Members Citizen_Insane Posted July 5, 2010 Members Share Posted July 5, 2010 My band is gong on tour this summer and I'm looking for a couple reliable cables that are going to stand up to the punishment of being used every day for a month (and then some more). Does anyone have some suggestions? I'm really short on cash right now, but I know it will be worth the investment in something that won't fail on stage. If anyone has suggestions for good connectors and a place to get cheap Mogami cable, I'd be down for building them myself too. I'm looking for 2 10' cables and I really don't want to spend more than $40. I was looking at the EWI cables from audiopile since I've heard so many good things about them. Anyone have any experience with them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Orange Jackson Posted July 5, 2010 Members Share Posted July 5, 2010 Those higher price GFS cables should be fine. If you can solder, then you can take care of them if any problems come up, it is just a cable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Angry Tele Posted July 5, 2010 Members Share Posted July 5, 2010 Death Valley Cable Co...Ebay store 'desertflux' they're about $30 for 10 feet..email for any length you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Citizen_Insane Posted July 5, 2010 Author Members Share Posted July 5, 2010 Death Valley Cable Co...Ebay store 'desertflux' they're about $30 for 10 feet..email for any length you want. Yeah, that's a little more than I can afford to spend on a single cable. I think my max is about $20 per cable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bigconig Posted July 5, 2010 Members Share Posted July 5, 2010 Whirlwind Leaders I've got a couple from the 80s that still work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members twofoolsaminute Posted July 5, 2010 Members Share Posted July 5, 2010 Anything made by Rapco. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members IamBurnout Posted July 5, 2010 Members Share Posted July 5, 2010 Dimarzio guitar leads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 67mike Posted July 5, 2010 Members Share Posted July 5, 2010 Any one used Proco cables????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Citizen_Insane Posted July 5, 2010 Author Members Share Posted July 5, 2010 Anything made by Rapco. I've heard a lot of good things about Rapco but their designs don't really show any sort of secondary strain relief. They are very cheap, but I just worry that they'll fall apart under constant use. I'm not all that hard on my cables usually, I disconnect them by pulling on the plug, not the cable, but I've had a few go out recently and I want to be sure that I'm not going to end up with more dead cables that I have repair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesnapper Posted July 5, 2010 Members Share Posted July 5, 2010 Try making your own - the cable can be bought very cheaply - when it dies you can simply chop off the end and resolder, reusing the same jack plugs. Plenty of downtime on tour to fiddle with a soldering iron.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wagdog Posted July 5, 2010 Members Share Posted July 5, 2010 Cables1. Cheap2. Reliable Pick one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wyatt Posted July 5, 2010 Members Share Posted July 5, 2010 I've gone back to DiMarzio are a long time using Geo. L and other cables. I just love 'em...durable, great sounding, reliable. I like the jacketed covering, which reduces kinks and doesn't seem to get so grimy dragging around on a stage. They've gone up a little in price though, the 20' used to cost what they charge for the 10' now.http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/DiMarzio-Instrument-Cable?sku=332100 Pro Co are great, their Lifelines are just out of your price range, but I would trust their more affordable options, as I would Whirlwind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 67mike Posted July 5, 2010 Members Share Posted July 5, 2010 I've gone back to DiMarzio are a long time using Geo. L and other cables. I just love 'em...durable, great sounding, reliable. I like the jacketed covering, which reduces kinks and doesn't seem to get so grimy dragging around on a stage. They've gone up a little in price though, the 20' used to cost what they charge for the 10' now.http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/DiMarzio-Instrument-Cable?sku=332100Pro Co are great, their Lifelines are just out of your price range, but I would trust their more affordable options, as I would Whirlwind. Good to hear...just ordered a 25' Pro Co from Sam Ash....sales girl said she uses em, and they are great. 5 year warranty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cobalt Blue Posted July 5, 2010 Members Share Posted July 5, 2010 Any one used Proco cables????? I do, and I like them very much. I buy them via Sweetwater (they are branded as being Sweetwater cables). To the OP, do consider ProCo, for the ProCos are inexpensive, Sweetwater has free shipping, and I believe there is still BING Cashback of 6% for Sweetwater purchases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cobalt Blue Posted July 5, 2010 Members Share Posted July 5, 2010 http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/1/4in10/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members walrus1 Posted July 5, 2010 Members Share Posted July 5, 2010 I have a proco cable, it's pretty nice, but I was perturbed after I bought it (my fault) to notice that they don't have a lifetime warranty. At least the one I bought didn't. That was a few years ago though, maybe they've updated their policy since then. Something about old whirlwinds, they never seem to die. I have one from 20 years ago and it's almost like new. I'm curious to try those GFS cables next - the price is so low they can't really be that durable, can they be? Or have we all been sold a bill of goods in recent years that "more expensive cables means they must be better?" http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/1/4in10/Just saw this - seems like they have updated their policy. ...hmm, or have they? This is the cable I bought, but the "manufacturer's warranty" link says the Lifelines are 20 yrs, and the Excellines are only 10: Nontransferable limited warranties vary with product. Guardian cables - lifetime warranty. Lifeline cables - 20 years. Excellines cables - 10 years. Speaker, MIDI, XLR, patch cables - 3 years. StageMASTER cables - 3 years. SnakeMASTER snakes - 3 years. RoadMASTER snakes - 5 years. E-Cords - 1,2,5 year warranties, terms vary. Check with manufacturer for specific product warranty. I guess it's only the Excellines that are branded through Sweetwater that are lifetime warranteed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Orange Jackson Posted July 5, 2010 Members Share Posted July 5, 2010 I do, and