redbandit599 Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Hi all Having fun tinkering with effects, I'm using cheap Stagg patch leads (chosen mostly for their rainbow colours!) but have since seen various other 'solderless' options. E.G. George L's, Planet Waves, Lava etc. My question is mostly, it it worth it? Do they make any audible improvement in the 'live' world (not worried about recording.) Also any recomendations which to use/avoid? (If worth doing.) Cheers all Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topo morto Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 AFAIK people use those solderless cables so they can get their cables exactly the right length and get their pedalboard all neat without doing a ton of soldering...? Can't see why they'd sound bettter though... and if anything I would think they would be less reliable.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbandit599 Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 (edited) Hi, yeah,that's what I'm wondering. I kind of understand that maybe 'better quality' cables etc may give a 'cleaner' signal. But this isn't based on anything other than reading the marketing material (so not that reliable!) I'm sure there must be a guru or two on hear who will have an opinion/experience. Edited January 28, 2013 by redbandit599 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topo morto Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Here's one guru on the subject: [url="http://www.ovnilab.com/articles/cables.shtml"]http://www.ovnilab.com/articles/cables.shtml[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 If you have quite a few effects, good quality cables & plugs can greatly reduce (or even get rid of) ground noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I never noticed any sound improvement by switching to George Ls but they certainly make wiring up / rewiring a pedalboard a lot less of a hassle. For that reason alone I'd say they were worth it. People argue that solderless cables are going to let you down sooner or later, but I've never had one crap out on me in 3 years of use. If you make up the cables correctly and don't abuse them then they will work. Do it badly or abuse them and they won't - just like a soldered cable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topo morto Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 [quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1359408148' post='1954416'] If you have quite a few effects, good quality cables & plugs can greatly reduce (or even get rid of) ground noise. [/quote] True - but 'good quality' there means 'properly shielded, and properly soldered to plugs that make proper contact, and constructed robustly enough that they will stay that way'. AFAICS No reason that quite cheap cables can't tick all those boxes.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbandit599 Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 Thanks mate, that's interesting. As my main bass is active this would suggest little/no benefit. He does mention George L's as potentially having some advantage of the cheapy moulded ones (like mine) for when people have lots of pedals connected. I have six pedals in my loop currently. At the moment I'm not inclined to spend the cash (on something as dull as patch cables) just to experiment, and the research on the link does suggest that they are a placebo if you use an active instrument. I might stick a simple true bypass looper in front of all of them though so I can take the lot out when not needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbandit599 Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 Lots of other replies whilst I was typing and reading the research, thanks guys! I don't have an issue with ground noise right now, but if (when ) I add more pedals I'll remember this if it does crop up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I'd suggest it's a fairly straight forward wear and tear issue. If you have a bunch of pedals and a bunch of cables and you plug them all together for a rehearsal or gig and then unplug them all again afterwards, etc, etc, then that's a lots of wear and tear and better quality, more robust cables are probably a good idea. If you have a fixed pedal board with all the wiring neatly held in place then there should be little wear and tear and cheaper cables should last a very long time. As for actual sound quality, probably the only thing that would be a real improvement would be the use of balanced cables between everything, but that would add cost so is unlikely to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topo morto Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 (edited) [quote name='redbandit599' timestamp='1359409033' post='1954438'] Thanks mate, that's interesting. As my main bass is active this would suggest little/no benefit. [/quote] Even on a passive bass, as soon as your signal has gone through a buffer, it's effectively as if your bass were active from the point of whatever comes after that buffer - so unless you have a long cable between a passive bass and your amp / first pedal you don't need to worry even then. Edited January 28, 2013 by topo morto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbandit599 Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 Thanks all I think I'll stick with my 'rainbow' of cheapy patches! They go well with the 'painted by a 3 year old' chip board pedal board after all .... Great to be able to chat this stuff over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushbo Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 My twopence worth... I went from using Maplins cheapos to Planet Waves patch leads after I had one or two fail on me. I'm also using a couple of George L's on the board which are excellent. But expensive. They do crop up second hand from time to time, so they're worth looking out for. being able to trim them to whatever length you need is a real advantage. Moral of the story...if it ain't broke (etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 If you're having no noise issues & all sounds good to you, then keep what you have. Shep's blog probably explains things really well... http://www.sheponbass.co.uk/blog/signal-chain-bassics-part-i-where-to-start.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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