# Building cables



## Joshua Caole (Dec 6, 2017)

I’m finally getting round to building my own cables and am just feeling a bit swamped with information, i did search the forums and couldn’t find anything and am also sorry if this is in the wrong place. 

I have always used planet waves cables but since they turned in to ddadario they have gone down in quality and i have had two die on me at the same time so I think its time for a change. 

I am in the process of starting to build cables for my new studio, I thought new studio finally chuck all the bad cables that have accumulated over the years and start afresh. 
For some reason I had decided on using amphenol connectors for the studio and possibly mogami cable but after several hours of research for guitar cables I am nowhere with what to use. 

What I want to find answers to are,
What connectors to use for guitar amphenol, neutrik, switchcraft or something else?
Are they all pretty much the same, should I just get whatever I can get the best deal on?
What model should i use for guitar/instrument cables as I do need to think of pedalboard connectors so don’t want really heavy duty stuff taking up half my board. 
What cable should I be looking for, is high quality own brand as good as name brands?

If anyone has any recommendations for the studio cable or connectors then im all ears. 

Bare in mind I’m in Europe so There are a few cables I can’t get. Thanks


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## beefpitas (Oct 11, 2018)

I also finally broke down and made a bunch of guitar cables. I used Morgami wiring. I used neutrik connectors, and I usually like most of their stuff but I actually recommend switchcraft connectors for ts and trs especially. 
For pedalboard stuff you should look into George L cabling. It’s a little pricey, but it’s non soldering and easy to make super short cables especially with 90 degree turns. The neutrik 90 degree connectors were especially difficult to solder for me. 
Good luck. It’s worth the effort. I have found most off the shelf cables are not well made and it is cheaper to diy than buy the ones that are well made.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Joshua Caole said:


> What connectors to use for guitar amphenol, neutrik, switchcraft or something else?


Personally, I like Neutrik plugs



Joshua Caole said:


> Are they all pretty much the same, should I just get whatever I can get the best deal on?


I believe that Neutrik are a better engineered product line. I especially like their "clutch" system to hold the cable.



Joshua Caole said:


> What model should i use for guitar/instrument cables as I do need to think of pedalboard connectors so don’t want really heavy duty stuff taking up half my board.


For a pedal board, I would use pancake plugs. I have found the Chinese copies to be virtually as good as the Switchcraft plugs.



Joshua Caole said:


> What cable should I be looking for, is high quality own brand as good as name brands?


Canare and Mogami are wonderful cables...but expensive. For the most part, bulk cable (sold by the foot/meter) has served me well.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Van Damme Pro if you are in Europe


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## Joshua Caole (Dec 6, 2017)

knight_yyz said:


> Van Damme Pro if you are in Europe


I have never heard of them before, anyone else have any experience?


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## Joshua Caole (Dec 6, 2017)

The george ls are definitely out of my price range as at over £10 a cable would cost me a fortune, with four boards to do and one being quite large it’s not really feasible. 
I’m not opposed to spending some money as I do want quality but when I could build 3 cables with decent parts for the same price I don’t see the point. 
Also are the solderless cables really as sturdy? I need hard wearing tough cables. 

The pancake cables ive always been a bit hesitant about as they looked unsturdy to me, would chinese ones from ebay really be as good as the name brand?
I am using planet waves patch at the moment so I can cope with some bulk. 

After browsing the switchcraft website I’m not that thrilled with what they have to offer, they don’t look as good as the neutrik or amphenol connectors.


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## Guest (Nov 2, 2018)

I have a bunch of George L ends that I will never use again.


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## Boogieman (Apr 6, 2009)

For guitar to pedal or amp, I use Neutrik NP2 (could be straight or right angle, depending on the guitar's jack type and location.) for the plug that goes to the guitar's jack. I can find Neutirlk plugs locally, otherwise I don't mind using Amphenol. If the other end goes to a pedal, then the plug would likely be a Switchcraft. If it goes to an amp's input jack, then it would be a Neutrik, too. I used to have a guitar cable made with Switchcraft plugs. No issues, but the Neutrik or Amphenol plugs are better built for guitar jacks (plug/unplug, dropping the plug on the floor, etc.)

For pedals, I use Switchcraft pancakes or right angle plugs, depending on the pedal's location of in/out jacks. Some Boss pedals can't take two pancake plugs running in stereo, because they built the jacks too close to each other. 

