Guitar cable recommendations.

F

Flying

Well-known member
I know it’s a dull question, but what are you using for your guitar cable?

I was about to get the D'Addario American Stage cable but thought I’d ask here in case there is a better option at the same price point.
 
I've been making my own with Neutrik plugs and some bulk cable I used to get at WECL (Belden, Canare or Denko), but I just recently acquired a roll of Mammoth's cable from StompBoxParts. Need to get some more plugs (Switchcraft, Neutrik or ?). I've never used Mogami simply because it hasn't been readily available where I've shopped (B&M or online).

I used to gig with a no-name cable and a D'Addario, with nary a problem, because I got them before I learned to solder...
 
I've used a ton of cables (instrument, patch, data, etc) from a slew of companies (Mogami, Monster, D', Ernie, Fender, over the years. I've gotten some bad apples but no one (name) brand stands out as way better or worse for me. I did have a few of those Fender tweed cables inserting some noise, but I figured they sacrificed shielding quality for that cutesy tweed cover.

If all they make and sell is cables...you're on the right track.
 
fig said:
I've used a ton of cables (instrument, patch, data, etc) from a slew of companies (Mogami, Monster, D', Ernie, Fender, over the years. I've gotten some bad apples but no one (name) brand stands out as way better or worse for me. I did have a few of those Fender tweed cables inserting some noise, but I figured they sacrificed shielding quality for that cutesy tweed cover.

If all they make and sell is cables...you're on the right track.
Click to expand...

I rewired my whole board back in 2012 ish (I think) to use those Fender tweed cables and matching patch leads. Almost all of them died and annoyingly quickly. They looked cool but the quality just wasn't there.
 
I was advised on a 10 foot Planet Waves guitar lead & it worked but it it was about 5dB down & high roll off was present.
I took it back & told him to plug it in & tell me if it was Fine.
I grabbed a No Namer & it has just started to play up 10 years later in my Test Rig!
 
DO you mean pedalboard cable or instrument cables?

Same answer either way, Mogami, and roll your own. If you can build a pedal then you can make a cable in your sleep.

Mogami W2314 for pedal cables (thin and flexible)
Mogami W2524 for instruments.

I get it bulk from Redco.

I also "harden" my guitar cables by sheathing the Switchcraft jacks with double thickness heavy duty shrink wrap tubing. They're bullet proof and super quiet.
 
Pretty much exactly that! ^

I also use Mogami 2524 for my instrument cables. Plugs are largely personal preference IMO. You can get a handful of pretty good quality ones nowadays from any of Neutrik, Switchcraft, Amphenol, etc. for about 2-5 bucks each at Redco. I generally like my instrument cables to be one straight end, one right-angle and the RA plugs are a bit more but still quite affordable.

I like to sleeve mine with Techflex, too. I think it is a bit divisive. I find it helps the cable lay a bit nicer and coil up more consistently and I suspect adds a bit of durability/protection but it definitely does change the "feel" of it too. It's cheap (about 0.25/ft if I remember correctly) and available in a ton of different colors per your preference. Heat shrink goes over the Techflex and wire connections (under the jack/sleeve) and then another larger piece of shrink over the plug itself. Every bit as durable and quiet, neutral, etc sounding as any premium cable for probably 20 bucks total.

For patch cables most of my board is built out with Mogami 2319 and GLS pancake plugs. The GLS plugs are fairly compact and honestly very good quality...and they're dirt cheap. Something like $18 bucks for a pack of 20. I honestly prefer them to the (supposedly) nicer Switchcraft 228 pancakes (about $5 each). The GLS plugs have "tabs" for both connections whereas the 228s don't have any ground tab (just solder directly to the plug chassis) and the tip connection gets soldered right into the plug itself which makes it a bit harder to remove/reuse IMO. 2319 is a good fit although I put a little heatshrink on here too for a slightly more snug fit; you'd definitely want it with 2314.

I am in the process of transitioning though to 2314 with Squareplug SP400s. The Squareplugs are a bit pricier ($3.75 each last I checked) but are really top quality and just about the smallest soldered RA plug you can get. I don't "need" to replace my 2319/GLS cables but the 2314/SP400s are smaller, more flexible, and just look a little cleaner in general...and I'm picky about having matching cabling so I don't like having a mix of both. I will also say that for certain stereo applications the GLS plugs won't fit. On the big box Strymon pedals for instance there's not enough space to do stereo ins/outs with GLS or most other pancake style plugs. Squareplugs fit great though and look really sharp too, if you ask me.
 
I got a bit distracted, as my new guitar arrived today, I wasn’t expecting it until the end of the week, so it became an evening of tonal exploration.

Thanks for the suggestions and comments, it’s a guitar cable I’m looking to replace, my current one the 20+ year old one that came with my strat.

I do have an Evidence Audio HG lyric cable, a moment of madness during my ‘Copy David Gilmour’ Phase, The cable didn’t make me sound like him one bit and it’s too unwieldy, oneway I’ll cut it in half and use it between my pedal board and amp.

The reason I won’t buy monster cables: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2008/04/monster-cables-cease-and-desist/3250/

I don’t make up cables often enough to warrant getting a higher power soldering iron, I use a 15 watt for my PCBs but that’s no good for a 1/4” jack, and last time I priced up two jacks plugs and some cable with postage it was more expensive than buying a reasonable pre-made cable.

For patch cables I use George L and EBS Gold Flat cables.

I'll look into Mogami, I'd forgotten about them.
 
I like the Spectraflex cables. They're decent quality, don't break the bank, look nice, and they are manageable to wrap up. I think they are middle of the road as far as capacitance performance, so maybe don't buy long ones.

I haven't used American Stage cables but I think they have a really good reputation.
 
Mogami cables, well respected as one of the best audio cables in the business. In use in a shit-ton of studios. I bought some in bulk many years ago and made all my own with neutrik connectors. All my patch cables in the pedal board as well.

MOGAMI® - Professional Audio Cables

Mogami Cable offers high-quality audio/video cable for music and broadcast applications.
www.mogamicable.com www.mogamicable.com
 
Last ones I bought before making my own were Pig Hog and D'Addario, I've never opened any of them, as most of the cables I've had for years are still good, and I've made some custom lengths for my practice space, and I haven't done an electric gig in years
 
My patch cables are mostly the mogami/ squareplug combo. I have the time and the solder. I'm otherwise not brand specific nor precious about it. I have some fancy ones I hate as well as cheap bezos ones that are fine but I tend to reach for the more middle of the road d'addario and fender cables I've had for ages. The fender one has developed a short and been trimmed a foot twice since 1997. Why would I use the $80 cable that feels like I'm dragging around a garden hose when the others work perfectly?
 
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