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how can i stop signal deterioration from having long cables?


jroutley

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So, from what i've gathered, it's caused by using high impedance outputs (guitars) into high impedance imputs (fx/amp)

 

so can it be stopped by using a preamp-esque device to lower the impedance of the signal

 

something like this:

 

http://www.behringer.com/PB100/index.cfm?lang=ENG

 

and would putting a low impedance singal into an amp sound different from putting a high impedance singal into an amp?

 

thanks a lot.

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Putting a pedal with a buffer in the chain can sometimes help, but that depends on the quality of the buffer circuitry.

 

 

sorry, what's a buffer?

 

and does the quality of the wiring inside pedals and guitars affect the sound?

 

thanks.

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What are you running long cables to and from? How long are they?

 

 

i've got a 20ft cable from my guitar to my amp - no fx or anything.

 

its all right, except the amp's pretty loud, and it sounds better when its not directly facing you, as its a bit too in-your-face, so i put it facing away from me, which then creates problem with the length of the cable.

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What are you running long cables to and from? How long are they?

 

 

i've got a 20ft cable from my guitar to my amp - no fx or anything.

 

its all right, except the amp's pretty loud, and it sounds better when its not directly facing you, as its a bit too in-your-face, so i put it facing away from me, which then creates problem with the length of the cable.

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i've got a 20ft cable from my guitar to my amp - no fx or anything.


its all right, except the amp's pretty loud, and it sounds better when its not directly facing you, as its a bit too in-your-face, so i put it facing away from me, which then creates problem with the length of the cable.

 

 

You're not going to lose much with 20' or even a bit longer going straight from guitar to amp.

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You're not going to lose much with 20' or even a bit longer going straight from guitar to amp.

 

It depends on the guitar pickup/cable combination. Lower output pickups tend to be less problematic, whereas high output pickups tend to lose more high end than some people would like.

 

Also, some cables have a hideously high capacitance. Which can help tame a bright guitar, but does no favours to people looking for a bright sound with high output pickups.

 

I personally use a Lavacable ELC 12' cable between the guitar and pedal board to keep as much sparkle in my high output humbucker as possible. From the board, I use an 'always-on' EQ (ie. buffer) at the end of the pedal chain to drive a 20' cable back to the amp. After the buffer, the cable doesn't make anywhere near as much difference - well, at least I can't hear the difference.

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What is the capacitance of a 20ft cable compared to a 10ft cable?

What is the actual frequency rolloff?

How would matching impedances create frequency loss?

I'm serious, I see a whole lot of terms being thrown around in marketing campaigns and I would really like to see some values and math to back it up. I just really doubt that the amount of high frequency rolloff would be so much that a little EQ'ing couldn't get it close. And if it effects all guitars it should be something that is compensated for during pickup and amp design, not something that the end user has to find a solution for.

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What is the capacitance of a 20ft cable compared to a 10ft cable?


What is the actual frequency rolloff?


How would matching impedances create frequency loss?


I'm serious, I see a whole lot of terms being thrown around in marketing campaigns and I would really like to see some values and math to back it up. I just really doubt that the amount of high frequency rolloff would be so much that a little EQ'ing couldn't get it close. And if it effects all guitars it should be something that is compensated for during pickup and amp design, not something that the end user has to find a solution for.

 

The problem is that different amps sound different with different guitars. There is no standardisation body that requires a specific loading/impedance match between devices. Therefore, things like cable capacitance, and amp loading can make a difference.

 

This is why people like to play it safe with tried and tested setups like Strat->Twin, and LP->Marshall. The work has already been done for you. But, if you want to do something a little different, then you're going to have to start turning knobs. Unfortunately, not all knobs have their centre frequency in exactly the right band to get the magic sound that a person may be chasing.

 

In some cases, a low capacitance (or very short) cable may be bad. Because the guitar / amp combo sounds too bright. Usually, this can be dialled out, but not all amps guitars can dial it out without affecting other desired frequencies. Remember, we are not talking about 'ball park near enough is good enough' tone here - this is the realm of very subtle tonal variation.

 

Yes, theoretically a 31 band graphic EQ could probably get rid of most of these issues.

 

But, even then, a high impedance pickup may be detrimentally effected by too much (or even too little) load impedance (ie. the combination of cable and amp input impedances). This will do things like change the pickup's resonant frequency, the overall frequency response and to some small degree (although most like unnoticeable), the pickup's dynamic response. These things can't be easily fixed with an EQ.

 

This is also why fuzz and wah pedals are placed first in the signal chain - they affect and are affected by the pickups in a very interactive way. This may be a good thing, but in other cases may sound not so good.

 

Again, remember, this is not about getting in the ball park - this is for people who are trying to get the last little bit of perfection out of their tone. And keep in mind that my 'last 1%' might be your 'like a blanket was taken off the amp'.

 

This is why I don't use too long or too short cables, or cables that are known to be high capacitance.

 

When playing live, I don't notice the difference. But, the bedroom is funny place, where I (as do most people) hear every detail. I also dial in a very different sound 'in the bedroom' that would otherwise be useless in a live setting.

 

Yet again, if you're just after getting in the tone ballpark, none of this will matter much.

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i think you guys spend waaaaaay too much time worrying about this nonsense. Use your ears. I have a 20ft from my guitar to my tuner pedal and a 10ft to the amp. 30ft total. I use monster Rock Pro cables and do not hear a difference at all plugging in directly with the 10ft.

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