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Post subject: cable selection
Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 7:29 am
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Hi all!
i am going to pick up my first good amp this week. it is a peavy 4x10 tube. how important is cable selection and could you recommend a good brand? also would a crybaby pedal be a good choice for a first pedal.
thanks in advance for any advice.
ps. i am playing a strat mim. blues and rock style for about 9 months. :lol:


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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 8:40 am
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I wouldn't worry much about cable selection, I have never noticed a big difference except the price as far as sound goes, and I have tried everything from monster to free cheapies. The one thing is that real cheap cables don't last. If you cannot open the connector end to fix a short, then I would stay away from it. I have one real old cable that has a slight short, only fades intermittenly once in awhile. It still was used everyday and never went completely out to this day. It has to be over 20 years old. If you decide to spend the money, monster cables provides a lifetime warranty, so you may never have to buy another. I just wouldn't worry about one that will give the best tone, because to me, its either it works or doesn't.

I would say yes a wah is a great first pedal. After you get through the honeymoon faze with it, it will up to you to use it tastefully and not over use it as some do. I am not familiar with the amp you are refering to, but a distortion pedal may be a good idea if the amp does not have a high gain channel for the rock and dirty blues stuff. One thing about buying amps though is that they should have a good dry clean sound. All else can be compensated for with pedals/effects/preamps ect.

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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 8:58 am
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Cables make a HUGE difference, IMO. I use these :

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/ ... D=42566828

When you're moving gear around constantly and travelling, you'd be surprised how quickly some of the cheap cables will fail! :wink:

Like the old adage goes, "you get what you pay for." 8)

How many songs are you really going to use a wah pedal in. Unless you're planning a Los Lonely Boys Tribute band, I think an overdrive or combo pedal might be a better first pedal.

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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 9:22 am
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Miami Mike wrote:
Cables make a HUGE difference, IMO. I use these :

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/ ... D=42566828

When you're moving gear around constantly and travelling, you'd be surprised how quickly some of the cheap cables will fail! :wink:

Like the old adage goes, "you get what you pay for." 8)

How many songs are you really going to use a wah pedal in. Unless you're planning a Los Lonely Boys Tribute band, I think an overdrive or combo pedal might be a better first pedal.


Durability and sound are different things. I am not sure this guy is ready for a world tour yet, so I wonder if paying those prices for a cable is in his best interest.

I hear so much of this it "makes a huge difference" that I just don't buy it anymore. Some people say changing tubes make a huge difference in amps, some say cables. I wish changing these little things made a huge tone improvement, but at best I have done these things and noticed subtle differences at best. But then again, my amps already sound pretty good. That can also go for pickups in the guitar. While there are exceptions, these things are often vastly overblown. If an amp/guitar sounds like crap, and you change all these things, I doubt you will suddenly be in tone heaven, unless there was a specific problem with one of the parts changed.

Bottom line on sound is the design of the guitar and amp that really affects tone, only subtle improvements can be made with better cables, tubes, pickups ect.

I remember when I put EMG active pickups in my old Ventura thinking it would be better. After I went from the old stock japanese pickups to the EMG's, the guitar sounded the same overall, with some subtle differences in gain. Maybe the stockers were just that good, as I was replacing humbucker with a humbucker. I am sure going from SC to HB would be more noticable, but the guitars character is more than a pickup/cable/tube brand ect.imo

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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 9:55 am
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I'm gonna go middle of the road on these last two posts. I think a quality cable is important but you don't need a $50 cable. Plus a good way to save money if you're playing mostly at home is stat away from the long cables - a 10' or 15' should suffice. Some good name brands for a reasonable price are planet waves and fender. I do agree that you should get a cable that can easily be repaired. I only hear minute differences in tone from other cables and I am a tone freak so mostly look for a strong cable. I agree with firststrat that a bad sounding guitar will always sound bad. The only way to know if your guitar sounds good or bad is to play it unplugged for a little bit and really listen to its acoustic resonance. But I also found that changing the tubes in my amp made a bigger difference than i would have thought. And I can hear a big difference in pu's especially traditional styled humbuckers vs. active EMG's. But the important word we have all mentioned is "hear". Always let your own ears be the final judge whether it be buying a cable or new guitar.


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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 10:54 am
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Cable selection is huge, and is an important part of your signal chain. Get the best one you can afford, preferably one with a lifetime warranty, and it will last you forever, won't cut out on you in the middle of a show, won't hum as much with the lights, and will be a much better part of your gear.

Besides being more durable and not shorting out every few months, it will send a better signal, keep your tone more pure, and cut out more hum and external noise. This goes for your main cable, as well as any patch cables, and your entire signal chain is only as good as it's weakest cable.

