George L Cables-The best

Marlin Smoot · Post by **Marlin Smoot** » 21 Jun 2006 9:22 am

When I saw the george L's...i thought the wire looked very small where the Monster cord had a larger wire. I was under the impression that if you have larger wire, you get more signal running through it.

I have not tried the George L's but I know a lot of people use them, I'm open to trying a couple.

I have a nice old 1963 Gibson Tube amp (18 watt) with a 50 watt Naylor speaker and when it's turned up to patent pending, it sounds great with a nice tube overdrive. When I used a cheap cord one day, it had lost "that sound" and when I switched out the cord with one of my Monster's, the sound came back. I know a good cord makes a huge difference in tone. I could never go back to using or buying $10 cords again.

I'm no electronics expert...not even close.

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 22 Jun 2006 1:04 am

George L's cords are tops !

William Steward · Post by **William Steward** » 22 Jun 2006 4:24 am

The A - B test is a good one to try with a 'cheapo' cable and a sample George L...as Greg pointed out you may notice a difference in the sound at the top end. For those of you 'in the know' does the capacitance of the cable appreciably affect the bass end of the spectrum as someone noted? The best thing about George Ls for me is that noone picks them up at the end of the gig by mistake since they are unique looking with different colours, thickness.[This message was edited by William Steward on 22 June 2006 at 05:25 AM.]

Keith Cordell · Post by **Keith Cordell** » 22 Jun 2006 5:14 am

The Monster cables on the higher end of the scale are pretty quiet, and well built; that being said, I use George L's. The biggest positive with the Monsters is that if a cable goes bad you can return it and get another one, and there is no end of warranty- which is kinda cool, buy a cable and it's yours forever.

Curt Langston · Post by **Curt Langston** » 22 Jun 2006 6:30 am

buy a cable and it's yours forever.

Or until the company goes out of business!

Indeed!

Jerry Van Hoose · Post by **Jerry Van Hoose** » 22 Jun 2006 7:33 am

Yes, George L cables are the finest. I like the new colors too. I didn't do a search in electronics, but didn't Randy Beavers & Johnny Cox A/B the two different sizes of George L cables once and post their results?

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 22 Jun 2006 1:12 pm

I use Bill Lawrence cables. I a/b'ed them with George L's and they sounded the same to my ears, but were less microphonic when they were being moved around.

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<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b2005.gif" width="78 height="78">Bobby Lee (a.k.a. b0b) - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs, Open Hearts
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Mark Fasbender · Post by **Mark Fasbender** » 23 Jun 2006 8:28 pm

I think James Marelowe might disagree but I have found the GL cables to be outstanding for bass guitar. Every bass player I have ever let use one is still using them. Great way to tighten up the bottom.
I dont record bass in the studio without them. They are very phase coherent and give a true representation of the instrument if that is what you're after.
There is a difference in all the GL cables,even the different colors. I prefer the skinny red to the skinny black on a couple of my guitars. Never cared for the thick ones.

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Got Twang ?

Mark

Mike Fried · Post by **Mike Fried** » 24 Jun 2006 11:08 am

Mark, I agree about their skinny red cables. Besides sounding the best (to my ears), the extra layer of insulation reduces microphonics and makes them a lot easier to see on a dark stage.

Mark Fasbender · Post by **Mark Fasbender** » 24 Jun 2006 11:53 am

Mike......... the ,155 reds seem to be a little smoother in the highs. If I dont have time to change strings for a gig I will sometimes use a black .155 to get more top. This is for tele playin not steel.

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Got Twang ?

Mark

Brint Hannay · Post by **Brint Hannay** » 24 Jun 2006 8:52 pm

I've used George L's cables for several years, and I think they do make a difference, and sound great. My two complaints are: 1) The right-angle connectors getting loose--easily dealt with; just check 'em and tighten 'em up if necessary each time you use them, and 2) The connectors (both kinds) seem to be undersized, so that in certain types of jack, in my case specifically the jacks in G&L guitars, they move around, causing intermittent connection and incredibly aggravating loud hum unpredictably interrupting my playing

. Admittedly the jacks used in G&L guitars are lousy, but hey, George L, given that there are such jacks out there, how about a connector upgrade? But they work great for steel, where they don't have to deal with movement!

Mark Fasbender · Post by **Mark Fasbender** » 24 Jun 2006 9:55 pm

The G+L jacks suck but all you have to do is get in there and bend the little piece that contacts the tip. A little bit of solder on the inside of the barrell of the jack,near the outside helps the fit too. Sometimes they dont fit in amp jacks that well either. Same fix.

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Got Twang ?

Mark

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 25 Jun 2006 12:13 pm

another long-time George-L user.

A couple notes:

1. The cable-size comparison with monster is irrelevant. That's the plastic on the outside, not the actual wire in most cases...and even when the wire is thinner, it makes no difference. Only on speaker cables where high-wattage can be an issue.

