Type of cable

[Desmund Nichols]

Will types of cable have an effect on the sound?

[Bob Faulkner]

negligible unless you're talking about using a speaker cable as an instrument cable or something. speaker cables are more susceptible to noise since they're not shielded. other than that, i've never noticed any tonal difference in any cable plugged into any bass.

[Tim Bishop]

Originally Posted by Bob Faulkner

negligible unless you're talking about using a speaker cable as an instrument cable or something. speaker cables are more susceptible to noise since they're not shielded. other than that, i've never noticed any tonal difference in any cable plugged into any bass.

Yes, a good cable is a must. You get what you pay for.

Thank of it this way. You are driving down the highway, you can go left or right. If you go left, you will end up in a "parking lot" as traffic has bottle-necked due to a merge from 4 to 1 lane. If you go right, traffic is wide open and clear the rest of the way to your destination.

A cheap cable is like taking that "left": The current/signal has one destination that leads to that bottle-neck.

A great cable is like taking that "right": The current/signal has a clear wide open path to ultimate clarity.

Once your ear begins to appreciating top-notch gear (i.e. in this case, the right bass and amplification), you will be able to appreciate the better quality cable in a heart beat! For the money, I would recommend Monster Bass (Prolink Cable).

[Albert Smith]

Originally Posted by Tim Bishop

Yes, a good cable is a must. You get what you pay for.

Thank of it this way. You are driving down the highway, you can go left or right. If you go left, you will end up in a "parking lot" as traffic has bottle-necked due to a merge from 4 to 1 lane. If you go right, traffic is wide open and clear the rest of the way to your destination.

A cheap cable is like taking that "left": The current/signal has one destination that leads to that bottle-neck.

A great cable is like taking that "right": The current/signal has a clear wide open path to ultimate clarity.

Once your ear begins to appreciating top-notch gear (i.e. in this case, the right bass and amplification), you will be able to appreciate the better quality cable in a heart beat! For the money, I would recommend Monster Bass (Prolink Cable).

Tim, I currently use Monster cable for my bass and I utilize a speakon cable for my cabs, what brand do you recommend or actually use

[Tim Bishop]

Originally Posted by Albert Smith

Tim, I currently use Monster cable for my bass and I utilize a speakon cable for my cabs, what brand do you recommend or actually use

Albert, I use the Monster Bass (Prolink Cables). Hard to beat for the money.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Tim Bishop

Albert, I use the Monster Bass (Prolink Cables). Hard to beat for the money.

Be careful with those expensive cables like Monster. Most of them kill the side mounted jacks we use.

We use only the George Ls cables now.

[Tim Bishop]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Be careful with those expensive cables like Monster. Most of them kill the side mounted jacks we use.

We use only the George Ls cables now.

Ken, I have never had this problem with Monster Cables. What is it about the Monster Cables that would "kill" the side mounted jack? How are George Ls different?

[Albert Smith]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Be careful with those expensive cables like Monster. Most of them kill the side mounted jacks we use.

We use only the George Ls cables now.

I must admit I had to replace the stereo jack in my WBT5 Elite because after a period of time the cable plug would just slide out of the jack.
When you initially plug in your cable you get that secure snap and the cable is locked in, after about one year I noticed the plug was getting weaker and weaker.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Tim Bishop

Ken, I have never had this problem with Monster Cables. What is it about the Monster Cables that would "kill" the side mounted jack? How are George Ls different?

Monster told us they use a 'type 2' tip which is slightly different in shape and had killed 100s of Jacks. We know this because when ever we get a bad jack problem and ask the customer, it has been the Monster Cable that is the culprit. The George Ls is a simple but high grade regular sized tip and we like it here.

[Albert Smith]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Monster told us they use a 'type 2' tip which is slightly different in shape and had killed 100s of Jacks. We know this because when ever we get a bad jack problem and ask the customer, it has been the Monster Cable that is the culprit. The George Ls is a simple but high grade regular sized tip and we like it here.

Question is the cable shielded? and exactly where can I pick one up?

[Bob Faulkner]

Ken Smith Premium Instrument Cables?

Anyone?

[Tim Bishop]

Originally Posted by Albert Smith

Question is the cable shielded? and exactly where can I pick one up?

Albert, yes they are shielded and are good quality cables. You can find them on eBay (know who you are dealing with though) or Google them and you'll find dealers.

[Albert Smith]

Originally Posted by Tim Bishop

Albert, yes they are shielded and are good quality cables. You can find them on eBay (know who you are dealing with though) or Google them and you'll find dealers.

Thanks Tim, I'll google them I'm not a big fan of ebay these days.
Bob, I like that concept, what's the chance you can convince Ken to go down that road.

[Tim Bishop]

Originally Posted by Albert Smith

Thanks Tim, I'll google them I'm not a big fan of ebay these days.
Bob, I like that concept, what's the chance you can convince Ken to go down that road.

George L's are a solderless cable and the cable is a bit thinner than we bass players are probably use to. I've not used them myself, however, I have heard good things about them.

[Albert Smith]

Originally Posted by Tim Bishop

George L's are a solderless cable and the cable is a bit thinner than we bass players are probably use to. I've not used them myself, however, I have heard good things about them.

Question remains would you utilize one personally? or would you pass?

