In this issue:  A Semi-Scientific Look At Guitar Cables | Beyond Sight Reading | 
Bass Guitars | How to get a gig with Mike Stern - Play like Tom Kennedy | 
Tom Kennedy's solo on "Softly as in a Morning Sunrise" | Country and Bluegrass Bass: Expanding Your Creativity While Still Doing Your Job

A Semi-Scientific Look At Guitar Cables

by Dan Berkowitz

If you're like me, you have a gear bag full of cables that goes to gigs. Some cables are old friends, and they've been gigging with you for years. Others are newer, bought on a whim to satisfy a minor case of GAS. And there are probably a few that you keep meaning to haul out of the bag to solder on new plugs, or maybe even just toss into the garbage. For any of these cables, you probably haven't spent much more than $30.

It's possible, though, that you could spend $100, even close to $200 for a cable. Yes, nearly $200! You keep hearing all this stuff about exotic, high priced cables. Maybe a cable designed especially for bass. Maybe something that they say plays deeper, louder, clearer. What's going on? Is it voodoo? Magic? Snake oil?

Yes. No. Yes and no.

Most simply, science is still what it always has been, whether physics, chemistry, or math. Cable companies juggle a combination of factors to create cables with different characteristics, using some of this science along with a bit of art. I've recently had a chance to play with a bunch of cables from a bunch of manufacturers. Their prices have ranged from about twenty bucks on the low end, on up toward a couple hundred on the high end. I've also had a chance to study these companies' websites and talk to some of the folks who designed the cables.

What I'm not going to tell you is which cable is the best sounding, the best value, the best anything. Heck, I'm not even going to name names. First off, I don't think there really is a cable that's best for everybody. We all juggle several factors to pick out a cable. Sometimes our choice even comes down to what's on the rack at your local shop. Or maybe the kind of warranty on the package. For some of us, price is a big factor.

And face it, if your gigs are like mine, either the acoustics or the sound system are often not so hot. And sometimes they both suck! Just getting some kind of bass sound out there is all you can hope for.

So what's left?

Two things. First, I'll discuss what I think are three main characteristics shared by all cables, which provides a way to understand how they're different. Next, I'll talk about the way that cables are designed to show how these characteristics come to be.

Testing...One...Two...Three!

So what are these characteristics? Well, first there is sound. Although it may seem subtle, cables really do have their own sound. Some sound brighter, some deeper, some louder and punchier. You can hear these differences if you play a clear-sounding bass through a clear-sounding amp. How about in the band's mix on a typical gig? Probably not, unless you have great acoustics and an excellent sound system operated by a sound tech with great ears.

Certainly, if you play in a studio, you'll not only hear the differences between cables, but you'll meet producers who carry their own favorite cables to the gig and ask you to use them. Just like a prized mic.

As far as sound goes, an ideal would be to find a cable that lets all the sound through, allowing you to make your adjustments on the bass or at the amp. A voiced cable – and there are such beasts – essentially affects which parts of your axe's signal gets through. But even then, there are degrees of signal purity.

A second characteristic of cables is handling. There are a few parts to this characteristic. One is flexibility of a cable. Some cables are stiffer, some more limber. Some flop on the floor nicely, while others nearly coil themselves up as soon as you set them down (and I'm not referring to coil cords!). Weight is another variable. Yes, you guessed it – some cables weigh more than others because of the amount of copper involved and the materials used to make the jacket and insulators. Another part is the overall feel. Some cables just feel good in the hand – nice and soft – while others have more of a plastic feel.

Durability is probably the feature that most of us pay attention to. We're all looking for a cable that will get us through gig after gig without worry. The bottom line here? Probably the kind of plugs that are used, the way they are attached, and how well they are protected from an occasional yanking.

So...What's Under The Skin?

You've probably cut a cable apart before and noticed three main ingredients under the skin (often called "the jacket"). On the outside is a shield, which surrounds an insulator, which ultimately covers a conductor. If you look real closely, most of the better cables have a black layer of conductive material between the shield and the insulator, too. That layer cuts down on microphonics and handling noise by cutting static electricity.

Let's go back to the shield. There are two types – braided and spiral. Fortunately, both types look just like their name. However, for both types, there can be a different density of wire, with some shields having 75% coverage over the inner core, while higher quality ones might cover 95%. What's to gain? Better protection from noise and interference. What do you give up? Mainly flexibility, plus higher cost for the greater amount of copper. Which is more flexible? Usually, the spiral-wrapped shield. Sometimes, a wire shield with less coverage is combined with a second shield made out of a conductive plastic material, too.