If properly soldered, the Swtichcraft pancakes should be fine. I have made about 20-40 patch cables with Switchcraft pancake plugs for various pedals, none have failed so far.

For rackmount stuff, I use Switchcraft straight plugs. They are easier to handle than right angle ones.

If you can find Sommer cables in bulk, give them a try. I have two Sommer SC Spirit cables built with Neutrik plugs that I bought while I was visiting Germany several years ago. They are as good as the Mogami W2524. Too bad Sommer cables are hard to find here in Canada. They have different models of instrument cables to fit any budget. They must be easier to find in Europe, and could be cheaper than Mogami.


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## Joshua Caole (Dec 6, 2017)

The sommer cables as well as the klotz look very attractive price wise. 

One thing I’m struggling with is on respective websites I can’t seem to tell which connector is better than the others or which cable.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Everyone is all about Mogami but if you look at capacitance of the wire there are a lot of companies that beat Mogami. Most of them in fact. The lowest rated cable is 52pf with mogami being in the 130 - 150 range. Van Damme comes in at 90 or less depending on the model and is cheaper than Mogami if you buy it from the UK. The winner is Sommer LLX at 52pf per meter. 

www.shootoutguitarcables.com/guitar-cables-explained/capacitance-chart.html


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I paid 1.15 per meter CDN for Van Damme pro grade Xke. I think Mogami is a dollar per foot.

I use nothing but Neutrik silent plugs


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Like everyone else, it seems, I use Neutrik connectors for everthing. I have had experience with some cheap knock-offs and they aren't the same... plastic seems more brittle and the metal doesn't seem to take solder as well. I use Canare cable. I particularly like their L-4E6S cable for balanced signals. In over 20 years, I've never had a cable go bad.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

I wish we could get the square plugs (far right) easily. They appear to be very nice for pedal boards. I recently tried to buy 100, but the shipping and currency conversion from the U.S.A. resulted in them being quite expensive.

I have used Chinese made pancake plugs (purchased locally) to make cables for 2 large pedal boards and a few others. One of the boards was for the guitarist @Budda of the "Sparrows" band. He is on this forum and will hopefully comment as to how the cables have done through time and the demands of touring conditions.

Do you have these EBS patch cables from Sweden? They are selling very well at our local music store. Not inexpensive and not able to be repaired (AFAIK)









A warning...I tried some Chinese knock-off Neutriks ...JUNK!!



knight_yyz said:


> I think Mogami is a dollar per foot.


I bought 400 feet of Mogami a few years back and could not get it for even close to $1.00/foot. Where are you buying it from at that price? L&M will order it for you... at that time they wanted over $2.00/foot. 



knight_yyz said:


> The winner is Sommer LLX at 52pf per meter.


The Sommer cable looks great!...especially with all the colour choices.



Player99 said:


> I have a bunch of George L ends that I will never use again.


I have heard this many, many times.

@Joshua Caole ...Please keep us updated.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Gearge L stuff can be interchanged with disaster area cables and plugs. Van Damme has 8 colors as well, I just rechecked the price I paid, 15 feet purple was 9.88 and 15 feet blue was 9.88 plus 10 bucks shipping, so a smidge over 30 CDN for 10 meters or 30 feet of cable

Cheapest price I have seen Mogami gold is 1.30 per foot on ebay


Lower capacitance means more highs.. Same as your tone cap value, smaller means more highs larger is less highs


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

a) any of those brand name connectors
b) unless you have a preference, whatever you can get a good deal on
c) if dyi'ing, I would get two types of cable --- a larger diameter cable that is stronger and has lower capacitance / foot for your long runs (guitar -> board, board -> amp) and a thinner cable for short pedal to pedal cables, where capacitance doesn't make much difference
d) it varies, go with what you can trust / afford. 

I have a preference for Switchcraft connectors - I have some that have never failed in over 40 years of being stepped on, yanked on, slammed in road cases, etc. Both pancake and in-line plugs. That's not to say the other brands mentions are bad, they are all good products. Problem with SC is, if you drop a connector, say from your guitar to the floor, you'll break the floor. 

I tried some Chinese knock-offs and had a lot of failures, especially with the pancake plugs. The center conductor spins wrt to the body of the connector and then the solder connection to that center conductor breaks. Nothing worse than trouble-shooting crappy cables on a pedalboard while your band is waiting for you to get your shit together. Your time is worth more than you will save on those cheap connectors, IMO.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

My cables from greco have been good. My pedals have been dying first haha :/. Definitely buy quality stuff.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I'll bet a 20 year old switchcraft anything is better than what they are making today.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

The EBS cables are fabulous for a packed pedal board. Been using a dozen or so for about a year, no failures or issues, they go in and STAY IN as well.

