What are your go-to guitar cables?

[guitararmy]

I've read that the lower the capacitance, the more highs. For an acoustic, that is probably desirable.
I use D'Addario American Stage cables, but also like the old Carvin and Whirlwind cables for their low capacitance.
If I could solder, I would make my own.

[Long Road Home]

Originally Posted by Perchman

Go to Redco website and order one custom made to your specs, i.e., what cable, connectors, length,etc. I will say that Gepco X-Band is super clear cable IMO

I've been ordering all my cables from Redco for several years. I generally spec out Mogami cable and Neutrik plugs. One other thing I like is that I can order any length that I want.

They are very knowledgeable and offer great customer service, and the cost is around 2/3 of what an equivalent higher end cable would be.

[Captain Jim]

I use a Taylor V-Cable - it has the on/off/volume on the right angle end; that makes it easy (and quiet) to change guitars. Built by Radco.

[lschwart]

Recently I've been using these, and I'm very happy with them:

http://www.audiopile.net/GBND

12" ones with a single right angle end, $18.00. Buy a bunch at a time and save on shipping (you can get 5 for a little over $100 shipped in the USA). Or pick up some the other pieces of equipment for sale on the site. High quality, reasonably priced, mic cables, DI boxes, adaptors, etc.

Louis

[SpruceTop]

Mogami instrument, mic and patch cables.

[Petty1818]

Originally Posted by RoyBoy

Planet Waves American Stage series. Not as pricey as Mogami but rock solid. Neutrik plugs, American cable, fusion soldered her in the U.S. Lifetime warranted but I've never had any trouble with mine. After wrestling with cheap cables the peace of mind is worth it.

Awesome cables. Really no need to guy any higher in price. I even had an end break on mine (not sure how it happened) and I just sent them an email, without a receipt and they sent me a new one.

[silverspear]

+1 for the planet waves biscuit breaker cables.. the on-off switch is extremely useful when doing gigs!

[Groberts]

Originally Posted by RoyBoy

Planet Waves American Stage series. Not as pricey as Mogami but rock solid. Neutrik plugs, American cable, fusion soldered her in the U.S. Lifetime warranted but I've never had any trouble with mine. After wrestling with cheap cables the peace of mind is worth it.

YES! I agree. These cables are built GREAT and the connectors are super well crafted with solid construction. VERY good cables. Quiet, reliable, sound great.

[sunpowder]

I don't go through a lot of cables, but this is where I get mine:
https://bayoucables.com/

Great service, great prices, really nice customizable cables of all sorts.

[The Growler]

Originally Posted by RoyBoy

Planet Waves American Stage series. Not as pricey as Mogami but rock solid. Neutrik plugs, American cable, fusion soldered her in the U.S. Lifetime warranted but I've never had any trouble with mine. After wrestling with cheap cables the peace of mind is worth it.

Agree. I've been using these since they came out a few years back. I have several and never had an issue. They've outlasted several others. Highly recommended.

[C-ville Brent]

I bought a braided Kirlin 20' instrument cable about a year ago. I'd been using what I thought was a decent braided cable, but changing to the Kirlin right after UPS delivered it provided noticeable results. I'm using it on various electric guitars into a Bugera G20 head. The sound seemed clearer and the individual strings more distinct. I've since bought other Kirlin instrument and speaker cables. I know there are better cables out there, but I think these provide a good cost/sound benefit.

[GmanJeff]

Originally Posted by Sonics

On a guitar with passive high impedance pickups, e.g Electric guitars, then cable makes a difference. Long cable lengths will suck the tone out of your guitar. However having said that, some people actually like 'that tone'. Jimi Hendrix, for example, loved the tone of long coiled cable, which rolled the high-end off his Strat giving him more mids.

The big factor is capacitance...or should I say LOW capacitance. This is achieved by short cable lengths or low capacitance cable. The capacitance of the cable is usually stated in its specification: capacitance per unit length, and of course low C cable is expensive.

Here's a demo of a low C cable in action.



If you're running low impedance pickup e.g EMGs, or an active circuit as found on electro-acoustics, active electric basses and other 'powered' instruments, then cable makes little difference to the sound quality.

Besides stepping and pulling on the cable, its life can extended by learning this simple technique...which very few people know about.

This. If you try cables with different levels of capacitance, which I have done, you'll hear the difference. Quality is also important as a factor in durability, since reliability is obviously essential if you're performing for others. Many brands will work well, and some very expensive ones are arguably a poor value because they provide little incremental advantage or any at all for their prices, so caveat emptor. I often use Klotz cables with my electrics.

[jay7347]

I switched to Mogami earlier this year and it cleared up a bunch of problems. Expensive, yes, but what's peace of mind worth.

-jay

[kathyson]

I've had or have used many of them over the years. From Mogami, Klotz, PW/American Stage, Fender, George L, Whirlwind, Hosa, Monster, Canare, ProCo, Spectraflex even the cheapie's from Reverb. My choices are the ones that are most reliable, make a good connection and coil well. I don't care who makes it. Nobody in the audience is going to hear any difference in the cord you’re using. Gold, Silver, copper, cubic zirconium, or moon rock will not make any audible difference on stage. Delicate nuance or subtleties in the studio may be a different deal, especially patch cables but even in that application, for guitar to the amp, reliability is key.

[Methos1979]

As of late I've been buying these on Amazon and love them. I've always preferred cloth outer coating to rubber and I like the connector build. I got two 10', straight to angle in blue for direct connection to the guitar and a straight to straight in red. They are really nice cables and are not ridiculously priced.

Here's some of features of these cables:

* 10' length with 1/4" straight TS plugs
* 24 AWG Oxygen-free copper center conductor for pure signal transparency
* Low capacitance for enhanced frequency response (high-end sparkle)
* Triple shielding with 100% coverage for maximum EMI, RFI, and handling noise rejection
* Serviceable gold plated connectors by Rean, a brand of Neutrik AG for reliability
* Chuck-type strain relief for ultimate durability
* Sturdy, yet flexible construction with a rugged tweed outer jacket
* Hook-and-loop cable tie included to keep your cable neat when not in use

KLIQ Guitar Instrument Cable, 10 Ft - Custom Series with Premium Rean-Neutrik 1/4" Straight to Right Angle Gold Plugs, Blue/Red Tweed