Never Buy an Instrument Cable Again 

Well said!

Ha!

Fantastic!

Great to hear!

Enjoying your content and info. I am building a small rig for busking. Making a cable with guitar and my ear monitors in it together, keep my connection on street tight. Using a 5 wire shielded midi cable.

@@FrugalFixerSpike Nice! Thanks for watching!

It would be awesome if you did a “tools and techniques” overview. Soldering basics, how to read a multimeter, proper grounding, all the things.

I'm so grateful you're this responsive to feedback from us Mason. It might sound silly, but a DIY on putting velcro on nicely and neatly would be cool. Otherwise, something like a training-wheels level explanation on the ROLES of inputs VS outputs and Sends vs Returns would be helpful. You've done numerous kitchen sink demos of the entire signal chain path...but breaking it down to an even more fundamental level would be helpful. Or even turning each into a metaphor as opposed to a schematic. I think in more abstract ways than an engineer. Either way whatever you submit next will be fabulous. I'm in awe of how prolific your contribution has become. Seriously. Thanks for kicking ass and sharing something in such a thorough, trademark manner.

@@brendanrodgers4401 we have a bit of that throughout the DIY cables videos :)

@@patrickcarroll1754 Good call!

I REALLY want to see DIY videos on XLR and TRS cables. Also, Y cable for pedals with TRS inputs. Thanks!

Happy to help!

❤️❤️❤️

Glad you like them!

Glad it helped!

Right on

Wow, thank you!

@@VertexEffectsInc well deserved, friend.

Glad I could help!

It is super easy! I was apprehensive but watched a lot of Rig DR videos and have now made over 30 patch cables and several guitar cables. I saved a lot of $, spent a lot too but came out way ahead. I bought the recommended solder iron and accessories. That iron alone makes all the difference in the world!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching!

Great work!!!

Glad it was helpful!

Glad you like them!

Thank you for watching!

🙏🙏🙏

Thanks for watching Bruce!

I think they're Mogami 2524 as I recall, that's a nice cable.

What do you mean, signal flow in the cable?

Could be good, could also be risky if you don't know if that's the issue to resolve.

@@VertexEffectsInc the issue could be one of three: - cable cut or broken (meaning I need to shorten the cable) - shorted out - broken lead/shield connection I can't think of any other issues, let me know if I'm missing something

@@bilalnachabeh it'll just be variable and if it's a break in the cable you might have to sacrifice length. You may also have to get new plugs if that's the problem - that's the most costly part to repair as bulk cable is pretty negligible price wise.

You can use the hole, it depends on the thickness of the wire, it can be difficult with thicker wires to fit through. I generally default to the way that puts the least stress on the cable and by extension the solder joint. If you're forced to have an extreme angle on a cable just to say you fit it into the hole of the solder lug, that's not going to help you much and will do more harm than good.

I’m not sure if this is the one in the video but there’s a company called Panavise with a bunch of handy electronics vises like the one shown!

Ha! Thanks for going to down the rabbit hole with us!

Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks for watching!

You're welcome!

Better do the sign of the cross before each gig, they're handy but on borrowed time.

No need

I can't answer your question, but.. ulver ❤

Anything that’s three conductor and fits through the boot opening should work

Absolutely!

If you don't remove the conductive plastic on the Mogami cable, you can have this problem.

I think it’s stupid ✅ he only solders about 1/8” 😂

They're nice to have in many cases, just not as robust as the non-silent versions.

I don't, and if it's not stick you can use some flux. It won't hurt if you wanted to hit it with some sand paper, but I've had maybe 1-2 instances ever where the plating flaked off at the solder joint in over 12 years.

@@VertexEffectsInc Thanks for that, I had a time when I just couldn't get any lead based solder and ended-up with a spool of some nonsense that actually makes good joints (never had a fail) but flows like cold toffee and just doesn't want to stick to Switchcraft hardware - not a problem with Neutrik plugs (which I use 99% of the time anyway). Thanks and take care, Andi

Thanks for watching!

I think I said what the gauge was in the video, I don’t recall off the top of my head but basically it’s better to start bigger and then work to smaller if you’re unsure

Could be how you have the sensitivity of your meter set. Did you try the buzzing feature? Have you sound checked the cables?

Canare, Mogami, BTPA sell colors of the same cable.

mogami makes different colored boots for their cables, so you could still have a black cable, but also have colored indicators on the connectors themselves

Van Damme XKE is also a popular choice.

You have strain relief in multiple places. 1) the hard plastic support internally that fastens onto the cable over the solder joints. 2) You have the rubber boot that butts up against the hard plastic support to eliminate lateral movement and squeeze the plastic support teeth to protect against a pull. It's more than sufficient and is a very well made plug.

Noted!

Just trimmed off a few inches at the bottom, I will be back in no time

The Neutrik should be able to stretch to meet most cable thicknesses. What cable are you using?

