Cables! Whats the best brand?

[nonamemx]

Im currently fed up with my current mish-mash eclectic crew of scratchy, cheapo cables, and I want to start anew, with a fresh set of fine quality cables, so Im far on my way to tonal righteousness.

It is commonly (or perhaps, not so commonly) known to those in the audio recording and musical performing world, that they quality of cable that you use is very important in having the clarity and high end you want in your guitar tone, and to the reproductive qualities and warmness of the sound recorded in the studio, as well as the amount of noise a specific cable transmits, creates, or shields.

There are many brands to choose from. Dimarzio. Mogwie. Monster. Livewire. Fender. ProCo. Bewilderment and confusion can be induced all to easily.

The purpose of this thread is to honor the high quality cables out there, weed out the shoddy ones, and efficiently distribute the brands that truly make the grade, and which cables are over-mentioned due to mis-concepted consumer hype.

So please, leave here your past and current experiences with the different brands of cables, and WHY and why they did NOT make the grade.

Thanks! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: Cables! Whats the best brand?

Two that I've been wanting to try out are George L and Monster Cable just to see if they're really true to the hype. Unfortunately, I've never actually seen them in music stores around here, so I'm stuck with using my D'Addario Planet Waves cables and Peavey cables. And my experience with those is that they sound identical, but the Planet Waves cables cost three times more than the el cheapo Peavey cables that I've had for four years with no reliability issues.

Maybe it's just my ears that cannot distinguish between Planet Waves and Peavey, so I'm personally quite content sticking to the cheaper Peaveys. [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

[khabibissell]

Re: Cables! Whats the best brand?

I use Monster and George L's.

I use the Monster cables from the amp to my tuner/wah/tonebone/eq and from there to the guitar. They have good sound and seem to be of good quality. I've never had any reliability problems with mine. Negatives? They are expesive, and do sound different compared to the George L's, but not in a bad way IMHO... Maybe just not as "lively".

I use George L's as patch cables (thinner guage .155?) to connect effects, or at times use the thicker cables (.255?) for guitar/amp/effect connectivity depending on my mood. They seem to have a really hi fidelity sound to them, and are quiet. They are easy to construct, and are a cheap way to go once you have all your connectors (lengths of cable by themselves are pretty cheap).

I tried using Live Wires but had nothing but problems... crackling, feedback, etc...

I don't think you could go wrong with either, but George L's have my vote by a slim margin. They are cheaper and sound great. The only fear I have about using them live without a backup is that they are too easy to put together... I'm afraid they'll pull apart at the most inopportune time. It hasn't happend yet though...

[MetalGrasshopper]

Re: Cables! Whats the best brand?

ProCo Excalibur guitar cables

[quiksilver]

Re: Cables! Whats the best brand?

George Ls. High quality, smart construction (no solder necessary), and you can easily put them together in any length you like, making for a nice, tidy rig.

[Death]

Re: Cables! Whats the best brand?

Voodoo cables hands down.Trace is the nicest guy to do business with.
www.voodooamps.com

[Cleveland Metal]

Re: Cables! Whats the best brand?

I've used the George-L 155s with straight and 90 connectors through my rack and out to the wah and guitar even, for about 5-6 years at least. They are pretty outstanding and super quiet. So far, I have never torn one out of the plug yet even in the guitar cable. They have gotten intermittant here and there, and I chop the end and reconnect it. Great investment though and i recommend them wholeheartedly.

I really never noticed the big diff in cords other than cheap ones being noisy with high gain and maybe badly constructed, till I got my CAE3+se/VHT2150 rig, and with that preamp, I see the diff in many cables as far as audio quality, I can't even use my 600 dollar sure wireless anymore. But most people won't see it in most amps. My Marshalls, MESAs and my 5150s never really displayed audio difference tremendously in most cables that i could discern.

The only monster cable I would spend on, is the SP1000, and that is outrageous in price, like $120 for a 15 footer. In my rig, I do see a noticeable difference with that cable from lesser cables, even a touch better than the George-Ls. Moneywise, not worth the price to me. I do hear the treble and livelyness it has compared to a cheap cable or even the Monster SP500. However, most amps, I really couldn't tell the diff in cables to major extent other than some are more noisy, which of course is pretty important.

I couldn't really tell too much difference between the Monster sp500, Planet Waves, Mogami really. So, I don't feel the lesser Monsters (sp500) are much worth the money as they aren't really all that cheap either. Technically, if I were going for using those, I'd just make my own out of top end Belden cable and switchcraft ends or use the planet waves. I've used Planet Waves that seemed to be a pretty darn good cable for the money actually, so maybe they are worth examining.

ProCo is very generic somewhat noisy cable as is Dimario,Peavey, Fender, Hosa, as far as I've found. Of course these brands may have a premium version somewhere i haven't noticed.

Not sure about livewires or Horizons I haven't heard good things about Horizons though).

I've used some Whirlwinds that were nicely made and sorta quiet, but they are still low end.

Basically, George-L's are my choice for now, and I'm pretty anal about this stuff.

[DSS3]

Re: Cables! Whats the best brand?

Planet Waves exclusively.

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: Cables! Whats the best brand?

George L's for pedal board and instrument

Monster cable from head to cabs

[Twisteramps]

Re: Cables! Whats the best brand?

George L's, but I also use an old spectraflex (over 10 years old) that is tough as nails. I don't think you can go wrong with the GLs, personally... fairly cheap, easy to customize to the length you need, and they sound fantastic.

Pete

[dinkyjacksonman]

Re: Cables! Whats the best brand?

I use Monster cables for guitar(guitar to amp) and speakers(from head to Cab).

[Matt Crooks]

Re: Cables! Whats the best brand?

Your guitar rig will only sound as good as its weakest componenet. If money is not a concern, the Monster 1000 is the best sounding cable out there. However, it is not very flexable and *very* expensive. The George L's are the next best, and they are not too expensive. However, they get twisted up very easily and can be a PITA. I think they work great for wiring up pedal boards and racks, but not as a main cord. Then the Monster 500/Mogami are tied for third best. If I had to pick here, I'd pick the Mogami, since it's very heard to hear any difference between the two and the Mogami is a lot more affordable.

However, the cheapest way to get good cables is to roll your own. Go to www.markertek.com and get some Neutrick connectors (don't use the whilwinds, the neutricks are much easier to solder) and some bulk Mogami cable. For guitar cable (unbalanced connectors) you'll have to make two solders on each jack. It's very easy, and you can make all of your cables the *exact* length you need and save money.

[JerryP]

Re: Cables! Whats the best brand?

CBI cables, Belden wire and G&H connectors. Excellent stuff. Google and you can find several stores that sell them. I'll be carrying them in aa month or so too.
Jerry

[Ozz666]

Re: Cables! Whats the best brand?

I've been using the George L's in my rack for years with no problems...I could tell a difference in the highs being brighter immediately after installing them. I've got a Live Wires cable as my main cable and am not impressed with it at all.....I'll be moving on to a Mogami or Planet Waves next...

- Joel

[RR0849]

Re: Cables! Whats the best brand?

Some great info here! I've always had problems with cables so I'm gonna try some of your suggestions. Thanks!!!