What about the insulation? A thicker insulation makes for greater space between the conductor in the middle and the shield on the outside. What's gained? Essentially, the conductor plus shield become a capacitor, and this unintentional capacitor cuts the highs a little. More space equals less capacitance equals more highs that get through to your amp. Capacitance increases with cable length as well. In terms of sound, reducing capacitance is the biggest thing that can be done to improve a cable's sound.

Okay, now we're left with the center conductor. In most cables, the conductor is made up of several fine strands. In a few designs, the center is made from solid wire. Stranded wire will be more flexible. Using more finer strands will be more flexible yet. And the material used to make up the conductor can also affect your sound. That's up next!

Trickin' It Out

So what do cable companies do to make a better cable? First, let's assume that better equals clearer, with a fuller sound spectrum. Number one, cable companies reduce capacitance. We've already covered that a bit. A second trick is to go with purer grade of copper for the conductor in the middle, which is thought to increase the frequency response of the cable. Some companies use a silver conductor for better signal transmission, some use an alloy of copper or other material. Often, these more exotic materials are made from solid wire rather than strands. As you might guess, this creates a less-flexible cable, but they also have some sonic gains when the multiple strands are not interacting with each other.

After that, it gets fancier – and that basic design of shield-insulator-conductor changes. What some cable companies do is to remove the signal from the shield and assign it to a second conductor in the middle. Is there still a shield? Yes, but in that case, the shield is not connected at one end. Usually the connected end will be plugged into the amp for a better ground than just you and your bass. The theory here is that the "signal return" that flows through the second conductor instead of the shield can go through a better grade of wire. Voila! The sound improves a bit more.

By the way, when you have this kind of cable, there is actually a slight difference in sound if you plug the shield-connected end into the amp or into your bass. I'll spare you the theoretical explanation, but if you ever encounter such a cable, give it a listen both ways. One direction should sound a bit brighter.

How about tricks to make a cable more durable? That task mainly goes to the plugs and how they're installed. We're a long way from the days of flimsy molded-on ends and coily wires. If you do encounter a molded end any more, it'll be beefy and you can count on it for quite awhile. But when it does fail, you'll need to cut off the plug and install a conventional one. Among the conventional plugs you'll see are designs by Neutrik, G&H and Switchcraft. Connections can be enhanced by using heat-shrink tubing that grips the connections to the wire. More, larger heat-shrink tubing can join the plug and the cable jacket as well, for a really sturdy connection.

Some high-end designers go one step further by sealing the wires to the connections with either epoxy or thermoplastic inside the plug. Going the other way, a few companies make plugs that slide onto a cable and are attached with a set screw. If your wire cuts out, trim off an inch, slide the plug back on, tighten the screw – you're back in business.

What's It Add Up To?

So there we have it. As promised, I didn't mention a single brand. I didn't tell you which cable is best either. If you've gotten this far, you already deduced that conclusion. Cable design juggles sound qualities, handling and durability. These, ultimately, are subjective and "best" depends on your preferences for the three characteristics.

Even just considering sound, you might not like a bright, clear-sounding cable because of your specific instrument, your musical preferences or your use. You might like a cable with less bass to help cut mud at gigs with boomy acoustics. Or you might want the most transparent sound you can get, with the sound shaping all done by your bass and your rig.

How to start sorting out what you like in a cable? Go to your gear bag and pull out the cables you've been toting around. Get a sense of their weight, their flexibility, their stiffness. Look at how the plugs are attached and the kind of strain relief that's used. If you can, unscrew the cover of a plug and see what's inside and how the conductors are attached. Then grab a passive bass – their sound is most affected by cable design differences – and listen to your cables with the same settings and the same riffs into the same amp. Think about clarity, note definition, bottom end, punch.

It's a bit like learning wine tasting. After you've spent some time testing cables this way, you'll either start telling them apart, or you'll think you've begun hearing things...things that might not be there. Or are they?

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About the Author
Dan Berkowitz plays bass around the Midwest, mostly with his blues band The Tornadoes Featuring Jacqueline Krain. He also dabbles in acoustic music, jazz, and the occasional orchestra pit. He's acknowledged gear junky as well.

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