What guitar cable do you use?

[buckaroo]

I have been spending the past 4 - 6 weeks trying out a variety of guitar cables. I had been using some Monster Rock cables for several years and I was starting to have some problems with two of them. I returned them to the local guitar center for new ones. The clerk said that they were out of Monster but I could pick anything else they had in stock. My buddies use Mogami and won't shut up about them so I got two Mogami Gold 18 foot cables. I really liked them! They sounded "clearer" than the Monster cables and were much more flexible, yet more durable feeling and very light weight. The Monster 1/4" plug is a pain in the ass!

So, that got me started. I had become cable agnostic. I viewed all cables as equal until I got the Mogami Golds. I demo'd 8 different brands (Whirlwind, George L's, Mogami, Lava, Planet Waves, Rapco, Vox and Monster) between buying (and returning) many cables. Not to mention different cable models within a brand.

What I learned was that there is really an audible difference with guitar cables! With some cables it is subtle but with others the difference is dramatic. Also, cables can have a certain a mechanical feel as well. Some sounded good but were stiff and even heavy physically. Out of this sampling I purchased several new cables to gig with.

My overall favorite cable was the Mogami Gold. Very clear and natural sounding. The cable feels good physically too. My other favorite cable offered a VERY different sound that was excellent for Fender single coil guitars: The Lava Retro Coil cable. This cable slight attenuates the high end and adds some mids. It really makes a strat sing! And it feels heavy, but in a cool way. It reminds me of my garage band days in the late 1960's. It is very cool. I use the Mogami for Gibson guitars and the Lave Retro Coil for Fender guitars.

I liked George L's sonically but the cable felt kind of flimsy and the plug on one came apart when I aggressively pulled it out of the amp. I guess I need soldered connections to make me happy. I am a snob in that sense. Hell I still solder my speaker connections in my amps. No slide on connectors for me.

What guitar cable do you use?

[Don]

I appreciate a bad cable though I don't go nuts over "great" cables.

I've used George L's on my pedalboard for years. When I first experimented with hard wired bypass in pedals I found my sound to be lacking. It turned out to be really crappy patch cables.

Sometimes I also run a George L's cable from my pedalboard to my amp though the one that I have for that is very long and stiff and I seldom bother.

The cable from my guitar to the pedalboard is chosen mostly for feel and lack of tangling and kinking. It has a tweed looking cloth covering on it. I don't recall what kind it it. I've had it for a long time.

[Gravity Jim]

I have George L's and a couple of cheap Monsters I got when I needed some right-angle action. Any low cap cable will do.

I find that my concentration and preparation as a player is much, much more likely to make my Strat sing than any cable will.

[chuckocaster]

Mogami or Live Wires for me. I've seen Monster cables fail WAY TOO MANY times in a live performance! They're cheaply over engineered to the point of their designs are ridiculous. The cable itself is fine, but the plugs are horrible.

[Cogs]

Ether George L's or some no-name black cables I made years ago.
I have a short blue Belden cable (6') that I've had since 1979. A friend gave it to me. He probably worked at Lockheed-Martin at the time.

[Offshore Angler]

I hate to admit this, but mine are so old I have no idea what they are. My rack has George L's and they've worked for a long time. I'm still using the same cables I played within Crossfyre and the 'Guns.

For recording, I'm using some POS Radio Shack 15' stereo mini-extension with a 1/4" adapter.

Hey, just remembered the braids are Spectraflex. At this point I worry more about durability than anything else. Some super tone concoction cable is worthless when it cuts out mid-set.

For me, a good amp trumps all. Set the tones to 5, fire a shot and the tweek the knobs until it sounds right. Tele into a DR, Les Paul into a Marshall, Strat onto an AmpFX...I still sound like me. YMMV of course.

[fenderdog]

I use Mogami 2524 for interconnect and pedal board to amp.
Fender tweed cord for guitar to pedal board.Not the best i guess but i hate stiff cable.I have a tendency to spin.

