Instrument Cables

Lonnie Brown · Post by **Lonnie Brown** » 15 Mar 2010 12:16 pm

I need some opinions on type and brands of instrument cables used for steels,Please

Andy Sandoval · Post by **Andy Sandoval** » 15 Mar 2010 12:48 pm

It's hard to beat George L cables. Click Here

Bill Myers · Post by **Bill Myers** » 15 Mar 2010 1:41 pm

Like the man said....buy some George L's and don't look back. There isn't anything else even close. I don't care what monster and all of those other companies say...the only other thing that is close is the Bill Lawrence low impedence cable....but then Bill came up with the low impedence cable when he worked for George L (along with a bunch of their pickup designs).

Jerry Bull · Post by **Jerry Bull** » 15 Mar 2010 7:52 pm

After using georgeL's for a full week now, if I had to use anything else I'd just stay home and watch TV. To me there's that much difference.

bob Ousby · Post by **bob Ousby** » 17 Mar 2010 4:37 am

Looked at the George L website...which do you guys use: .155 or .225? And why do you like the George L's? From a sound quality why are they better? Thanks...Bob

Jerry Bull · Post by **Jerry Bull** » 17 Mar 2010 4:57 am

I got the 155's because they take up less space in my seat. As to why they are better, I have no idea. Maybe my old cables just completely sucked but did comp the other cables I had lying around that I use for other instruments and to my suprise the georgeL cables blew the other ones away as well. It's like going from regular old TV and then watch the same movie on HDTV. Maybe the geogeL just carries the signal in a much cleaner way. If I would have seen this evidence years ago my excitement might have allowed me to have been a much better player by now than what I am. Who knows. I can tell you that in my case, this was the missing link in tone quality that I was missing. In a way it p#sses me off because I've spent all sorts of money trying to make my tone sound better by buying junk that plugs in to "add" to the tone when all along I was taking it away. If I would have started with georgeL, I might have never known what I was missing though. I guess that's one way to look at it. The moral of this story: don't use crappy cables.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 17 Mar 2010 11:09 am

Looked at the George L website...which do you guys use: .155 or .225?

Do you prefer thin or thick cables?

And why do you like the George L's? From a sound quality why are they better?

George L's and some (not all) other premium cables have a lower unit capacitance (e.g., capacitance per foot of cable), which means they shunt less high frequencies to ground, and tend to give a more sparkling sound, all other things being the same.

I also think George L's cables are great, but for long runs (e.g., for guitar) I am sometimes put off by the skinny cable. For this, I tend to use Quantum Q-2100 series oxygen-free cables. To me, replacing the 'usual suspect' cables with these or George L's is almost like removing a blanket over the amp. Of course, sometimes a little low-pass filtering is just what the doctor ordered - that's what you do when you roll off a tone control. Of course, most modern pedal steels don't have a tone control, so if you want to roll off some high end, maybe you want to use a long, cheap cable.

There are lots of previous discussions on cables - a recent thread is here: http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=178845

bob Ousby · Post by **bob Ousby** » 17 Mar 2010 11:21 am

Thanks guys! Good "sound" advice..Bob

Henry Matthews · Post by **Henry Matthews** » 17 Mar 2010 11:28 am

I think GeorgeL cables are the way to go too. A little pricy, but you get what you pay for. They last forever and you can make field repairs with a screwdriver and wire cutters or a pocket knife. I can also tell difference in sound with the GeorgeL's. They have a brighter, clearer tone than most of the other factory made cables. Just my 2 cents. Henry