I did a picture tutorial of building cables with pancake ends somewhere on here, but I can't find it with a quick search......I'm pretty sure someone else did a video turorial too.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

greco said:


> Personally, I like Neutrik plugs
> I believe that Neutrik are a better engineered product line. I especially like their "clutch" system to hold the cable.


Amphenol are just as good, also have the chuck, and much cheaper. I use Amphenol for 1/4" TS and TRS which are also slimmer than the rather bulky Neutriks. I stocked up years ago when they were cheap so I still use Neutrik XLRs, but if I had to re-buy today, I would consider Amphenol.





greco said:


> Canare and Mogami are wonderful cables...but expensive. For the most part, bulk cable (sold by the foot/meter) has served me well.


Mogami should be out of the question - double the price of any other major brand. That stuff is for snobs. I do use Canare for studio wiring and mic/line cables. Canare is just as good but miles cheaper; compatative price-wise with generic brands at least when it comes to mic/line cable; dunno re instrument cable cuz I haven't looked at that for a while .

For guitar I use Gotham GAC-1. I like the double reussan shield, nice supple jacket, and relatively slim profile. Not expensive.




greco said:


> I wish we could get the square plugs (far right) easily. They appear to be very nice for pedal boards. I recently tried to buy 100, but the shipping and currency conversion from the U.S.A. resulted in them being quite expensive.


I got a bunch coming in. The trick is to get a big order going vs just trying to buy the plugs alone. 



greco said:


> I have used Chinese made pancake plugs (purchased locally) to make cables for 2 large pedal boards and a few others. One of the boards was for the guitarist @Budda of the "Sparrows" band. He is on this forum and will hopefully comment as to how the cables have done through time and the demands of touring conditions.


I find some of the Chinese knockoffs better than actual Switchcrafts, the issue is the quality varies considerably by source - it's a gamble till you find a good source. But all trad style pancake jacks are sucky IMHO due to difficulty soldering the ground (no tab - have to solder to the case; annoying and time consuming for no good reason) and poor strain relief (unless you have just the right diameter cable or wrap it to fit better; which is what appologists say, but is unacceptable to me). The only advantage is the low profile (unbeatable before the Squareplug). They are also much more expensive than other quality options (e.g. the Amphenol r angle jacks I use; sure not as small a profile, but small enough, good quality, easy to work on and cheap).


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Granny Gremlin said:


> I got a bunch coming in. The trick is to get a big order going vs just trying to buy the plugs alone.


I was ordering 100 feet of cable with the 100 plugs. 
Still seemed expensive...especially the shipping.
What is your final cost per plug?


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## Joshua Caole (Dec 6, 2017)

So for long cables I think either neutrik NP2X or amphenol t, whichever I can get a good deal on. Though the g&h look good apart from they look a bit expensive here. 
Everyone has been saying switchcraft for pedal boards, I really don’t want pancake plugs so was thinking of just going for usual right angles or straight where needed on the boards, I have some right angled neutrik cables and so know the bulk of them, are the amphenols that size as well?
The switchcraft plugs seem to be running about £5 each here so I dont think thats going to be viable. 
@greco we can get the ebs cables, one of my reasons of switching to making my own is I just want the ability to repair cables rather than just chucking and buying a new one. 

With the cable, I had allready found that website thanks @knight_yyz I had already looked through the cables and I’m just wondering if the sommer or van damme is really worth it compared to the klotz ac110?
I can pick up the klotz at £100 for 100m where as the other two are 2-5 times more expensive. I was really aiming to pay around that for cable and about £2-3 for each plug, obviously less would be good.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

greco said:


> I was ordering 100 feet of cable with the 100 plugs.
> Still seemed expensive...especially the shipping.
> What is your final cost per plug?


I forget now exactly - but still cheaper than the ones on Reverb. not too much more than my Amphenols, like 50c to $1 more each which is about the same as buying pancake knockooffs locally or even proper Switchcrafts online.

