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Post by mooretonerocks on Jan 4, 2007 11:39:16 GMT -7
I was thinking about purchasing some George Ls for my pedal board. Should I go for the chrome or vintage brass un-plated connectors? Analog Mike stocks the vintage. Thanks all.
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Post by Lefty on Jan 4, 2007 11:49:00 GMT -7
I don't think it makes a difference. Musician's Friend has the both.
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Post by dock66 on Jan 4, 2007 12:41:47 GMT -7
I have both.It is all a matter of appearance preference on the pedal board,no sonic difference.
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Post by Dr.T on Jan 4, 2007 13:03:20 GMT -7
Well Dock... look is important: I match plastic caps colors to those of pedals, Red with red, balck with grey etc!!! ;D
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Post by dock66 on Jan 4, 2007 14:06:22 GMT -7
Well Dock... look is important: I match plastic caps colors to those of pedals, Red with red, balck with grey etc!!! ;D Absolutely. ;D ;D
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Post by mooretonerocks on Jan 4, 2007 17:21:50 GMT -7
Thanks guys for the replies!
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Post by pcns on Jan 8, 2007 7:27:20 GMT -7
I was thinking about purchasing some George Ls for my pedal board. Should I go for the chrome or vintage brass un-plated connectors? Analog Mike stocks the vintage. Thanks all. FYI, the unplated connectors will tend to corrode quicker than the plated one. Since these are going in your pedal board and may stay plugged in alot you may be concerned about corrosion. If you plug them in and out every now and again this will be enough to clean the connections and in that case either one will do. The other posts are correct, there is NO sonic difference. This is also true for gold connectors, gold does NOT make your cable sound better. However, it does not corrode so its great for studio cables that get left plugged in but not good for touring cables because the insertion life is way lower with gold. hope this helps, Todd
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Post by pcns on Jan 8, 2007 7:30:08 GMT -7
One more thing, corrosion is main reason why you want soldered connectors too. Solderless connectors will oxidize over time and you will lose signal quality. A soldered joint will also oxidize but the once the exterior of the joint oxidizes it won't penetrate the joint cause signal loss. I know, more than you wanted to know . . . sorry, I love cables! Todd
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Post by pcns on Jan 8, 2007 7:31:30 GMT -7
One more thing, corrosion is main reason why you want soldered connectors too. Solderless connectors will oxidize over time and you will lose signal quality. A soldered joint will also oxidize but the once the exterior of the joint oxidizes it won't penetrate the joint and cause signal loss. I know, more than you wanted to know . . . sorry, I love cables! Todd
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Post by taswegian on Jan 8, 2007 7:47:16 GMT -7
Does this mean the George L's will corrode and lose signal faster than soldered cable?
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Post by pcns on Jan 8, 2007 8:03:10 GMT -7
Does this mean the George L's will corrode and lose signal faster than soldered cable? are the George L's solderless connectors? If they are then the answer is yes. Of course there will now be a ton of posts about how "I've had my solderless connectors for 100 years without a problem and I play in the rain every weekend". Yup, I understand I am making a general statement and there are always exceptions. Todd
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Post by pcns on Jan 8, 2007 8:04:23 GMT -7
FYI, no dissrespect intended to the people who have their cables for 100 years
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Post by dock66 on Jan 8, 2007 8:19:44 GMT -7
100 years,that is more than the average lifetime. Do they have transferable warranty? ;D
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Post by pcns on Jan 8, 2007 8:22:48 GMT -7
Hi Dock, yes, 100 years is a bit longer than the average life span lololol I'd be glad to past the century mark though, it sure is getting close fast!
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Post by dock66 on Jan 8, 2007 8:35:18 GMT -7
Hi Dock, yes, 100 years is a bit longer than the average life span lololol I'd be glad to past the century mark though, it sure is getting close fast! Hey Todd, I have received all the cables you sent me. Love them ;D Big noticeable difference than my Monster and ProCo.Thanks again. JB
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Post by billyguitar on Jan 8, 2007 8:53:12 GMT -7
I've used George Ls for a long time. They are higher maintenance. Occasionally you do have to cut the end off and remake one. It's amazing to me that they work at all! I've compared them soundwise against some allegedly great cables but I can't reliably tell which is which. Other people do hear the difference and I respect that they do, I'm just saying I don't. I wish I could tell the difference to justify what I've spent on other cables.
