Who Will Make Our Cables Now?

[stewblack]

I still find it odd that we are living in a post OBBM world. Simple question - will anyone step up to fill the void? Deeper question - can anyone step up?

If not, where do we go for custom cables which will literally never let us down? 

[songofthewind]

Try Stewart Ward (Award Session) for cables. Any combo you like.

[Frank Blank]

Here

or

here.

Edited June 26, 2020 by Frank Blank

[dave_bass5]

Its always handy to have soldering skills. Its not hard and can save a fortune. 

[Bobthedog]

7 hours ago, Frank Blank said:

Here

or

here.

I am a big Designacable fan.  Never let me down yet.

[BigRedX]

14 hours ago, dave_bass5 said:

Its always handy to have soldering skills. Its not hard and can save a fortune. 

It depends on whether your time is worth anything or not.

Since I became self employed and could actually put a value on my spare time I found that it was more economical to pay for someone else to make up my leads. These days I'd only do it myself if I was making up a lot (20+ in one go) or needed specialised ones that weren't covered by the typical Jack/XLR/Speakon options.

[Trueno]

13 hours ago, Bobthedog said:

I am a big Designacable fan.  Never let me down yet.

Just received a stash of Designacables... ready for a return to rehearsals/gigging... sometime.

[dave_bass5]

48 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

It depends on whether your time is worth anything or not.

Since I became self employed and could actually put a value on my spare time I found that it was more economical to pay for someone else to make up my leads. These days I'd only do it myself if I was making up a lot (20+ in one go) or needed specialised ones that weren't covered by the typical Jack/XLR/Speakon options.

Well there you you go then, your last point shows it can be handy to know, but my post was more a general one. Doing simple work on the electrics in a bass for example, changing pups etc. Over time the saving can add up. 

[Frank Blank]

27 minutes ago, Trueno said:

Just received a stash of Designacables... ready for a return to rehearsals/gigging... sometime.

Don’t hold your breath.

[Muppet]

On 26/06/2020 at 14:04, Frank Blank said:

Here

or

here.

Another Designacable fan here. They’ll do anything you like using quality parts. 

[Frank Blank]

42 minutes ago, Muppet said:

They’ll do anything you like using quality parts. 

...and that transaction isn’t as smutty as it sounds, Matron. 😁

[rmorris]

On 27/06/2020 at 11:34, dave_bass5 said:

Well there you you go then, your last point shows it can be handy to know, but my post was more a general one. Doing simple work on the electrics in a bass for example, changing pups etc. Over time the saving can add up. 

And, of course, the more you do - possibly for your musician friends and bandmates (not necessarily the same thing 🙂 ) - the better you get whilst taking less time. But you will imo need to invest in a good temp controlled soldering station (not a fixed 25W Antex for me) - esp as should now be using lead free solder and don't skip on the sundries - cleaning sponge / mesh / desolder 'gun' and desloder wick etc. Plus heatshrink and heat gun.

[rushbo]

I've always used these guys:

https://www.ultimateproaudio.com/

Decent prices and I've never had one of their leads fail yet.

[stewblack]

On 26/06/2020 at 20:19, dave_bass5 said:

Its always handy to have soldering skills. Its not hard and can save a fortune. 

I can and do solder. But I'm talking about OBBM here. The very best of the best. 

[Frank Blank]

11 minutes ago, stewblack said:

I can and do solder. But I'm talking about OBBM here. The very best of the best. 

The retired best of the best unfortunately.

[stewblack]

Just now, Frank Blank said:

The retired best of the best unfortunately.

Pre mother feckin cisely! 

[dave_bass5]

1 hour ago, stewblack said:

I can and do solder. But I'm talking about OBBM here. The very best of the best. 

Ive had a few cables off Dave in the past. Never had any issues at all, but i dont see them as anything that special. Ive rarely had issues with any cables, not even the real cheap ones off Amazon. Ive got cables from years ago that still work perfectly. Not saying they were as well put together, but if it works properly then job done. 

I mean no disrespect to him but he was using off the shelf parts i beleive, all be it high quality ones and with very neat soldering. Very good cables, but....well they are only cables at the end of the day.

EDIT: Sorry, maybe the above was a bit harsh. I just think the cables were as good as any good cable ive had. 

