Cable/Cord - suggestions for a Tenor uke with pickup

brUKEman

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Messages
387
Reaction score
0
Location
New York
I am getting a uke with a built in pickup and have a Roland Microcube amp. Need to order a cable. Do you prefer a straight cable or angled cable cord and what is a good general length for a cable. Any suggestions for a decent quality cable would be appreciated.
I have seen them ranging from $10 on upto the 100's of dollars..

THanks.....brUKEman
 
brUKEman,
I am brand new to the ukulele so everything I say here may be wrong for the ukulele but I have been playing the guitar for 25 years and making my living as a performing songwriter since 1999.

My current guitar cable of choice is a Planet Waves Circuit Breaker cable:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PWCBGtr15/

I have used both angled and straight cables over the years and I have no preference. I have two of the cables in the link above and they are both standard/un-angled. I usually keep my guitar cables between 15-20'. I have had these cables for a few years and used them over and over again live with no trouble. Planet Waves seems to make decent cables and they don't cost a fortune.

I like the Circuit Breaker cables because they have a mute switch on one end of the cable. It is nice to be able to mute the cable and unplug my instrument without having to turn off my amp or mute my PA. It's a cool feature that I've found comes in handy quite a bit, even when I'm playing at home.

I plan to start adding my ukulele to my shows in about 2 weeks and I'll be using this same cable for my ukulele, also a tenor. It's been working great for me as I practice at home and I see no reason why that won't be the case live.

Hope that helps a bit,
Matt
 
Nice bit of info about the Planet Waves cable. Do you know of any other manufacturer who has a similar cable? BTW, decent price for a cable with that feature.
 
Nice bit of info about the Planet Waves cable. Do you know of any other manufacturer who has a similar cable? BTW, decent price for a cable with that feature.

I did a quick Google search and found this one:

http://www.elevation-music.com/noname.html

Everything else that came up was the Planet Wave cable that I linked to above.

I have mute switches on all of my mic cables too. I don't have this exact mic cable but the end with the switch is the same:

http://www.samash.com/p/25%20Microphone%20Cable%20with%20on%20and%20off%20Switch_-49999189

It's nice to be able to quickly mute my guitar (and soon ukulele) and my mic in case of feedback, etc.

Matt
 
Open-Road-Matt

Thanks for the info.. The 15 Footer looks like it's a winner. I am still anxious to hear which cables people are currently using for their ukes.
I have a couple of weeks to make up my mind as my uke is still being built.
 
Something to keep in mind is that length sucks power. The longer the cable the less signal you have coming out the other end. My two favorites are a 10' Quantum Audio Designs straight-to-angle and a white 15' Fender Koil straight-to-angle that I couldn't pass up. I haven't had an opportunity to sit down with a good amp and compare, but I chose the Quantum Audio cable first, just because it sucks the least amount of signal. But come on - the koil cable is way to cool, so that goes in my bag as well.
 
I second the Planet Waves cables with the on/off switch. Awesome design. I can switch from guitar to uke and back again without turning off the amp or PA or making horrible sounds.

Quite pleased with the Elixir cables too.
 
What I'd like to find is a short cable, for those times when you're plugging into a small practice amp, and are sitting next to it, and don't feel like fighting cord spaghetti and quality loss. I mean like 3ft or so.
 
Go with a 10 or 15 foot cable. I've wanted to try one of the Planet Waves Circut Breaker cables, but can't bring myself to shell out the money for one. I usually just use cheap Hosa right angle cables. When something goes wrong, I just toss it. Not a big deal, b/c they're pretty cheap. I have heard that the expensive cables give you a lot more quality with durability though, and I do have a 25ft mid-range Planet Waves cable, which is probably the most expensive one I own, but sound wise, it's no different than a cheap Hosa.

Fender Koil Cords are also pretty cool. I use mine with my Microcube in my dorm.
 
The microcube has plenty of space to plug in either an angled or straight plug. I prefer shorter cables that have one angled and one straight plug. It allows for flexibility. Samson makes some that I bought at Sam Ash. They were reasonably priced have have lasted for over 2 years.
 
Does anyone know of a cable that would be available in Euroland, that doesn't suck and is short, and is fit for the purpose of plugging into an instrument? Preferably with link to buy it online because music shops locally suck a bit, and they don't have much in the way of cable choices or length choices.
 
How timely is this - I just wrote an article for the `Ukulele Guild of Hawaii newsletter. and the subject was Cables, more so, making them.

Prior to that article, I perused this:
http://www.lavacable.com/pdfs/CableSummit4.pdf

Then this:
http://bayoucables.com/

And ended with a combination of Canare GS-6 with G&H solid core connectors. My friend uses this cable and threw away his Monster Cable and his Planet Waves.

The UGH Newsletter is sent to all UGH members.
http://www.ukuleleguild.org/

-Aaron
 
Top Bottom