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Post by pcns on Jan 8, 2007 8:59:25 GMT -7
I've used George Ls for a long time. They are higher maintenance. Occasionally you do have to cut the end off and remake one. It's amazing to me that they work at all! I've compared them soundwise against some allegedly great cables but I can't reliably tell which is which. Other people do hear the difference and I respect that they do, I'm just saying I don't. I wish I could tell the difference to justify what I've spent on other cables. Hi billyguitar, Sometimes you pay extra for cables to get a warranty, sometimes you pay extra for the name and sometimes you pay extra so you don't have to do the maintenance like you described. Once you have moved up from the bargain ebay or music store cable (the ones with the molded ends and piano wire for cable) you won't see a ton of difference between cables because the sound is no longer being choked by the junk cable. What you will see in the better is differences in capacitence (this is real and supported by math as well as practical application and listening). Capacitence is how much high end you loose over certain length of cable. Basically, this will color your signal slightly and give you subtil tonal differences. hope this helps, looks like we have highjacked mooretonerocks thread, I hope this is all still revelant information. Todd
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Post by mooretonerocks on Jan 8, 2007 19:43:37 GMT -7
Well, dangit guys, I had been checking back to see about the replies and had not seen anything since the 4th. Since there was no sonic difference I just got off the web and ordered two sets of George Ls Vintage Red with unplated brass connectors. But now with the plethora of replies that came in today I wonder if I should have gone with the chrome. I can probably call them in the am and change it to chrome if you guys think I ought to. Yes, I will cable the board (two actually) and leave it for 100 years. I am using a Pedaltrain board that seals nicely.
Thanks for all of the replies and am looking forward to some suggestions on what I just provided.
PCNS, you did not hijack this thread IMO. Thanks, really.
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Post by pcns on Jan 8, 2007 20:54:15 GMT -7
sorry for the slow reaction to the thread, please, in the future ask me and I would be delighted to comment on cable stuff. PM to let me know something is going because it is sometimes hard to find specific topics without spending a lot of time on the site. If you can change your order to the plated, I would do it. Either way, good cable care would say to unplug and plug them back in everynow and then to keep you connectors clean. I don't have any advise for the solderless connectors. Maybe billyguitar has some suggestions for keeping them sounding good. thanks for posting something fun for me to talk about I love cables Todd
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Post by Lefty on Jan 8, 2007 21:20:03 GMT -7
The key to the GL's is not to make it a habit of unplugging/moving the cables too much, by this I mean rebuilding a board several times. I've ruined a few that way over time. The ends unscrew, and the ground becomes sketchy. Otherwise I've never had any trouble with many many gigs. I find a little Elmer's white glue on the threads helps keep them down tight.
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Post by taswegian on Jan 9, 2007 0:02:57 GMT -7
I don't have a board, I just plug in whatever pedals I need on any particular night and it varies between different bands and gigs. I guess the George L's might not be the best choice for this application then as I plug in and unplug every gig.
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Post by pcns on Jan 9, 2007 8:42:17 GMT -7
if you think it would help I can see about batch building a bunch of patch cables like I did with the instrument cables before Christmas. What lengths would you like to see available? I know 2 or 3 of you have already written me about quotes, if a group got together it would help pricing a lot.
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Post by mooretonerocks on Jan 9, 2007 9:16:27 GMT -7
Well, dangit again. I think that I would have preferred your cables Todd. Thanks for the offer. But since I ordreed two kits I should have enough to cover my needs. I appreciate all of the tips on the care. As always there are lots of different opinions, experiences and suggestions. I am confused but probably just don't need to worry. I probably won't unplug a lot as I agree with Lefty. So maybe someone can offer sugesstions on how to deal with possible corrosion if I get to that bridge. Are there cleaners that I should use? I have heard lots of different things regarding that too. It would be intreseting to see what the responses are there. Thanks guys.
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Post by billyguitar on Jan 9, 2007 9:21:44 GMT -7
I've got a cord that was originally a S W Bell cord. A friend of mine got it with a National resonator guitar that he got in about '68. I'm guessing it's about 70 years old. It has solid brass ends. I shined the ends up once with a scotch brite pad about 30 years ago but they didn't need it. I tried this cable out a while back. It was intermittent but it was intermittent when I got it in '68. Maybe that's why the phone company got rid of it in the first place! I also have two George L thick cables with the brass ends. It still works fine after 10 years and no maintenance. Clean them now then if it makes you feel better but it's not like they turn green overnight. Theoretically the thing I don't like about any cables is the small contact patch. We all worry about having a quality cord and then at either end they only touch the jack with an almost microscopic contact point. It seems that is the weak link. It's a wonder they work at all when the electrons have to get funnelled down to a pinpoint and then jump the gap to flow to the conductor on the other side. Someone out to design a cable end and jack system that has some real contact patches. I'm not going to do this but I wonder if someone has ever hardwired a piece of cable to the guitar and to the amp at the other end and what the results were and if they made any soundclips.
