louwd123
Hi guys,
I would really like to know if anyone had the wonderful experience of a cable failing on you during a live session. Then it was almost as if Alan's words that I read once on a thread about him not trusting solderless connections rang in my ears with the feeling of someone telling you - "I told you so". Anyway the wonderful bit of dynamics was caused by the "amazing" George-L's connection that dipped out every now and then. Even though I've tested it at practices it chose to have a mind of it's own the first time I actually used it live.
*sigh* - I feel better now. Thanks for the opportunity to complain. ☹
Mr-M
Sorry to hear about your problem. ☹ That sucks - especially it happening live. I've also been worried about that happening with mine, but so far no problems with my George L's live or in practice. This despite unplugging and plugging them in on a regular basis to change out pedals. Holding thumbs it won't happen to me.
I think as long as the cut when you made the cable is really clean and straight (I was very meticulous with this) and the caps/ thumbscrews aren't too tight and you check them and tighten them if needed once in a while, you'll be OK. Well, I have been anyway.
AlanRatcliffe
I must point out that my dislike of solderless systems is not based on experience. I've never used them.
I'm just old fashioned and know I can trust a good soldered connection and a relatively bulky plug with proper strain relief. I'd rather have a cable that won't break than one that is easily repaired. Of course, cables do die eventually, but then experience has taught me the best course of action is to simply replace the cable between the plugs and have done with it.
Mr-M
I probably should add I got my first George L's pedalboard cable kit 4 years ago. I also bought a 2nd kit 2 years ago. I like them because of the way they sound compared to regular cables - at least to me. Probably because most of my pedals have always been true bypass, so low capacitance cables do make a difference.
louwd123, with your mostly Boss pedals' buffers pushing the sound through your signal chain, low capacitance cables like the George L's wouldn't make much of a tonal difference compared to good quality regular instrument cable. There is the solderless convenience, but based on yours failing you, switching to soldered won't affect your tone much if at all.
Alan's points are all quite valid. Pity my soldering skills are not of enough worth for me to categorize them as a "skill". ?
Gearhead
Mr T wrote
Pity my soldering skills are not of enough worth for me to categorize them as a "skill". ?
Methinks you are thinking from the wrong angle. Soldering is a skill one can acquire in one day and lesson one is soldering plugs onto cables. Never mind replacing surface mounted chips or soldering onto a copper ground bus bar, that's after lesson twelve. But people who can do barre chord arpeggios with pull-offs and hammer-ons should be 'handy' enough to strip and tin some wire and to push it onto a tinned lug with a hot stick.
Gareth
Yeah, I'm with Alan re "old school" on which note (so to speak) any tips other than patience on how to deal with Neutriks, ... I just don't get it ☹ and solder th MoFos on even tho' the ground/shield really takes time as it dissipates the heat everywhere else.
Any tips ... how should these be attached other than with a really HOT iron ?
TIA
AlanRatcliffe
If it's the smaller right-angled Neutriks, nothing save a huge iron works well. The standard straights and the big right angled ones you can do with a 30W iron.
Gearhead
Okay, at the risk of boring everyone by saying the same thing over and over again: a temperature controlled station iron does anything from smd to 10mm2 and does not have to cost an arm and a leg.
TomCat
+1 GH. Couldn't agree with you more. More Expensive but will last years.
My original Weller Soldering station is over 20 years old and still going strong. My mains Magnastat of 12 years vintage still goes like new....and eats Neutrik Jacks for breakfast...
Mr-M
Gearhead wrote
Methinks you are thinking from the wrong angle. Soldering is a skill one can acquire in one day and lesson one is soldering plugs onto cables. Never mind replacing surface mounted chips or soldering onto a copper ground bus bar, that's after lesson twelve. But people who can do barre chord arpeggios with pull-offs and hammer-ons should be 'handy' enough to strip and tin some wire and to push it onto a tinned lug with a hot stick.
Thanks. I am aware of how easy it can be. With the iron I have I've never gotten good results making cables. I've done OK with changing pickups, pots and switches and de-soldering things, but I've never made a cable I was happy with. Possibly the iron, though my old man made me some very decent cables that I still use with that very soldering iron a few years ago. I concluded A) I'm possibly crap at making cables, B) my soldering iron is probably not the best, C) I'd rather spend money on pedals than a better iron, D) I couldn't be bothered so I'll get a tech at work or my old man to make me cables if I need them, E) solderless makes changing pedal board cables way easier. And now reading Alan's comments F) maybe I shouldn't have started out trying to solder right-angled Neutriks. ?
louwd123
I'm somewhat afraid of the laughs that might hit me if I tell you guys the real usage of the debated faulty cable. As I'm reading what you guys are saying, everyone seems to be using them as patch cables between pedals, which makes sense, but the salesman assured me that it is a great guitar cable. Yes, using the george'l as a cable from the guitar to my pedalboard. Don't think I'll be doing it again. hehe.
