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Topic: cable lengths |
Dan Yeago
From:
Virginia, USA
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Posted 2 Oct 2019 4:33 pm |
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This one is for the pedal, console, and lap players: What lengths do you like to have the cables from the guitar to the volume pedal and from the pedal to the amp?
Thanks so much....dan |
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Jerry Van Hoose
From:
Wears Valley, Tennessee
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Posted 2 Oct 2019 6:25 pm
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| I’ve always used a 3 ft. length of cable from guitar to volume pedal and 10 ft. length from volume pedal to amp. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 2 Oct 2019 6:26 pm
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Generally, you want them as short as possible. This is for two reasons: First, longer cables degrade the signal. A buffer will stop most of the frequency loss due to capacitance, but there is still signal loss due to resistance of the cable. So, it's best they're not too long. Second, long cables can propose a trip hazard,and they tend to get tangled sometimes. Therefore, the best advice, IMHO, is to keep them a reasonably short length.
That said, if there is a problem with too many highs, and you can't tame them any other way, a longer cable will have the affect of reducing treble response, somewhat. |
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Ron Hogan
From:
Nashville, TN, usa
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Posted 2 Oct 2019 7:28 pm
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Less is best
Last edited by Ron Hogan on 3 Oct 2019 5:18 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Stuart Tindall
From:
England, UK
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Posted 2 Oct 2019 9:53 pm
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You mean, 3 metres and 1 metre not 3 feet and 10 feet  |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 3 Oct 2019 12:49 am
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I suspect that Americans are unaware of the twilight zone we live in here in the UK with two systems of measurement. Sheet timber is 8'x4' but battens are 2.4M which is an inch and a half short. Steel stock is metric, aluminium is imperial.
How long are my cables? No idea.
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Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 3 Oct 2019 2:04 am
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We are talking audio cables, not RF cables that affect "standing waves" so specific lengths or multiples of length are not important.
But, I would keep them within reason, e.g. 3 ft (1 meter) or less from guitar to volume pedal and 10 to 15 ft to amp.
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Peter Harris
From:
South Australia, Australia
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Posted 3 Oct 2019 4:39 am
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| Ian Rae wrote: |
I suspect that Americans are unaware of the twilight zone we live in here in the UK with two systems of measurement. Sheet timber is 8'x4' but battens are 2.4M which is an inch and a half short. Steel stock is metric, aluminium is imperial.
How long are my cables? No idea. |
Don't worry, after Brexit you'll be able to go back to feet and inches for everything again......
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If my wife is reading this, I don't have much stuff....really! |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 3 Oct 2019 5:41 am
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I voted to remain, but I hope we do!
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Travis Wilson
From:
Johnson City, TX
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Posted 3 Oct 2019 3:52 pm
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| Jack Stoner wrote: |
| We are talking audio cables, not RF cables that affect "standing waves" so specific lengths or multiples of length are not important. |
As Donny Hinson mentioned, It does matter in electronics, the longer the length the bigger the gauge cable needed or you lose high end frequencies. On a guitar it probably doesn’t matter unless your cables are under 20AWG and over 10’ total length or something. I think 16AWG is standard? I would just buy the fattest cable you could find and not get one crazy long.
Here’s a rule of thumb chart.
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Georg Sørtun
From:
Mandal, Agder, Norway
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Posted 3 Oct 2019 8:37 pm
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Travis, info about speaker cables are totally irrelevant in threads about instrument/line cables going into a load of 100K or more.
If buffers, active VPs and effect units are in-line those instrument/line cables' capacitance becomes pretty irrelevant too, as the low output impedance from such units means capacitance won't have an effect on audible signals after such units unless the cable is unrealistically long (>300ft or so).
Passive VPs vary the serial resistance, so cable capacitance and the amp's input impedance will have more of an effect on higher audible frequencies.
Typical cabling: 3ft / 1m from PU/instrument to reach first active unit or an active/passive VP on the floor, and 10 to 30ft / 3 to 10m to reach the amp's input. Should cover most cases. |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 3 Oct 2019 11:32 pm
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There certainly doesn't appear to be a problem that needs solving.
As others have pointed out, when it comes to low impedances then length does start to matter. I use a rack system and the speaker cables are quite long but also quite fat. I haven't measured them but I trust the designers.
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Dan Yeago
From:
Virginia, USA
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Posted 6 Oct 2019 10:52 am
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| Thanks very much for posting. 3' and 10' were what I was guessing. |
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Godfrey Arthur
From:
3rd Rock
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Posted 11 Oct 2019 10:15 am
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| Quote: |
| if there is a problem with too many highs, and you can't tame them any other way, a longer cable will have the affect of reducing treble response, somewhat. |
Yes, Hendrix used 30 foot coiled cables to get his tone and it tamed his Strat coils to come out sounding like humbuckers in a Les Paul.
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YES it's my REAL NAME!
Ezekiel 33:7 |
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Ken Byng
From:
Southampton, England
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Posted 11 Oct 2019 10:37 am
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| Peter Harris wrote: |
.........Don't worry, after Brexit you'll be able to go back to feet and inches for everything again......
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Yep that's right Peter. Also we can return to pounds and ounces, and pints and gallons. Not long to go thank goodness. 
How long are my cables? I have one long one and one short one. Works for me.
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David Ball
From:
North Carolina High Country
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Posted 11 Oct 2019 1:30 pm
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Back in the days when I had my Morris Minor and my MGA, I had to have 3 sets of wrenches to work on them. SAE, Metric and Whitworth. Whitworths were hard to find here in the states. I was using 30 foot coiled cords in those days with a Fender Jazz Bass (to keep it on topic). Sounded pretty close to a 10m coiled cord to my ears.
Dave |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 11 Oct 2019 3:49 pm
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It's the same deal over here with wrenches, or spanners as we call them. I had a Ford in the 80s and the transmission bell housing had metric bolts round the top and Whitworth round the underneath.
To stay vaguely on topic, I have to have metric tools for my Excel and proper ones for my Williams. I keep them strictly separate!
There's something solid and elegant about a good old-fashioned #10-32 screw. The metric 5mm equivalent looks and feels cheap and nasty to me.
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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