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Post by infant on Dec 18, 2020 18:25:02 GMT
I have quite a few cables that have never been used too. Some years back I did a local gig in my town and after setting up I realized I didn't have ANY instrument cables packed. I bought one to live in each of the cars, as well as the "gig backpack" Yeah, I get paranoid about cables breaking or valves going. That's why I seem to have spares for everything I’ve always carried spare tubes(valves) and cables. The problem with tube however is that if a power tube goes bad, there’s a good chance that it can take out some other components with it.
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Post by johnreardon on Dec 18, 2020 19:55:59 GMT
Yeah, I get paranoid about cables breaking or valves going. That's why I seem to have spares for everything I’ve always carried spare tubes(valves) and cables. The problem with tube however is that if a power tube goes bad, there’s a good chance that it can take out some other components with it. If I do gigs around where I live, I'm lucky in that my friend who builds the amps we use comes along. He is great at fixing issues
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Post by Die Bullen on Dec 18, 2020 20:10:24 GMT
I really need to start bringing spare tubes with me on gigs.
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Post by zontar on Dec 19, 2020 8:45:45 GMT
I have quite a few cables that have never been used too. Some years back I did a local gig in my town and after setting up I realized I didn't have ANY instrument cables packed. I bought one to live in each of the cars, as well as the "gig backpack" Yeah, I get paranoid about cables breaking or valves going. That's why I seem to have spares for everything It makes sense to have spares of everything--you never know. I had my bass go dead after a run through/soundcheck, before we start playing for a service one time. Soem wires inside came loose. But there was not time to fix it. I only owned one bass at the time. But I was able to borrow one while mine was getting fixed (& getting a set up, etc)
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Post by Die Bullen on Dec 19, 2020 22:18:26 GMT
Yeah, I get paranoid about cables breaking or valves going. That's why I seem to have spares for everything It makes sense to have spares of everything--you never know. I had my bass go dead after a run through/soundcheck, before we start playing for a service one time. Soem wires inside came loose. But there was not time to fix it. I only owned one bass at the time. But I was able to borrow one while mine was getting fixed (& getting a set up, etc) Oh boy that stinks, but at least you could borrow one
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Post by Die Bullen on Jan 10, 2021 17:41:10 GMT
Now that I'm going to stay gigging with a head amp , I will need some new speaker cables. I remember a long time ago I was told never to mix them up but I didn't know why - this article helped me to understand: Speaker vs instrument cablesWhy we're there anyone have a suggestion for decent speaker cable?
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Post by infant on Jan 10, 2021 20:24:23 GMT
Depending on length, I use 16ga or 18ga lamp wire. Shorter than 10 ft I use 18ga. Otherwise, 16ga.
Our bass player used to work for an electrical supply store and he got me 160 feet of 14ga two conductor stranded wire which I used to make four 40ft length PA speaker cables. Best part...it only cost me a beer at the next gig. However, I did have to go out to buy eight 1/4” jacks.
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Post by Die Bullen on Jan 10, 2021 20:44:55 GMT
Depending on length, I use 16ga or 18ga lamp wire. Shorter than 10 ft I use 18ga. Otherwise, 16ga. Our bass player used to work for an electrical supply store and he got me 160 feet of 14ga two conductor stranded wire which I used to make four 40ft length PA speaker cables. Best part...it only cost me a beer at the next gig. However, I did have to go out to buy eight 1/4” jacks. Do you see any difference between gauges? There appear to be a lot of opinions on the topic ( big surprise, huh?) Since I was just going to buy manufactured cables I was gravitating to 12g or 14g, but from what you say is that even necessary?
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Post by infant on Jan 10, 2021 21:18:49 GMT
I don’t hear any difference at all. I also have two 20 foot speaker cables that I would use for the PA in my basement when we used to rehearse here. It was thinner and more flexible to tuck into corners and keep neat. The 14 ga cable is overkill but my buddy had lots of it in stock. I would have been perfectly happy with 16ga for the PA as it would have been much more flexible when winding up cables at the end of the night.
Once you get into 2000+ watt PA systems, then you may want to get 12-14 ga speaker cables. But 16-18ga wire should be fine for an instrument amplifier. My 100 watt Katana has two thin 18ga wires going to the speaker.
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Post by Die Bullen on Jan 10, 2021 21:50:27 GMT
I don’t hear any difference at all. I also have two 20 foot speaker cables that I would use for the PA in my basement when we used to rehearse here. It was thinner and more flexible to tuck into corners and keep neat. The 14 ga cable is overkill but my buddy had lots of it in stock. I would have been perfectly happy with 16ga for the PA as it would have been much more flexible when winding up cables at the end of the night. Once you get into 2000+ watt PA systems, then you may want to get 12-14 ga speaker cables. But 16-18ga wire should be fine for an instrument amplifier. My 100 watt Katana has two thin 18ga wires going to the speaker. That's helpful, thanks! I have a couple combo apps that you can override the head unit in case of failure and use it like an extension cab and those wires don't really look more than 18ga lamp cord.... I can see that 12ga seems unnecessary.
