What kind Of Cords Are You Using?????

Clay Maxam · Post by **Clay Maxam** » 11 Oct 2000 5:02 pm

I know this question has been asked before but it seems like it was a long time ago. Not that the answers have changed but now I'd like to try some different ones and was looking for some help. Has anyone used some
thing like "monster" cables? And if you did, was there an appreciable change in your tone?
Thanks for your advise and counsel.
Best wishes.
Clay [This message was edited by Clay Maxam on 11 October 2000 at 06:03 PM.]

Bob Tuttle · Post by **Bob Tuttle** » 11 Oct 2000 6:33 pm

I've used nothing but George L cables since I first tried them about two years ago. They've been completely trouble free. As far as noticing a difference in tone, I haven't done an A-B comparison with other types of cables, but I'm satisfied with the sound I'm getting with the George L's.
Regards,
Bob[This message was edited by Bob Tuttle on 11 October 2000 at 07:34 PM.]

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 11 Oct 2000 7:30 pm

I have A/B'd Geo. L cords against "standard" type, thicker cords, and found the thicker ones robbed high end from the sound and made it muddy. The Geo. L. cords cleaned that right up.

Ricky Davis · Post by **Ricky Davis** » 11 Oct 2000 8:51 pm

George L is only present in this household.
Ricky

David Weaver · Post by **David Weaver** » 12 Oct 2000 7:18 am

This board never ceases to amaze me. This is an answer to a question I never asked.

I use Monster cables and never considered that they had any affect on my tone (Slap forehead here). Now I got to get the George L cables!

When can I stop spending money on better picks, bars, strings, cables, pickups, amps???

And while I'm at it, does anyone have recommendations on what shoes give the best sustain...?

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 12 Oct 2000 7:57 am

"Thicker" cables usually means "thicker insulation", and the thicker the center-conductor insulation, the more capacitance-per-foot the cable has. This capacitance is what "steals the highs" from a signal, especially on long cables. Buy a good brand, and keep your cables as short as possible to eliminate this characteristic. Or, you can use a "powered" volume pedal, like the Hilton, which helps in this area.

For many years, I made all my own cables with Belden coax, which was one of the best. But lately, I have a hard time finding good grade plugs, so I too have started using pre-made cables. Most cables are inexpensive, and some have different qualities. Try a few, and draw your own conclusions!

Clay Maxam · Post by **Clay Maxam** » 12 Oct 2000 9:11 am

Thanks guys....sure appreciate the help.

And David....the answer is an emphatic NO!!! There is no end to the opportunities.

Best wishes to you all.
Clay

LARRY COLE · Post by **LARRY COLE** » 12 Oct 2000 9:32 am

David, the best shoes that I've found are New Balance #571 in White. Black can be used. Sometimes I use Dexter Brown Leather, and for Black Thin soles I use System 5000 Flexwalk in Cap Toe style. Hope this helps.

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LC. WILLIAMS U12

David Weaver · Post by **David Weaver** » 12 Oct 2000 1:53 pm

[This message was edited by David Weaver on 12 October 2000 at 02:59 PM.]

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 12 Oct 2000 4:51 pm

I find cowboy boots to give me the best sustain. Also, the cords I like best are maj7ths, Sus4, and 9th chords.

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Carter D10 8p/10k
Richard Sinkler BS, www.sinkler.com

Steve Feldman · Post by **Steve Feldman** » 12 Oct 2000 4:57 pm

You guys are nuts!

I prefer thin wale cords myself; rust colored; waist 33, inseam 32

But I digress....
Do I understand all of you all above to indicate that you're using GeoLs for speaker cords as well as patch cords and cables?

basilh · Post by **basilh** » 12 Oct 2000 5:10 pm

Steve,
You should never use a screened cord for speaker connection.

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Basil Henriques
Emmons D-10 1970
and
Emmons D-10 1970 "Anniversary"
1949 "Leilani"
1949 Dickerson
RICKENBACKER "Olde Uglie" Twin 8
"Fender 1000"

Steel players do it without fretting

http://homepage.tinet.ie/~basilhenriques/

http://www.stax-a-trax.com/

John Sims · Post by **John Sims** » 12 Oct 2000 5:29 pm

For you non-Irish speaking fellows out there, "screened" cable means shielded. For speakers, use heavy gauge stranded wire, preferrably twisted. The heavier gauge helps transfer higher power. I would think twisted gives a little edge over the shielded in regards to lessening the "capacitance effects on the high freqs...

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Regards,

John

Steelin' is a way of life!

Keith Hilton · Post by **Keith Hilton** » 12 Oct 2000 8:55 pm

Donny Hinson is correct. Wire is rated at resistance and capacitance per foot. This is really important because the signal a pickup puts out is weak and easily degraged. As Donny stated, the frist thing that goes are the highs. By the way Donnie, I am now using Belden wire inside my pedal. It is the best!Belden only makes wire, not guitar cords. You want low resistance and low capacitance. Different guitar cords can vary greatly, thus producing different pickup sounds. Even if a guitar cord is wonderful, the longer the cord, the more resistance and the more capacitance is created by length. Longer is not good! I would suppose George L has picked some wire for his cords that has low resistance and low capacitance. George has been around a long time and knows his stuff. The sooner you get to a pre-amp out of your pickup, the less chance you have of resistance and capacitance robbing your tone! Pots have a lot of capacitance, thus robbing highs your pickup can proudce. If you are running through a pot, my advise would be put a pre-amp before it. You can use the Peavey 3 cord hookup, a Goodrich Pre-amp,or a Hilton Digital Sustain. Or you can eliminate the tone robbing capacitance in a 500K pot by using a pedal that does not contain a pot. Donny, the really problem is that many don't know they have lost the highs and sound quality their pickups can produce. They try to get this "lost" sound quality back by artificially creating it with tone controls on a effect unit, or amp.
Like ice cream--the real stuff is better! The quality sound of a pickup is much better than tone artificially created with the knobs on a effect unit or amp. Just my opinion!

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Steve Feldman · Post by **Steve Feldman** » 13 Oct 2000 10:10 am

Well, FWIW, I use 14ga. speaker cord for the speakers and GeoL for connectors, etc.

I will relate one thing that I found interesting, though. Last weekend, I went out and got 3 AC computer cables to replace the power cables for my amp, preamp, and FX unit. I shortened then up to no longer than was needed to run them in my rack (~8-10 inches) and there was a DRAMATIC decrease in the hiss coming from the system. Unbelievable...quiet as hell. Best $10.00 I ever spend on steel amplification.

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'66 Emmons D-10 (8x6), Fessenden D-10 (8x6), Franklin D-10 (8x5)
...I'm really broke now.

[This message was edited by Steve Feldman on 13 October 2000 at 11:11 AM.]

Clay Maxam · Post by **Clay Maxam** » 14 Oct 2000 12:09 pm

Geeeeeezzzzz, I'm almost sorry I asked!!!!
And thanks again.
Best wishes, guys.

Clay

Steve Feldman · Post by **Steve Feldman** » 14 Oct 2000 1:01 pm

Bill Cole - You crack me up, pal...