noise from guitar cord

[selloutrr]

make sure you use a quality connector or the cable is useless.

[JamesHealey]

I had this problem with every cable i ever owned until i got a klotz. Good stuff.

[Dingleberry]

I had this problem with every cable I ever owned until I started to make my own. I was working as a service tech for a P.A/backline company and saw in practice what's the difference between a good an shitty cable.
And it really is like night and day.
If you guys are able to build a "boutique" amp you should be able to make a working and silent guitar cable. Neutrik connectors and professional quality cable and they are dead silent. Highly recommend to make your own. And it will even cost less than "Professional High Quality marketing hype"-cable you get from music stores.

[statorvane]

I have only had one exhibit this behavior - a Hosa cable. I couldn't believe it - here I was chasing microphonics inside the amp and it turned out to be a brand new guitar cable! I eventually found the bad spots in the cable and they corresponded to where the cable was folded into the packaging. That is, the cable packaging process kinked the cable!

I have since been using Conquest cables. They are not expensive and very robust. A friend of mine said the same thing. I eventually cut up the Hosa cable to use as a patch chord.

[Big Jim]

I make my own with Mogami 2524 cable and Nuetrik ends. I always use the end that breaks the circuit silently next to the guitar. No more snap and pop when you change guitars. Never looked back. Just about every guitar player that borrows a cable from me wants to buy one from me.
Jim

[Structo]

I like the Neutrik silent plug as well.
I have a right angle one on my main guitar cable.

I've heard that people have trouble with them but I haven't.

I think what happens is that people probably drop the cord onto a hard floor and it breaks the reed switch inside the plug.
Most of the tiny reed switches I have seen had glass envelopes, so a hard knock may break them.

Good ol' Mogami 2524 cable has been a professional mainstay for years.
Good all around cable.

[Big Jim]

I guess I should start being nicer to my guitar cable! Thanks for the info Tom.

[Cliff Schecht]

All of my cables use Canarie 4 conductor silver-stranded teflon cabling and Switchcraft jacks. IIRC the Canarie is like $0.40 a foot, is made in Japan and is about as sturdy as DIY cablemaking gets for the price. I get mine at Altex in Austin, not sure where else to find it. I've been using the same cables for about 7 years without issue.

A trick I use to make sure the soldering connections are secure is to put a good amount of epoxy on the solder connections. Keeps the solder joints from wiggling loose ever.

[Structo]

Do you mean Canare cable?

That is good cable, I use their 4S8 speaker cable.

Their GS-6 instrument cable is good as well.


For you guys that want to build your own guitar cables or patch cords, Redco has decent prices on bulk cable and they carry all the high end plugs and jacks.

http://www.redco.com/default.asp

[PlinytheWelder]

I'm kind of wacky in that I use Canare L-4E6S Star Quad on pretty much everything I make, balanced or unbalanced. I even make my guitar cables out of it. It's a bit of a pain to strip and solder it up unbalanced, but I just love this stuff...

[UltraHookedOnPhonix]

While tapping on the guitar cord (not the tip) that is plugged in to amp (guitar not plugged) I get noise from speakers. Where should I look for the problem ?

Thanks,

Mat,

I'm thinking you're guitar cable is lacking a carbon impregnated polymer sub-shield to prevent microphonics.

This conductive PVC layer comes as a standard feature in many high-end cables including Mogami.

Check if your cable has this sub-shield, it looks like this:

[Structo]

Yeah, that is the layer I was talking about earlier.
When you strip the end of the cable to solder a plug on, be sure and trim that black layer back a little bit, otherwise it can short out the signal.

[mat]

I have a Cordial CMK 222 cable with Neutrik plugs. That snaps also but alot of less than the Fender ones.