Edited June 29, 2020 by dave_bass5

[Muppet]

7 hours ago, dave_bass5 said:

I mean no disrespect to him but he was using off the shelf parts i beleive, all be it high quality ones and with very neat soldering. Very good cables, but....well they are only cables at the end of the day

True, but with Dave you got a bespoke service, rather than buying off the shelf. Yes he uses the same Neutrik connectors, Klotz/Van Damme cable as others do but you could talk through exactly what you needed with him and he's make it to spec.  If all you're after is a 6m guitar lead then fair enough, but if you need a 3.5mm jack with a locking nut to a self muting right angled 1/4" jack it's tricky.  Designacable as mentioned above do provide more of a specialist service but not quite to OBBM levels, in my opinion.  

[obbm]

Be careful what you say because I'm still here. 😉  Anyway thanks for the kind comments.  When I started back in 2004 it was to fill a need that was not being fulfilled. It was a hobby business and as such was kept very small.  Since then others have grasped the opportunity to grow substantial and successful businesses out of supplying cables. 

I still have some stock of cables and connectors including Klotz 4-sq.mm. speaker cable, however they are packed away pending a move west which seems to be thwarted at every step.We were originally due to move in April but Covid19 put a stop to that.   I must say that selling houses is a bit like snakes and ladders. Hopefully we can finally move soon.  When I get settled and sorted I should be able to make the occasional custom lead should anyone need one.

[Bobthedog]

FYI I have just received a new mic cable from designacable and it came with a card. 

The card promises 5% cheaper pricing than other marketplaces (I ordered via Amazon) and free UK delivery on all orders over £ 7.50. 

Worth also noting for some, they also do click and collect from their place in Nottingham. 

If OBBM cannot supply what you want now, perhaps worth looking at www.designacable.com

[baldwinbass]

Always used Dave in the past and regret the loss of such a dependable, high quality supplier.  However, I've just bought a made-to-order speaker cable from Ultimate Pro Audio, on eBay. Thought I was taking a risk but they use top quality Klotz & Neutrik parts, offer competitive prices and a first class service - everything I could want, superb cable.

Also, a while ago, I used Award-Session for a custom cable. Again, top notch parts and service, highly recommended.

 

[BigRedX]

On 27/06/2020 at 11:34, dave_bass5 said:

Well there you you go then, your last point shows it can be handy to know, but my post was more a general one. Doing simple work on the electrics in a bass for example, changing pups etc. Over time the saving can add up. 

 

On 28/06/2020 at 23:37, rmorris said:

And, of course, the more you do - possibly for your musician friends and bandmates (not necessarily the same thing 🙂 ) - the better you get whilst taking less time. But you will imo need to invest in a good temp controlled soldering station (not a fixed 25W Antex for me) - esp as should now be using lead free solder and don't skip on the sundries - cleaning sponge / mesh / desolder 'gun' and desloder wick etc. Plus heatshrink and heat gun.

By the time you've bought all the kit and built up enough experience to do the job consistently and reliably every time you could have bought a lot of excellent quality ready-made cables. Unless you're also kitting out the PA system as well, you don't don't need very many - a couple of instrument jack-to-jack leads, some suitable speaker leads and maybe some patch cables and and a spare for each type, and that's it. 

[stewblack]

23 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

 

By the time you've bought all the kit and built up enough experience to do the job consistently and reliably every time you could have bought a lot of excellent quality ready-made cables. Unless you're also kitting out the PA system as well, you don't don't need very many - a couple of instrument jack-to-jack leads, some suitable speaker leads and maybe some patch cables and and a spare for each type, and that's it. 

Exactly. Dave's  cables were not just well made and to order and using quality components. They literally never fail. 

That kind of peace of mind is priceless. If something goes wrong on stage I don't need to think about cables, which makes fault finding so much faster. 

[tvickey]

I received my first order from the Designacable folks in Notts recently.  Order was placed with them based on the recommendation from some of the Basschat folks (thanks!). 

Received Neutrik 1/4" plugs that I soldered on to my old instrument cable myself (fixed the noise issue that I had!). 

Also received a couple of 1/4" to RCA cables to use with my Focusrite, as well as a 1/4" speaker cable to use for a Marshall head and guitar cab.

Very happy so far!!!

[LITTLEWING]

FWIW, I still use the two amp to speaker cables I bought from him nearly ten years ago. Still look and sound perfect. 

Didn't see he'd retired. All the best old chap. Enjoy.