Problem with George L Connectors

Chris Harvey · From: California, USA

Do these wear out over time? I have several that donâ€™t fit tightly in a quarter inch jack and make the horrible crackle if even brushed. Itâ€™s proven very frustrating over the years. Iâ€™ve ne et had this issue with even the cheapest of connectors. Itâ€™s causing me to look at other options or possibly wonder on switchcraft connectors. I have done pan head connectors I made 10 years ago that have never failed. Ugh.

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

Maybe its the jack instead of the George L's connectors?
I've used George L's (straight connectors not the right angle type) since they came out in early/mid 80's and never had a connection problem that was caused by a George L's plug. A lot of the "imported" 1/4" jacks are made to metric specifications and can have a fit problem. I've seen others with weak metal connections.

In over 35 years of use I had one bad cable connection that I had to remove the cable from the connector, cut off a small section of cable and reinsert and tighten ground connection screw.

Try the George L's on a known good Switchcraft or Neutrik jack and see if it has a problem.

George Biner · From: Los Angeles, CA

On a very old jack, the plating can come off over time and then the jack needs to be replaced.
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Jack Hanson · From: San Luis Valley, USA

Following suggestions from the old Winnie Winston book, I made up a set of Belden cables with Switchcraft plugs circa 1977. Still using 'em every day, and they've never had issues. Nothing against George L, but to me it seems a futile attempt at reinventing the wheel.

ajm · From: Los Angeles

Chris Harvey wrote: "I have several that don’t fit tightly in a quarter inch jack........"

If the plugs don't fit tightly in a jack, there are a few things that could be happening.

The plug has worn down over time and become a significantly smaller diameter. It's made of metal, therefore extremely unlikely.

The jack in the effects pedal is one of those board mounted ones. They are not always of the highest quality, especially on cheaper import pedals.

If your pedals are on a board, and you hardly ever unplug them or move them or switch them out or switch them around, the connectors might get dirty or corroded or whatever. Unplug/plug them a few times and/or clean them.

Note that the OP DID NOT elude to an ASSEMBLY problem with the GL cables/plugs. He said that they did not fit right, which is different.

Tucker Jackson · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

Two thoughts:

1) I've found George L plugs to be slightly smaller in diameter than some others. It's only a problem, though, if the jack you're plugging into has a lot of miles on it and has lost its tension. As you and others have said, the loose fit is very likely causing the crackling. Can you open up the unit and bend the contact piece a little to tighten up the fit? And like ajm said, it might be dirty so this would be a good time to clean it.

2) You mentioned that it crackles when you brush it. It's a very long shot since you said it's a loose fit in the jack on several cables, but have you checked to see if the cable itself (the tiny part inside the plug) just needs to be re-cut and reseated? George L cable-ends inside the plug will corrode a little bit over time and crackling is one symptom of that. Every 10 or 15 years or so, you might need to back out the tiny screw, pull the cable out of the plug, cut off the corroded end to get you a fresh bit, and cram it back in the plug... just like you did when you first put it together.

Note: when tightening the screw, it has to be just so (not too tight or too loose) since it has to break the outer rubber shield and touch metal, but NOT go so deep as to damage the cable: The George L website says: "...tighten the set screw 1Â½-2 rotations. This is your ground connection."

Gabriel Edell · From: Hamilton, Ontario

I gave George L's the college try but gave up. Unreliable as hell. The sound quality is great but that means nothing with a dead connection.

To be fair, this may be an issue with all solderless cables.

I bought a 100' roll of Mogami Neglex cable and a bunch of Switchcraft connectors and never looked back. Soldering is not difficult.
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Steve Spitz · From: New Orleans, LA, USA

I’ve used George L cables with minimal issue. For certain applications , they’re great. I’ve got some I need to look at, as I’m getting some noise , likely need to check connections. In fairness, I’ve played a ton of hours and jobs with them , problem free.

I know a lot of our amp builders and techs who hate them. ( all solderless, not just George L) So there’s that...

Lee Baucum · From: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier

Like Jack Stoner, I've been using George L cables since the 1980s and I don't recall any failures.

I will say, though, that I believe the input jack on my Fender Steel King is just a hair too large. Some plugs don't fit as tightly as they should and a simple wiggle of the cable can cause noise.

Chris Harvey · From: California, USA

Thanks everyone! I took out all of the 90 degree connectors as they are a big source of issues. Ill see how things go for a few gigs. They sound so great. I’ve had most of them for 10 years.

K Maul · From: Hadley, NY/Hobe Sound, FL

I’ve had my share of trouble with George L connectors, especially the right angle ones. I really like the Bullet solderless connectors that Erv has. I also like the D’Addario connectors sold here in the Forum store.
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Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

The right angle connectors can be a problem. I tried them and dumped the original model. There was a "new improved" right angle connector that made connection like the straight plugs but they discontinued that model. It was a huge improvement over the original model that they still sell.

Typical, get something that works and its discontinued.

Bob Womack · From: Virginia, USA

I'm a recording engineer and work in a facility where many bands come in and out. I've found that probably 95% of the time when a guitarist comes in and has a cable failure, it is on a George L cable. Just an observation.

