Bulk cable

[jones4tone]

I didn't want to sidetrack the other thread, but DrKev:

(I'm actually writing a blog post on choosing guitar cables. In short, low capacitance is generally better, some high priced cables are major tone sucks and BS physics word-salad marketing is rife.)

If you're looking at bulk cable, I'd love a lead on a high quality one to purchase to make some cables myself.

 

[DrKev]

I can't recommend any one brand, I don't know who sells bulk cable and I'm not gonna spend time trawling through everyone's websites to see what's out there. Sorry!

Ruggedness, handling noise, etc. are important and the most predictable differentiator of different priced cables.

For passive guitar pickups, to minimise high end loss - keep the capacitance low and lengths short. The higher the total capacitance (= capacitance per foot x cable length) the more high end loss there will be. Some high priced cables have much higher capacitance than others, which mean that sonically there can be differences between cables of the same length at ANY price range. (What you might prefer to hear is another question). Higher price does not necessarily mean better sound transmission, though it *might* mean less unwanted noise, longer lifetime, etc.

Back in 2011 a guy did a round up of various pre-made cables on the market at that time. It's definitely still worth a look and so are the links at the end of the page to two of his other pages which are very informative...

Audio Cables Compared and Recommended

And by the way, when connecting guitars to pedals and amps the following common marketing elements have no bearing on sound quality...

Wire gauge is irrelevant, skin effect is irrelevant, cable inductance is irrelevant, oxygen free copper is irrelevant, type of solder is irrelevant, gold-plating is irrelevant, and anyone who markets cables based on time or frequency balance, bass and treble arrival times, magnetic flux, harmonic detail, fast response, creamy mids and rich bass are talking out of their hineys.

 

[jones4tone]

Thanks for the link! I'll start there.

 

[beej]

The old HRI forum (hugeracksinc.com) had lots of good cable recommendations by knowledgeable guys, you could search there.

Personally I have a large supply of the Bill Lawrence (Wilde) low-capacitance cable and it's really great. But I don't think they're selling it right now.

 

[jones4tone]

Thanks, Beej! I'll have a look there, too.

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

We have been using spools of Belden cable for several years and have been very happy, although our UPS driver hates delivering them!

 

[Steve Nukather]

I use Canare GS-6 from Markertek. They sell it in various colors, by the foot.