Also both jacks and cable are heavy vs cost - a more diverse order with more expensive but realtively light items evens it out.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Joshua Caole said:


> I have some right angled neutrik cables and so know the bulk of them, are the amphenols that size as well?
> ...
> 
> With the cable, I had already found that website thanks @knight_yyz I had already looked through the cables and I’m just wondering if the sommer or van damme is really worth it compared to the klotz ac110?least the
> I can pick up the klotz at £100 for 100m where as the other two are 2-5 times more expensive. I was really aiming to pay around that for cable and about £2-3 for each plug, obviously less would be good.


Amphenol is a bit smaller diameter, which makes a bigger difference when it's a R angle jack. At least the M series I use. Yeah T series is nicer, but also a lot more expensive - the Ts hold up great; I've been using them all over for years. The M series doesn't give me anything more that I need.

Klotz is overpriced - up there with Mogami - but possibly they had a few different product lines, some higher end. Never heard of the other brands... guess cuz you're in Europe. They should have Canare there still. There are also a lot of good generic brands here - and I assume over there as well - like Gepco and Redco house brand. These are all perfectly fine. You pay more for name and bling that does not affect performance. 

If the Klotz is your cheap option look no further.


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## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

I bought a big batch of George L when they first came out with lots of extra cable... still use them with no problem and still have extras... I only use them for pedals...

Need to make or get several amp to cab cables... heavy duty ones...


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## Joshua Caole (Dec 6, 2017)

I’m definitely going with T series unless a better deal on Neutrik pops up, still unsure of what for pedalboards. 

Cable, canare, van damme, mogami and everything else is running at over £200 a 100 m compared with the klotz at £100 I’ve even found cheaper klotz cable (£50 per 100m) but thought that the ac110 would give me more durability. 

With other cables such as own brands Im really not sure what to search for as with places like cpc I just find stuff like the cheaper van damme at £70 a roll and nothing cheaper.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

The Van damme is o Ly a buck a foot the Sommer lxx is about 5 per foot. That's why I picked the van damme. Price can't be beat


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## Joshua Caole (Dec 6, 2017)

knight_yyz said:


> The Van damme is o Ly a buck a foot the Sommer lxx is about 5 per foot. That's why I picked the van damme. Price can't be beat


The van damme is more expensive than the equivalent klotz, can get some van damme for that price, is the more basic van damme better than the klotz?


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I don't know yet. I only just ordered the Van Damme a few days ago. Of all the names listed, the Mogami and the Van Damme were easy to find (for me) in bulk or by the meter/foot. Some of the others are harder to find in bulk. George L is easy to find, but with shipping and exchange it is not worth it for me (90 CDN for 30 feet plus shipping...) I looked up Klotz AC110 and the best price I could find was 60 CDN with shipping, so 2 bucks a foot. I could have gotten the Sommer Tricone MK2 from the same guy for about 10 bucks more but only comes in black. I get mine from designacable on Ebay.UK. Flat rate sipping at 8 and change for the first colour. He also has Neutrik 1/4 mono plugs for 3 quid each


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

When it comes to cable no brand (that you've heard of) is particularly better than another. Maybe (if you believe in that sort of shit) some of the more esoteric and very expensive stuff is better (e.g. the directional ones), but not worth the price better (actual silver, solid or plate vs bare copper is better but who has that kinda cash?). Cheap no name cable can be garbage though -when I was a kid I used to get this generic stuff from Active Surplus; it was fine until the quality went down the pooper one year and they started skimping on the braid to save costs - thin and didn't cover the entire thing so stopped being a good shield. That's when I switched to name brands and haven't looked back. I have used Mogami when I was able to find it cheap (if you ever order from Redco, take a chance on the mystery boxes - some god value in there if you don't care about colour too much, and a real education as to the difference between brands) and it's not really any better than any other brand. A bit different is all.

It comes down to your preference as regards price, diameter, and the jacket (flexible/supple vs hard/stiff as well as colour options). Sometimes there are other features that play a role such as the double reussan sheild I mentioned with the Gotham (or drain wire in addition to the braid, but that applies to mic/line cable vs instrument, though I would love that on inst cable too personally).

All the people I know who swear by Mogami (again, other brands are king in Europe) have no reason other than 'I want people to know that I use the best shit' which is valid only if you run a pro studio and you're trying to attract clients, but for the rest of us it's buying a bridge.

