The Steel Guitar Forum

I am looking at getting new cables. I have used George L cables in the past but they seem to give me trouble these days. Have any of you tried the D’Addario cables sold here in the Forum? If so, what do you think?

I've been using several (bought from the Forum), heavily gigged in a multi-cable rig for a few years now and I like them a lot.

I used to use (and promote) George L's. In 30 years of use, other than right angle plugs, I only had problems with one end.

When I went to Quilter amps I changed to standard cables, including a couple D'Adddaio cables. No problems.

I used Bill Lawrence cables way way way back. Then over to George L's way way back over 30 years . Still do . I spend my money on strings, not cables.( Don't have to with George L's they are repairable ) Now and then I have to redo an end plug,but very seldom. Bottom line, I ain't bought no cables in years.

Mogami W2524 cable with Neutrik gold plugs on them are increadible. Extremely durable with low capacitance. If you have any soldering skills you can order bulk cable and make your own cables like I did.

What Michael Hartz said, is an excellent choice......

For several years I have been using the Canare GS-6 cable with excellent results. I build my own cables as a hobby, that way I can build to various lengths and terminate them with various Neutrik and Switchcraft connections also you can Color code them for various uses, as they are available in several colors.

https://www.canare.com/guitarinstrumentcable

As a fun side note when I attended Jeff Newman's classes several many years ago this very topic of which guitar cables to use came up. Mr Newman said "the best cables to use are the ones you make yourself." Mr Newman at the time used Belden 8412 cable. Back then Belden used actual rubber as their outer & inner jackets. I still have 2-10ft. cables that Mr Newman showed me how he built, and gave to me. A few years ago I ran across those cables again. The rubber outer jacket actually dry rotted from age and being rolled up. For the fun of it, not expecting much I plugged them in. No buzz, no hum, still worked! Not bad for cables built almost 40 years ago.

I recently bought some cables from Rattlesnake Cables out of Montana...
Really high quality and great service! About an hour after ordering the cables online, I received an email order confirmation with a video attached. The video was a personal thank you from the owner who addressed me by name!
Never have I ever received such a thank you... I'd check these out

Love the D'Addario make em yourself Cables.

The only issue I've had with George'Ls cables is with the right angle plugs. I had one or two of them work loose after a short time, but that is understandable because of the 90 degree bend at the plug. I check the screws on all cables for tightness occasionally, just to make sure I have a good connection. They can loosen with time. I also cut the ends off of the cables every year or so, just to make sure the connection is as new. When I newly install or clip and renew the ends, I insert the cable as far as it will go and tighten the screw just enough to make an impression in the casing. Then I remove the cable and use a small razor knife to cut away the casing at the impression, being careful not to remove any more casing than necessary, or cut into the cable itself. That leaves just enough bare cable against which to seat the screw. It might only make me feel better, but as I stated above, I have had minimal problems with these cables. As far as tone is concerned, that is entirely subjective. What sounds good to you is good.

Can someone give me a bit of info re the difference between the 155 guage vs 225 guage George L cables with regards to performance, sound quality, etc. - can I mix & match? any recommendations?☺

John,
My understanding was , the cables are identical, with the outer insulation being larger on one being the only difference.

I have used George L for over 20 years. When I went to an Evans AH 200 amp, My GFI with a E-66 George L pickup, I had problems with Treble being picky sharp. When I went to a Quilter Tone Block 202, The Treble was really sharp, Have to run Treble on 0 or 1. I can't try other players settings or get the sound I want out of the amp.

The Fed-ex man left a D'Addario Cable kit on my front porch this afternoon. I need to contact D'addario, They have changed some package printing, I want to make sure it is the kit I need and want. Then comes Cable making time.

See if different cables allows me to adjust amp., And get the Mo-Jo I am looking for and wanting to hear.

Cables and effects can dull your tone. My tone never changes no matter how many effects or different cables. I've used an old model 60 Matchbox for years. It cleans everything up and just use a slight tweak with the tone knob to cut the presence after setting the amp.

John Jeffries wrote: .... can I mix & match? .....

Not sure what you are asking but (maybe obvious, maybe not) you cannot mix the cables & plugs -- a 155 cable will not work with a 225 plug.

I remain really happy with the several D'Addarios in my multi-cable setup that I got here in the SGF store.

I recently helped a friend on a gig who had a “bad” George L cord. He said the 90 degree was keeping it from working. We took the plug off, cut about an inch off of the cable and reseated it, screwed the cap back on and there was still a problem. On a whim, I checked the straight plug. The set screw had been tightened to the point of cutting into the center conductor. Again, cut an inch off, reseat the cable and tighten to only contact the outer conductor. It worked just like a new cable. That would be a hard fix with soldered plugs.

Thanks for the replies, folks! I also found some info on a previous post regarding these cables...bottom line - I'm going to stick with my current 155 guage cables - no real need for me to change to the heavier guage, as I'm not playing out much anymore, and they are quite expensive. There appears to be little or no difference in tone or sound between the two guages, mostly just in the thickness of the coating. Cheers!☺

I would check out Rattlesnake Cables out of Montana...

I use Evidence Audio Lyric HG guitar cables, expensive, stiff, but great audio quality. Quieter than the GeorgeL cables I used before.

Another vote for the Canare GS-6 cable. Made my own custom length with Switchcraft connectors and they’ve been 100% solid. 0 noise and never a failure.

I have used George L .155 Cables since about 1999. Played through a Nashville 400, Tube-Fex with Rack Box Amp. and a small Evans amp.
Could not get the sound I wanted out of an Evans AH 200 or Tone Block 202.

Yesterday Fed-X delivered a D'Addario Cable kit.
This morning I made a 3 ft. cable and a 10 ft. cable with the kit.

Replaced the cables from guitar to VP, VP to Amp.
Put Travis Toy's settings in the Tone Block 202, Tweaked the setting for the Guitar, Pickup and Room, What a sound and sustain.

Back To The Wood Shed, To relearn this guitar all over again.

I run a short George L skinny cable from the guitar to a Sarno FreeLoader and then another George L skinny cable down to a Goodrich passive volume pedal.

After the volume pedal I have several short cables of various brands for f/x pedals.

For running back to the amp I have different lengths of George L skinny, George L fat, and Live Wire Advantage cables.

To my ears, any of the cables after the Sarno FreeLoader work fine.

Brad built in some magic in that knob.

Read what Brad wrote:

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=372576

The diameter of a cable means a lot in it's ability to carry electric.

.155 diameter = .0188 Sq. In. of area.
.225 Diameter = .0397 Sq. In. of area.
Volume wise a .225 Cable has 53% more area for insulation and conductor wire, Making the .225 a much more efficient electrical conductor. More signal for amp to use.

Bobby D. Jones wrote:The diameter of a cable means a lot in it's ability to carry electric.

.155 diameter = .0188 Sq. In. of area.
.225 Diameter = .0397 Sq. In. of area.
Volume wise a .225 Cable has 53% more area for insulation and conductor wire, Making the .225 a much more efficient electrical conductor. More signal for amp to use.

It really does not make much difference, and the total area of the cable is irrelevant.
For high current cables like speaker cables, the conductor guage matters, but for guitar cables with low voltage and current it is really not an issue. Durability, shielding, lack of handling noise and flexibility are more important.

What Bobby said!

Lots of good recommendations here! Here’s another…

I’ve been using GAC-Pro cables by Gotham Audio for the past several years. Really great for me.