most comfortably cable length for you?

[pipedwho]

Some common misunderstandings that come up regularly when recommending cables can be explained with the following:

1. Electric guitar and other magnetic passive pickups have a medium output impedance that is equivalent to an inductor and resistor in series. (There is some capacitance, but we'll ignore it for this discussion).

2. Acoustic guitar passive piezo pickups are highly capacitive in nature, and is equivalent to a capacitor (approx. 500pF) connected to the output. (Inductance and resistance exist, but can be ignored for this discussion.)

3. Active pickups have a low output impedance (less than 10k), and the output is effectively a resistor and capacitor in series. (We'll ignore the inductive component for the moment.)

These are three very different circuits, and when combined with a cable, behave in very different ways.

For example, if a 10' cable is used between the guitar and a high impedance amp input, then the cable's capacitance will have different effects with each type of pickup. As compared to using a 6-inch cable, the magnetic pickup will lose some highs, the piezo pickup will lose some level, and the active pickup will not be noticeably affected.

If your guitar has an active pickup, the cable doesn't really matter. (Within reason, as a 100' of cable is probably going to begin to be audible in ways that depend on the active circuitry's topology.)

For electrics with magnetic passive pickups, sometimes that cable capacitance is a good thing, and in some cases may have been part of the equation when the guitar was being designed. Again, a 10' to 15' is probably about right. The cable should also be designed to prevent microphonics if it will be used for high gain applications. If the cable is too long or too high capacitance, then the highs become muffled.

For acoustics with magnetic soundhole pickups, the lower capacitance in the cable, the better. These can usually use all the help they can get in their presence/sparkle. Use short low capacitance cables. Too much capacitance takes away the sparkle that we all want from our acoustics.

For acoustics with piezos the same applies, but for a different reason. Due to the lack of a low terminating impedance at frequencies below 100Hz, it is a good idea to keep the cable short (10' is a good starting point), and get one that is well shielded. If the cable is too long or too high capacitance, then the signal gets reduced in level. Beyond a certain length (probably around 50'), the cable will also have a detrimental effect on the pickups frequency response.

The above are generalizations as not all pickups are so simply categorized. But, for most people, the above information is a pretty good starting point.

Technical note: the above has been dramatically simplified to convey the point using commonly used, but often misunderstood terminology.

[buzzardwhiskey]

The church's PA snake is about 25' away and I don't like the cable to be taut so I add another 5' or so.

[rainsong]

Originally Posted by pipedwho

If your guitar has an active pickup, the cable doesn't really matter. (Within reason, as a 100' of cable is probably going to begin to be audible in ways that depend on the active circuitry's topology.)

That's my understanding as well. I still usually use a 10' cable just because it's less to get tangled, step on, trip over, costs less, takes less room, less time to coil up etc.

[hann]

so let's say for multi source systems like my K&K powermix trinity... there's mic... UST.. body pickup... any effect if i used 10'?

[xanatos]

Originally Posted by pipedwho

Some common misunderstandings that come up regularly when recommending cables can be explained with the following:

1. Electric guitar and other magnetic passive pickups have a medium output impedance that is equivalent to an inductor and resistor in series. (There is some capacitance, but we'll ignore it for this discussion).

2. Acoustic guitar passive piezo pickups are highly capacitive in nature, and is equivalent to a capacitor (approx. 500pF) connected to the output. (Inductance and resistance exist, but can be ignored for this discussion.)

3. Active pickups have a low output impedance (less than 10k), and the output is effectively a resistor and capacitor in series. (We'll ignore the inductive component for the moment.)

These are three very different circuits, and when combined with a cable, behave in very different ways.

For example, if a 10' cable is used between the guitar and a high impedance amp input, then the cable's capacitance will have different effects with each type of pickup. As compared to using a 6-inch cable, the magnetic pickup will lose some highs, the piezo pickup will lose some level, and the active pickup will not be noticeably affected.

If your guitar has an active pickup, the cable doesn't really matter. (Within reason, as a 100' of cable is probably going to begin to be audible in ways that depend on the active circuitry's topology.)

For electrics with magnetic passive pickups, sometimes that cable capacitance is a good thing, and in some cases may have been part of the equation when the guitar was being designed. Again, a 10' to 15' is probably about right. The cable should also be designed to prevent microphonics if it will be used for high gain applications. If the cable is too long or too high capacitance, then the highs become muffled.

For acoustics with magnetic soundhole pickups, the lower capacitance in the cable, the better. These can usually use all the help they can get in their presence/sparkle. Use short low capacitance cables. Too much capacitance takes away the sparkle that we all want from our acoustics.

For acoustics with piezos the same applies, but for a different reason. Due to the lack of a low terminating impedance at frequencies below 100Hz, it is a good idea to keep the cable short (10' is a good starting point), and get one that is well shielded. If the cable is too long or too high capacitance, then the signal gets reduced in level. Beyond a certain length (probably around 50'), the cable will also have a detrimental effect on the pickups frequency response.

The above are generalizations as not all pickups are so simply categorized. But, for most people, the above information is a pretty good starting point.

Technical note: the above has been dramatically simplified to convey the point using commonly used, but often misunderstood terminology.

Wow thanks for the post, that's very informative.