PA leads…..minefield

[BigRedX]

3 hours ago, warwickhunt said:

 

If memory serves me (often doesn't) Trace Elliot used XLR on their cabs for quite a few years.

 

You are quite right. So did the Carlsbro Cab that I bought in 1990.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

 Blame Leo Fender. Good engineer, but a notorious skin flint. Telephone switchboard 1/4" jacks and plugs had been used for electric guitar leads probably from day one. When Leo came up with separate heads and cabs he used 1/4" because he had them on hand. In his defense there wasn't much to choose from, but still when Leo had a chance to save a buck he did. The same applied to his instruments. He didn't set out to build a better guitar, he set out to make a cheaper guitar, and the bolt on neck was how he did it. By the same token single coil pickups were cheaper than hum bucking, which were around since 1932. Fender was able to sell his guitars at 2/3 the price of Gibson. It was pure serendipity that they also sounded very good.