These days, when I come across it (usually NOS as they've moved on mostly from audio as a focus) I grab all the Belden I can. Not the prettiest, but damn fine wire. I still have a spool of this mic/line wire that has 18 guage conductors (vs every other modern brand which is 24). Forget Starquad - if I want something durable for the field I use that stuff (along with Redco brand all metal XLR jacks - quality copies of the Neutrik heavy duty ones).


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## Joshua Caole (Dec 6, 2017)

So definitely the amphenol t or neutrik depending on what i can get the best price on. 
Klotz is looking great £100 for over 320 feet. 

I honestly cant make up my mind about pedal board plugs. 
I might be looking at importing switchcraft or chandler plugs as they seem to be half the price even with customs charges, though i would just prefer to buy from somewhere in europe to save the hassle. 

I really am not fussed on names or anything, I just want quality for a decent price, why pay 3 times more for something just because of the name.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

I recommend against solderless connections. I know a lot of folks awear by them and have had years of trouble-free performance, but I have seen them slip. They have no strain relief (which is fine for pedalboard wiring) but if one does get a good yank the wire will come right out. I just don't trust it.

If you're already getting Amphenols for other places, why not their R angles for pedalboard too (I do), especially if you don't want to have to import pancakes?


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## Joshua Caole (Dec 6, 2017)

I’m not thinking about solderless. 

How would you say the amphenol t series jacks compares to planet waves (which i have at the moment) as then i could get an idea.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Thought the Chandlers were solderless. Never used planet waves. Blingy and overpriced (dunno over there but over here it's $17 for a 2 pack).

You can't do better than Amphenol T series - even Neutriks aren't better (roughly just as good).


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## Joshua Caole (Dec 6, 2017)

Ah, didnt think all the chandlers were solderless.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Found it lol. https://guitarscanada.com/index.php?threads/diy-patch-or-guitar-cables.53655/


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

When I was at Festival Sonore, one of the booths was for a guy who made cables. I was super-impressed with the quality of the plugs he was using, so I asked him what brand they were. And they were these: G&H Plugs _Outstanding_ build quality, and not really much pricier than Switchcraft.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Yeah, G&H looked good to me, but they were never anywhere close to the best price. Switchcrafts themselves are on the high side for no particular good reason.


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## Joshua Caole (Dec 6, 2017)

keto said:


> Found it lol. https://guitarscanada.com/index.php?threads/diy-patch-or-guitar-cables.53655/


Thanks, ive built before its more components i was asking for. 



mhammer said:


> When I was at Festival Sonore, one of the booths was for a guy who made cables. I was super-impressed with the quality of the plugs he was using, so I asked him what brand they were. And they were these: G&H Plugs _Outstanding_ build quality, and not really much pricier than Switchcraft.


If anyone can find a g&h dealer in europe where plugs aren’t coming in at £5 each those are my first choice


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

There are 13 dealers in Europe according to the website


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## Guest (Nov 5, 2018)

I bought a shit ton of different 1/4" jacks from Orange County Speaker. They recently stopped speakering, and changed their name to GLS Audio.

GLS Audio 1/4

GLS Audio 1/4" Plugs & Jacks

Not sure how their pricing compares now. 

Not sure if they ship to Canada, may have to use a forwarding service.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Granny Gremlin said:


> Yeah, G&H looked good to me, but they were never anywhere close to the best price. Switchcrafts themselves are on the high side for no particular good reason.


I find Switchcraft certainly higher quality than many other makes/brands, but overpriced, relative to the increment in quality. What impressed the heck out of me, with respect to the G&H, was the use of a solid core. You can see here that the tip of the plug has a copper center. That's a solid machined rod that extends out to the solder lug. These plugs are _solid_. Mind you, that probably also means they'd add a half pound to one's pedalboard weight, compared to patch cables of another brand.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

mhammer said:


> I find Switchcraft certainly higher quality than many other makes/brands, but overpriced, relative to the increment in quality. What impressed the heck out of me, with respect to the G&H, was the use of a solid core. You can see here that the tip of the plug has a copper center. That's a solid machined rod that extends out to the solder lug. These plugs are _solid_. Mind you, that probably also means they'd add a half pound to one's pedalboard weight, compared to patch cables of another brand.


That's not the model in particular I was familiar with (they have a few others), but yes the solid core is impressive. What makes this one a nonstarter for me (aside from price) is complete lack of a ground solder point. Like how do you redesign the hot solder tab, and eliminate the ground tab altogether when you redesign a TS plug boggles the mind. Their other models do not have that failing IIRC.