I like them very much. I buy them via Sweetwater (they are branded as being Sweetwater cables). To the OP, do consider ProCo, for the ProCos are inexpensive, Sweetwater has free shipping, and I believe there is still BING Cashback of 6% for Sweetwater purchases. Those are what I use too, they're fine by me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wyatt Posted July 5, 2010 Members Share Posted July 5, 2010 I have a proco cable, it's pretty nice, but I was perturbed after I bought it (my fault) to notice that they don't have a lifetime warranty. At least the one I bought didn't. That was a few years ago though, maybe they've updated their policy since then. Something about old whirlwinds, they never seem to die. I have one from 20 years ago and it's almost like new. I'm curious to try those GFS cables next - the price is so low they can't really be that durable, can they be? Or have we all been sold a bill of goods in recent years that "more expensive cables means they must be better?" Just saw this - seems like they have updated their policy. ...hmm, or have they? This is the cable I bought, but the "manufacturer's warranty" link says the Lifelines are 20 yrs, and the Excellines are only 10: I guess it's only the Excellines that are branded through Sweetwater that are lifetime warranteed. All current Pro Co cables -- the Lifelines, Excelline, and Stagemaster -- now all have their "any abuse, any excuse" lifetime warranty. The Lifelines (or their predecessor) have always had a lifetime warranty, I want to say thy were some of the first to offer a lifetime warranty so 30+ years ago.The rest used to have limited warranties, but now they'll replace anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members walrus1 Posted July 5, 2010 Members Share Posted July 5, 2010 All current Pro Co cables -- the Lifelines, Excelline, and Stagemaster now all have a "any abuse, any excuse" lifetime warranty. The Lifelines have always had a lifetime warranty, I want to say thy were some of the first to offer a lifetime warranty so 30+ years ago. The rest used to have limited warranties, but now they'll replace anything. Thanks, good to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 67mike Posted July 6, 2010 Members Share Posted July 6, 2010 All current Pro Co cables -- the Lifelines, Excelline, and Stagemaster -- now all have their "any abuse, any excuse" lifetime warranty. The Lifelines (or their predecessor) have always had a lifetime warranty, I want to say thy were some of the first to offer a lifetime warranty so 30+ years ago. The rest used to have limited warranties, but now they'll replace anything. I am very happy then.I have a 25' with a 90 degree end coming my way, at the Sam Ash girl's suggestion...I had never heard of Pro Co prior to this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members brewgoodbeer Posted July 6, 2010 Members Share Posted July 6, 2010 Cables don't die, the connectors do. Very rarely do you get a break in the middle of a cable anymore. No one is using solid cable anymore. 95% of all problems are in the solder joints of the connector. Just cut off the plug, clean it up and put it back on. I have cables that are 30 years old and work just fine. As for ProCo. I love them. I have purchase about 20 in the last year or so of various lengths for various uses. If you do a little research, you could find the right model of belden cable, purchase a box, and then make cables for you and your bandmates. This will last you a long time, and save you a lot of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fusion1 Posted July 6, 2010 Members Share Posted July 6, 2010 Whirlwind hands down! The Leader Elites are gold plated and cloth covered and for 18.6 feet it is right around $21 from J&R and then add the 6% BING CASHBACK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wyatt Posted July 6, 2010 Members Share Posted July 6, 2010 Cables don't die, the connectors do. Very rarely do you get a break in the middle of a cable anymore. No one is using solid cable anymore. 95% of all problems are in the solder joints of the connector. Just cut off the plug, clean it up and put it back on. I have cables that are 30 years old and work just fine. As for ProCo. I love them. I have purchase about 20 in the last year or so of various lengths for various uses. If you do a little research, you could find the right model of belden cable, purchase a box, and then make cables for you and your bandmates. This will last you a long time, and save you a lot of money. Cable shielding starts to "bleed." As the cable kinks up over time the shield bunches and bends and becomes less effective; sections of the cable become an antenna and interference will start to bleed in to be amplified down line. It's happen to cables cheap and expensive of mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaveGrima Posted July 6, 2010 Members Share Posted July 6, 2010 I look for durability when buying cables. Of all the cables Ive bought over the last few years the only one that has lasted so far, surprisingly, is a transparent red Fender California cable. I plan on picking up a few more of those soon and I suggest you do the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Citizen_Insane Posted July 6, 2010 Author Members Share Posted July 6, 2010 Cables don't die, the connectors do. Very rarely do you get a break in the middle of a cable anymore. No one is using solid cable anymore. 95% of all problems are in the solder joints of the connector. Just cut off the plug, clean it up and put it back on. I have cables that are 30 years old and work just fine. As for ProCo. I love them. I have purchase about 20 in the last year or so of various lengths for various uses. If you do a little research, you could find the right model of belden cable, purchase a box, and then make cables for you and your bandmates. This will last you a long time, and save you a lot of money.This I am aware of, however, buying quality connectors usually costs more than buying premade cables. The strain relief mechanism on most standard 1/4" plugs is not very well designed. I also don't really feel like buying a bunch of shrink tubing and all the other stuff that's necessary to build the cables. I've done it in the past and to be honest, I didn't save any money. I usually repair my cables, but after a while the crimp style strain relief parts of the jack stop working properly. I'd rather just buy a new cable. Plus I don't really have the time to wait for 5 different components to ship, we're leaving for tour on the 29th and I still have to manually screen print hundreds of CD's before then in addition to playing shows every week and going to school. @ everyone else - Thanks for the tips, I'll look into them and get something ordered up tomorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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