[buckaroo]

Monster cable..... the plugs are horrible.

You can say that again!

[Don]

Hey, just remembered the braids are Spectraflex. At this point I worry more about durability than anything else.

My favorite cable might be one of those. It's too old for me to remember!

[chuckocaster]

I've had a couple given to me, so I just lop the plugs off and solder on G&H or Switchcraft plugs.

[Rickenjangle]

You can say that again!

Monster Cable plugs are horrible!

On some of my axes, the monster cable plugs will not fully "seat" in the jack and will fall out mid-set.

I just buy locally - at a place called Sound Source. I think they use Belden, and they make their own cabling and back it for life.

I'm with Silent J. on this one - it's the player not the gear. And like OSA, I'm way, way more concerned that the gear I have works, 100 percent of the time.

[Cogs]

Try some brass plugs. It will quickly modify one's position on the whole "tone is in the hands" thinking.

[refin]

I've been using mainly Spectraflex cables since around 1996---they are made about 30 miles from here.I've never had one fail so far,and they have been rocked.

[Fendercrazy]

For studio I use Dimarzio and Whirlwind cables. To my ears they have a real clear hi-fi quality to them (if that makes any sense) that I notice recording but I don’t hear the difference as much live. My pedal boards are wired up with George L’s. I’ve been using the same two Horizon cords on my live rig for the last 10 or 12 years. They are called Concert series I think. They have never failed me. I also have several old Pro Co’s I’ve been using since the mid 80’s.

[hudpucker]

I roll my own. Mogami 2524 and G&H plugs.

[ziess]

Does anyone else like cheap cables with high capacitance? I do... I also really like the non-TB bypassed sound of my original Crybaby, which no one else seems to like!

[jrgtr42]

I use mostly Monster Rock and preferably Jazz for my long runs - guitar - pedals and pedals to amp.
My pedalboard is mostly those 6" ones out of the bin at the counter of the store - about $5 a pop.
I have a bunch of cheaper ones sitting around for backup and such.
I've never had a problem with the Monster jacks falling out, and every time they break I can bring them back for replacement no problems.

[photoweborama]

On my main board, I use George L's, but I soldered on the connectors. I had poor results with the solderless ones.

My mini board, I use George L's with solderless connectors just becuase the chain is really short and I had tons of solderless connectors hanging around after I converted my main board. I seldom use this board. It goes into my son's Epi Valve Jr. stack which is seldom used inside my shop.

Other than that, I use any cable that works!

[S. Cane]

I have a problem with cables. That's a fact.

I've tried many, Fender and whatever.

Thing is, I always jam and gig in small spaces, so it is normal that I step on my cables all the time. I can't avoid it, especially because sometimes it is either step on the cable or crash my headstock against the bassist. So I bloody hell step on it.

My cables never lasted long until I decided to pay more and got a made in Brazil Tecniforte Cable, it has a 10 year warranty and here's how they're tested (I suggest not to try this at home, children):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNINMM_jikw#t=47

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjvPy4MkydY#t=21

Ain't never gonna ruin a cable again ;)

[ch willie]

I've had good look with Fenders Custom Shop woven cloth leads, one end angled, the other straight. I need to tape all the straight ends to prevent breaking wires. from pulling them in and out of the amp and pedal board.

I ought to buy Monster cables, but it would cost me a fortune to replace the cables I use.

[FrankJohnson]

my medium grade cables work fine, EVERY expensive cable I have owned is magical - they ALL grow legs and walk!

That said, the medium grade cables I have are NOW all Better for me!

I can't afford to keep up - but will say that I liked them while I had them!


EDIT - I will say this - I was given a bundle O' Cables to have - repair what you can - pitch what you don't want. XLR, TRS, speaker instrument - about 25 pounds worth - most were crap or so-so......a few decent ones...... the crap/so-so ones seemed to have brittle wire, which broke or burned easily, and didn't take solder well.