"Ron" wrote in message
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Arfa Daily wrote:
"Ron" wrote in message
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Ross Herbert wrote:
On 14 Jun 2006 01:54:06 -0700, "Ron" wrote:


Ross Herbert wrote:
On 12 Jun 2006 10:53:24 -0700, "Ron" wrote:

(snip)


There is a difference - up to a point - but not enough of a one to make
the
difference between a cable that's useable, because it's quiet, and one
that's not, because it causes too much hum.

All cables supplied for use with a guitar, should be fundamentally quiet,
irrespective of their price. However, a more expensive good quality one
will
have better shielding in that it will have a denser-woven shield wire
layer,
is likely to be more flexible, will have better quality connectors, and
be
more mechanically stable, which will result in less microphony when you
drag
it across, or bang it on the floor. The improved shielding is likely to
only
be noticable in environments which are electrically very noisy, or have
high
EM field strengths at line power frequency. Unless you are a professional
musician with more money than savvy, the very expensive cables claiming
all
sorts of esoteric benefits from OF copper and double
back-peddling-triple-wound-multiple-plaited-total-150%-shield-construction
( or similar ! ), are unlikely to leave you feeling that you have got
value
for your money ...

So, it's worth spending 3 or 4 times as much on a good quality cable, but
not 10 times or more on a 'snake oil' one.


Ahh... Thanks for clearing that up. I live in a hundred year-old dump
of a house and had a lot of noise problems when I tried to practice
biofeedback. I don't know if anyone makes a cheap EM field meter, but
if they did, it would probably show somewhat more 60 Hz in the
environment than that found in newer houses or houses with
better/modern wiring. So it would probably be to my advantage to buy a
better cable than the one that came with the guitar. I only paid $100
for the guitar, a guitar bag, amplifier, cable, and a DVD on how to
play the guitar-- so I didn't expect really *great* quality. So it
wouldn't hurt me to plonk down a couple dollars more for a better
shielded cable if it cuts down the hum a few dBs.

Ron


I'd say that was a pretty fair assumption. Based on the cost of such items
over here, I would guess that you should be able to get a cable that's as
good as you're going to notice, for $20 tops.

Arfa