leftybassman392 Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 +1 to making them yourself. I've made my own for years. Instrument leads, mic leads, patch cables, studio interconnects, the lot. Only ones I didn't do myself were the ones carrying digital/optical information. I only ever used Neutrik plugs, and used either Klotz, Canare or Sommer cables (which I haven't seen mentioned yet): [url="http://www.canare.com/"]http://www.canare.com/[/url] [url="http://www.sommercable.com/2__default/index.html"]http://www.sommercable.com/2__default/index.html[/url] If you're any good with a soldering iron, you can make pro quality leads for a lot less than you'd think. If not, buy them from OBBM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I have 3 recommendations 1. OBBM, because they are good value 2. OBBM because they are very well made 3. OBBM because Dave is a lovely bloke. Seriously.... Dave has recently launched 'Rockwire' I have a few of his cables all built to spec and they are as good as any top pre made cables but for less money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I understand that some people may be a little unsure about doing it yourself, but there isn't really anything to go wrong! As long as you can hold a soldering iron in your hand and you don't have REALLY bad shakes, there's no reason why you can't do it. It's only 2 wires on each end, 10-15 minute job at worst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 OBBM - also see his site: http://www.bassic-bits.co.uk/ I used to use Planet Waves. When I got an OBBM cable, it was like someone had "CD`d" the sound of my bass from vinyl. Crisper, clearer, more depth and definition to the sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 [quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1328470131' post='1527636'] ..there's no reason why you can't do it. It's only 2 wires on each end, 10-15 minute job at worst. [/quote] Tru dat, but I don't [i]want[/i] to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1328470687' post='1527655'] Tru dat, but I don't [i]want[/i] to do it. [/quote] Fair nuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykesbass Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Another OBBM fan here - just checked online and the first site I found - Studiospares charges £1.77 per metre for Klotz cable - 3p a metre less than OBBM and the only obvious matching Neutrik connector was the silent right angle which they were charging £8.66 for compared to OBBM's £10.50. This to me makes Dave's prices (combined with exceptional service) even better value for money than I had previously thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettsguitars Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1328463256' post='1527458'] I'm no mechanic but I'd guess that you need a little bit of lateral movement or else the contacts won't have enough 'travel' to be able to push against the plug. [/quote]S houlda mentioned, It's the barrel type that i use. If you put pressure on the side of the plug, you lose the signal. As i say, I'm pretty sure it's a cable/socket compatibility thing but just wondered if anyone had any info. There are 6mm plugs and 1/4" plugs which seems daft to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 [quote name='lettsguitars' timestamp='1328477431' post='1527863'] S houlda mentioned, It's the barrel type that i use. If you put pressure on the side of the plug, you lose the signal. As i say, I'm pretty sure it's a cable/socket compatibility thing but just wondered if anyone had any info. There are 6mm plugs and 1/4" plugs which seems daft to me. [/quote] Same thing applies, I think you still need that lateral movement for the spring to move in or else it'll not have enough space to make a positive contact. I guess the nearest analogy is like trying to punch someone hard when you've only got a 1/2" gap between you. I'm not sure about this 6mm plug thing either. I've always known 1/4" jacks as being 6.35mm and I suspect that someone has 'rounded off' the .35mm from the description - I've found one website where the 'headling description is "6mm Jack Plug" but when you look in 'More Details' it states 6.35mm. Just to add to the general merriment, I've even found a 6.3mm one listed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettsguitars Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1328478820' post='1527897'] Same thing applies, I think you still need that lateral movement for the spring to move in or else it'll not have enough space to make a positive contact. I guess the nearest analogy is like trying to punch someone hard when you've only got a 1/2" gap between you. I'm not sure about this 6mm plug thing either. I've always known 1/4" jacks as being 6.35mm and I suspect that someone has 'rounded off' the .35mm from the description - I've found one website where the 'headling description is "6mm Jack Plug" but when you look in 'More Details' it states 6.35mm. Just to add to the general merriment, I've even found a 6.3mm one listed. [/quote]They're buggers for it! I only glanced into it recently and i found a few at 6mm and left it at that with a sigh. More research is needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 OBBM - recent convert and have to say quality, service and price are all exceptional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1328478820' post='1527897'] I'm not sure about this 6mm plug thing either. [/quote] Me neither. I suspect it's just a combination of sloppyness, laziness and metrication. The electrical/electronics industry has resisted metrication quite well really. Thus, 1/4 inch plugs, 19 inch racks, 0.1 inch pin spacing on ICs (less now of course) were 'metricated' to become 6.35mm plugs, 482.6mm racks and 2.54mm pin spacing - i.e. nothing actually changed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 [quote name='lettsguitars' timestamp='1328479591' post='1527911'] They're buggers for it! I only glanced into it recently and i found a few at 6mm and left it at that with a sigh. More research is needed. [/quote] Well if you're geared up as a jack plug manufacturer then you'd pick the industry standard sizes to tool up all your jigs and presses and whatnots (be honest, you can tell I'm not a mechanical engineer can't you? ). I bet you can't even buy machinery to make anything other than 2.5mm, 3.5mm and 6.35mm jack plugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 [quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1328480314' post='1527929'] Me neither. I suspect it's just a combination of sloppyness, laziness and metrication. The electrical/electronics industry has resisted metrication quite well really. Thus, 1/4 inch plugs, 19 inch racks, 0.1 inch pin spacing on ICs (less now of course) were 'metricated' to become 6.35mm plugs, 482.6mm racks and 2.54mm pin spacing - i.e. nothing actually changed. [/quote] That's very true. If someone said to me that they needed a 482.6mm blanking panel then I'd have to stop for a minute to translate it into something I can deal with. I'm surprised they haven't tried tampering with 'u' sizes as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 The only ready-made cables I have are two Klotz leads I bought in 1986. Used them for pretty much every gig and rehearsal since, never a moment's trouble. All my others are homebrew. Jack-wise, i like Neutrik straights and Switchcraft right-angles. If i was to buy a ready-made now, I'd go straight to OBBM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftyhook Posted February 6, 2012 Author Share Posted February 6, 2012 apologies if,as I had assumed, this had been covered before, But I tried searching to no avail. will go back and read all. Much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverBlackman Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 just incase you havnt quite got the message yet. I recently bought some speaker speaker cables from OBBM. They are brilliant quality and are going to be very difficult to wear down. Plus again dave is a great chap with a lovely jazz bass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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