Planet Waves PWCGT20

here are literally hundreds of
brands of guitar cable out there
with prices ranging from under a
fi ver to approaching £50 and beyond,
and we would suggest that, for most
players, the humble lead is a criminally
neglected part of any rig.
Many electrics from the lower end of
the market come supplied with that
familiar ‘bootlace’ lead, made from low
quality cable and jacks, which can suck
tone from your fi ngers as effi ciently as
one too many beers; it’s also likely to
crackle and pop like a couple of bacon
rashers in a frying pan. The fi rst thing
you should do with this lead is throw it
away, take the plunge, and buy yourself
a good one for as much as you can
realistically afford: it really could make
all the difference.
We’ve chosen eight cables to dissect
here – covering a range of budgets in
the process – and we intend to test
each to within a milimetre of their
plugs. We’ll be focusing on the primary
issues of their robustness and how well
they perform in practice.
Let’s get started…
George L’s 20-ft
£21.78 as reviewed
George L’s cables are well known
throughout the guitar-playing world.
They allow you to order a cable of an
exact length with a choice of jacks and
associated sheaths, and it will be priced
accordingly: the example here is a 20-
foot cable with two gold-plated straight
jacks and black sheaths.
The jacks here are solderless, which
will certainly polarise opinion, but
there’s no doubt that they are simple in
the extreme to affi x to the cable ends:
just cut the cable across, push the jack
on and tighten the jack’s screw. George
L’s provides two gauges of cable and
we’ve gone for the thinner of the two
just to give you an idea of what’s
available. Strictly-speaking this 3.9mm
option is better suited for patch cables
and the like as it can tangle up in longer
lengths, but the theory is the same as
with the coil-less 6.4mm option.
Good performance; reasonable
prices; cool concept.
Build Quality
In Use
Value For Money
RATING
Cable Guys
Planet Waves, Evidence Audio, George L’s, X-Series,
Zaolla, Whirlwind, Core One & Van Damme cables
from £9.95
Every electric guitar player needs at least one, but which lead to choose?
Let Guitarist be your guide by Simon Bradley
Size matters…
The longer your lead, the weaker and darker your tone and it’s all
down to capacitance. Back in issue 267 the legendary Pete Cornish
explained why this is: “The guitar cable is a small tone circuit. In
your guitar there’s a tone capacitor that’s connected to a variable
resistance; the pot. A capacitor has a low impedance at high
frequencies, so the higher the frequency the more loading effect you
get from the capacitor. Now, all cable has capacitance so the lower
that capacitance – the shorter the cable, in other words – the less
detrimental effect it will then have on the guitar.”
Find an in-depth explanation of capacitance and its specifi c
relevance to guitar cables at http://www.aqdi.com/cablecap.htm
T
Planet Waves PW-CGT-20
£9.95
This 20-footer is a member of the
Classic series, the simplest of the three
basic types of cables Planet Waves
produces, and offers a coaxial cable
designed to reduce capacitance. The
cable itself, sheathed in standard black
vinyl, is just thick enough to ensure
that immediate self-coiling is not an
issue and we fi nd the slimline look
rather appealing.
The nickel-plated plugs are
protected by a smart moulded shield
and, typical of Planet Waves’ innovative
nature, include compression springs
around the shaft to ensure as intimate
a connection with a guitar’s jack as
possible. These are rather complicated
to describe quickly in print, but take it
from us that they work like a charm.
The cherry on the cake here is the
inclusion of an elastic cable tie, vital if
you wish to avoid a spaghetti incident
in your gig bag.
Performance-wise there’s nothing
untoward to report and, at under a
tenner, this is a top-value cable.
Build Quality
In Use
Value For Money
RATING
KEY INFO ❘ GEORGE L’S ❘ PHONE: UK 01629 825087 ❘ WEB: WWW.GEORGELS.CO.UK
KEY INFO ❘ SUMMERFIELD ❘ PHONE: UK 0191 414 9000 ❘ WEB: WWW.PLANETWAVES.COM
CABLE ROUND-UP FROM £9.95
ACCESSORIES
136 MARCH 2006
GIT274.rev_cables 136GIT274.rev_cables 136 3/2/06 1:38:45 pm3/2/06 1:38:45 pm