The Steel Guitar Forum

Anybody know where to find a cable for an old lap steel with a screw end? Elderly Intruments advertises them in their catalog, but they are out of stock and claim they can't get any more....

Thanks!

John Pierce

John:

A perrenial question for anyone who owns old Valco-made instruments. Amphonol plugs, as they're known, I've always found to be pretty readily available at good electronic surplus stores, generally for no more than two or three dollars each (by contrast, I saw them listed in a catalogue of one of the major electronic suppliers a few years ago for something like twenty-five dollars a pop!). Music stores often have piles of them in their junk drawers too. A bigger problem than finding them is the fact that they break every five minutes. It's not hard to understand why these things never displaced phono jacks as the connector of choice among instrument builders. They're fine for microphones, but lousy for guitars. You'll need to use thin, unshielded cable too - easy enough to dig up.

Ian, they're just lousy for guitars and mics...PERIOD. The best thing to do is to convert to a regular jack.
I recall when I was playing my double neck NATIONAL on live radio, this d****d thing kicked out on me. I learned a valuable lesson. CONVERT, (and I am not advising you in the religious sense!) Amen.

John, anyplace that handles Switchcraft connectors should be able to get them for you. Try Mouser Electronics or Angela Instruments. I also recommend converting your instrument to a 1/4" jack. You're less likely to have problems since the screw-on connectors are harder to solder correctly and are inherently more prone to mechanical failure. Good luck.

John Borchard

Ian: "unshielded" is that a typo?
Any cable that is unshielded on a guitar will bring you grief.
Those Amphenol connectors were the standard microphone connector on PA systems in the 1940's. It was quite normal for one of them to become a little loose and the local radio station would come booming through during a church service.
You can also find them at Hamfests and antique radio supply houses. Usually for $1 to $3.

Blake

For what it's worth, I bought a screw-on type cable from Angela Instruments, but wasn't happy with it. The only size they carry is 20 feet long, and I only needed a cable long enough to go from my lap to the volume pedal.
I took my 1950 National New Yorker to Gary Brawer and had a standard 1/4" phono jack installed. It cost $43.68, which is probably too much, but they did a great job. The new jack fits exactly where the old screw on connector was and looks original.
Now I have a lap steel I can use instead of a nice looking wall hanger.

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