cable lengths

Dan Yeago · From: Virginia, USA

This one is for the pedal, console, and lap players: What lengths do you like to have the cables from the guitar to the volume pedal and from the pedal to the amp?

Thanks so much....dan

Jerry Van Hoose · From: Wears Valley, Tennessee

Iâ€™ve always used a 3 ft. length of cable from guitar to volume pedal and 10 ft. length from volume pedal to amp.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Generally, you want them as short as possible. This is for two reasons: First, longer cables degrade the signal. A buffer will stop most of the frequency loss due to capacitance, but there is still signal loss due to resistance of the cable. So, it's best they're not too long. Second, long cables can propose a trip hazard,and they tend to get tangled sometimes. Therefore, the best advice, IMHO, is to keep them a reasonably short length.

That said, if there is a problem with too many highs, and you can't tame them any other way, a longer cable will have the affect of reducing treble response, somewhat.

Ron Hogan · From: Nashville, TN, usa

Less is best

Stuart Tindall · From: England, UK

You mean, 3 metres and 1 metre not 3 feet and 10 feet Laughing

Ian Rae · From: Redditch, England

I suspect that Americans are unaware of the twilight zone we live in here in the UK with two systems of measurement. Sheet timber is 8'x4' but battens are 2.4M which is an inch and a half short. Steel stock is metric, aluminium is imperial.

How long are my cables? No idea.
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

We are talking audio cables, not RF cables that affect "standing waves" so specific lengths or multiples of length are not important.

But, I would keep them within reason, e.g. 3 ft (1 meter) or less from guitar to volume pedal and 10 to 15 ft to amp.

Peter Harris · From: South Australia, Australia

Ian Rae · From: Redditch, England

I voted to remain, but I hope we do!
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs

Travis Wilson · From: Johnson City, TX

Georg Sørtun · From: Mandal, Agder, Norway

Travis, info about speaker cables are totally irrelevant in threads about instrument/line cables going into a load of 100K or more.

If buffers, active VPs and effect units are in-line those instrument/line cables' capacitance becomes pretty irrelevant too, as the low output impedance from such units means capacitance won't have an effect on audible signals after such units unless the cable is unrealistically long (>300ft or so).

Passive VPs vary the serial resistance, so cable capacitance and the amp's input impedance will have more of an effect on higher audible frequencies.

Typical cabling: 3ft / 1m from PU/instrument to reach first active unit or an active/passive VP on the floor, and 10 to 30ft / 3 to 10m to reach the amp's input. Should cover most cases.

Ian Rae · From: Redditch, England

There certainly doesn't appear to be a problem that needs solving.
As others have pointed out, when it comes to low impedances then length does start to matter. I use a rack system and the speaker cables are quite long but also quite fat. I haven't measured them but I trust the designers.
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs

Dan Yeago · From: Virginia, USA

Thanks very much for posting. 3' and 10' were what I was guessing.

Godfrey Arthur · From: 3rd Rock

Ken Byng · From: Southampton, England

David Ball · From: North Carolina High Country

Back in the days when I had my Morris Minor and my MGA, I had to have 3 sets of wrenches to work on them. SAE, Metric and Whitworth. Whitworths were hard to find here in the states. I was using 30 foot coiled cords in those days with a Fender Jazz Bass (to keep it on topic). Sounded pretty close to a 10m coiled cord to my ears.

Dave

Ian Rae · From: Redditch, England

It's the same deal over here with wrenches, or spanners as we call them. I had a Ford in the 80s and the transmission bell housing had metric bolts round the top and Whitworth round the underneath.
To stay vaguely on topic, I have to have metric tools for my Excel and proper ones for my Williams. I keep them strictly separate!
There's something solid and elegant about a good old-fashioned #10-32 screw. The metric 5mm equivalent looks and feels cheap and nasty to me.
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs

Forum Index > Electronics		Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic