# Making Your Own Guitar Cables?



## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

Anyone here making their own cables? Is there a place in Canada where I can order my cable and ends on the net, and get them shipped to me?


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## Ripper (Jul 1, 2006)

I make all my own cables both guitar and mic. What type of ends and cable did you want to use? Electro Sonic carries high quality cable and ends, as does Digikey. Digikey is american but I have my orders from them in a week at the very most.


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## james on bass (Feb 4, 2006)

Back in the 80s, stores used to actually stock bulk, good quality cable, on spools, sold by the foot. Made all my own cables with Switchcraft ends. Thanks for the link for bulk cable. My patch cords are going on 20 years old.

I've been recently making speaker cable with 16 guage lamp cord (Home Depot by the foot) and Speakon connectors.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

McBride in Waterloo (www.loudspeakers.ca) has what you need. I once bought a spool of Canare cable and a box of straight and right angle ends from them. Nice folks who know their stuff.

Peace, Mooh.


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

So, can you point me at the right cable on the Electro Sonic site for guitar cables?
I remember in the 80s going into a big music store and having them cut me a length of nice cable and throw some plugs on it. Now everything seems to be encased in plastic...
Who was talking about using old Hoover vacuum flex?


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## loves_guitar (Nov 5, 2008)

What sort of savings is there on making your own cables?


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## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

This exercise is more about making custom lengths, than building my own to save cash. Cables aren't that expensive. If you are interested: figure on about $.50/ft for unbalanced instrument cable, $3.00 or so for each end. Works out to about $16 for a 20ft u-built cable.


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## Ripper (Jul 1, 2006)

keithb7 said:


> This exercise is more about making custom lengths, than building my own to save cash. Cables aren't that expensive. If you are interested: figure on about $.50/ft for unbalanced instrument cable, $3.00 or so for each end. Works out to about $16 for a 20ft u-built cable.


all depends on the cable type/make and the ends.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

The ease of repairing your own DIY cables is also a factor...IMHO


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## loves_guitar (Nov 5, 2008)

Good to know.


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## Geek (Jun 5, 2007)

Ripper said:


> I make all my own cables both guitar and mic. What type of ends and cable did you want to use? Electro Sonic carries high quality cable and ends, as does Digikey. Digikey is american but I have my orders from them in a week at the very most.



They've had a Canadian warehouse for 8 years:

www.digikey.ca

Their catalog is in CAD, you pay in CAD :smile:


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## Michelle (Aug 21, 2006)

Geek said:


> They've had a Canadian warehouse for 8 years:
> 
> www.digikey.ca
> 
> Their catalog is in CAD, you pay in CAD :smile:


Thanks Gregg! I've been dealing with Newark a bit, mostly for Speakons

They have a sale!!

http://canada.newark.com/jsp/bespok...n_CA/eflyer/save/index.jsp&CMP=EMC-CSZL110308


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## Ripper (Jul 1, 2006)

Geek said:


> They've had a Canadian warehouse for 8 years:
> 
> www.digikey.ca
> 
> Their catalog is in CAD, you pay in CAD :smile:


I hadn't paid any attention, I just order from Digikey and pay the invoice, guess I'll have to pay a little closer attention.


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## Geek (Jun 5, 2007)

Michelle said:


> Thanks Gregg! I've been dealing with Newark a bit, mostly for Speakons
> 
> They have a sale!!
> 
> http://canada.newark.com/jsp/bespok...n_CA/eflyer/save/index.jsp&CMP=EMC-CSZL110308


Yer welcome :smile:

Newark are also good people to deal with.

Here's a story.... I needed a couple VTL vactrols for a compressor. Couldn't find them anywhere. I called Newark and didn't meet their (at the time) $50 minimum order. The salesman said he'd figure out something.

They were $8 each and I wrote a money order to them for $16+another $5 for shipping (yeah, this was a while back).

The Vactrols (3 of them!) arrived only two days after I sent the M.O. The sales dude popped them in the mail on his way home from work that day.

Though their policy has changed, the friendliness and promptness hasn't.

Newark rocks 


I do deal more with Digikey though, because despite the crunch, they were kind enough to give my little shop an account.

Cheers!


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## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

Ripper said:


> I hadn't paid any attention, I just order from Digikey and pay the invoice, guess I'll have to pay a little closer attention.


I went to the Digikey site and started going through their catalog to find some guitar cable parts. Holy crap! There are thousands of pages of electical stuff there. Can anyone point me to the correct guitar cable and ends? It could take me a few weeks of scanning the catalog to find this stuff. Thanks.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Mooh said:


> McBride in Waterloo (www.loudspeakers.ca) has what you need. I once bought a spool of Canare cable and a box of straight and right angle ends from them. Nice folks who know their stuff.
> 
> Peace, Mooh.


This company (www.loudspeakers.ca)(AKA "Qcomponents") has a much smaller catalogue to sort through and the Switchcraft 1/4 inch plugs are good quality. I have dealt with them also...good folks, small company.


I also like/prefer Neutrik plugs (I can buy them at our local sound/lighting/stage equipment store...along with cable).


Cheers

Dave


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