nasty specs, the manufacturer simply leaves them out of the spec sheet or presents them in such a way that they look more flattering than they are (resistance spec a little high? Measure it in winter and don't mention what the temperature was when you measured). There are many details that apply to guitarists that a spec sheet will never mention - consistency, durability, flexibility, tribolectric noise, etc. Not to mention that a bad solder job in manufacturing can stuff up the best cable in the world.

The best test equipment ever is the human ear. Ignore the specs and listen - If it sounds good to you, it is.

string_slinger

Alan be right!

I have the 'mid-range' Planet Waves cables - NOT the R200 ones, mine are same spec as the 'breaker' ones, but no actual breaker jack, just gold ends. Cost about R400ea about 4 years ago. Have to say - they sound superb and have not had a single issue in 4 years of serious rehearsal and gigging abuse (not that I don't try to look after them, but it's a rock band - s#1t happens). Bought a spare just in case and have never needed it. Highly, HIGHLY recommended.

Cheers

VetGat

yeah it all depends on budget really. the lower the capacitance of the cable, the higher quality it is.
there is a theory around solderless cables being louder and it kinda makes sense cause there is less "metal"and thus less resistance on the jack which would explain why circuit breaker being solderless and low capacitance rating is so much louder than the soldered equivelant

Skylark

Found an excellent article about cables in general and the top brands reviewed :
http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2008/May/Guitar_Cable_Roundup_Part_One.aspx