# Coiled Cables



## Bigsby1967 (Feb 27, 2016)

Hi Everyone.
I have a question re: coiled cables.
Has anyone found a tonal difference? I bought one awhile ago and it sounded horrible.
This was when used with a guitar with low impedance pickups so I’m not sure if that was part of the problem.
Thanks


----------



## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Haven’t used a coiled cable in 50 years but running from my guitar straight to the amp I notice a difference between an 8 foot cable and a 15 foot cable. It wouldn’t be an issue at a jam or something but I can notice it at home just playing by myself so I would expect a big difference from a coiled cable although if you were running into a bunch pedals and such the coiled cable may not matter even though the coils make the cable a lot longer.


----------



## DaddyDog (Apr 21, 2017)

No, I've never noticed a difference, though I've never gone out of my way to do an A/B test. I have 3 of those Lava retro coils. I've read that in theory, the highs will be subdued because of the very long length of cable needed to make the coil.


----------



## fogdart (Mar 22, 2017)

Yup, the longer the cable the more capacitance. The more capacitance, the duller your sound will be. A coil cable measuring 15 feet when relaxed is probably more like 25 feet stretched out. That’s a lot of cable between your guitar and the amp.


----------



## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

I love coiled cables because of the safety. you're less likely to trip, break and input jack, or wreck something with the coiled cable. where I jam, the input for the bass is in the ceiling, and it's so practical to have a coiled cable. they're not cheap, and look cool IMO. is there more capacitance, sure. unless you "tasting wines" you'll likely not notice it. If it was good for hendrix, then.....

also, some guitars are too shrill anyway so what's the beef? I also use straight cables. "if you can't be with the one you love, then love the one you're with. "

LOL


----------



## zdogma (Mar 21, 2006)

I like the look of them, but they are a bit springy and occasionally pull out.


----------



## ga20t (Jul 22, 2010)

Yes, it pretty much lowers the resonant peak/rolls off high due to the extra length & corresponding change in capacitance. This can be a _useful_ thing for someone with an overly bright setup. My only complaint is that seemingly all of the current coiled cable offerings are heavy/cumbersome and have too loose a coil that just tangles up in a messy ball on the floor. But I definitely prefer a coiled cable—the old style with a tighter coil and lighter build. Affordable wireless sounds great these days though and I don't think I'll be going back to using a cable again.


----------



## DaddyDog (Apr 21, 2017)

ga20t said:


> My only complaint is that seemingly all of the current coiled cable offerings are heavy/cumbersome and have too loose a coil that just tangles up in a messy ball on the floor.


Agreed. I have a coil from Divine Noise, and it's gawd awful heavy. I don't use it with a guitar any more. Just to connect other devices, like pedalboard to amp.

The Bullet coil is also pretty heavy, but just plain ugly.

I find the Lava Retro is the nice balance. And can sometimes have a silent plug. Scarce in Canada but I'm trying to collect all of the colours


----------



## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

true. my fender one with one Right angle input and one straight is lighter. it's white. this is the one





Amazon.com: Fender Koilkord Instrument Cable, White (30 feet): Musical Instruments


Buy Fender Koilkord Instrument Cable, White (30 feet): Instrument Cables - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases



www.amazon.com





it's not too heavy. I do like it. 

the EBMM one I have is quite heavy tho. noticeable when plugged into a guitar.

as per @DaddyDog mentioned, here's one for a reasonable price in US $





Amazon.com: M MAKA Premium Guitar Coil Cable 20 Feet, Instrument Coiled Curly Cord for Guitar Bass, 1/4 inch Right Angle to Straight, Purple: Musical Instruments


Buy M MAKA Premium Guitar Coil Cable 20 Feet, Instrument Coiled Curly Cord for Guitar Bass, 1/4 inch Right Angle to Straight, Purple: Instrument Cables - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases



www.amazon.com


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

I had enough of coiled cables back when they connected handsets to the telephone boxes. No thanks.


----------



## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I have part of my headphone cable coiled--and I have an old half & half Whirlwind cable.

Never really notice any difference--but maybe that's just me.


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

zontar said:


> I have part of my headphone cable coiled--and I have an old half & half Whirlwind cable.
> 
> Never really notice any difference--but maybe that's just me.