Bob
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Larry Dering · From: Missouri, USA

I have tried them all and for me it's best to solder and use switchcraft connectors. I have yet to have a problem with switchcraft and solder.

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

I'm an ex amp tech (and home recording studio engineer). Any cord, if abused, will fail. I used to see a lot of soldered cable failures when I worked in Nashville as an amp tech. I see a lot of guys that will pull on the cable to unplug instead of the physical plug and that can lead to bad or flakey cables.

In early 70's I did cable repair for Mel Tillis' band. Every time they would come in off the road, Terry Bethel would bring me a suitcase with mic and guitar cables to be repaired.

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

I gave up on George L cables years ago.
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Bill Ferguson · From: Milton, FL USA

One of the reasons I became a George L's dealer some 40 years ago was because of the simplicity, quality and SOUND.

I have never regretted it and have sold thousands of cables and ends.

If you have one that is not working properly, it is 99.9% probably human error. I have only had 2 actually bad plugs in all this time.

I have never had to take mine apart and "reseat" them. I have had to redo a couple of ends because the cable was pulled by the cord instead of the plug, which will cause any cable to fail.

I have over the years had MANY soldered cables fail. Especially the ones without strain reliefs.

Chris, I suspect that it is a "jack" problem, not a plug problem. You said you polished the plugs. Are you using George L's BRASS plugs. If so, they do have to be polished every now and then.

Most of the problems I hear about are because the ends are not put on correctly, yep, even the right angle. Done properly, they will not cause problems. I have attached the instructions for both sizes of cable.

In the end, if I have a cable failure on the bandstand, I would much rather spend 2 minutes loosening a screw, snipping a cable and tightening a screw, than digging out a soldering iron.

Just my opinion

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AUTHORIZED George L's, Goodrich, Telonics and Peavey Dealer: I have 2 steels and several amps. My current rig of choice is 1993 Emmons LeGrande w/ 108 pups (Jack Strayhorn built for me), Goodrich OMNI Volume Pedal, George L's cables, Goodrich Baby Bloomer and Peavey Nashville 112. Can't get much sweeter.

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

The Bullet right angle plugs are quite an improvement over the George L right angle plugs.
Erv

Roger Crawford · From: Griffin, GA USA

On the George L 90, what I’ve seen over the years is that players twist the plug when removing it. That can cause the cap to loosen and degrade the cable connection. The plastic cap helps prevent that, but a straight pull when disconnecting is preferred. Count me as one who has never had a problem with them. As for doing two minute repair job, I carry one set of spare cables as a backup. They’re still as new since I’ve never had to use them!

Darvin Willhoite · From: Roxton, Tx. USA

I got rid of all my George L's cables several years ago. I had a right angle plug let me down during a solo one night and that was enough for me. That wasn't the first problem I'd had so I bought some good quality cable and good quality solder connectors and made my own cables and haven't had a problem since.
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Michael Hartz · From: Decorah, Iowa, USA

I also got tired of George L cables failing me on a regular basis. I also never had problems with soldered cables. Several years ago I started making my own soldered cables using Mogami W2524 instrument cable and Nuetrik gold 1/4” jacks and have never looked back.

Bill Ferguson · From: Milton, FL USA

I certainly understand that everyone has a preference about cables, steels, amps and everything else.

What I don't understand is why you are having problems with George L's cables. I can honestly say that in some 40 years, I have had one cable fail and that was because someone stepped on my cable and pulled it from my amp.

Just curious. Are you having problems with George L's cables that you purchased "ready made" or did you buy the parts and assemble yourself? This is just for my own knowledge and I like to pass feedback on to the company.

Thanks,
Bill
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AUTHORIZED George L's, Goodrich, Telonics and Peavey Dealer: I have 2 steels and several amps. My current rig of choice is 1993 Emmons LeGrande w/ 108 pups (Jack Strayhorn built for me), Goodrich OMNI Volume Pedal, George L's cables, Goodrich Baby Bloomer and Peavey Nashville 112. Can't get much sweeter.

Greg Cutshaw · From: Corry, PA, USA

The George L's cables are great but the right angle connectors are awful. The metal screw-on cap does not stay on tight even with the plastic retaining cap over it. A drop of lock-tite helps. All of my right angle connectors have failed multiple times in my studio even with limited use and little movement. I was even very careful assemble per the instructions but the screw on cap coming loose is always the culprit.

Malcolm McMaster · From: Beith Ayrshire Scotland

No major problems with them over 20 years+ use, one tripped over cable, and one slack connector early on, put caps on and after that I checked right angle ones every couple of months just to make sure they were tight. Never been let down on stage. Have had more problems with soldered ones over the years than George L cables.
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Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

I will only use George L for short cords, 3' or less. I used to use them for the long cord from volume pedal to amp, but the cord wouldn't lay flat and created a trip Hazzard.

I started using a small drop of blue loctite on the cap of the right angle plug to stop it from loosening up.

The only actual failures I have had were on the straight plugs. I have a couple where the pin inside the plug that inserts into the cable have bent or broken.
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