Guitar cables comparison, Elixir, Whirlwind EGC20, Monster Rock, George L's and low grade cable

[Uz2Brockstar]

Length figures a lot into the equation. A cheap 10 foot cable often will sound as good as any. At lengths over 12 feet is where you really hear the difference. Test them at 20 foot lengths and really see the difference. And then its only the high frequencys that make it through, EQ can make up for it. If you EQ'd the amp for the cheap cable the others would sound too bright. The real value in these high dollar cables is longevity and warranty. My 2 cents

[tuirrenn]

I hate it when someone says what I was going to say more eloquently :)

I tend to get cable and terminate it myself and aside from the first one I ever made, I havn't had any bother with any of the cables I've made.

[Uz2Brockstar]

@tuirrenn That being said, I have used budget cables, and made them myself in the past, and I am a Mil Spec certified solderer. Without exception doing over 200 gigs a year, all the budget and home-made cables eventually fail or become noisey. I only now use cables with some kind of molded end with lifetime warranty.I let the length needed dictate the amount I spend on a cable. Less headaches and cheaper in the long run I have found. I must be really hard on cables.

[SillyHatVideos]

If you want that sparkling clean sound, Elixer is the way to go. If you wanted one with less of that spark as i put it, then one of the other cables would suit better.

For me, I love clean and brightness, I'm probably going to invest in an Elixer cable.

[FCValle]

YOUR DADDY, YOUR BORTHER, YOUR LOVER AND YOUR LITTLE GIRL

[skarbu]

The Elixir is by far the clearest, hands down. Finally I am convinced of this cable. THANK YOU VERY MUCH for this comparison! Listen to the exact first ,,twang'' of the string, and the treble chord after, no other cable is that clear. The others are just muddy. Really looks like the Elixir guys done it. I liked the George L too, but the definition is in the Elixir.

[LynnJohnny]

haha,I think a little differenfrom each others.

[VoyagerProject]

Hard to judge from the clean tones which I preferred, but the overdrive sound was fairly obvious - the Elixir had a nice balance to it, the Whirlwind and cheap cable were a bit too trebly, the George L was nice and the Monster sounded really thin and compressed. I'm a big fan of the Elixir cables generally - I have several - and this video positively reinforces my choice. Thanks!

[feelee15]

great vid. i like the George L's

[Darkinners]

really like the george L's in the shootout

[Darkinners]

really like the george L's in the shootout

[jpjdo1212]

The monster cable, george L and the Cheap cable sound brighter than the others surprised by the cheap one

[mixermantim]

I was in the studio recording a solo project a few years ago. The guitar player had this high end cable "we thought". The Second take we used a george l cable. Well the first take was never used. I have been using nothing but george L since that day.

[angusgrandison]

Much of a muchness, they all sound good even the cheap one so don't worry about it just don't make you cable too long!

[SargentA55hole]

They all sounded very nice in my opinion.

[GUZZO1848]

To me, i think they all sound different because they're different lengths. The longer cables are darker sounding because there is more resistance and length for the signal to travel and the shorter cables are brighter because the guitar signal is more direct and there is less resistance. That's what i think.

[josueatthebb]

The only one that sounds different to me is the Monster cable.

[ToneChaser4Life]

Stevie AND Mr. Big - nice!

[reticle36]

When you think a better cable gives better tone then Elixer actually does it...the rest all sound similar..no extra hi fi

[AndreNieri]

george l's sounded so much clearer and with a very nice and pleasent midrange!

[ongsborn]

The monster cables are dark sounding!

[MyHeartBeatsRnR]

definitely the elixir!

[xizombiex]

Monster cables suck so much dick. For the love of god do not buy them.

[YonderSheepChannel]

Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy! nice playing

[unchartedisawesome1]

the elixirs are the only ones i heard a slight difference from. they sounded just a tad cleaner. if your smart youd realize that once you put some distortion on it wont matter. not that little bit of difference. i might think about them for my acoustic though. in that case cleaner is better i think

[ShSwStudios]

Lenny :D

[mocoradulovic]

Whirlwind EGC20 cable,

Monster Rock cable,

very nice

[krispatel1]

Im not keen on over bright sounding cables which is why I dont buy high end. I buy planet waves classic. They're way better than what S.R.V used and he only used radioshack cables.

[DeadEyeSprout]

the last 3 didn't have that much difference in my opinion. But the elixir was brighter.

[sydfloydpink]

with cables its not just about sound its also about durability 

[bootlegapples]

My understanding is that lower capacitance equates to smoother response and extended treble whereas high capacitance equates to spiky upper mids with a dark high end...well... the elixir sounds not just brighter but also *spikier* in the upper mids too.The Whirlwind sounds darker yet it is free of the upper mid spike the elixir has.

Dunno,there must be other factors.

[yosieshel]

The cheap cable is the best sounding in clean and high gain settings. Sure there is a difference, why? - in order to make Noise Free cables you need to cut some frequencies to avoid noise. But, that only degregates the soud and does not enhance anything. Consider buying them only if you think there's too much noise in your rig, it's the same thing in pickups- single coil noiseless pickups don't sound better than real AlNiCo pickups. look for the cable that sounds best.

[AFreezerKx]

Whats the name of the song? :D sounds nice

[masquerade91492]

@AFreezerKx "Lenny" by Stevie Ray Vaughan.

[yuntras]

what amp you used, the distortion sound very nice

[Raiyne123]

What's that tune you were playing? It's nice.

[Peeb62]

Fascinating! Cables definitely had bright/dark distinctions, and the cheapie sounded fine, but was a bit noisy.

