# PedalBoard Cables in Canada?



## canoeplayguitar (Dec 13, 2011)

Hey everyone - just wondering if anyone has any up to date suggestions on where to buy pedal board cables here in Canada? FYI I'm not interested in the Lava Cable solder free stuff...I tried that route already and pretty much hated them. They never worked properly and I just thought they were kinda mickey mouse. I don't solder but I figure I can learn...actually I'd like to find pancake heads and a thinner cable. Any suggestions? Or does anyone make them to order?

Thanks!


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Most electronics parts/supply places will carry both pancake jacks and shielded wire.

I did a tutorial a couple years back showing 'how'. I used excess wire I had lying around from some Planet Waves solderless kits, it worked just fine. http://www.guitarscanada.com/showthread.php?53655-DIY-Patch-(or-Guitar)-Cables&highlight=pancake


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

I picked up some Hosa cables for a small board from Cosmos a while back, no issues yet.

http://cosmomusic.ca/cable-hosa-irg-100-5-ts90-ts90-jumper.html

There are a few other options there too.


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## canoeplayguitar (Dec 13, 2011)

Thanks guys. I might try and make my own, that's a hell of a detailed tutorial KETO, thanks for posting.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

keto said:


> Most electronics parts/supply places will carry both pancake jacks and shielded wire.
> 
> I did a tutorial a couple years back showing 'how'. I used excess wire I had lying around from some Planet Waves solderless kits, it worked just fine. http://www.guitarscanada.com/showthread.php?53655-DIY-Patch-(or-Guitar)-Cables&highlight=pancake


Thanks for that tutorial! I'm planning on overhauling my board in a couple weeks' time and this is super-useful.


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## lovetoplay (Nov 8, 2013)

I needed some pancake cables to make a little more on my board. The best deal I found was Hosa cables from Amazon.ca. Great price for a 6 pack, free shipping. Here is the link:

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0002IAJ56?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

lovetoplay said:


> I needed some pancake cables to make a little more on my board. The best deal I found was Hosa cables from Amazon.ca. Great price for a 6 pack, free shipping. Here is the link:
> 
> http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0002IAJ56?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00


Same ones I got. Great deal.


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## Harvester1199 (Apr 4, 2011)

adcandour said:


> Same ones I got. Great deal.


That's what I use too. Good stuff


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## stratman89 (Oct 13, 2008)

lovetoplay said:


> I needed some pancake cables to make a little more on my board. The best deal I found was Hosa cables from Amazon.ca. Great price for a 6 pack, free shipping. Here is the link:
> 
> http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0002IAJ56?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00


I just ordered some of these too through Amazon.ca

I just put together a Pedaltrain Nano + board, and the pancake jacks will be perfect.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

Those Hosa pancakes looks to be a good deal. Not that I need more cables. LOL


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## Gavz (Feb 27, 2016)

Aww...man. Guess I'm in for some too...lol. Would be nice to tighten up the board a bit.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

IMHO, pancake jacks are the worst (never tried the solderless lava). A right bear to solder to for a beginner especially (forgetabout it with a basic iron) and I don't find them particularly robust. For low profile pedalboard shorties I just go with molded stuff. When I do need to make my own I have Amphenol jacks (ACPM straight and ACPS bent - the cheapest lowish profile but solid, reliable and easy to work with jacks I have found - Neutriks are no better but bigger and cost more). I get them in rather large orders every year or so from Redco.com (which also has very good guitar cable and other bits - great source for quality short, all metal, telescopic boom stands fyi). I also make custom cables or fix old ones for those who ask (but to be honest, for pedal patches; it gets real pricey real quick - it's actually MUCH cheaper for 1 or 2 custom 20 footers than 6 0.5 foot patches - most of the cost is soldering labour, then connectors.... but I could also just sell you the parts).

Molded you can get at any local shop, but the best price (also good prices on knobs and wallwort type pedal power supplies and daisy chain cables - THE best price in NA on pots too - Alphas are standard in the pedal building world, but will also work as guitar controls) is BitchesLoveMySwitches.com. If you get a few buds together and each get a pack of cables and a power supply; totally worth the shipping.


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## bduguay (Jul 15, 2009)

canoeplayguitar said:


> Hey everyone - just wondering if anyone has any up to date suggestions on where to buy pedal board cables here in Canada? FYI I'm not interested in the Lava Cable solder free stuff...I tried that route already and pretty much hated them. They never worked properly and I just thought they were kinda mickey mouse. I don't solder but I figure I can learn...actually I'd like to find pancake heads and a thinner cable. Any suggestions? Or does anyone make them to order?
> 
> Thanks!


I can make cables to order.
B.


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## SouthamptonPdls (Nov 4, 2014)

canoeplayguitar said:


> Hey everyone - just wondering if anyone has any up to date suggestions on where to buy pedal board cables here in Canada? FYI I'm not interested in the Lava Cable solder free stuff...I tried that route already and pretty much hated them. They never worked properly and I just thought they were kinda mickey mouse. I don't solder but I figure I can learn...actually I'd like to find pancake heads and a thinner cable. Any suggestions? Or does anyone make them to order?
> 
> Thanks!


