Why are George L's cables so thin?

[zorrow]

There are George L's cables at my local guitar shop at a special price. The short ones seem to be great to link a couple of pedals together, but these cables are so thin I'm hesitating --easily half the diameter of a "normal" cable! Can anyone please explain to me why? Actually, is there anyone here using George L's cables who would review them for me here, please?

TIA

PS: FYI, from the "serious" brands, I've only used Monster and Planet Waves cables so far.

[shredmeister]

The gear page has tons of threads on 'em.

I went with Lava No Solder Cables recently when putting together my pedal board. They are great and were designed specifically for pedals.

Not cheap though.

[BCR Greg]

I am removing all of the George L's cables on my pedalboard and replacing them with Lava Cable tonight. I got tired of the ends getting loose.

[Jeff R]

I've had 'em in my pedalboards for years. No fragility problems there and they sound great. The coolest thing is being able to build a custom-length cable in a flash since they don't require solder. Edited to +1 on Greg's observation, however. You have to check the little screw-in part frequently because they come loose for no apparent reason over time.

[humfree]

I ended up going with Bill Lawrence simply because I have always had a thing for his pups.. first pickup I ever bought was an L90XL and I still have it! His cable is thin as well and after playing through them, I wonder why all the other cables are so thick. I have heard that George Ls plugs will fit on Lawrence cable, so if you want to save a few bucks, the Lawrence cable is like $0.50 a foot.

I have heard of a lot of people having trouble with the assembly of both Bill's and George's cables, but I have had none of those problems. I recently purchased 70 feet of cable and 34 plugs for my pedal board. I assembled them all in one sitting, checking only the first few and have had no failures. I use a true bypass looper with four loops. The thinner cable and custom cut lengths really cleaned up my board. It is neat and tidy and very easy to follow the connections. It was also the first time I really heard my chorus properly. Clarity, chime, body - all there, very good signal. What surprised me most was that with so many pedals and connections, I don't need a buffer. I run 15 feet from my guitar into five true bypass pedals before my signal even reaches the looper. I have 1 buffered pedal in each of the first two loops, then the chorus and my Katana. I then run another 15 feet to my amp. I have two 3 foot cables running a reverb unit and delay in my effects loop. With all that mucky muck in between, and all pedal off, I cannot hear a volume boost when I loop-in a buffered pedal. My signal gets through cleanly and I like the thinner chords.

You absolutely must make a clean right angle cut with some form of razor blade technology. The outer cable is wrapped around this gel-like soft-hard plastic which encases the ground weave and the power cable. The gel (for lack of a better word - it doesn't run like toothpaste) is tacky, and when pressed against most surfaces, tends to stick a bit. The cable actually slides into the plug itself - about half way up the tip. This IMHO, makes it possible to bend and pull on it as you would any other chord without losing the connection. Lawrence's short plugs are also less than 1/2 inch tall, which is shorter than many of the right angle plugs I was using before.

So there's some questionably reliable info for you on a similar product that some say is better.. hehehe.. to answer your specific question, I think Bill uses a thinner chord so the cable will fit into his connection system. I would imagine George had a similar motivation. The diameter does not make them noisier or any harder to deal with than regular cable we have come to be used to. I have heard some people bitch that they tangle easier, but I don't find that to be the case. If you walk in circles as you play, they'll tangle.

In the end, I paid about $190 for 17 cables and $25 of that was shipping and 9.25% tax. About $11 per cable and one of the best purchases I made this year.. in the name of tone..

FWIW

Peace

[Frank]

I've been using them for years. No problems. Use dog nail clippers to get a good clean cut. The right angle ends are the ones that come loose. I just check them all during setup and then play. A dot of locktite might stop that, but it hasn't been enough of an issue to worry with. When putting a new end on, plug the cable into an amp turned to low volume. Turn the set screw or cap just until the buzzing stops and you're good to go!

[velorush]

I use a couple of 20' 0.155 cables for my loop. The great thing is that they are so thin they seem to disappear into the floor. No connectivity problems so far...

[alantig]

I'm using the red ones for my guitar cables - no issues. Had one cable go bad - one that my dog chewed on. Don't fear the size (a phrase I've never had to utter!).

Alan

[FunkyE9th]

I've been using then with pedal boards with no problems. I actually like that they are thin. I suppose I can turn it around and ask why are all the other cables so thick?

I also use the thicker George L's, but not for pedals boards. I actually don't like them cuz they get all tangled up easily.

[Hamer of the gods]

Guitar PLayer did a cable shootout some years ago which George L's won. The cables were put through all sorts of sound and physical strength tests. The George L's was the only cable to survive having a ride cymbal dropped on it like a guillotine blade from 5 feet high.

[JohnnyB]

There are George L's cables at my local guitar shop at a special price. The short ones seem to be great to link a couple of pedals together, but these cables are so thin I'm hesitating --easily half the diameter of a "normal" cable! Can anyone please explain to me why? Actually, is there anyone here using George L's cables who would review them for me here, please?

TIA

PS: FYI, from the "serious" brands, I've only used Monster and Planet Waves cables so far.