FYI, this is similar to why I switched from generic or Switchcraft TS jacks (female chassis mount) to the Neutrik (Rean) ones - solid as shit (like the first few times it's hard to put the plug in - thicker metal including on the leaf spring part won't fatigue out like Switchcrafts do); also damn cheap (cheaper than Switchcraft by about half). They are all I use except if I need chassis isolation ( Cliff style) or a super tight pedal build (Lumberg) or some other consideration (e.g. no long bushing variant as required for some guitars as far as I have seen - still have to use Switchcraft for those).


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## dtsaudio (Apr 15, 2009)

Granny Gremlin said:


> For guitar I use Gotham GAC-1. I like the double reussan shield, nice supple jacket, and relatively slim profile. Not expensive.


I'm with Granny on this. I've been using Gotham for almost 20 years now. They have a complete line for making guitar cords, stereo interconnects, power cords, speaker wire etc.
It's all easy to work with, works well in regards to noise, connectivity, flexibility and longevity.
For plugs I'm almost exclusively Neutrik. There are other good plugs, but Neutrik gives me the selection I need, and the reliability. About the only thing I use in Switchcraft are the 1/4" panel jacks. The cheap knock offs aren't as good. The rest of line is too expensive.

Granny, which Rean panel jacks are you referring too?


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

dtsaudio said:


> Granny, which Rean panel jacks are you referring too?


NYS229 - the ones with the white wafer (though not always pictured as such in online shop stock photos). Get them at BLMS, Redco, PartsExpress etc.

e.g. 1/4" Mono Jack - Neutrik Rean NYS229


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## Todd MacCulloch (Mar 8, 2018)

mhammer said:


> When I was at Festival Sonore, one of the booths was for a guy who made cables. I was super-impressed with the quality of the plugs he was using, so I asked him what brand they were. And they were these: G&H Plugs _Outstanding_ build quality, and not really much pricier than Switchcraft.


Red Beard cables Red Beard Cables


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## dtsaudio (Apr 15, 2009)

Granny Gremlin said:


> NYS229 - the ones with the white wafer (though not always pictured as such in online shop stock photos). Get them at BLMS, Redco, PartsExpress etc.


I had know idea they made this style of jack. Less expensive then Switchcraft.
I see that Mouser also carries them. Since I buy tons from Mouser including Rean RCA plugs, I think I'll order a few of these TS jacks next time.
Thanks Granny.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Todd MacCulloch said:


> Red Beard cables Red Beard Cables


Yup, them's the ones.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

dtsaudio said:


> I had know idea they made this style of jack. Less expensive then Switchcraft.
> I see that Mouser also carries them. Since I buy tons from Mouser including Rean RCA plugs, I think I'll order a few of these TS jacks next time.
> Thanks Granny.


NP. Yeah I like those Rean RCAs too. I don't get that stuff from Mouser though - find their prices almost double most other places; if I can get something somehere else I will (now resistors and box film caps in QTY - that's what I go to Mouser for)


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## blue_dog (Feb 7, 2013)

Mogami 2524 or belden 9778 with neutrik connectors. I didn't like the Canare GS-6. G&H look really nice too, is their a source in Canada at a reasonable price?


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## Joshua Caole (Dec 6, 2017)

I really want something like the switchcraft 226 for pedalboards. Low profile but I don’t want pancake plugs.

Does anyone have any experience of ones like these you can find on ebay?
5X(10 Pack Lot 1/4" 6.3mm TS Right Angle MONO Phone Plug Cord Connector Cab P6N8 191466651421 | eBay

10Pcs 1/4 6.35mm Mono Speaker #L Right Angle 90° Guitar Phono Plug Connector New | eBay


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## Boogieman (Apr 6, 2009)

Joshua Caole said:


> I really want something like the switchcraft 226 for pedalboards. Low profile but I don’t want pancake plugs.
> 
> Does anyone have any experience of ones like these you can find on ebay?
> 5X(10 Pack Lot 1/4" 6.3mm TS Right Angle MONO Phone Plug Cord Connector Cab P6N8 191466651421 | eBay
> ...


Made in China. Both plugs look very similar, so I would not be surprised if they came from the same factory. Note the white nylon part holding the tip terminal. If you are good at soldering, it should be OK. 

It looks like both sellers ship via surface mail from either China or Hong Kong. 3 months ago, I ordered some hard to find screws and it was shipped from Hong Kong. The shipping cost was cheap (C$2), but it took almost 7 weeks to arrive. Surface mail or parcels are not trackable.

