Head to cabinet.Cable question.

[broken_fusion]

Do you use a speaker cable or guitar cord? Whats the difference? I've used both but never really thought about the difference between the two cables.

[jgcable]

Do you use a speaker cable or guitar cord? Whats the difference? I've used both but never really thought about the difference between the two cables.

Always use a high quality speaker cable. Its all about resistance and impedance. Would you use guitar cord to hook up a subwoofer in your car?? Nope. Same thing.

[Axewielder]

Speaker cable is a much thicker gauge and carries MUCH more amps

[fuel0707]

Never use a guitar cable for a speaker cable. The guitar cable is shielded and you shouldn't use shielded cables for speaker hookup. As I understand it, the shielding in the much thinner guitar cable causes a capacitance build-up that can harm the amp's output stage. And as others have pointed out, thin guitar cables are not meant to handle relatively high power signals like a thicker speaker cable can.

[slowmotion]

Speaker cable only! Do not use guitar cable. There is a difference. Guitar cables carry ground on the shield and have thinner wire inside. Speaker cables are unshielded and have much thicker wire inside.

Think of your setup like a fire hose. Your amp is the tap and the water supply. The cable is the hose. The speaker cab is the fire. If you have a tiny hose, you won't be able to push through enough water to put out the fire. The water pressure could build up as a result and damage could occur. If you use a nice thick hose, the water flows at the proper rate and the fire is out. /end crap analogy

So yeah. You want a nice thick speaker cable. It'll not only work better, it'll make your amp sound better (or maybe not better, but it'll sound how it should).

[gregthatshreds]

I burned up a b-52 at-100 using an instrument cable instead of a speaker cable.(had too much to drink!)

[Cygnus X1]

In a pinch, or on a budget...zip cord type lamp wire is much better than using a guitar cable.

The speaker cable should be the same gauge wire throughout.
Guitar cables are not.

[jdr94]

hmmm well its called a Speaker cable for a reason

[Rsmacker]

I burned up a b-52 at-100 using an instrument cable instead of a speaker cable.(had too much to drink!)

That's a big plane to be messing around with after a drinkie.


Or do you mean you set fire to that bird with the beehive who sings?

[Phantom Hawk]

Or do you mean you set fire to that bird with the beehive who sings?

That should've been done years ago for the good of all humanity.

[scotty]

hmmm well its called a Speaker cable for a reason

Well if you put it that way.

I use to help a sound company back in the day. I use to always tell the your guns at the clubs about this when I would catch it. I thought I was being a nice guy, but that would just look at me like who the hell are you. I never pushed it fuck it their gear why should I care.

[OnlineStageGear]

It's even worse to use a speaker cable for an instrument cable. Without the shielding you end up with a nice long AM antenna.

Matt

[Bert]

yeah, but using a speaker cable for guitar won't damage/destroy your equipment!