Technically, instrument cables don't have to be thick. The thickness comes from padding and internal insulation for the pos and ground leads. The gauge of the wire itself is generally between 20 and 24 gauge regardless of the thickness of the finished cable. Most of that thickness is padding to improve handling, lower noise when moving the cable, and help the cable lie flat on the stage and coil predictably without forming kinks. For wiring pedal boards and FX racks the padding is not needed and therefore GeorgeL leaves it out, which also makes it easier to wire things up in tight places.

Although GeorgeL's website doesn't provide specifications or construction details, I suspect the cable may be insulated with Teflon, which can be pretty thin and work well, and also lowers capacitance which is one of GeorgeL's claims. GeorgeL's standard cable is .155" (less than 1/8") thick.

If you want thick with padding, GeorgeL also has a .225" thick version for connecting instruments and amps. Personally I'd go for Spectraflex, Planet Waves, or DiMarzio. DiMarzio makes a good line of cables, especially if you start at the "instrument cable." For any brand of instrument cable, the ones with a nylon braid outer sheath hold up under rough handling better.

[JohnnyB]

Guitar PLayer did a cable shootout some years ago which George L's won. The cables were put through all sorts of sound and physical strength tests. The George L's was the only cable to survive having a ride cymbal dropped on it like a guillotine blade from 5 feet high.

I remember the results of that test differently. In addition to testing capacitance and conducting listening tests, they also stress tested each entry by jumping rope with it and dropping a cymbal on edge onto it. The way I remember it, the George L's were some of the better sounding, but least rugged of the cables tested. The really rugged ones that survived cymbals and jump rope were Spectraflex and the other types sheathed in nylon webbing. I may still have the issue somewhere; it was August 1997 or thereabouts. I'll see if I can find it.

Guitar Player did another test in the April 2008 issue. They didn't perform the ruggedness tests this time (which I suspect is to pander to the advertisers), but they came up with a "winners circle" of their favorite ones based only on sound quality. This circle included GeorgeL .225", Spectraflex Fatsoflex, Mogami Platinum, DiMarzio Steve Vai Signature, and Monster 1000. Only the Mogami, Monster, and Zaolla Silverline Artist got a rating of five in all five categories (Shimmer, Girth, Punch, Noise, and Vibe).

The full rundown of each cable can be found by clicking the price category thumbnails along the right margin.

[jerseydrew]

I don't like George L's cuz they tangle and seem a bit fragile. I prefer the Planet Waves cables.

[DavidE]

I've used George L's on my pedalboards for years with only rare issues and those are very quickly remedied. I also have a couple of very short George L's cables that I use to hook my harmonizer between the wireless and the rest of the board. Those get connected and disconnected at every gig and no problems with them. I use right angle plugs on all but one end. I think they're great.

Oh, I have a full length Planet Waves cable with the screw on cable and have had nothing but problems with the screw on right angle plugs with the on/off push button.

[hamerican gigolo]

I use the thin red George L's cable,have for years. They sound great & are inexpensive. I refuse to

believe the " Monster " cable hype. No more bulky cables for me.

[santellavision]

I'm a George L's believer too. Been using them for years. Excellent tone, Easy to re-do the board in a flash and the thickness gives you more room to stick EFX on!

[carfish7]

I'm a George L's believer too. Been using them for years. Excellent tone, Easy to re-do the board in a flash and the thickness gives you more room to stick EFX on!

The little rubber caps you see on this way-too-tidy board (OCD indeed ) help keep things snuggy and tight.

DiMarzio or P Waves from the wood to the board, L's everywhere else and no issues I couldn't resolve in seconds. Going on 5 years with this setup and way satisfied.

Z

[santellavision]

The little rubber caps you see on this way-too-tidy board (OCD indeed )

Yeah, I can be OCD about my gear. I don't have a life. haha.

[Brewmaster]

The George L is fine, I haven't had a problem with them in over 2 years. I also have some of the nylon braided Dimarzio cables the are over 10 years old, one I bought in 93 IIRC when I started playing again, no issues ever.

My favorite is the Mogami I bought last year after Poe put up a thread raving about them. I use that cable for the amps shows since it is the most neutral sounding of the cables I own. JMHO

[zorrow]

Ok, thanks for the replies.

I finally purchased two short George L's and put one between my treble booster and my pre-amp, and the other from my pre-amp to my power amp. I kept one long Planet Waves from the guitar to the treble booster --the two cables I replaced where high-end Planet Waves too.

My first impression is that my sound has got noticeably clearer! I'm certainly getting better definition with the George L's cables, as well as less hiss when I put the treble booster to the max. And it is NOT my mind, no. I put the Planet Waves back, just to test once again, and there IS a difference.

Ok, this George L's cables still look fragile to me, but so far I think I did a good move. At least I do notice an improvement in my sound, and it even sounds tighter when I do my thrashy riffing. I am just amazed... and surprised!

[KH Guitar Freak]

You can get the thicker version if you wished. As for me, I'm trying to wire up my whole rig with Evidence Audios...

[zorrow]

At my local store they only have the thin ones, and in addition those were the only ones priced 1st full price, and 2nd half-priced. I guess they are introducing them in this market.

[JES1680]

I've had my pedal board wired with the thin ones for several years. BUT. I've had a .225 15 ft cable that I use as my main guitar - board or amp for over 15 years. It finally died this week.

Great stuff!

[Jones]

The thinness gives the tone no place to hide.

[burningyen]

Love George Ls. Never had a single bad connection in 10 or so years. Never had a reason to try anything else. Never will.