I use the Switchcraft #226 plugs on all pedals with top mounted jacks. I am happy with them. Are they that much more expensive than the Chinese ones in the UK?


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## Joshua Caole (Dec 6, 2017)

The switchcraft are running about £4.50 a plug so it just seems too much for a patch cable when i need to make a huge amount.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Joshua Caole said:


> I really want something like the switchcraft 226 for pedalboards. Low profile but I don’t want pancake plugs.
> 
> Does anyone have any experience of ones like these you can find on ebay?
> 5X(10 Pack Lot 1/4" 6.3mm TS Right Angle MONO Phone Plug Cord Connector Cab P6N8 191466651421 | eBay
> ...


If you're looking at those check out Amphenol ACPM-R(B) - B for black (vs nickel finish). They also have a gold contact option but IMHO that's a waste of money for guitar cables (plugging them in/out a few times rubs off anybody's gold plating). You can get them pretty cheap too. 

See also Squareplugs. There are Euro sources for those I have seen on ebay.


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## Joshua Caole (Dec 6, 2017)

I was looking at the amphenol but thought they looked a bit chunky for boards. 

Do you have any links to the squareplugs?

The ridiculous difference in price between here and N.America was just highlighted by gls as on their website its $20 for 10 right angle plugs, over here its almost £100 for the same thing.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Joshua Caole said:


> I was looking at the amphenol but thought they looked a bit chunky for boards.
> 
> Do you have any links to the squareplugs?
> 
> The ridiculous difference in price between here and N.America was just highlighted by gls as on their website its $20 for 10 right angle plugs, over here its almost £100 for the same thing.


The Amphenols are slimmer than Neutriks and either of those generic ebay ones linked just above (the higher end Amphenols are more similar to Neutriks includding being fatter; but neither of those I fons to be worth the higher price tag, though they are nice).

Sorry , didn't save any euro ebay links bc not relevant to me, but you should be able to search for squareplugs and sort by proximity to you. IIRC there was at a guy in Germany or something. 

That's a crazy price differential; but it works in reverse as well on other items (and don't get us started vs The US; Amazon etc).


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

My Van Damme cable showed up finally. Thanks Canada Post. Only 4 weeks from UK to Hamilton.


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## Joshua Caole (Dec 6, 2017)

Is it the m series amphenol you are talking about?
I just saw a video with them and the switchcraft 297 and they do look a similar size. 

The squareplugs do look a bit too pancakey for me.


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## Joshua Caole (Dec 6, 2017)

I just have tried the m series amphenol plugs and thought great. Unfortunately the klotz ac110 cable is too big for it, so I was thinking would it be a better idea to find a smaller cable especially with pedalboards in mind? Or should I use the m2 amphenols which accomodate larger cables but then im worried they would be too big.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Joshua Caole said:


> Is it the m series amphenol you are talking about?
> I just saw a video with them and the switchcraft 297 and they do look a similar size.
> 
> The squareplugs do look a bit too pancakey for me.


I hate pancakes myself. Squareplugs are a lot better (I got some) and pretty much address all my problems with pancakes.




Joshua Caole said:


> I just have tried the m series amphenol plugs and thought great. Unfortunately the klotz ac110 cable is too big for it, so I was thinking would it be a better idea to find a smaller cable especially with pedalboards in mind? Or should I use the m2 amphenols which accomodate larger cables but then im worried they would be too big.


You can open up the rubber grommet end a bit (or remove it completely - it's just cosmetic - I have done this with speaker cable - I have a lot of spare parts and managed to get a strain relief spring from an old salvaged jack in there instead - I can't believe any signal cable would be thicker than that speaker wire).


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## Joshua Caole (Dec 6, 2017)

It is only a difference of the plug being 6.5 and the cable being 6.9. I dont want it to look bad as it will be for live use amd i need it to stand up to touring.


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## Joe kerekes (Jan 20, 2019)

I've been looking into making my own cables as well. The Redco house brand seem to be the same as the Mogami, and is 65 cents U.S a ft when you buy over a 100ft. I just plan to re use the Amphenal plugs, off my 5 year old failing Yorkville cables.


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## Joshua Caole (Dec 6, 2017)

I’m now looking at connectronics rockflex cables due to the price and they will fit the amphennol plugs better


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