Cables and Your Tone

Amplifier Review

Dave and I are fortunate that we recently had the amazing opportunity to visit with an up-and-coming hand-wired tube amplifier designer. He has several prototypes ranging from 5 watt Class A, to 50 watt class A/B, which we put through their paces. We were impressed at the tone pouring out of these hand-made tone monsters!

This article comes from a couple of simple questions I asked during the amplifier review process. Also, it is in no way intended to disrespect anyone who is extremely discriminating (anal) about their cables. I'm discriminating (anal) about some things, too...

Cables and Your Tone

The first question was, "Where shall I plug in?" Or, it was something similar to that... He asked me something like, "What is that cable?" I was confused, because I'm just like that sometimes. Not enough coffee, sleep, brain cells or whatever. "Huh? Oh, it's just a cheesy-old cable I recently got for free."

There was a cable on the floor that was pretty thick and about 15-20 feet long. This was what he was using for his test. So, I asked him what his opinion was regarding the difference between the cables... Ask and ye shall receive.

Comparing Tone Between Cables

He said we should try the two cables to hear the difference. I'm thinking skeptically, "Yeah, right." So we played a few licks with his cable and stored the sound memory as best as possible. Then we inserted my cheapie cable and returned the amp to the same settings. There was an immediate difference that we all detected.

The difference, while audible, was kind of interesting. I heard a dip in the high frequencies, and identified some sculpting in the mid-range. The chords seemed to have a "better" or less sterile sound to me. Dave had a somewhat different impression...

Tone Is Subjective

Let's face the music people, our ears are all different! The mechanics of the ear, coupled with the size and shape of the skull, not to mention bone density, OR how much you had to drink today, determines how well you hear specific frequencies.

Here's an interesting thing... I can immediately recognize a Stevie Ray Vaughn guitar solo. I love the way his strat sings out as he literally tears up the fretboard, and then settles gently on a quiet sustaining multi-note vibrato while some of the notes scratch and others sustain at the same time. His hands, coupled with his heart, coupled with his guitar (strings, wood, screws, neck, frets, bridge, tone block, nut, pickups, pots, caps, wire, jack, etc.), cable, pedals, amp, mic, recording devices, other peoples hands and ears, mastering devices, and record pressing gear . . . All that makes up the sound we all hear and recognize as SRV.

I recognize it - you recognize it, but do we hear exactly the same thing? I think not. Put 3 different people in the same room at the same time, and simply because of proximity to the sound source, each will "hear" someting similar, but it will be sligntly different based upon each persons subjective perception. And, to make matters even more convoluted, the angle at which you are standing/sitting relative to the sound source will change the point where the sound enters your ears.

I can sit in my studio mixing a recording with several parts, while monitoring the mix on my Alesis Monitor Ones and find that "Sweet Spot." When I turn my head 3 degrees, the spectrum changes and the sound stage almost vanishes from "view." Turn my head back center, and the sound stage opens back up so I can "see" where the instruments are in the field. That's MY experience... Yours will be similar, and yet different! That's why some people are praised for having "Golden Ears." They are most able to translate what they hear to something that others will also like and listen to, and ultimately buy.

Back to Cables and Your Tone

In summary, your ultimate guitar tone may not be my ultimate guitar tone. They may be similar, they may not. You may like metal, rock or grunge distortion, or sparkly-clean jazz tones. Only you know that.

It may sound crazy, but I have played a specific song with a specific setup one day, and the very next day, without changing anythng in the chain (guitar, cables, pedals, amp settings, etc.), re-visited exactly the same song and didn't like what I heard. I tweaked it for the "right-now" ultimate tone. It was subjective one day to the next even in one person...

It is with that in mind that I say we all should experiment with different configurations, different cables, different playing styles, etc. until we achieve our ultimate guitar tone of the moment. After all, it is the right-now guitar tone that needs to be ultimate. We can remember settings, and the environment will change, resulting in different guitar tone for the remembered reference settings. Ultimately, your guitar tone needs to be tweaked for the application and environment at hand.

It remains important that IF your cable induces any undesirable noise or loss of tone, you should yank it out of the chain. If your cable subtly alters your tone in a positive way, one that you seem to prefer, keep it in the chain. If you are anal (extremely discriminating), buy the best cables you can buy for the money you have! If that's your ultimate guitar tone, more power to you. I probably won't be able to detect any difference when I come see you in that cool old smoky bar! Jam on!

For more information visit Effect Pedals 101, Effect Pedals 102, and Guitar Cable Repairs