Mr-M
Yeah, that's your problem right there. It is great guitar cable, but the solderless connectors are the issue. You can solder proper jack plugs on the ends of George L's cable. I've seen it done, but apparently it's a bit fiddly to do.
nicovlogg
louwd123 wrote
I'm somewhat afraid of the laughs that might hit me if I tell you guys the real usage of the debated faulty cable. As I'm reading what you guys are saying, everyone seems to be using them as patch cables between pedals, which makes sense, but the salesman assured me that it is a great guitar cable. Yes, using the george'l as a cable from the guitar to my pedalboard. Don't think I'll be doing it again. hehe.
Well, I just have to defend George L's a little bit here. Had one for 2 years, my main cable, use it from my guitar to my pedals. Lots of practices and gigs with no issues, at all, ever. I always loop the cable through my strap so that it doesn't strain and I always check that it's still tightly screwed down. And I would recommend these cables to anyone, they're easy enough to put different plugs on if you don't want solderless.
Sebber
nicovlogg wrote
louwd123 wrote
I'm somewhat afraid of the laughs that might hit me if I tell you guys the real usage of the debated faulty cable. As I'm reading what you guys are saying, everyone seems to be using them as patch cables between pedals, which makes sense, but the salesman assured me that it is a great guitar cable. Yes, using the george'l as a cable from the guitar to my pedalboard. Don't think I'll be doing it again. hehe.
Well, I just have to defend George L's a little bit here. Had one for 2 years, my main cable, use it from my guitar to my pedals. Lots of practices and gigs with no issues, at all, ever. I always loop the cable through my strap so that it doesn't strain and I always check that it's still tightly screwed down. And I would recommend these cables to anyone, they're easy enough to put different plugs on if you don't want solderless.
Ditto, been using George L's, exclusively, for about 4 years: guitar to pedalboard, patch cables on pedalboard, pedalboard to amp. I've rarely had any problems with them provided they've been put together properly, and on the couple of occasions when I've had problems they've been quick and easy to fix. I always carry spares though.
AlanRatcliffe
I have no problem with the sound quality of the cables and would easily consider using the thicker version of the cable if it were available locally. However I've been told that the thicker cable is not available here. Use is synonymous with abuse in my mind and it stands to reason that the thicker cable is more resistant to abuse and more durable. Also, the thicker cable works better with the strain relief on Neutrik jacks - more for it to grab on to and hold.
TomCat
I have an interesting one here....and a slight thread hijack
When one of our guitarists uses my Klotz leads it gets microphonic when using high gain pedals and distortion. His guitar is a strat with Lace Sensor PUP's. The There is also a buzz irrespective of which switch position he is in.
We do not get this with any other guitar. I'm suspecting he has a dry joint somewhere on the grounding of his guitar as there are no tonal issues and plays perfectly on cleans.
He did have two PUP's replaced recently as they seem to have died on him over a period of time,something I though was odd and PUP's should stay consistent and wouldn't deteriorate badly over time (5 years).
Any thoughts welcome..
AlanRatcliffe
Check the guitar's wiring first - a faulty join somewhere could be causing a very high impedance (which would then obviously make cables more susceptible to noise). Also check the ground wire to the bridge - while Lace pickups are pretty quiet by themselves (thanks to good mu magnetic shields), they are still single coils and need the grounding and all the shielding they can get. They also don't use shielded wires (and come stock with pretty long ones), so I usually cut them shorter and braid them.
Otherwise tribolectric noise is usually the cables themselves. I've heard good things about the Klotz cables, but have never used them myself. Do they have a conductive plastic shield between the conductor insulation and the shield?
It's very unusual for pickups to go bad in such a short time - even cheap ones. Could be faulty manufacturing or exposure to high magnetic fields (some - including Seymour Duncan - believe leaning a guitar up against an amp accelerates magnet ageing).
TomCat
Alan - Thanks for the reply
It is certainly an odd one....another thought just struck me.....the output from the guitar also seems a tad low in that one needs to push the amp gain up more than with other guitars...including other strats.
The cable is the IY106 and does have a plastic conductive sheath around the center core so I'm a little surprised at the microphonics.
No other guitar plugged in under similar conditions has the same problem. Cable is dead quiet......
AlanRatcliffe
It is an unusual symptom, but it sounds like you're on the right track. Many would have picked up on the other symptoms (low volume, weedy tone, etc.) first, but if pickups were changed, they usually get the blame instead of the wiring job.
I just thought - also check the pickup heights. Laces are low gauss and sound their best when much closer to the strings than you would adjust regular single-coils.
TomCat
I think I'm gonna get my hands on the strat and give ita good going over....could very well be some dicky wiring...
I'll check the PUP heights as well.
Thanks Alan
