From detritu–(at)–x.netcom.com Thu Oct 10 10:11:07 CDT 1996
Article: 24522 of alt.guitar.amps
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From: detritu–(at)–x.netcom.com(Lord Valve)
Newsgroups: alt.guitar.amps
Subject: Re: best guitar cords
Date: 10 Oct 1996 07:42:15 GMT
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References: <325C9D4A.2CE--(at)--ech.kuleuven.ac.be>
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X-NETCOM-Date: Thu Oct 10 2:42:15 AM CDT 1996
In <325C9D4A.2CE--(at)--ech.kuleuven.ac.be> Jan Swevers
>
>Hi,
>
>question concerning guitar cords (i.e. wires you use to connect
>an electric guitar to an amplifier.
>
>What is the best type of cord to use concering loss of high
frequencies
>and sound quality? What are the best jacks to use?
>I want to built my own cords…
>
>If you have experience with it and want to help me, please email to
>jan.swever–(at)–ech.kuleuven.ac.be
>
>Kind regards,
>
>
>Jan Swevers
Jan…
Probably the best cable out there is Canare GS-6. It has a dense
copper braid sheild, as well as an electrostatic conductive plastic
inner shield. The center conductor is 18 gauge, much thicker than most
guitar-type cables use. Low capacitance, not at all microphonic, and
the copper is oxygen-free. As far as plugs go, the traditional ones
are best…Switchcraft 280 is the way to go. The Neutrik plugs LOOK
really cool, but the plastic strain-relief craps out on the road. The
Neutrik right-angle plug is bodaciously heavy-duty, and most of the
pulls it receives are downward (straight back, as opposed to sideways),
so the strain relief seems to survive on those. The Neutriks are
difficult to solder, whereas the Switchcrafts are really easy. (Better
plating on the Switchcraft, I imagine…) If you want to make a really
bulletproof cable, use heatshrink (3/8″ polyolefin) inside the plug.
Fill the space between the two contacts with a liberal amount of
hot-glue (glue-gun type), slide the shrink over the stuff while it’s
still molten, and shrink it the rest of the way down with a heat gun.
Wait for it to cool, and pull the excess off with needle-nose pliers.
Don’t try this process with Neutriks, it only works on Switchcraft 280s
(or 297s, the TRS version). I’ve been making them this way for nearly
20 years, and the folks I sell ’em to always lose ’em (or someone
steals ’em) before they break. Good luck!
Fat Willie
detritu–(at)–x.netcom.com
(Lord Valve)
