# Guitar/Cables

Since you are likely to encounter cables at some point in your guitar
playing career, it is important learn about them. This is especially
true if you play the electric guitar. With the electric guitar, the use
of an amplifier is essential and the cable is the only connection that
links the two together. So in order to ensure a good sound, you need to
use the proper cabling, unless using wireless connectivity.

!A comparison of 4 jack types. From left to right: A 2.5 mm jack (often
used with cellphones), a 3.5 mm mono, a 3.5 mm stereo and a 6.3 mm
stereo, a 3.5 mm mono, a 3.5 mm stereo and a 6.3 mm stereo"){width="150"}

## Audio Cables

!Two styles of 6.3mm
jack{width="150"}

### Jack Plugs

Plugs and Jacks are one style of connector used to connect audio
equipment together. Jacks are the \"female\" side of the connection into
which Plugs - the \"male\" side of the connection - are inserted. Anyone
who has ever used a set of headphones is familiar with at least one type
of jack. A jack is simply the end of a cable that lets it connect to
another audio device. They come in many different sizes, but for
guitarists the most important ones are these:

-   3.5mm mono - small microphones and LINE Out or LINE In small audio
    devices (z. B. sound map)
-   3.5mm stereo - headphones and LINE Out or LINE In small audio
    devices (e.g. sound map).
-   6.3mm mono - LINE Out or LINE In larger audio devices (guitar
    amplifier, mixers, etc.), e-guitar, Send or Return of effects
    equipment, microphones and loudspeakers.
-   6.3mm stereo - combining Send and Return with effects devices,
    Stereo microphones and headphones.

Plugs and Jacks are often referred to among audio professionals as
\"tip-sleeve\" or \"tip-ring-sleeve\" connectors. If one looks closely
at plug at the end of a typical set of headphones, one will note that
there are white or black plastic rings separating metal surfaces. Each
of those metal surfaces is connected to a wire that is used to send
audio from one side to another. The notch found in the tip of the
connector is used to give the connection some resistance to being
inadvertently disconnected (though it hardly compares to the positive
locking of the XLR connector following).

The 6.3mm (or 1/4\" as it\'s commonly referred to) mono connector is
commonly used for connecting a guitar to an amplifier. Since a guitar,
from an audio point of view, really has no sense of left-to-right
difference, only two wires are needed, so this mono or \"tip-sleeve\"
connector is fine for the job. The tip carries the audio signal, while
the sleeve carries the ground side of the audio signal.

Looking at a pair of typical headphones for a portable music player, one
finds three metal sections. The 3.5mm stereo or tip-ring-sleeve
connector uses the tip for left-hand audio, the ring for right-hand
audio and the sleeve for ground. Look further at a set of headphones for
a smartphone like Apple\'s EarPods, and one finds four metal sections:
tip for left-hand audio, ring for right-hand audio, little sleeve for
control signals produced by the volume/play-pause controller, and big
sleeve for ground.

### Choosing Good Cables

Choosing the right cable for an electric guitar is all about preserving
the tone that the luthier and you have worked so hard to create. Many
different styles of patch cables are available in differing lengths and
using different brands of connectors, cable and jackets. A good patch
cable has been made with the rigours of guitar playing in mind: It will
use high quality connectors (look for Neutrik or Switchcraft on the
connectors themselves as two high quality brands), will be constructed
using high quality cable, and will often offer some strain relief using
a reinforcing sleeve or spring-type arrangement at the point where
connector and cable meet. A good cable will lay flat when fully extended
with no tendency to curl or twist. When connected between the guitar and
amplifier, the connections should feel solid, with no excessive play or
looseness. There should be no appreciable noise added to the sound of
the guitar, and when the guitarist grasps the connector body while
connected to the guitar and amplifier there should not be an increased
hum heard.

Patch cords often come with rubberized jackets, fabric jackets or
vinyl/polyvinyl jackets. The first two are particularly good as the main
guitar-to-amplifier connection, while the third is more suited to use
between effects units or from the effects units to the amplifier. The
choice between rubberized and fabric jackets mainly comes down to
personal preference, though, the rubberized cables are somewhat easier
to clean off should they come in contact with sticky or damp substances
common in some performance locations.

Good patch cables will be priced in the US\$20-40 range for a 3-meter
cable. A good quality cable will have a lifespan of five to ten years if
properly cared for.

### XLR plugs

!XLR plug and
socket{width="150"}

These plugs are very durable and they are the plug of choice for
professional recordings, and non-professional recordings. Nearly all
professional stages and sound studios are equipped with XLR
connections\... some home studios have XLR connections, thanks to the
invention of retail outlets. Loudspeakers and mixers are also often
connected with these cables too

The plugs have a catch mechanism, which prevents inadvertent separation
of a patch cord. In order to be able to pull a XLR plug from the socket,
you have to press the release mechanism. A XLR connection always
consists of 3 phases. One phase transfers the mass while the other two
transmit the audio signal. Usually one of the two audio signals is
misphased in transfer, in order to remove any effects from signal
distortion.

### MIDI Cables

!MIDI cable plugged into a
port.{width="150"}

Right now, the 5 pronged MIDI cable are always used for data transfer,
but originally they were intended for use with high quality stereo
equipment. At that time this 5- pronged cable represented a variant to
Stereo, which existed beside the identical, 3 pronged mono execution.

Today these cables are used almost exclusively for the transmission of
MIDI control signals between MIDI capable music instruments, amplifiers
and computers. Since it does not depend on fast data transmission rates,
shielding of the individual wires inside the cable is not necessary.

### Polyphonic or Hexaphonic Guitar Cables

In order to transfer each string to a guitarsynth, polyphonic guitar
effect or guitar2MIDI, a few different connectors have been used, but
the one introduced by Roland/BOSS in 1989 has clearly turned into a
standard. Its a DIN 13pin as it has been used in car radio before and
apart from the 6 strings (pin 1\...6) it contains the standard mono
output (pin7), a volume control (pin8), an up/dn switch (pin10/11) and
+-7V (pin 12/13). A problem is that ground flows only through the weak
housing contact.

Other polyphonic connectors:

-   7pin Lemo, used by ARP Avatar guitar synth (1977)
-   24pin rectangular used by Roland before the 13pin DIN (1977-88)
-   Neutricon used by Paradis Guitars (1985-96)
-   subD used by Photon (around 1984)
-   multiplexed stereo 1/4\" used by Shadow GTM (around 1984)
-   RJ45 Ethernet style used by Gibson Digital Guitar (since 2005)

## Other Cables

### Power Cables

Warning: All these cables and connectors are intended for a high supply
voltage! Changes or repairs to such cables can be dangerous! Power
cables for music equipment are commonly called \"jug cables\" in New
Zealand, because they were the same as the power cord for an electric
water jug!

## Mains Power Cable

!Mains Power
lead{width="150"}
A three slot conductor plug designed to International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC) specifications. Sometimes called a \"kettle plug\" or
\"kettle lead\". The kettle lead is designed for use with mains power
outlets.

