Bending planet waves patch cables
Over time, the surface of the jacks can become oxidized, the shiny silver color turning to very dull gray. If plugs are molded into the outside insulation layer, the strain relief is built into the covering. If these are separate metal connectors, the conductor and shield must be solidly connected, the casing should contact the outer insulation to help hold it in place, and some kind of strain relief should be added where the cable enters the plug casing.
![bending planet waves patch cables bending planet waves patch cables](https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/H0bad02ca99d24d46805358b10f959336Y/Audio-cable-Guitar-accessories-KGR-Guitar-Cable-Electric-Guitar-Wire-Keyboard-Drum-Audio-Cable-Noise-Canceling.jpg)
The quality of the plugs are what can make or break a good cable. It can deteriorate after a lot of flexing, although for a pedal board patch cable, that could take a long time. A good spiral shield is usually 90 – 95% effective. So a braided shield alone provides about 90 percent coverage.
![bending planet waves patch cables bending planet waves patch cables](https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1tr.2SpXXXXXOXpXXq6xXFXXXA/6-X-Guitar-Patch-Pedal-Cable-15-21-30cm-40cm-0-5ft-Long-with-1-4.jpg)
Spiral and braided shields inevitably have small spaces between the individual wires. Even better shielding results from adding a solid foil shield under the braid.Ī foil shield provides 100 percent coverage, except when it tears.
![bending planet waves patch cables bending planet waves patch cables](https://media.musiciansfriend.com/is/image/MMGS7/Cable-Station-Custom-Instrument-Cable-Kit/580576000000000-00-500x500.jpg)
It’s more expensive to manufacture and harder to work with, so braided-shield cables are often significantly more expensive. With spiral shielding, the strands can spread apart over time from bending, until gaps appear where hum can leak in.īraided cable is more robust because the strands stay bound together and form a tighter shield. Good shielding is necessary to keep hum from getting into the signal. Unfortunately, cable manufacturers often don’t publish this in their specifications unless it’s extra-low capacitance and becomes a selling point. On a large pedalboard, ten pedals connected with 12-inch patch cables is equal to one 9-foot cable.Ĭapacitance in each cable adds up, so using low-capacitance wire for patch cables is important. The more capacitance per foot, the more the high end will be rolled off. CapacitanceĪ cable’s signal and ground leads work together to form a small capacitor. However, a thicker conductor will last longer. One foot of relatively thin AWG 24 wire has a negligible resistance of 0.025 ohms per foot, which is negligible except for extremely long cables, or for speaker wires. Less resistance equals a stronger signal, but not nearly as much as you might think. What’s Important To Look For In The Best Patch Cables?Ī thicker conductor has less electrical resistance (it’s more conductive). It’s there to protect the cable from getting overly stretched or deformed. In a cable with molded plugs, the insulation is one continuous surface, getting wide to encase the plugs.įinally, some cables have an outer layer of tough woven fabric. Sometimes, a thin layer of metalized polyester foil is placed under the braided shield to provide even better hum rejection.Īll of this is wrapped with a tough outer layer of PVC insulation. This shield connects to the ground “sleeve” of the plugs. On more expensive cables, the strands are braided. Usually, the ground shield is another layer of copper wire strands that spiral in the opposite direction from the center conductor.
![bending planet waves patch cables bending planet waves patch cables](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/z07iZadT82U/mqdefault.jpg)
It catches electromagnetic radiation, in particular 50-60 Hz hum from power line wires and transformers, and routes it to ground. Better-quality cables have a way to mitigate this noise, usually with a conductive shield surrounding the core insulation. It’s very important to minimize this noise in a guitar cable, less so for a stationary patch cable. It’s an electrostatic effect caused by friction between different internal materials rubbing together. Audio cables are subject to “handling noise” and microphonics.