My headphone came with both styles. The coiled cable is in storage, I couldn't get it out of the way.


----------



## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

To offset the tonal difference, you will have to tweak your fingers just so.


----------



## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

With how good wireless units are sounding these days, not to mention the huge safety factor, I wouldn't really consider going back to a cord in any ensemble / gig situation.

Just my $0.02


----------



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

The received wisdom about curly cables is true.....when you plug your guitar straight into the amp _without_ any buffering between guitar jack and amp input jack. The deleterious effect of the cable capacitance is an outcome of the_* interaction*_ of guitar output impedance and the cable. And that, in turn, will depend partly on the input impedance of whatever the cord is plugged into.

Hendrix' tone was not nearly as brittle or glassy-sounding as one might expect from a Strat going into a Marshall, partly due to use of a curly cord. It's not for everyone, though, and sticking a curly cord from the pedalboard to the amp will not likely result in any desirable change in tone.

In some respects, the curly form is a function of the rubber insulation and how it is moulded, rather than the conductive material inside. That said, there can be a wide range of material quality on the inside, ranging from very low-capacitance, well-shielded, material, to much higher-capacitance material. The curlyness is a _component_ of the electronic impact of the cord, by virtue of extending functional length, but does not create Hendrix tone in and of itself.



Milkman said:


> With how good wireless units are sounding these days, not to mention the huge safety factor, I wouldn't really consider going back to a cord in any ensemble / gig situation.
> 
> Just my $0.02


True, but sometimes a musician just likes having a cord. Singers behave differently when they grip the mic with one hand and the mic cord with the other, compared to being able to wander around with a wireless headset, and guitarists can behave, and play, differently when the cable constrains their movement. Not better, not worse. Just one of those things.


----------



## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

The only reason I still have my coily cable is that by mistake, I found out it glows in the dark .


----------



## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

sambonee said:


> ... where I jam, the input for the bass is in the ceiling ...


OK stop right there

how does that work? do you go direct to a DI through a sound system for you bass or plug straight into the board something like that? maybe you have a huge bass amp sitting on a balcony which is pretty cool. 

do you have other jacks in the ceiling too? around the edge of the room or in the middle? i'm picturing band practice with people looking at each other through a web of boingy coiled instrument cables 

j


----------



## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

mhammer said:


> True, but sometimes a musician just likes having a cord. Singers behave differently when they grip the mic with one hand and the mic cord with the other, compared to being able to wander around with a wireless headset, and guitarists can behave, and play, differently when the cable constrains their movement. Not better, not worse. Just one of those things.


I think the reason a musician might like having a cord would relate to sound, the perception that wireless sounds somehow deficient.

I can't dismiss that claim although I don't find that to be the case, but as for the inconvenience of a cable somehow enhancing or impacting a player's performance in a positive way, that's a bit hard for me to understand.


----------



## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

zontar said:


> I have part of my headphone cable coiled--and I have an old half & half Whirlwind cable.
> 
> Never really notice any difference--but maybe that's just me.


Ditto on the headphone cable. Came with the Sennheisers. Also detachable for replacement. Perfect.

Coiled on guitar is nice in "Studio B" (bedroom).


----------



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Milkman said:


> I think the reason a musician might like having a cord would relate to sound, the perception that wireless sounds somehow deficient.
> 
> I can't dismiss that claim although I don't find that to be the case, but as for the inconvenience of a cable somehow enhancing or impacting a player's performance in a positive way, that's a bit hard for me to understand.


I get you, and I certainly get your contention that the wired/wireless distinction is moot these days, given the state of the technology. How physical context drives performance and performer knowledge IS very much a mysterious process. Some painters would be paralyzed by a canvas bigger than 2ft by 2ft, needing that particular space to be able to imagine and plan an image. Anyone who has ever taught a class will recall a moment when writing something on a blackboard in much larger-than-usual letters suddenly makes it impossible to judge the accuracy of one's spelling, simply because all your knowledge about spelling and writing is connected with a much smaller writing space. Being able to walk around with a wireless headset throws off many a comedian who would feel far more at home with a hand-held mic and cable, or at least a mic that sits in a holder on a stand.

I don't know how reliable or efficient they were, and I don't know how they worked, but in the early '60s, Chrysler, among probably several others, had push-button gears. Changing gears by pressing a button simply didn't have the drama or sensory qualities of changing gears with a stick, whether manual or automatic transmission.


