Vovox Vs Lava Vs Bullet Vs Mogami Vs Ultex. What to choose? I've yet to try them all as they're not cheap...

I'd like to stick to one brand, if possible. I like the feeling of choosing one brand as it means I use what I like the best.


Have you tried any of these cables? What are your impressions...

I've used LiveWire, Monster, Planet Waves, Mogami, and Lava.

I believe that Mogami/Lava are the same parent company. I can't really comment on what sounds better because I usually bought a new cable every time I got a new amp. I just know I never really like LiveWire/Monster. They seemed to have junky jacks that wanted to slide easily out of the guitar input. The old Planet Waves cables I really enjoyed because they had the weird tips that seemed to make it a tighter fit in the jacks. The Mogami/Lava seem to be in the middle of the road. It slides in a good amount then a little click at the end.

I try to keep my wires to the bare minimum, that way it has less issues with picking up noise. Only things that tend to give off more noise is when I record and I'm up close to the PC. So thinking with that, I should look into a better XLR as mine is like 3 times to long and was the cheapest thing I could find. Might be time to upgrade that.

None of that helps I bet. I am currently waiting on these new optic guitar cables tho. I think thats where it will start to shine.

I just don't feel a short cable can really make a difference unless it is made of a different material. I look at car audio, I run a tiny RCA cable to an amp for the signal and it goes across the car, doesn't pickup road noise, nor anything from the engine/exhaust.

They definitely can when you start using longer runs of cable and a lot of small fx patch cables.
Also, the heavier duty cables will reject more noise and interference.

I use some longer Lava cables and they seem to be very good.
Mogami is just wire. A lot of cabling companies use it. There are several different grades. It's all pretty good. *I don't think there's any relation between Mogami and Lava though Lava does sell mogami wire.
I have several guitar cables of differing brands that use mogami wire.

I also have two high-end Evidence 'forte' cables and they're very nice sounding, quiet and seemingly indestructible.

Vovox has a great reputation but I've never used them.

They all can get very expensive.
I don't know if for 'normal' use one really has to use high-end expensive cables. There's stills tons of debate on this.

This post has been edited by klasaine: Jan 6 2014, 10:24 AM

I just placed an order for this:

George L cables and solderless jacks



A bit pricey (payed about 100 bucks), but it will make up a great set of patch cables that I will personalize in respect to the needed lengths and pedalboard setup. The nice thing about these, is that you can cut up the cable as much as you want and not have any need for soldering as you just fit it in the jack and screw the little lid on. I heard good things about George L cables - anybody else tried them?

I haven't tried them all but I've heard very good things about George L. They're supposed to be really good for warm tones? The fact that you don't even need soldering... That's great! I didn't such thing existed



Also, I'm just looking for some small jack cables to connect my guitar to some effects and the interface. I'm recording my solo EP at home and I'm getting everything ready!

This post has been edited by miguelbatalha: Jan 6 2014, 10:55 AM

I would mostly focus on Ken's (klaseine) words. Some differences are not so obvious until You connect many stomp boxes or just use long cables. Also some of them can be cought while using frequency meter (some cables can cut some highs). Also...multi-layer shielding has much to do with noise level

I don't have experience with these brands because I usually buy cables made in Argentina but with imported connectors. It's very important to have good quality cables to avoid unwanted noises, and loosing signal. So it's a good investment to buy good ones.

I bought 2 custom made cables made with Canare (I think) cable about 5 years ago and not had a single problem with them still

Same here, I had a few different cables in the past but those days I didn't use the computer as d.i.'ing I guess would be the best way to hear the differences.

I also heard now there are usb to jack cables that are only 6 dollars on ebay...its usually preferred when one doesn't own a recording specific soundcard. Say you have a basic creative soundcard, simply install asioforall and when plugging that usb cable it works. I have no idea about latency or tone though, since there is no preamp also not sure how levels are adjusted.

Canare wire is excellent!
Many studios as well as guitar, bass and keys players will only use Canare.

OMG, I meant INTEX cables and not ULTEX! (I think I thought of Dunlop Ultex pick)

I'm torn between Spectraflex, Mogami, Intex and Lava. Still

Awesome, ain't it? I have a friend working for a big local distributor and he recommended me the George L set. He has it himself and I went to his place to see his pedalboard, having patch cables made up from a set like this one above. You literally place the cable in the connector, without having to carve the plastic around the wires inside the cable, then bend it 90 degrees, screw on the cap, place the protector gum and presto! Maybe I'll shoot the process of making one, once they arrive

i also had problems with my cables a couple of months ago.

Everytime is used my distortion or something there was a lot of feedback.

Then after i tried a couple of things i bought titanium cables.

All the noise was gone.

Wonderfull!

grtzz

I saw a Fender article written about Instrument cable versus speaker cable (I know it deviates slightly from the thread but its for a reason and is worth a read if you are interested)...I seem to remember in the past having two wires inside some of my 'instrument' cables...which according to Fender,are speaker cables. Maybe some sellers are passing off the wrong cables as instrument cables?

This post has been edited by Headbanger: Jan 7 2014, 12:32 PM

I think it's a very good find and thank you for sharing. I remember trying to connect the amp head with the cabinet with an instrument cable cable, instead of a speaker cable. Big mistake and I am glad I didn't cause any damage back then As they say, you live, you learn

You would definitely know a speaker cable if you used it to plug a guitar into an amp. There would be a ton of noise and buzz. Way, way more than the average 60 cycle hum.

Let's just say I was lucky enough not to press the 'ON' button

You gotta trust your ears Try to get your hands some good cable at local store if possible and try several out before you leave with one. Some great points here in the thread. "Shielding" gets very important. The ability of cable to reject noise/etc. comes in to play quite often.

So far, the cables I like the most are the SPECTRAFLEX FATSO FLEX with 90 degree jacks at both ends. I had a hard time finding cables with 90 degree (L shaped) connectors on both ends but that's just personal preference. Makes it easier to work with IMHO. The waves cables I have stick out very far from the guitar and fx boxes which just seems to get in the way.

Also, the fatso flex are very thick and sounded the best when working with extended range instruments and sounded very warm which helps as I use a lot of digital sims. And they are nicely shielded. But also very important to me is the price. The spectra flex are no where close to as expensive as some of the custom cables mentioned, but so far I have not found a reason to spend more. But your mileage may vary

Todd

I've eliminated Bullet cables from the list (eliminated, LOL, what a rather strong word )

I'm left with Spectraflex, Mogami, Ultex and Lava. I need cables with very good shielding, that's my main concern.

I'm going to check out those, Todd. I've heard really good stuff about Spectraflex as well. Oh and also, having a dealer here in Europe helps my decision a lot...

Todd brings up a very important but generally overlooked 'modern' concern.
A lot of cables advertise low capacitance - the ability to pass a lot of high-end. Well, sometimes that's not always a desirable quality - especially when using a lot of digital gear, live or in the studio. http://www.sweetwater.com/insync/what-deal...citance-cables/

*Spectraflex make xlnt cables. They sound good and I've used one of their braided cables live for like 20 years. They reject a lot of noise because they essentially have multiple layers of shielding. Interior shielding, the rubber insulation and the 'braided' outer covering.

This post has been edited by klasaine: Jan 8 2014, 08:16 AM