Planet Waves Electric Guitar Cable
- Thread starter tsunami
- Start date
artyman: 
JMguitars
New member
tsunami said:
For completeness, we could add other manufacturers such as …. Allessandro, Analysis Plus, Canare, Cardas, Cobalt, Cornish, Dimarzio, Evidence Audio, George L’s, JPS Labs, Klotz, Mogami, Monster, Requisite Audio, Two Rock, Van der Hul, Van Evers and Zaolla …. in addition to Planet Waves.
In the guitar cable market, the way each of these brands does business can be categorised within 3 categories …….
(a) Service-based: Low priced cables sold in high volumes. Sold by cable suppliers that put their name on generic products.
(b) Marketing-based: These cables suppliers offer a more sophisticated and higher priced product backed with advertising programs, brand visibility and involves marketing programs to facilitate doing business. Generally the category of cable that provides the most profit for dealers.
(c) Performance-based: Generally designed and built by companies with little marketing budget and low visibility. They survive only because they produce cables that are demonstrably superior.
Hope this information is helpful.
wangdexian
New member
I use it. So far iy's been good to my pbass. 
gargamelesp
New member
be prepared to spend above 500 for a decent wireless. be aware that it eats batteries too. a wireless in your chain is one more thing to go wrong, but if you bring a cable as a backup, i think ure pretty safe
subversion
Moderator
cable talk i see... 8)
when you buy a cable, PLEASE do not look forward to tonal improvements- it doesn't work that way. even a $100 cable won't change your Epi tone into a Gibson, if it does, why buy a Gibson at all? yes?
the important aspects of buying a cable are:
*noise reduction
*durability
*straight shaft/ angled shaft
Planet Waves products are largely noise-free which is the most important aspect of a reputable cable. they are also very affordable, which gets my thumbs up. i have several in my collection, namely:
Classic Series
Custom Series
Circuit Breaker Series
between the 3, if you are after a no-frills unit, the Classic is the most affordable ($14) & it's durable. if you often switch guitar/ bass while playing & do not wish to switch your amp on/ off, the circuit breaker would serve you well.
do note that the planet waves shafts have a patented kink acting as a locking mechanism to prevent it from unplugging accidentally should you step on your cable by accident. this makes the cable quite difficult to unplug but it's a very thoughtful design.
when you buy a cable, PLEASE do not look forward to tonal improvements- it doesn't work that way. even a $100 cable won't change your Epi tone into a Gibson, if it does, why buy a Gibson at all? yes?
the important aspects of buying a cable are:
*noise reduction
*durability
*straight shaft/ angled shaft
Planet Waves products are largely noise-free which is the most important aspect of a reputable cable. they are also very affordable, which gets my thumbs up. i have several in my collection, namely:
Classic Series
Custom Series
Circuit Breaker Series
between the 3, if you are after a no-frills unit, the Classic is the most affordable ($14) & it's durable. if you often switch guitar/ bass while playing & do not wish to switch your amp on/ off, the circuit breaker would serve you well.
do note that the planet waves shafts have a patented kink acting as a locking mechanism to prevent it from unplugging accidentally should you step on your cable by accident. this makes the cable quite difficult to unplug but it's a very thoughtful design.
Sub, do you know what the little rubber rings that they pack together with the circuit breaker cables are for? I bought a set awhile back and didn't know what to do with the colored rings, at first I thought they were for identification purposes like the ones on the custom series but there isn't a groove on the cable jack itself for it.
subversion
Moderator
there's the 8ft version but i can't find any here...
I don't really recommend the Planet Waves cables, as they are rather cheap and don't last long. Mine stopped working in less than half a year, the connection inside the plug supposedly came loose or broke, and I can only get a signal by twisting the cable around in awkward ways. This can be rectified if you are using a normal plug, just by unscrewing the plug and resoldering the connection, but due to the design of the Planet Waves plug, it cannot be repaired. This might be so because I have the straight plug cable and I used it with my bass a lot, and I always put the cable thru the strap, putting strain on the cable at the plug. This flaw may not be prominent if you are going to purchase an angled plug cable or going to use the cable with a stratocaster, YMMV. The inability to repair the cable still irks me, though. The plus point of the plug is that the ground connection has that protruding thing that ensures good ground connection to the jack, but if you have well maintained equipment, this feature is not necessary.
You should look for a cable that isn't stiff and is repairable. I don't strongly recommend any cable, but I am using Fender Tweed cables, and they are great. I also have an Epiphone angled jack cable, which is rather good as well.
You should look for a cable that isn't stiff and is repairable. I don't strongly recommend any cable, but I am using Fender Tweed cables, and they are great. I also have an Epiphone angled jack cable, which is rather good as well.
gargamelesp
New member
i have used my planet wave cables for close to 2 years and they are still in almost perfect condition. i wont see why i would need to repair mine 
subversion
Moderator
for the DIY player, if you are into rectifying your own cables, the Planet Wave range of products has a bulk cable + plugs for you to meddle with.
Bulk cable
various plugs
am i a planet wave promoter? not quite, i get ZILCH $$ by saying the above. however, i believe that the Planet Wave products are the ones to start with because they posses a certain inherent quality standard. if they aren't suitable for you/ if you have other alternatives, then please invest accordingly.
Bulk cable
various plugs
am i a planet wave promoter? not quite, i get ZILCH $$ by saying the above. however, i believe that the Planet Wave products are the ones to start with because they posses a certain inherent quality standard. if they aren't suitable for you/ if you have other alternatives, then please invest accordingly.
subversion
Moderator
yes they are. there are other choices of course...
JMguitars
New member
Valid points, Sub. I love to talk "gear" too.
2 other aspects I would include are:
* frequency filtering.
* variation from fundamental note (i.e. overtones).
From A/B tests on different cables, I noticed there are hearable differences in the above 2 areas, i.e. some cables add a lot of overtones to the fundamental note and others have a strong fundamental note with fewer overtones.
For the lack of a better word, I've mentioned frequency filtering, given that cable making, like wine making, is an art as much as a science. A cable is conceived and built by a cable designer who has a specific goal (tone) in mind.
To that effect, I have heard some cables with very transparent responses, some with a compressed EQ, some that make the high-end more punchy and others that accentuate the lower mids while smoothing off the high-end response.
The key aspects Sub has mentioned, accurately reflect what a decent cable should do.
My other 2 other points, are more individually subjective and determine which decent cable brand an individual prefers. I would put pricing as a point in this category too, given its part in an individual's decision making process.
2 other aspects I would include are:
* frequency filtering.
* variation from fundamental note (i.e. overtones).
From A/B tests on different cables, I noticed there are hearable differences in the above 2 areas, i.e. some cables add a lot of overtones to the fundamental note and others have a strong fundamental note with fewer overtones.
For the lack of a better word, I've mentioned frequency filtering, given that cable making, like wine making, is an art as much as a science. A cable is conceived and built by a cable designer who has a specific goal (tone) in mind.
To that effect, I have heard some cables with very transparent responses, some with a compressed EQ, some that make the high-end more punchy and others that accentuate the lower mids while smoothing off the high-end response.
The key aspects Sub has mentioned, accurately reflect what a decent cable should do.
My other 2 other points, are more individually subjective and determine which decent cable brand an individual prefers. I would put pricing as a point in this category too, given its part in an individual's decision making process.
subversion
Moderator
thanks for the +1 pointers 8)