Great cable + cheap patch cable + great amp, still = a signal only as good as that cheapest patch cable can pass along.

Get a monster, georgle L, magami, or some other high end lifetime cable.


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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 3:00 pm
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Live wire makes a great cable. I am especially happy with their 14ga speaker cables for my head to cab connections. 8) Mike

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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 4:07 pm
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Miami Mike wrote:
Cables make a HUGE difference, IMO. I use these :

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/ ... D=42566828

When you're moving gear around constantly and travelling, you'd be surprised how quickly some of the cheap cables will fail! :wink:

Like the old adage goes, "you get what you pay for." 8)

How many songs are you really going to use a wah pedal in. Unless you're planning a Los Lonely Boys Tribute band, I think an overdrive or combo pedal might be a better first pedal.


Thats a NICE looking cable!! :)


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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 5:33 pm
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Planet waves, the easiest cable in the world. Mine lasted 3 years before i got a break in it. Then all i had to do was pull the plug off the end thats shorting out, cut 4" off the lead and slide the plug back on. Easy peasey. £30, decent sounds/lack of noise, durable and a idiot could fix it in a dark broom cupboard. I'm quite heavy handed on cables, im very suprised this one has lasted so long.

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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 5:40 pm
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dgonz wrote:
Cable selection is huge, and is an important part of your signal chain. Get the best one you can afford, preferably one with a lifetime warranty, and it will last you forever, won't cut out on you in the middle of a show, won't hum as much with the lights, and will be a much better part of your gear.

Besides being more durable and not shorting out every few months, it will send a better signal, keep your tone more pure, and cut out more hum and external noise. This goes for your main cable, as well as any patch cables, and your entire signal chain is only as good as it's weakest cable.

Great cable + cheap patch cable + great amp, still = a signal only as good as that cheapest patch cable can pass along.

Get a monster, georgle L, magami, or some other high end lifetime cable.


I surely agree with all this and would like to add: If you use a cable any longer the 20 feet with passive (meaning, regular, non-preamped) pickups, there will be signal degradation (loss).

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Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 8:13 am
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Miami Mike wrote:
Cables make a HUGE difference, IMO. I use these :

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/ ... D=42566828


That IS pretty sexy. I didn't know Fender made those. I'll have to check that out sometime. For the quality and price, I don't see mention of a lifetime warranty though. Do they have one?

Been using Monster Rock cables for the last 10 yrs or so. ALWAYS hold up to lots of use, and some mild abuse. You can take a monster back, just but in half, not reason, no receipt and they just give you a brand new one with no problems.

I just replaced one that started cutting out, and I had it almost 10 yrs and played hundreds of shows with it and countless practices.


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Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 8:49 am
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Miami Mike wrote:
Cables make a HUGE difference, IMO. I use these :

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/ ... D=42566828

When you're moving gear around constantly and travelling, you'd be surprised how quickly some of the cheap cables will fail! :wink:

Like the old adage goes, "you get what you pay for." 8)

How many songs are you really going to use a wah pedal in. Unless you're planning a Los Lonely Boys Tribute band, I think an overdrive or combo pedal might be a better first pedal.


I agree with Mike cables do make a difference! I have recently switch to Evidence Audio and even my old ears can hear the difference. You need to use a quality cable through your whole chain or you defeat the purpose.


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Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 9:56 am
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Another good thing about using good cables - you don't hear that "tap tap tap" out of your amp when you happen to move the cable around on the floor. Not bad if you're practicing in your bedroom. Unacceptable when you're gigging or recording.

Also, this is similar to my brother-in-law buying a blu-ray player. He has the best HD TV, and a high end blu-ray player, but buys cheap cables for them. Of course, the picture is "good" but certainly not what he expected.

I explained the whole signal-chain thing to him. He then goes and buys monster cables for his set up - COMPLETELY different and 100X better, all because of the weak part of the signal chain not being able to send a good, pure, high quality signal through them.

Now, to some, guitars and amps aren't as "important" as this example. To others, they're far more important and will notice that difference as well.


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Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 10:05 am
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I use the cable that came with my MIA Strat. I have an after market 20` coil cable I use with my MIM Strat but may order a Fender cable for it anyway. Cables make a big difference so choose one wisely.

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Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 4:58 pm
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Those Fender cables look really good. I wish they made a 10' or 6' version. A good quality cable is essential. If you don't think so, just google "Audioquest".

One thing I can say is that over the years, the Monsters have gotten really cheap! Although they are all I have, I hate them!

If you feel the Platinums are too expensive, get these: http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-PremiumGold-Instrument-Cable?sku=330111


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