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Post by pcns on Jan 9, 2007 10:17:31 GMT -7
Well, dangit again. I think that I would have preferred your cables Todd. Thanks for the offer. But since I ordreed two kits I should have enough to cover my needs. I appreciate all of the tips on the care. As always there are lots of different opinions, experiences and suggestions. I am confused but probably just don't need to worry. I probably won't unplug a lot as I agree with Lefty. So maybe someone can offer sugesstions on how to deal with possible corrosion if I get to that bridge. Are there cleaners that I should use? I have heard lots of different things regarding that too. It would be intreseting to see what the responses are there. Thanks guys. You made a good purchase, there is nothing at all wrong with the George L cables. I have heard many many great things about them. You made a good purchase for sure. It looks like you may be getting some good tips from others on the forum for good care so you should be in great sounding shape. thanks for the comments, Todd
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Post by pcns on Jan 9, 2007 11:42:34 GMT -7
I've got a cord that was originally a S W Bell cord. A friend of mine got it with a National resonator guitar that he got in about '68. I'm guessing it's about 70 years old. It has solid brass ends. I shined the ends up once with a scotch brite pad about 30 years ago but they didn't need it. I tried this cable out a while back. It was intermittent but it was intermittent when I got it in '68. Maybe that's why the phone company got rid of it in the first place! I also have two George L thick cables with the brass ends. It still works fine after 10 years and no maintenance. Clean them now then if it makes you feel better but it's not like they turn green overnight. Theoretically the thing I don't like about any cables is the small contact patch. We all worry about having a quality cord and then at either end they only touch the jack with an almost microscopic contact point. It seems that is the weak link. It's a wonder they work at all when the electrons have to get funnelled down to a pinpoint and then jump the gap to flow to the conductor on the other side. Someone out to design a cable end and jack system that has some real contact patches. I'm not going to do this but I wonder if someone has ever hardwired a piece of cable to the guitar and to the amp at the other end and what the results were and if they made any soundclips. Hi billyguitar, You are correct about the 1/4 connectors being small point contacts, companies like Neutrik have developed other connectors, like the Speakon connector, that address the very thing you have described. Larger surface area of contact will allow a greater amount of current to pass through the connection. Keep in mind, guitar signals are very low power though and the combination of low power and the very short distance the point of contact allows enough signal to go through without to many issues. High powered speaker cables, 400 watts and up, are more sensitive to the point of contact. This is why you see many bass amps and PA amps with speakon or banana connectors. Us guitar players being in the low power range don't benifit much from the larger contact area because we just don't use that much power and the connection that is there is fine. Hope this helps. Also, regarding the commentary about the brass connections, I had said earlier that my comments were a generalization and that someone out there would have a 100 year cable, you were actually pretty darn close with a 70 year old cable! Way to go! I have cables that have never left my house that are even platted and have oxidized. Simply a generalization. Excellent comments, this has been a great conversation and I hope its been in good spirits, I certainly don't want to make anyone feel bad about a purchase they have made. There is a lot of great equipment available and choices to meet just about every taste. Todd
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Post by guitarstan on Jan 10, 2007 19:23:55 GMT -7
I've been using George L's for a few years and no problems so far. I use the guitar chords as well my pedal board interconnects. Take your time and check each cable with a VOM. I have had to redo a few ends when the resistance reading measured a few ohms, should be at zero.
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Post by mooretonerocks on Jan 11, 2007 11:14:46 GMT -7
Thanks all for the replies. I do not feel so bad as I sounded. They are on the y way. What sugestions do you all have for a VOM?
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Post by guitarstan on Jan 11, 2007 11:17:07 GMT -7
Radio Shack carries a good selection. If you are experienced with one then spend more and get a good one. If you are not then I recommend getting a throw away cuz you will do something stupid and fry it.
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Post by bigdaddyweed on Jan 21, 2007 20:15:03 GMT -7
Mooretonerocks, I had the same questions as you did about George L's before I purchased them. I have the brass ones on one of my pedalboards, and the nickel plated on the other, and I can't tell a difference. Both types are serving me well, and I couldn't be happier. But, I found this info on the George L site under "News and Reveiws", like me, just take it for what it's worth.
Later.......weedman
Guitar World, 12/04 - High-Wire Acts
Ever since George Lewis invented the high-end guitar cable, his George L’s products have been the choice of famously particular players, including Eric Johnson… Players can cut the cable to their exact requirements and attach any of three rock-solid plug varieties in under a minute. Non-plated brass plugs deliver the most organic and balanced tone. The gold plated plugs provide some bloom and midrange harmonic brilliance in the mids, while the nickel-plated connectors produce maximum treble attack and presence.
While these plug choices alter the nuances of tone, the cable’s basic sound remains the same-an upper mid accent that matches the guitar’s natural voice, with rattlesnake-quick transients that place no limits on speed or articulation. What more could you want? – Excerpt by Eric Kirkland
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