[Tim Bishop]

Originally Posted by Albert Smith

Question remains would you utilize one personally? or would you pass?

Well, I would certainly give them a shot if presented with the opportunity to do so, however, don't think I would go out of my way just yet. I just haven't needed to go down that road at this time.

[Albert Smith]

Originally Posted by Tim Bishop

Well, I would certainly give them a shot if presented with the opportunity to do so, however, don't think I would go out of my way just yet. I just haven't needed to go down that road at this time.

Have you ever noticed any looseness in your jack? currently my Tiger Maple 4 string has a loose stereo jack.

[Tim Bishop]

Originally Posted by Albert Smith

Have you ever noticed any looseness in your jack? currently my Tiger Maple 4 string has a loose stereo jack.

No. The only problem I ever had with a barrel jack was on my new KSA6 (20th. Ann. 6). About a year after delivery, I had problems with the connection (i.e. cutting in and out). I called Ken, he sent me a new jack, I replaced it and haven't had a problem since.

[IanMcElroy]

Hi Everyone. First post, long time reader.

Just thought I'd jump in here and talk about some cables. I've been reading up on these things and it seems to make slight differences to your tone. If you really can hear it good on you but it seems to be really about build quality. The better the cable the longer it will last better not meaning cost but the actual cable. The ends and solder that are used are important as well. Again if it's not soldered right it will fall apart and if your end is junk it might not fit into the end and bore out the jack, or fall out all the time. You can end up spending some serious money on these things and I've seen some audio cable now that sells for about $100.00 a foot. I don't think that its worth it. I've been using the George L's for about a year now and I've been trying to break them. I can't. The only thing I don't like about them is that they tend to tangle pretty easy and trip me up when I'm on stage. I made the move over to Radial Mogami instrument cables and they have all the hype of Neutrik ends and all that but they didn't sound all that different. I've used Monster and I had a bit of a tiff with one of their users. I say this about the "bass" cable that they make and mean no harm no foul to anyone or company. I didn't like them. I thought they sucked the mids out of my tone and from that made "false clarity" on the high end. What I mean by that is if you take away a certain frequencies others sound better. Less mid makes more room for high end and makes the highs sound better. There are companies out there like Tara Labs, Van Den Hul, Sommer, and Gepco that all have started making "high end" cable for the modern musician. These are also the same guys that found out you could really make a buck or two selling really expensive cable, to really rich people, with really expensive taste. All and all I think it's just a case of The Emperor's New Clothes and if you can find a good cable that you like you should get it and not care about what everyone else is saying.

But for us, oh oh me me!!!, who like to gawk at really expensive stuff here are some links.

http://www.taralabs.com/home.asp
http://www.sommercable.com/2__default/index.html
http://www.radialeng.com/
http://www.gepco.com/
http://www.vandenhul.com/

and if you really want to read some craziness
http://www.zaolla.com/ SILVER CABLES!!!! WTF Mate?

and if you want to buy this kinda stuff and see what a company who sells these kinds of things say.
http://www.lavacable.com/

[Tim Bishop]

Originally Posted by IanMcElroy

Hi Everyone. First post, long time reader.

Just thought I'd jump in here and talk about some cables. I've been reading up on these things and it seems to make slight differences to your tone. If you really can hear it good on you but it seems to be really about build quality. The better the cable the longer it will last better not meaning cost but the actual cable. The ends and solder that are used are important as well. Again if it's not soldered right it will fall apart and if your end is junk it might not fit into the end and bore out the jack, or fall out all the time. You can end up spending some serious money on these things and I've seen some audio cable now that sells for about $100.00 a foot. I don't think that its worth it. I've been using the George L's for about a year now and I've been trying to break them. I can't. The only thing I don't like about them is that they tend to tangle pretty easy and trip me up when I'm on stage. I made the move over to Radial Mogami instrument cables and they have all the hype of Neutrik ends and all that but they didn't sound all that different. I've used Monster and I had a bit of a tiff with one of their users. I say this about the "bass" cable that they make and mean no harm no foul to anyone or company. I didn't like them. I thought they sucked the mids out of my tone and from that made "false clarity" on the high end. What I mean by that is if you take away a certain frequencies others sound better. Less mid makes more room for high end and makes the highs sound better. There are companies out there like Tara Labs, Van Den Hul, Sommer, and Gepco that all have started making "high end" cable for the modern musician. These are also the same guys that found out you could really make a buck or two selling really expensive cable, to really rich people, with really expensive taste. All and all I think it's just a case of The Emperor's New Clothes and if you can find a good cable that you like you should get it and not care about what everyone else is saying.

But for us, oh oh me me!!!, who like to gawk at really expensive stuff here are some links.

http://www.taralabs.com/home.asp
http://www.sommercable.com/2__default/index.html
http://www.radialeng.com/
http://www.gepco.com/
http://www.vandenhul.com/

and if you really want to read some craziness
http://www.zaolla.com/ SILVER CABLES!!!! WTF Mate?

and if you want to buy this kinda stuff and see what a company who sells these kinds of things say.
http://www.lavacable.com/

I've talked to Tara Labs. The prices for these cables are off the chart. There are certainly many choices and markets out there and one can certainly choose to throw their money away. So, ask questions, research and choose wisely!