George L Cables - .115 or .225?

Dylan Ritter · Post by **Dylan Ritter** » 6 Apr 2022 9:39 am

Hi,

Just discovering that there is apparently something about George L cables worth trying, so did some looking around to shop and saw two versions available, .115 and .225, so...

-what do those numbers refer to?
-is there a definite preference for pedal steel, if so which, and why?
-In order to benefit it would be necessary to use one of the cables for every connection (ie. including any patch cords), or else the weakest link applies, correct?

Thank you (experts!),

Dylan

Rich Peterson · Post by **Rich Peterson** » 6 Apr 2022 9:58 am

I have had good luck with the original (thinner) .115" cables.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 6 Apr 2022 12:45 pm

No expert here, but several years of experience with GLs.

Been using these cables since Bill Lawrence introduced them back in the 70s/80s. The numbers denote the diameter of the cable. .155 is about 4mm. .225 is slightly less than 6mm.
As far as I know, the electronic value is the same for both sizes.

They are absolutely the best cables as far as keeping your signal pure. Some cables darken your tone, these don't.

I've always used the .155 because that was all that was available when I started using them. If I could start over, I'd prefer the larger dia. cables.

Some caveats: The .155 cables keep their memory when they are coiled up and don't lay flat when you unroll them. I can't tell you how many times me or someone else has tripped over them dragging off equipment or other issues so I like the .225 size larger ones because they are a little heavier, uncoil better and lay down better.

I recommend them if you like a pristine clean tone. If you prefer a little darker colored tone like most of the other cables give, no.

The .155 size would be ideal for building short patch cables say, like gadget to gadget etc. but you'd probably like to stay with one size.

Don Ribordy · Post by **Don Ribordy** » 6 Apr 2022 1:12 pm

Hey Dylan, reach out to Bill Ferguson. He's a George L dealer and a member here on the forum.

Ronald Sikes · Post by **Ronald Sikes** » 6 Apr 2022 1:34 pm

I have the smaller ones , some are over 20 years old , and I play out most weekends.

Dylan Ritter · Post by **Dylan Ritter** » 6 Apr 2022 1:35 pm

Thank you all for the replies and Jerry for all the considered detail, sounds like the .225 is the right choice.

Dylan

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 6 Apr 2022 2:17 pm

Well, those are my own personal observations and findings. Others may have different experience.

BTW, here's some additional info from the GL company that you may find helpful:
https://www.georgelsstore.com/fain.html

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 6 Apr 2022 3:39 pm

Previous discussions:

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... 2ee6a5ab7a

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... 178bf192ed

Bill Ferguson · Post by **Bill Ferguson** » 7 Apr 2022 6:30 am

I think maybe that Dylan mistyped his reply about the cable size.

Dylan contacted me and I am working up a quote for a bunch of cables and stuff to ship to France.

I know that for the some 40 years that I have been selling and using George L's cables, I sell probably 95% of the .155 to steelers, because it lays flatter on the floor.

Now for stand up guitar players, it is almost exclusive that they use the .225. They like the heavier feel and think that it sounds better. But in fact, it is the same cable, just a different rubber jacket.

Thanks to all of you that have purchased George L's (and others) products from me over the years.

I sell at a very small profit margin to help fellow steelers. (Cause we are all broke, hehe)

Roy Thomas · Post by **Roy Thomas** » 8 Apr 2022 7:10 am

i have a couple of partly used spools of the george l cable but no solderless jacks. they work fine for a stationary instrument but i find them lacking using them while moving around. i made some up for my regular guitars and they hang on anything and unplug.
the sound is ok but then again sound in in the ear of the hearer.
they make super patch cables and save a ton of room.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 8 Apr 2022 3:22 pm

The George-L coax cable is low capacitance, so what it actually does is give you a little more highs. If you would like more highs, then go with the George-L cable. But if you're not into a lot of highs, they really offer no sonic advantage. One other point is that some players prefer them because their plugs do not require soldering, while others dislike that feature because they tend to not be as robust as soldered cables with standard plugs.

I used the George-L's for a few years, but then reverted to standard cables to get a fuller-fatter sound. It seems that the trend these days for pedal steel tone has turned away from the earlier emphasis on trebly sounds that we had in the '60s from players like Emmons, Myrick, and Brumley.

As far as a preference for the diameters, I really have none. However, I believe that the tendency for the smaller cable not to lie as flat is because players tend to roll the smaller diameters up more tightly or compactly, which gives them a "set".

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 9 Apr 2022 7:31 am

Here is a previous discussion worth reading:

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=160483

Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 10 Apr 2022 8:40 am

They both have the same core as far as I can recall.

Bill Ferguson · Post by **Bill Ferguson** » 10 Apr 2022 8:49 am

You are correct Jim