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Post by pablogilberto on Feb 2, 2020 6:38:42 GMT -5
Let's start a thread about Coily Cables.
Can you share your experiments, experience and opinions about them?
Why do you think some people like them and some do not?
What do they do on the signal on a technical perspective (frequency response) and with respect to guitar tones (sonal characteristics)?
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Post by b4nj0 on Feb 3, 2020 7:27:21 GMT -5
Well how's about 3.142 times the distributed capacitance for a start? $0.02 ;<D
e&oe ...
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Post by newey on Feb 3, 2020 16:36:47 GMT -5
Well, as b4njo said, capacitance is one reason. But I'm old enough to remember using these things "back in the day" when they were pretty universal. Sumgai can probably address the history better than I can, but there is a reason the plug on your guitar is called a "phone plug", and if you still have a landline phone, it likely has a coiled cable just like those coily guitar cords (although the jack has changed over the years). IOW, these were repurposed from phone gear for guitar use.
But those of us who used them back then will testify to what a pain in the fanny they were/are. Like your phone cord, as you moved around, they tangled up on themselves, got knotted, and, unlike a straight cable, are hard to untangle. Also, when you pulled on them, you always felt like you could pull it just a little bit farther, to reach your beer or whatever- and eventually the jack connections would get stressed and give up the ghost. Straight cables became the choice of gigging musicians as you always knew exactly how far they'd go- and the jacks lasted longer as a result.
So, unless you are in some sort of vintage tribute band where even the cables have to look "period correct" along with your cuban-heeled shoes and Nehru jackets, I fail to see the attraction. My 2¢
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Post by newey on Feb 3, 2020 16:40:57 GMT -5
BTW, folks, I'm moving this discussion to the coffee shop as it doesn't really have anything to do with pickups- and there's nowhere to put it in the "Gearing Up" section.
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Post by thetragichero on Feb 3, 2020 17:56:10 GMT -5
coily cables are the ONLY way to daisy chain a whole bunch of 4 hole input Marshall heads together just need some funny jeans and you're good to go
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Post by blademaster2 on Feb 3, 2020 18:02:01 GMT -5
I used to see a combination cable in stores, where a short portion of it was coiled and the rest was straight. That gave some strain relief without the annoyance and extra capacitance of the fully-coiled versions.
I gather they never sold well, since I seldom see anything like that in stores now. For my preferences, I would stick with straight cables but I recall that my first cable for my first guitar/amp was coiled.
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Post by JohnH on Feb 3, 2020 18:40:30 GMT -5
I like them for nostalgia. I bought one in 1979 and used it as my only cable for about 20 years. Once I got old and cork-sniffing-picky, I stopped using it in favour of much clearer sounding 10' straight cables.
But I still sometines used it on buffered guitars.
It's last job was to go from a floor processor to the main PA mixer at rehearsal, and it's flexibility reduced the number of times I tripped over by 15%
It finally died of corrosion, UV radiation and the enjoyment of our two cats.
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Post by b4nj0 on Feb 4, 2020 8:07:14 GMT -5
I used to have a great "Whirlwind" coiled cable that had eponymous plugs and was super mega heavy duty. I thought it would last a lifetime (the advertising certainly persuaded me that was the case), but the rubber derived jacket had other ideas. I still have the plugs though. They are solid brass, were sold as "mil spec." (yeah- right!) and I made short patch leads for a home made attenuator with them.
I can't say that I ever noticed any remarkable treble sacrifice with it originally, but I don't think I'd even consider a coiled cable these days. I note that Dan Aurbach uses them ... I like The Black Keys so if'n he brings out a signature model then who knows ;<D
e&oe ...
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Post by newey on Feb 4, 2020 9:41:46 GMT -5
As JohnH pointed out, if there's a buffer in your signal chain, then the extra capacitance matters little. And given how much of a processed sound Auerbach uses, I suspect there's a buffer in there somewhere . . .
The Black Keys are the hometown heroes around my corner of the world, even though Dan has relocated to (I think) Nashville.
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Post by reTrEaD on Feb 4, 2020 13:10:51 GMT -5
there is a reason the plug on your guitar is called a "phone plug" Yes indeed.
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Post by newey on Feb 4, 2020 16:57:33 GMT -5
The first time I felt truly old was in about 2000, when I had to explain to my then-13 year old stepson how to operate a dial telephone. He had never seen one before . . .
The text below the Bell Telephone ad is classic stuff, about the number of women they employ, who are, of course, "your friends and neighbors", not just cogs in our giant monopolistic corporation.
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Post by reTrEaD on Feb 4, 2020 21:20:09 GMT -5
The first time I felt truly old was in about 2000, when I had to explain to my then-13 year old stepson how to operate a dial telephone. He had never seen one before . . . These kids are a bit older but ...
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Post by ashcatlt on Feb 5, 2020 12:46:54 GMT -5
The first time I felt truly old was in about 2000, when I had to explain to my then-13 year old stepson how to operate a dial telephone. He had never seen one before . . . Yeah well I’m sure he returned the favor when you got your first smartphone. Why can’t it be both?!? You have a bin full of straight cables all coiled up nice. Even without ties, it’s reasonably easy to get a cable or two in or out when you need to, as long as you’re a little careful. Add one of these twisted phone cord things in there and you’re just screwed. They’re just silly and impractical and unless they’re part of some costume or something, I don’t see what anybody would put up with them. Unless you really do prefer the sound, but then I’d just go for a longer straight cable. The added capacitance definitely will take the zing off the very highest frequencies the guitar can pass. How much difference it really makes kind of depends on everything else. I can hear the difference between a 10’ and 20’ cable on my guitars through my amps most of the time, but I’ve always got all the guitar’s pots all the way up (if it has pots at all). If you go for a darker tone generally, and especially if you tend to roll back your Vs and Ts most of the time, you might not notice and probably would subconsciously correct for it by ear. Note that for a buffer to “help”, it has to be in the guitar. But then we’re back to wondering why you’d even bother with the coiled cable.
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Post by reTrEaD on Feb 5, 2020 15:56:45 GMT -5
You have a bin full of straight cables all coiled up nice. Even without ties, it’s reasonably easy to get a cable or two in or out when you need to, as long as you’re a little careful. Add one of these twisted phone cord things in there and you’re just screwed. They’re just silly and impractical and unless they’re part of some costume or something, I don’t see what anybody would put up with them. Curly cords can be annoying AF. Even a single cord will tend to tangle on itself after being stretched numerous times. If I were inclined to use them (I'm not) I'd probably invest in cloth zipper pouches for storing them individually. Still, some folks do like them and their massive capacitance. I suppose that's why Baskin Robbins serves 31 flavors. To each their own... Also, the obligatory: and
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Post by newey on Feb 5, 2020 21:44:14 GMT -5
As I said, back in the day they were ubiquitous. I doubt you can find a recent photo ("recent" as in, within the last 40 years . . .) of Clapton using one.
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Post by reTrEaD on Feb 6, 2020 13:05:13 GMT -5
As I said, back in the day they were ubiquitous. I doubt you can find a recent photo ("recent" as in, within the last 40 years . . .) of Clapton using one. That may or may not be possible. But I can guaranteed you won't find a photo of Hendrix using one in the same time span.
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Post by newey on Feb 6, 2020 16:20:48 GMT -5
Yeah, I wasn't going to go there . . .but you did!
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