I never tried the original lava solderless, but the tightrope kits have converted me. I had soldered all my own cables until I decided to give the tightropes a try, and so far not a single issue. I'm constantly rearranging my board, so the ability to resize a cable in 5 minutes is really appreciated and even with the constant wrenching, no failures yet. Additionally, they are much more compact than pancake cables. This is just my opinion though.


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## Guest (Jul 9, 2016)

SouthamptonPdls said:


> I never tried the original lava solderless, but the tightrope kits have converted me. I had soldered all my own cables until I decided to give the tightropes a try, and so far not a single issue. I'm constantly rearranging my board, so the ability to resize a cable in 5 minutes is really appreciated and even with the constant wrenching, no failures yet. Additionally, they are much more compact than pancake cables. This is just my opinion though.


$343 CAD plus shipping plus HST for 30 ends and cable. That's almost $450 CAD for 15 cables...

Lava Cable - High-End TightRope Kit and Plugs


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Crap, that's $30/cable. I guess the ability to mod on the go is a good trade off, but........

I use these 
Switchcraft #228 - 1/4" Mono Right Angle "Pancake" Plug

Works out to less than half the price of the Tightrope cables, but takes a bit longer to build or mod. The ends are endlessly reusable though - Switchcraft still makes great connectors. I have two boards fully equipped with those while my third one uses the molded right angle plugs - I bit bulkier and when they break they are garbage. One of my other pet peeves is intermittent pedalboard cables. Very intrusive, and a bitch to find and fix quickly (like in the middle of a set). Those 228's have never let me down.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

I've always made my own, since I learned how to solder in grade nine, before I needed to make my own cables. Learn how, and in the sort term you'll have a new skill, and in the long term you'll save money.

For years I've bought my parts from: 

www.loudspeakers.ca


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## SouthamptonPdls (Nov 4, 2014)

Player99 said:


> $343 CAD plus shipping plus HST for 30 ends and cable. That's almost $450 CAD for 15 cables...
> 
> Lava Cable - High-End TightRope Kit and Plugs


These are the ones I bought. Sold in canada with free shipping. It's $16 a cable. 
Lava Cable Tightrope Solder-Free Pedal Board Kit (10', 10 Right Angle Plugs)

Through ebay you can also get this kit which works out to $11 a cable.
LAVA TIGHTROPE Solder-Free LARGE Pedalboard Kit - 10ft Cable 20 RA Plugs BLACK

Yes, it's more expensive than making your own. However, you can re-make a cable to any length in 5 minutes or less and the ends are significantly smaller.


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## SouthamptonPdls (Nov 4, 2014)

High/Deaf said:


> Crap, that's $30/cable. I guess the ability to mod on the go is a good trade off, but........
> 
> I use these
> Switchcraft #228 - 1/4" Mono Right Angle "Pancake" Plug
> ...


It's only $30 a cable if you buy direct from Lava. You can get them for about $11, which isn't terrible IMO.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

SouthamptonPdls said:


> It's only $30 a cable if you buy direct from Lava. You can get them for about $11, which isn't terrible IMO.


No, $11 is very reasonable, probably +/- 5% of what it costs me to build mine with Switchcraft plugs. If I couldn't solder (and didn't have all my boards equipped) I would consider them at that price.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

I just heard of these ones, EBS "Flat" cables...

EBS Sweden AB - Professional Bass Equipment

There is a Canadian distributor, apparently.
On a US site, the shortest runs @ $5 US and they got up from there, four different lengths.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Whoa; for that much you could have custom cables made.


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## SouthamptonPdls (Nov 4, 2014)

Granny Gremlin said:


> Whoa; for that much you could have custom cables made.


Definitely. The appeal of the solderless system is that you can make a new cable on a whim. So it's $11 for the ends, and you get a ton of the actual cable. Then you have xx number of ever-changing cables. That's why I switched; got tired of desoldering my old cables to make new lengths.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

I'd rather just have some extra cable in my chain for that much - I'm not that OCD that I need the cable lengths to be exactly what's required and no more but I suppose I can appreciate other people trying to have super clean pedalboards. Instead I just use cable management. An inch or 3 here or there will not affect tone. Also $2 per foot for cable - I use quality brand name stuff that costs a bit more than a quarter of that (lately Gotham at around 60c per foot unless I hit a qty discount, which I often do); that's also more than double what Canare and Mogami cable costs - about 85c per foot (besides niche or gimmick stuff - silver/monatomic/whatever, the most expensive standard guitar wire you can buy, or so I thought). I also pay less than $4 per jack. Labour (soldering vs solderless) would be a bit more, but I'm quick - won't be much more and I think the parts cost would easily offset the difference.

Resizing a cable on the fly just isn't important to me at all... and I'd question the reliability of such a system, but apparently it works well.

Those EBS ones look cool.

* all above prices in US$


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

My last batch of pedalboard cables was through Redco. I had two shipments, the first through UPS and the second through USPS. I got dinged pretty badly on brokerage with UPS, but USPS didn't have any charges at all. Redco's prices are really decent and their version of switchcraft plugs, etc. are really decent. Totally happy with their products and service and would buy from there again.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Pro tip for DIY patch cable makers: the Redco mystery box is worth it.


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