2. Monsters ar OK - but you pay dearly fr all the hype, and they don't test above an average level.

3. NEVER use a guitar cable as a speaker cable. A sheilded (guitar) cable sends a badly-balance signal to the speaker and can fry it. Never, ever, ever do this. Clearly mark your speaker cables!!

4. The best speaker wire is usually zip cord - regular lamp or extension cord. "Speaker wire" is overpriced, and the clear-looking stuff all seems to leach out plasticizers over time, making the wires very sticky.

5. Renewing George-L's - I just clip a bit off and reset them once every couple of years.

Great product and nice people to deal with.

Hook Moore · Post by **Hook Moore** » 26 Jun 2006 5:49 am

I`m also a longtime GeorgeL guy. The Bill Lawrence cables are also excellent.
Hook

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www.HookMoore.com

Mike Fried · Post by **Mike Fried** » 26 Jun 2006 8:09 am

Another note - George L also sells plastic caps for their right-angle plugs that prevent them from unscrewing. They also have fitted plastic sleeves for the straight plugs that provide strain relief. Both are available in different colors and are worth using.

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 26 Jun 2006 10:10 am

The George L's (.155") thin wire and the (.225") thick wire do seem to sound different. They really are quite different wires if you look closely. They have very similar capacitance ratings, but the similarities seem to end there. The insulator on the larger wire is fatter, nearly twice as large. The thin .155" cable has a core of 7 strands of raw copper. The fat .225" cable uses about 18 strands of tin plated copper. Right there is probably the key to the sonic differences. People who have really listened closely swear that the fatter wire has a fuller, beefier sound to it. It's not dramatic, but it's there. This sonic difference would not likely have anything to do with capacitance as both wires have similar and spectacular capacitance ratings. It's more about geometry, wire material, insulator size, shield size/braid, etc. Generally I'm happy with the sound of either, but I'll admit that for my steel rig, I've converted entirely to the fat wire. My guitar rig is almost all the thin stuff.

I've generally had real good luck with the straight solderless ends. The right angle ones however, can come loose pretty easily, and those plastic caps barely help. I like to put a very tiny amount of removable threadlock on the right angle models so they stay put. Not too much though or else you can weaken the electrical contact because the threads are what cut to the shield.

Even though their jacks are solderless, the real world has proven that they're still pretty reliable. Plus, if the connection goes weak, just snip off an inch and do it again. They're the best for laying out pedalboards as the cables don't really get messed with. The problem is with cords that get yanked on and used a lot. Even still, my George L's guitar cords with their long (Strat-grip) ends just keep on going. And hey, if you're worried, just get some good Neutrik or Switchcraft plugs and solder them on there. I have a couple like that that I can surely trust.

Brad

David Wren · Post by **David Wren** » 28 Jun 2006 1:35 pm

After a cord failure (one of 4 that needed to be identified) during a one set performance, I changed my ideas about using "cheap" instrument cables, and then did quite a search on what was available, what were legimate claims to more dependable use and full signal, vs items like the cable jacks shaped like a .357 cartridge, or the ones shaped like a human skull

I did look at Gerogel L., but didn't like the solderless connection, long-short I ended up spending more on cables than I have for some of my amps

I went for the larger diameter cable, higher end Monstor cables. The price bothered me, but I couldn't justify playing a great steel through great amps, using a state of the art VP, and "cheap" cords.

I did get the gold plated phone jacks, so now when packing up, I "KNOW" my cables (keeping honest musicians honest

)

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Dave Wren
'96 Carter S12-E9/B6,7X7; Twin Session 500s; Hilton Pedal; Black Box
www.ameechapman.com

Jim Peters · Post by **Jim Peters** » 28 Jun 2006 6:02 pm

A couple years back, guitar player did a cable comparison, I'll try to dig up the article. One of the best sounding and physically reliable cables was Carvin cables, inexpensive, well made, reliable. No offense to anyone, but I must not have as good of ears as everybody else in this thread. I just can't hear the advantages of the expensive cables, but I always have a buffer(tube screamer)in my guitar chain, and 3 cable my steel into NV112, negating a lot of the expensive cables' "advantages". JP

Brint Hannay · Post by **Brint Hannay** » 29 Jun 2006 8:42 am

Jim, as noted by Kevin in the post that started this thread, that Guitar Player comparison also gave high marks to the George L cables, and they're not expensive.

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 29 Jun 2006 9:35 am

*[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 28 December 2006 at 05:07 AM.]

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 29 Jun 2006 10:43 am

My Monster cables were microphonic on stage. When we are doing our large out door concerts
they are just too noisy moving around the stage (guitar and fiddle). The George L's are dead silent. I also notice a clarity difference.