I’m using van damme pro OD is 6mm which seems to be the same as the mogami. I’ll try again, sorry first time cable builder. Thanks for your help

@@jonlanning8973 Sure thing. You might need to clip off some of the strain relief tab, the hard plastic piece that is internal. We talk about this in the video as well and show it.

2524 is the same as W2524...same product. Normally the leading letter is omitted.

It's tricky...often folks will electrical tape and heatshrink the techflex where it meets the edge of the cable after the tech flex is already put on the cable and the boot is slid way down. It's easier to slide the boot over the tech flex if you have maybe 4-6" of excess on the end that you can squeeze into a tight bundle to slide the hole of the boot through and then cut down the tech flex as desired.

@@VertexEffectsInc thank you for always being willing to share your experience!

In terms of fall out, when consulting with the big boys that are shipping tens of thousands of these yearly (Best Tronics, CBI, etc.), they're about neck and neck, and among the silent version Switchcraft outperforms Neutrik in failures the last few years. I think it's a toss up in the end for each, they both have their advantages. Another good one that we didn't mention, but less common is Amphenol. Nothing mentioned here is plastic housed, and the cable is all Mogami 2524, all shielded and under $1/ft. as stated in the video.

I'd be careful with Neutriks. They tend to not take well to being stepped on.

​@@BrunodeSouzaLinoWell who does really?

Yes, this could be used across the board the only thing I might change is the diameter, but even in the worst case you could always double it over if you need a thicker solder

@@VertexEffectsInc Thank you sir. Appreciate you sharing the knowledge.

@@michael_caz_nyc anytime!

They're sold as individual cables, all handmade, one at a time, by my brother Adam (aka The Rig Nurse) with a lifetime warranty.

@@VertexEffectsInc makes sense. Thanks man.

How are you testing it? The plug have a capacitance, but it's generally pretty negligible on one cable compared to another. The 2524 has been the same for decades.

@@VertexEffectsInc Thank you for the reply, i found the problem. The genius who soldered it didn't remove the black conductive wrap around the transparent plastic and soldered it all. Do you think i can remove it without unsoldering or do i need to unsolder and solder again? Thank you very much

See our signal path videos.

@@VertexEffectsInc I did, thanks! The expression pedal remains a source of perplexion. Some are $150+ others are $80 ( or less). I realize MIDI can be part of the more expensive but EXP placement options seems to be legion.

@@geo5772 expression is typically relegated to a specific parameter of a specific device. Some rigs with switchers and MIDI pedals can assign the expressions to multiple pedals depending on the preset or you can get something like the Mission Expressionator to have an ABC switch to switch on EXP pedal into 3 devices. Generally, all EXP pedals are functionally the same, and generally the quality of the materials accounts for the up-charge. They're all normally 10K linear pots.

Hope you get into soldering. You can also buy most of the raw materials for cable and plugs at GC if you prefer.

Should be on there. Set it to Ohms and it should read "0" when you put the problems tip to tip or sleeve to sleeve.

Wireless is always a compromise. They've come a long way but still they don't sound like a cable totally. I like the Shure stuff these days best.

I had a feeling you we're going to say that. Wireless is convenient but far from perfect.

I list them in the links in the video.

@@VertexEffectsInc ok thanks I will check them out

@@waynegram8907 and the Tone Jacks...could be good, this is part of the reason why I use TRS jacks instead of TS to get more contact with the plugs and tension even with a mono guitar cable. They could also be problematic. I need to check them out - I'll order some and report back.

Shorter you can get away with the better typically.

The diameter is meaningless. There are low capacitance cables that are super thin, like George L's. There are thick cables that have super high capacitance, like Belden 8412. The composition of the cable is more important than how thick it is. Often the really thick cables can just be the diameter of the insulators and not indicative of the wire thickness of the center conductor or the shield. I haven't watched the video so I can't speak to their goal or intent or process, but I wouldn't pick a cable based on the thickness of the overall cable.

@@VertexEffectsInc Thanks , at first I was thinking the 8 would be better , but it does have about double the outer insulation that hates the cold , with winter coming it'd take me an hour to unroll them .

In practice, you lose highs and high mids with longer cables. The reason why that happens...You'll have to ask an electronics engineer. As per cable thickness, that will also determine the resistance of the cable and how much voltage can go through it. Guitars generate 1v at most, with basses going a bit more if they're active.

Link? I've not seen this, but next time we do a video on this, I'll certainly post :)

oops, that wont work.

We have a video on it...check it out! I think it's titled around "Pete Cornish Cables"

@@VertexEffectsInc Thank You for your reply. I'll check that out!

Sure...but it's not that great for a pedalboard, it's pretty inflexible.

Shouldn't be necessary for this.

Thank you Kind Sir

It's the worst, but still happens to me every now and again :)

Is this an insert cable??? For TRS you'd need 2552. If you're making a Y cable you need smaller cable, like the Mogami 2528.

