The quality of guitar leads?

[musketeer58]

Hi all.

There has been some recent discussion regarding the quality of guitar leads and from what i`ve read I understand that good quality leads are important in the signal chain. The thing is, how can I tell which is a good quality guitar lead??? I`ve been looking around lately and there have been occasions where I`ve seen, for example, 2 x 6 meter leads of different brands and one is more than double the price of the other. Does that mean that the more expensive ones are better quality or are they just ripping people off? Is there something on the packaging that indicates the quality of the lead? With all the bits and pieces I`ve bought recently, I`m going to need some leads to put it all together so, I just want to make sure I`m going to get good quality so, any advice or suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance troops.

Adrian

[murraysanders]

Hello Adrian i have bought 3 Mogami leads recently with silent nuetrik ends , they are good quality leads , but personally i can't say they make one iota of difference to my sound , being deaf helps me form that opinion a bit , the neutrik ends are fantastic for plugging and unplugging they are worth the money , some friends swear by Lava and carson leads , I have used planet waves cables for years and they are a good cable at a reasonable price regards Murray

[didier]

The Shadows got their early sixties sound with long high capacitance guitar leads. At this time there was no "high end" leads !
Leads capacitance will affect the guitar sound, particularly with single coil PUs, low capacitance leads might not give the same sound...
An important issue is the quality of plugs to avoid contact failure.

Didier

[rogera]

Very wise words Didier.

[bor64]

Adrian,

Didier is right...
I got good results with George L's, you can make your own lenghts and that without soldering!
For my pedalboard I used Cordial leads with Neutrik plugs...works like a charm, between the pedals...from the guitar to my pedalboard it's a Line6 G30 system.

Cheers Rob

[noelford]

I have to say that I'd never go back to using a normal cable, now. I've been using a Line 6 Relay G30 digital wireless system for quite a few years. When I first bought it I did a comparison between it and the high quality cables (with gold neutrik plugs) that I had been using and there was absolutely no difference between the two. I did the test in a village hall, so was able to test at various volumes and distances. In my opinion, the G30 beats being tied to your gear with a cable every time. I even use it when playing at home, as I was always tripping over the leads.

[didier]

Jan 14, 2016 20:06:26 GMT noelford said:

I have to say that I'd never go back to using a normal cable, now. I've been using a Line 6 Relay G30 digital wireless system for quite a few years. When I first bought it I did a comparison between it and the high quality cables (with gold neutrik plugs) that I had been using and there was absolutely no difference between the two. I did the test in a village hall, so was able to test at various volumes and distances. In my opinion, the G30 beats being tied to your gear with a cable every time. I even use it when playing at home, as I was always tripping over the leads.

The Line 6 G30 has a "cable tone" setting to emuluate lead capacitance...

Didier

[bor64]

Hi Didier,

Your right and let me say it works in some cases.....in one of the 3 settings (off-5-9 meter)(off-15-30 feet)it's handy when a situation aks for it.
The "cable simulation" is a novelty but as a wrote before it works!


Cheers Rob

[garyallen]

Anyone ever do an a/b test with different cables ?

[Charlie Hall]

Hi Gary,
I have done that. My favourite 10 foot (3 metre) cable measures 340pf and a Klotz 5 metre cable measures exactly double at 680pf. There is a distinct muddying of the tone, as well as a quicker roll off of the highs when the guitar volume is backed off. However, with the guitar volume at maximum, the resonant peak shifts down so the tone is also thicker, almost turning nasally. It can work for some Shadows tunes.
Regards,
Charlie

[glyderslead]

Hello Adrian,

you have raised a very important issue here. We have already received valuable information so we are probably more aware now that it's not just the quality of what you see, the rubber/plastic outer coat, but the wire inside, its length, the jack's used and... the capacitance.

Like many, I dare say, over the years I have amassed a number of leads, many of which are not currently used. The general quality, I guess, is visual for most of us......it looks ok....but I would like to test out some of these leads again and wonder if some of those with appropriate knowledge could advise on the best general length of lead for Shadows material, how you establish its capacitance and which capacitance is considered best?

Just as an aside I remember putting a pick up on one of my flat top guitars in about '59. It entailed cutting away part of the sound hole and using a length of TV aerial wire.........and it sort of worked........ through a Scarla amp!!!

Cheers

Mick

[Deleted]

I have several leads, all fairly expensive, and they perform well....shorter the better in my experience.

However for gigging I went the same way as Noel Ford with the Line 6 digital radio system....still have it and it is very, very good.....minimum treble loss when you turn right down
as the lead to the transmitter is only about 18" long.

One oddity that I still own from the 1980's is an Active Lead which has a buffer amp at one end powered by a PP3, which lasts forever, Neutrik Jacks and about 15 metres long....used it on all the function gigs with great tone
and no signal losses etc.....stuck in a drawer now....anyone gigging who wants to buy it please get in touch!

Bye, Paul....

[Steve Reynolds]

+1 for the wireless although i prefer the build quality of the G50.

[Deleted]

Hi Steve...I agree on the G50 but they only had the one system available when I made the purchase.....must be a few years ago now...Paul

[allclaphands]

For anyone interested have a look at Shootout high quality low loss guitar leads

Guitar Cables - Shootout Guitar Cables, UK
www.shootoutguitarcables.com › range

[baz]

Planet Waves American Stage leads take some beating and are not outrageously priced (about £15 for a 3 metre).

Baz

[musketeer58]

Many thanks for your input gentlemen, you`ve come to the rescue yet again

I`ve been over all the replies a few times just to make sure I didn`t miss anything and in doing so, I learned a bit about cables. I like the Line 6 relay, looks like a nice bit of kit but before I rush out and buy cables, I just need to make sure I`ve understood everything.

As well as reading over all of your replies I also had a look on the websites of the cable manufacturers that you all suggested and there was a lot of information there as well particularly on the Shootout website but a lot of it was way over my head so, from what I`ve read in this thread and from what I have absorbed from the websites, this is what I`ve come up with:

The cable should be low capacitance however, one website said that some people deliberately choose high capacitance. Something to do with the tone.

The cable should have good quality plugs.

The cable should be as short as possible.

There are probably other factors to consider but those are the main things that stood out but if I stick to that criteria, I`m thinking that I should be OK. It`s been a while since I`ve bought any cables so, I don`t know if that information is on the packaging. I think I`ll call in to a music shop and have a look.

Many thanks again for your help guys, much appreciated.

Adrian

[musketeer58]

Jan 15, 2016 11:48:56 GMT Charlie Hall said:

Hi Gary,
I have done that. My favourite 10 foot (3 metre) cable measures 340pf and a Klotz 5 metre cable measures exactly double at 680pf.
Regards,
Charlie

How`s it going Charlie.

I just wanted to ask what you used to measure the capacitance of the leads. Was it a multimeter or some other device. I would be interested to find out what mine are.

Cheers

Adrian

[peterbower]

I always thought short leads brightened the sound and long leads wiped some treble, Neutrik jack plugs are very good, available from Maplin, thats if you don't mind making up your own leads, Van Damme low loss instrument cable available from Maplin sold per metre is excellent and in combination with Neutrik jacks makes a good high end lead at budget prices.

[Charlie Hall]

Hi Adrian,
Yes, I used a multimeter that has capacitance measurement. A bit tricky because the meter connections are two slots in the meter body!
Regards,
Charlie

[musketeer58]

Thanks for the reply Charlie.

I`ve got one of those, I can see how tricky it would be but I`ll give it a try.

Regards

Adrian