SOUND ON SOUND

[zenguitar]

After a long time out of the game I've been slowly acquiring new amps and pedals throughout the year. Now I am putting some thought into how I can put them all together, along with incorporating my older pedals and stuff, into one or more pedalboards.

Power supplies are no problem, I've got a couple of good ones already. The MIDI side is all in hand to integrate amp channel/FX switching as well.

But I am totally out of date when it comes to pedalboard patching cables. A decade or more ago George L's cables were all the rage, but even then there were discussions over the pros & cons.

So, I'm keen to hear a wide range of opinions on what the options are now and any first hand experiences of using them.

Thanks in advance.

Andy :beamup:

[ef37a]

Roll your own? Pancake R/A jacks* and I am sure you have gathered odd bits of screened cable over the years? Most of us do.

You will probably get dire missives about "Capacitance" and "tone suck" but the average patch cable is say 300mm? You need 3 and bi to get a mtr and that would only be around 80puff.

If the first pedal (post git') is a properly buffered one and not of the daft "True Bypass" variety, cable capacitance only matters for the guitar to pedal run.

*R/A Neutriks are great but do not allow close packing of pedals.

Dave.

[Music Wolf]

Once you have your layout, as long as you are not constantly messing with it, then quality of the patch cables aren't going to be that important. As Dave has said the lengths are going to be short and, if you are not constantly re-plugging stuff. then quality of the connectors doesn't matter so much either.

Most of my leads I solder myself using Neutrik connectors, as it pays in the long run, but where I do use patch cables (I'm mostly multi effects these days) I just buy cheap ones with moulded connectors. I just bought my son a pack of these as a stocking filler

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07F9M677P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Humble Bee]

I have tried most options over the years but stopped looking when I got these:

https://www.thomann.de/intl/evidence_au ... _10_rd.htm

Do yourself a favour and try them out. Sturdy and easy to assemble to the exact lengths required. Can be disassembled and reassembled without problems. Cable is stiff and stays in the shape that you bend it in.

Edit:

Here is a local supplier:

https://shop.thegigrig.com/evidence-aud ... able-kits/

[ef37a]

Stone me Bee! Lot of dosh when you can buy ten decent quality pancake plugs for less than a tenner! Bit o H'shrink, last forever.

Dave.

[blinddrew]

Friend of mine made up his own with some very tidy solderless cable and plugs - can't remember the brand now though. :(

[Humble Bee]

Stone me Bee! Lot of dosh when you can buy ten decent quality pancake plugs for less than a tenner! Bit o H'shrink, last forever.

Dave.

But these are from Swindon! And solderfree!

[Luke W]

I've never tried solderless cables, but there seems to be a lot of happy users. George L is the only brand that's coming to me, but I'm sure there's at least one more very popular alternative.

I don't tend to use any pre made patch cables, not because of quality issues but simply for the neatness of everything being cut to length. I always default to Neutrik connectors but that's just because I find they're really nice to work with so I can get things done quickly, I've used Switchcraft sometimes where space has been tight as they're that bit smaller and allow for tighter bends etc. As others have mentioned if they're staying put rather than moving around then cheaper connectors are unlikely to cause any problems.

In general I find a layout/setup that works and stick with it though, I don't really chop and change pedals so everything being cut to length and tied down doesn't cause me any problems, it's probably a less attractive option for people who like to swap things out frequently.

[zenguitar]

Thanks guys, all very informative. And don't worry Dave, pulling out the soldering iron was always an option.

I already have a small selection of the cheap moulded patch leads. But will probably need a few more, hence the question. I'm in no rush, so plenty of time to gather more opinions.

Andy :beamup:

[Fishnish]

I've been using this system recently for semi permanent connections on pedalboards and am very happy.

https://www.thomann.de/gb/rockboard_pat ... ble_cr.htm

I've picked them up very cheaply from other online accessory stores too, it pays to search around!

The plugs are small and neat and can mix and match as regards to orientation. The cable is slim and decent quality.Easy to work with and get neat.

Very easy to make up. Much quicker than soldering (for me at least!),

[CS70]

I think I have Planet waves on all the boards, never had issues. If (when) I”m gonna rewire the main one, I’ll try compact rigid double jacks and see how they fare

[zenguitar]

Thanks chaps.

I had the flat Rockboard cables in mind but had forgotten the solder less ones.

Andy :beamup:

[ef37a]

Some old duffers from the electronics trade like me say ALL solderless connections are bad, bad, bad. I am not one of them. The spade and receptacle (most commonly 6mm) is at least as reliable as a soldered joint IF properly crimped but I draw the line at solderless cable connectors.

Dave.

[resistorman]

I lived on an island in the ocean for most of my life, so solderless cables just did not work. Keep that in mind if you live near the salt :D

[TheLegit]

I use these on a largish pedal board (15 pedals) sound great

https://www.andertons.co.uk/ebs-hp-10-h ... atch-cable