I don't know of any that are still in operation.

If there is a Vetco in your area they are awesome! Great selection, reasonable prices, basically a Radio Shack of today. Good luck.

Radio Shack stopped catering to electronics and started focusing on phones and stuff, last time I was in one, they didn't have any of the regular cable adapters in stock, basic Y's etc. or any little motors and fun stuff. Probably why they went under.

2524 I think?

Instrument cable can be tricky at lengths longer than 6 meters ( 18 feet ). You loose clarity, as you know. I use XLR for distance longer than 6 meters.

Did you peel back all the black insulator? That is almost always the problem when people say mogami sounds muddy

Jonathan - This is a standard practice in the industry, not just me. On a quality cable, like Mogami 2524, the shield has to be large and thick to cover the center conductor fully. But you do not need that much wire at the ends where it connects to the 1/4" plugs. At the plug side, it is only the termination, the shield no longer covers the center conductor, the metal plug cover does that. A large shield has such low resistance that cutting a lot of it out will still be lower resistance than the center conductor. There is no loss in the shield quality when the ends are made acceptably thinner. This is basic physics you would get in 11th or 12th grade, and is not a unique opinion held by just me - this is fully substantiated scientifically. Just think about it, every strand of the shield is making contact inside the cable, so every one wire is in contact with every other wire inside of the cable outer insulator. With regard tot he Neutrik Silent Plugs, they are less reliable, the mechanism does fail over time and this is substantiated by our reps/distributors that provide our plugs and our colleagues using thousands of these every month, like Best-Tonics, CBI Cables, and other huge shops that have silent plug failures 10x the non-silent varieties. This isn't just Neutrik, pretty much all silent plugs have some longevity compromise because of the added mechanical features that are added.

@@VertexEffectsInc In my experience, the right angle Neutrik Silent plugs are worse than the straight ones. I've had a couple fail and I would never use them on stage. I've removed them from my cables and replaced them with the normal Neutrik right angle plugs. Since I like the look of red housing backs I kept them - they work with the non-Silent plugs!!

Since Weller is from the USA, they have degrees F as the primary and then have smaller degrees C in subscript. I like Neutrik for instrument cables, I don't like them for patch cables between pedals, they're not advantageous in that application.

( Celsius x 1.8 ) + 32 = Fahrenheit. Metric is popular because 0C is freezing an 100F is boiling, but Fahrenheit has 1.8 degrees for every degree metric has... ie: it's more granular.

@@TheMNB Is the formula really that simple? Lol how did I forget that. I hated math as a kid but in my late teens over a decade ago I realized how easy and enjoyable math is if you just use it for things you enjoy doing. I cant believe how simple the conversion is. Thanks for the info!

The garage at my house :)

@@VertexEffectsInc Awesome!

We link the vice we used, but really any would work. 60/40 Kester solder, lead is necessary for best long term reliability. I only use ROHS compliant solder for export when it's required legally. Soldering station and materials are linked in the description.

@@VertexEffectsInc must have missed the links!

@@VertexEffectsInc thanks for the reply!

@@stephengarrison172 sure thing! Let me know if you don't see the info.

@@VertexEffectsInc I found it :) Thanks for the tip on the solder. I think the Sn97Ag03 may be creating issues issues with some pickup/patch cable connections.

Which product?

Mogami 2524

@@jeffreymckeown there's a million places you can get it, just type it into Google.

@@VertexEffectsInc Ok bro. I'll try it

They all have their problems, I only use them if I have to (silent plugs).

I would also advise against using Planet Waves' Circuit Breaker plugs. They are very nice plugs, but the switch is plastic and tends to break if you abuse it too much.

​@@BrunodeSouzaLino that's the problem with moveable parts, someday they will have problems with material fatigue.

Josh, strain relief is critical, there are also some Switchcraft plugs that have longer clamps that are good for thicker cables so they really wrap around well. I think they have an "L" at the end of them, e.g. Switchcraft 280L. Soldered and assembled correctly I've found them to be very reliable - you can also add head shrink if you want to eliminate lateral movement, in most cases this is more likely than a pull (which is what the internal strain relief is really protecting against).

Not the silent ones!

@@VertexEffectsInc why not the silent ones?

@@San-gr2wv durability issue i guess

You can always double it up or go thicker if you want. That's what I'm using in the video.

Agreed

Huh?

Always wash your hands!

Avoid Pb in your solder. Get silver solder instead. And tip your cable end to a flux if needed. Just use "no clean" flux so you don't need to worry about corrosion afterwards.

@@t3r080 Lead solder is better than silver solder. Especially in that you can tell a good joint just by looking at it. All silver solder joints look like bad lead solder joints, and would make it especially hard for a beginner to tell if their joints are coming out good. Go lead or go to bed.

@@t3r080 - Or use lead solder because it flows better, clean flux off properly which isn’t hard, and wash your hands.