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Post by zontar on Jan 10, 2021 23:27:24 GMT
I'm not sure what brand mine is--but I'm sure I have instrument cables by the same company--so I buy those--btu I don't really use it right now based on the cab I use. I need a cable that has a plug at one end for the amp, and the other for the speaker tabs. But same kind of wire & construction other than the plugs. But if I get a different cab--I already have the cables.
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Post by zontar on Jan 10, 2021 23:43:35 GMT
What Described above looks like this:
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Post by Die Bullen on Jan 11, 2021 0:07:56 GMT
What Described above looks like this: That's pretty much the configuration that my classic 30 was set up with
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Post by zontar on Jan 11, 2021 0:09:47 GMT
It's the same idea as a cable with 1/4" plugs at both ends--just that way you have a jack in between. They both do the job.
Which one you would use would depend on the cab.
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Post by Die Bullen on Jan 11, 2021 0:55:55 GMT
It's the same idea as a cable with 1/4" plugs at both ends--just that way you have a jack in between. They both do the job. Which one you would use would depend on the cab. The cabs i have all use 1/4 jacks, I think it is time to order these cable from MF..
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Post by Die Bullen on Feb 11, 2021 21:51:26 GMT
Well finally the low to high impedance transformers arrived today. Since we are streaming a concert this weekend maybe I will put one into the mixing board and compare to the straight xlr. If I put two mics on the trumpet we should be able to compare gain levels pretty well.
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Post by edwardbloom on Dec 12, 2022 20:27:02 GMT
i was sitting around one day a couple weeks ago, and i had a thought:
i have a nice soldering station. i don't have any plans to do any guitar wiring anytime soon. what else can i do with it?
and then i thought
you know, i have a pile of guitar cables in the closet that aren't any good anymore.
i went and bought 100' of decent cable, de soldered the ends from the bad ones, and made a couple 10' cables to see how they'd turn out. they look and sound just like anything you'd buy in a store, except my cost would be about $20 for something that normally cost me $50 minimum. the remaining cable i have (about 80') i am going to make some custom lengths so i can a+b+ab my amps in the living room. that leads me to a separate thing, i'll make a thread about... but anyhow, if any of you read this, can you tell me if the ends ever wear out? my instinct tells me they're gonna last a loooong time, so i can just buy wire and re use them. is that the case, or do they wear out? edit: i don't play out, i just rock madison square living room 3 times a week
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Post by Sinster on Dec 20, 2022 19:39:57 GMT
i was sitting around one day a couple weeks ago, and i had a thought: i have a nice soldering station. i don't have any plans to do any guitar wiring anytime soon. what else can i do with it? and then i thought you know, i have a pile of guitar cables in the closet that aren't any good anymore. i went and bought 100' of decent cable, de soldered the ends from the bad ones, and made a couple 10' cables to see how they'd turn out. they look and sound just like anything you'd buy in a store, except my cost would be about $20 for something that normally cost me $50 minimum. the remaining cable i have (about 80') i am going to make some custom lengths so i can a+b+ab my amps in the living room. that leads me to a separate thing, i'll make a thread about... but anyhow, if any of you read this, can you tell me if the ends ever wear out? my instinct tells me they're gonna last a loooong time, so i can just buy wire and re use them. is that the case, or do they wear out? edit: i don't play out, i just rock madison square living room 3 times a week Once you go down this rabbit hole there is not turning back
I like these connectors the best.. can be a PITA to solder, but I like how small they are.
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Post by edwardbloom on Dec 20, 2022 22:06:35 GMT
i was sitting around one day a couple weeks ago, and i had a thought: i have a nice soldering station. i don't have any plans to do any guitar wiring anytime soon. what else can i do with it? and then i thought you know, i have a pile of guitar cables in the closet that aren't any good anymore. i went and bought 100' of decent cable, de soldered the ends from the bad ones, and made a couple 10' cables to see how they'd turn out. they look and sound just like anything you'd buy in a store, except my cost would be about $20 for something that normally cost me $50 minimum. the remaining cable i have (about 80') i am going to make some custom lengths so i can a+b+ab my amps in the living room. that leads me to a separate thing, i'll make a thread about... but anyhow, if any of you read this, can you tell me if the ends ever wear out? my instinct tells me they're gonna last a loooong time, so i can just buy wire and re use them. is that the case, or do they wear out? edit: i don't play out, i just rock madison square living room 3 times a week Once you go down this rabbit hole there is not turning back
I like these connectors the best.. can be a PITA to solder, but I like how small they are. they aren't bad, but they're double the cost of the ends i plan to buy if/when i run out of ends from old store bought cables. i don't think i need the screw lock system, because i double heat shrink mine. i wrap the inside of the plug where it's soldered, and the outside. if i was on a stage, i would certainly give them a second look. but sitting here in my easy chair, i'm already getting a loooong life out of cables as it is. hey while i have your attention and possibly others too, how about giving your opinions in this thread i created last week? guitartalk.freeforums.net/thread/1598/reconfiguring-board?page=1&scrollTo=61185
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