[fendero123]

im no sound god but the only thing i really hear is that the geoge l's got more highes, and the monster maybwe a little bit. others are pretty same i think

[flamen89]

TINY differences, but the "cheap" cable sounds no worse than the others in my opinon

[heminder]

this is not a fair test. the cables are of different lengths. longer cables will provide higher capacitance.

[FiraaKeitake]

Somehow wtf cable sounds nice to me, or just that my ear sucks!

[Xj86]

@FiraaKeitake I was show this video to my country's guitar webboard community and some people say exactly the same as you. When I recorded these cables, I expected that the WTF cable must sound very terrible compared to those good quality cables, but to be honest it wasn't made much difference.

[idonotownthismusic]

@FiraaKeitake Already think the same here dude. There isn't too much difference, except the number one cable that sounds a little bit clear. 

[Oneness100]

I would always choose a well constructed cable with good ends that don't easily break, then I would test to see if there are any differences.

[Oneness100]

Some people can hear a difference some can't. usually any subtle differences noticed are with those that have trained er

[gerudobombshell]

@Oneness100 It also helps to not be listening to an MP3 version on youtube. A trained ear listening to something with a limited frequency range (such as MP3 imparts on a audio file), you'll NEVER get a clear representation here on youtube. WAV files or no go.

[Oneness100]

@gerudobombshell I know. I totally agree. I wish more studios didn't use NS-10's either, they aren't exactly a good monitor either. ;-)

[Oneness100]

Also cables can sound different after they have had a signal go through them for a period of time. Some

[gerudobombshell]

@Oneness100 Most moronic thing on youtube I think...

[Oneness100]

Cables can sound different because of the type of cable, cable material, Insulation, plug, etc

[GallowayJesse]

This is fake. The player changed something on the amp for each cable.

There is no difference in sound between cables.

[Xj86]

@GallowayJesse Why would I do something like that?

[DeadEyeSprout]

@GallowayJesse Are you seriously that stupid? More expensive cables have better designs and materials used to make them. Improving their sound quality. You obviously have no factual backup for you've stated. Go do some research.

[GallowayJesse]

@DeadEyeSprout

There is no audio difference between regular cables and overpriced douche cables marketed towards lawyers, doctors, teens or anyone else with more money than sense. Simply stating facts.

BTW, if you get an email saying that you are the heir to a distant relative and to make a thousand dollar deposit so you can claim your 5 million dollar inheritance, DON'T DO IT.

You're welcome.

[gerudobombshell]

@GallowayJesse Although douchy, Galloway Jesse is correct. Audio cables impart VERY VERY LITTLE effect on the audio signal. You can say otherwise. It just proves your inability to accept facts.

However, I don't believe that XJ86 changed amplifier settings/mic placement. I'm confident he didn't change anything but the cable.

[FieryBob]

@gerudobombshell

It depends. In my house, a lot of AC currents are flying around causing TONS of interference. A better shielded cable helped eliminate a lot of noise (sometimes I get radio with high gain), but I think the cables help depending where you are and what's going on there.

[TheFlyers09]

@gerudobombshell have you ever played a handmade guitar thru a handmade amp, and compared cheap livewire cables to mogami opr george l's??

A world of difference. I suppose you would say there is no difference between speakers either??

Talkin out your ass bro

[gerudobombshell]

@TheFlyers09 See, you're so elitest you THINK you're right..

[gerudobombshell]

@TheFlyers09 Oh, and have you ever been out of your garage, arsehole?

[FreddyD94]

@GallowayJesse You obviously don't have not just any musical knowledge at all, but no knowledge of sound period.

[GallowayJesse]

@FreddyD94

Hush fool I make a living using my ears.

Btw, there is a 5 million dollar inheritance waiting for you you only have to wire 2 grand to a nice nigerian gentleman

[FieryBob]

@GallowayJesse

LOL. You obviously don't play guitar.

[GallowayJesse]

@FieryBob

Keep drinking the coolaid. It makes your toanz more better.

[FieryBob]

@GallowayJesse

I'm generous enough to waste my time telling you that you need to learn more about shit before you bash on it.

[TheFlyers09]

@GallowayJesse you obviously have never had more than one cable in you're life you moron.

The only problem with the review is that it is not scientifically valid because the tester did not use cables of all equal length.

You can't compare a 20' cable to a 10' or 12' cable and call it a fair comparison. The CABLE CAPACITANCE is DOUBLED on a 20' compared to a 10'. Even a 10 and 12 from the same mfr will offer varied tone.

If you're going to experiment , do it correctly. This is NOT A SHOOTOUT.

[GallowayJesse]

@TheFlyers09

Keep spending too much money on cables that you can't tell from a coat hanger if it makes you feel better

[Ibenflow]

@GallowayJesse Silly goose, the cable plays a significant part in the guitar tone..

[gtrincala]

Great comparison, Elixir is more defined in my ears

[asurada2022]

very nice demo. what is the name of the song? i like this riff.

[mongoose979]

i think whirlwind sounded bad. i used to think expensive cables were a waste but have noticed a Significant difference between my current Monster Prolink vs my old cheap Live Wire set

[hmonay]

0:00 Elixir

0:37 Whirlwind

1:13 Monster

1:50 George L

2:30 Cheap

[idonotownthismusic]

@hmonay Elixir and Cheap WTF sounds better than the other cables. More clear, more defined.

[cikane]

@idonotownthismusic True.

[hmonay]

@idonotownthismusic I Totally Agree!!! but i'd say the Elixir is marginally

better than the WTF cables though.

[hmonay]

In my opinion I think the Elixir sound the best

[fortysixyou]

Thank you for making this video.