Choosing Cables
Contents
Material
I like braided cables over rubber cables. The rubber ones tend to pick up all the sticky gunk on random floors, which then gets covered in dirt and other crud.
Brand
I like Dimarzio and Horizon cables the best. They have performed very well over a long period of time, and none of them have failed me. Every other brand of cable I've owned, including lots of bargain ones, have failed.
Warranty
Many cables come with a lifetime warranty. That's great to hear, but it's not very practical to honor, and many times some no-name brand will be defunct before you need to honor it. I find it's best to get cables that last. If you want the assurance of a warranty, be sure to choose a brand that is reputable and successful and provides a clear, cheap (time and money-wise) method of honoring the warranty.
Length
There's generally 3 ranges of sizes for cables:
- Patch
- Midrange
- Stage
Type
- Instrument Level
- Line Level
- Speaker Level
- Balanced vs. Unbalanced
- Connectors