Jump on any gear forum and you’re bound to see debates about “the best guitar cable”.  There are myriad claims, “information” and people will fight to the virtual death over issues like capacitance, tone suck, conductive plating, directional current, tone, presence and the ever important cryogenically frozen reverse oxidized double spec phase inverted technology!

1. Jump on any gear forum and you’re bound to see
debates about “the best guitar cable”. There are
myriad claims, “information” and people will fight to
the virtual death over issues like capacitance, tone
suck, conductive plating, directional current, tone,
presence and the ever
important cryogenically frozen reverse oxidized
double spec phase inverted technology! Needless to
say, it can be overwhelming.

2. One end goes in the guitar jack. The other goes
into your amp or first pedal in the chain etc. These
cables are unbalanced (as opposed to a 3
conductor balanced mic cable) and generally have
two conductors. The center conductor is
surrounded by the ground. This shields from EMF
(electric and magnetic fields) and RF (radio
frequencies).

3. Theseworkon theexactsametwoconductorprincipleas an instrumentcablebut theyare
designedto be smallandcompact. Theideabehindtheseisto connecta chainof pedalswhile
keepingthingsneat. Manybrandsof patchcableshavea verythininsulator(therubberstuff
on theoutside). Thisissimplybecausetheyaren’tgoingto be experiencingmuchmovement
anddon’tneedto be durablelikea guitarcablethat’sgettingdraggedaroundandstepped
on.

4. These are an entirely different cable. They are not shielded like an instrument cable,
are a larger gauge than a guitar cable and they are designed to carry much more
current. How much current you ask? Well, I could tell you a story of the time I licked
the end of a monitor cable in hopes of discovering if any signal was coming through.

5. Glad you asked! There are hundreds of different
brands and styles out there and it gets a little
overwhelming. Here are the benchmarks of a good
patch cable.
• They pass signal
• They are easy to position and manipulate
• They are durable – This is relative to the
application. If you’re not using a pedal board invest
in quality / thick soldered patch cables. They are
going to get beat up. If you are using a pedal board
try to find the smallest option possible that meets
the above requirements.

6. Buy something durable that you like the look and feel of. You want
it to hold up under situations like an amp falling over on it, roadies
using it to hoist equipment, securing a loose axle on the tour trailer
etc. Just get something tough that you like. Salvage sells custom
speaker cables with a cool vintage vibe. It’s just some high quality
wire I found that we solder high quality jacks to. It looks cool, it
feels good and it lasts. If you like it, buy it.

7. You can find us in our humble shop. If you come unannounced or just to see what’s up be sure
to have beer and/or doughnuts in hand!
1957 Friendship Dr.
Suite C.
El Cajon, CA 92020
http://www.salvagecustom.com/
shop/pedalboard-riser/