QUALITY CABLES
Maximise your tonal mojo and pack one of the best guitar leads going
FREE THE TONE CUI-6550STD INSTRUMENT CABLE (£70/5M)
Since 2002, Free The Tone has chiefly earned its reputation off the back of Yuki Hayashi’s boutique pedals, but the Japanese firm’s self-styled “holistic” approach to rig design means it also supplies some of the industry’s most respected cables. Try the CUI-6550STD, whose increased-diameter core wires and special double-structure insulator deliver a deep, harmonically rich and natural-sounding tone – with enough punch to cut through a busy mix. www.freethetone.com
ORANGE CRUSH SERIES (£12/10FT)
The British amp giant has a respected sideline in cables, using high-grade oxygenfree copper for improved signal clarity and articulation, nickel-plated ¼-inch jacks for corrosion resistance, and multiple shielding layers to kill the dreaded crackle and hum of electromagnetic interference. They might have a citrus finish, but Orange Crush cables are no novelty item, with heavy-duty features including a heat-shrunk outer sleeve that guards the inner cable and terminals from the rigours of the road. www.orangeamps.com
FENDER DELUXE SERIES INSTRUMENT CABLE (£16/10FT)
The cable you use to hook up your vintage Strat and Twin Reverb shouldn’t be an afterthought. Fender’s Deluxe Series won’t sap your tone in transit, thanks to 24K goldplated connectors, quiet 95 per cent OFC braided shielding, optimum conductance and transparency. These cables look the business, too, with a hard-wearing tweed jacket, while custom-moulded ends with strain relief mean they’ll survive being yanked out of the socket. www.fender.com
VAN DAMME PRO GRADE CLASSIC XKE INSTRUMENT CABLE (£27/10M)
Since 1987, pro-quality cabling has been Van Damme’s raison d’être, and with a roster that includes Foo Fighters, Iron Maiden and Abbey Road Studios, it’s clear the firm has it down to a fine art. The XKE is serious kit for professional rigs: it’s a low-capacitance unbalanced cable, whose dual screens of conductive thermoplastic and close-lapped copper deliver clear, noise-free performance. If it’s good enough for Dave Grohl… www.van-damme.com
EVIDENCE AUDIO THE LYRIC HG (£72/10FT)
There’s a good reason why David Gilmour, Jeff Beck and John Mayer all favour The Lyric – the design features a dual solidcore made of refined IGL copper, delivering a noticeably purer signal path and tone than a stock multi-strand cable. By the firm’s admission, the solid-core format means it’s a little stiffer, but with braided copper shielding and a tough nylon/rubber outer, it should be pleasuring your audience’s ears for years to come. www.evidenceaudio.com
ERNIE BALL BRAIDED INSTRUMENT CABLE (£18/10FT)
Available in a range of borderline-lurid colours, the California string-king’s braided cables won’t get lost in anyone’s gigbag. Cosmetics aside, there’s quality construction here, with dual conductors delivering tone that sounds pure and full across the spectrum, advanced shielding to optimise the signal – plus that tangle-resistant braided jacket that means you won’t have to unpick a spaghetti junction each night before soundcheck. www.ernieball.co.uk