----------



## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

mhammer said:


> I get you, and I certainly get your contention that the wired/wireless distinction is moot these days, given the state of the technology. How physical context drives performance and performer knowledge IS very much a mysterious process. Some painters would be paralyzed by a canvas bigger than 2ft by 2ft, needing that particular space to be able to imagine and plan an image. Anyone who has ever taught a class will recall a moment when writing something on a blackboard in much larger-than-usual letters suddenly makes it impossible to judge the accuracy of one's spelling, simply because all your knowledge about spelling and writing is connected with a much smaller writing space. Being able to walk around with a wireless headset throws off many a comedian who would feel far more at home with a hand-held mic and cable, or at least a mic that sits in a holder on a stand.
> 
> I don't know how reliable or efficient they were, and I don't know how they worked, but in the early '60s, Chrysler, among probably several others, had push-button gears. Changing gears by pressing a button simply didn't have the drama or sensory qualities of changing gears with a stick, whether manual or automatic transmission.


Maybe Plymouth Fury? I've seen those. Actually on modern Ram trucks the "shifter" is now an electronic knob on the dash.

I guess I just really appreciate the freedom of wireless and not having to worry about pulling your cord out at one end or the other, knocking things over, short circuits, fatal electrocutions, et cetera, et cetera.

But, does a curly cord sound different than a straight one? I'd have to defer to those with more discerning ears than mine.


----------



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Milkman said:


> But, does a curly cord sound different than a straight one? I'd have to defer to those with more discerning ears than mine.


Curly is simply longer internally, for effective distance covered. As I hope I conveyed in an earlier post, how big of a sonic impact that can have depends on what the deuce is _inside_ that neoprene/rubber/plastic coiled insulation, and whether the electronic context itself is relatively sensitive or insensitive to cable capacitance coming from ANY cable of that actual length, whether it is coiled or flat and limp. The late great Albert Collins used to gig with a 100ft regular cable, so he could stroll amongst the crowd and on occasion even outside the front door of the club. He had a bright and biting tone from his rig, but it was NEVER glassy like, say, Robert Cray.


----------



## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

My last coily was from the early 80s - a nice Whirlwind that eventually hardened and cracked and split. I took the SC connectors off (they last forever) and haven't looked back. Of course, back then, we didn't anal-yze our tone to the nth degree.

I now have a coily water hose I use to wash the car. Can Confirm that the water coming out is much softer and better for the car's finish, if that matters to you.


----------



## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

The jam space has a DI pedal attached to the ceiling which is then routed to the board.


----------



## DaddyDog (Apr 21, 2017)

bzrkrage said:


> The only reason I still have my coily cable is that by mistake, I found out it glows in the dark .


LOL, which brand does that??


----------



## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

I have one of those curly cables. Tried using it, it's just too heavy for me. I also have a headset with the same thing and I don't use it at all.


----------



## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

Anyone remember wall phones with your sister wound up in the long cord? I move in circles so my last coiler was in the early 90s!


----------



## cbriere (Sep 29, 2020)

Some may need that curly cable, as part of the magical equation, to get the Hendrix sound.
i got one to tray and it is heavy and change the tone so much.


----------



## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

mhammer said:


>


I had that exact setup in my 1960 Chrysler Windsor.


----------



## Alsomooh (Jul 12, 2020)

I’ve often blamed curly cords for my perception, or at least qualified it, of pickup tone in the first ten years or so of my experience. My beloved Tele Deluxe with WRHBs was only ever plugged in with a curly cord, same with my first Strat, Tele Bass (WRHB), and Mustang Bass. That Deluxe into the Princeton...oh my...


----------



## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I never had much success with them, haven't had one in years--but I do have an old half & half (Half coil, half straight cable from many years ago, when I was a wee lad.
I don't use it nay more--btu I think t works, somewhat.


----------



## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

My buddy had the bottom set up on I believe a Valiant? We had to push it out of the high school parking lot everyday, to stupid to park where we could drive through. Did get the girls attention though!


----------



## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

I don’t notice the tone issue.


----------



## TheYanChamp (Mar 6, 2009)

Crap. I realized I haven't watched Gearmandude reviews in a few years!


----------

