Clarky Posted July 27, 2010 Author Share Posted July 27, 2010 (edited) [quote name='Musicman20' post='907115' date='Jul 27 2010, 02:12 PM']Thought it would get sorted Are you enjoying the tone of it? (Before it went wrong!)[/quote] Yes, the one time I used it before last night (through my BFD cab for 30 minutes) Managed to get a very Mesa-like tubey tone from it Edited July 27, 2010 by Clarky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 [quote name='Clarky' post='907116' date='Jul 27 2010, 02:14 PM']Yes, the one time I used it before last night (through my BFD cab for 30 minutes) Managed to get a very Mesa-like tubey tone from it[/quote] Wicked. Its odd isnt it, as there are 0 tubes and its 100% digital, yet sounds more tube like with some amps that have a full tube pre! Ok its not the real deal, but its good! Youll find out once you start pushing it at higher volumes it 'gives' like a tube amp and just keeps pushing and pushing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceH Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 Two types of failure could happen with the cable - it could simply burn out and fail to pass signal (high resistance) which isn't going to do anything to any half-decent modern non-valve amp. Or it could burn up the insulation and go open circuit, dropping the load impedence to zero. This could potentially screw with the amp but again you'd expect a modern one to have adequate short circuit protection, especially something reasonably high-end like the TC. But, the cable's not going to fail until you pump a decent amount of signal through, enough to heat it up. If you didn't play anything before it failed then I can't see how the cable could have done so, unless it was already faulty. If the cable tests ok then it wasn't the cable that caused this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 Sounds like it was just a bad'un to me. It happens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbassist Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 Can't see how the cable could do it. Good luck getting it sorted :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wil Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 Before I was enlightened about the differences between instrument and speaker cables, I used a pair of very cheap patch leads to run my old Little Mark 2 to my cabs for about 2 years! Never had a problem. They did get a bit warm, mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 Re cables and amps, I did the Electronic Music Technology course at LCF many years ago, and I think the most important thing I learned was that electricity is a funny old thing and not to be f**ked with. It's a like water, it apparently behaves according to strict rules, but on occasions can appear to behave very unpredictably. With no disrespect to the authors, no amount of posts along the lines "I did it for years and it was OK" change the fact that using the wrong cables might/can cause problems, and that's even with a decent amp. Certainly, if you're not only using the wrong cable, but plugging that cable into an unknown quantity of a speaker (mention no names), you're multiplying the risk. It's also worth remembering also that patch leads and instrument cables tend to be lighter and less robust than good speaker cables, meaning they're more easily damaged. This is of course daft given that they tend to get abused (trodden on, tangled, snagged etc) far more than most speaker cables, but that damage, along with their lower tolerance to power, can cause problems if used between amp and cab. OK, it always amazes me that manufacturers still use jacks for amps and cabs, but economy is king I guess. My speaker cables are consequently 0.5inches thick and day-glow orange, whilst I use (and really look after) old-school Fender grey instrument cables. That way I can't use the wrong cables by mistake, and as an added bonus, the speaker cables are occasionally mistaken for poisonous snakes by pissed punters! Glad you're sorted Clarky C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molan Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 [quote name='Beedster' post='907368' date='Jul 27 2010, 05:34 PM']My speaker cables are consequently 0.5inches thick and day-glow orange, whilst I use (and really look after) old-school Fender grey instrument cables.[/quote] I used to do some sound engineering work for a lovely guy who runs a wet/dry hire PA business. Every single cable he owned was colour coded. All mic cables were black (so they would be as unobtrusive as possible on stage) All speaker cables were red (so people would think they might be 'live' or hot & not randomly unplug them) All interconnects were blue (not quite sure why, lol) This system was so simple yet worked brilliantly - easy to set up & super quick when breaking the PA down to make sure each cable went back in the right box. Conversely I helped run a friend's PA last week end he had about 5 different cable colours and randomly threw speaker, mic and patch cables into the same sports bag - it was a nightmare to find the right cable for each application (didn't help that he also seems to use just about every type of plug 7 socked combination imaginable!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 [quote name='molan' post='907384' date='Jul 27 2010, 05:48 PM']I used to do some sound engineering work for a lovely guy who runs a wet/dry hire PA business. Every single cable he owned was colour coded. All mic cables were black (so they would be as unobtrusive as possible on stage) All speaker cables were red (so people would think they might be 'live' or hot & not randomly unplug them) All interconnects were blue (not quite sure why, lol) This system was so simple yet worked brilliantly - easy to set up & super quick when breaking the PA down to make sure each cable went back in the right box. Conversely I helped run a friend's PA last week end he had about 5 different cable colours and randomly threw speaker, mic and patch cables into the same sports bag - it was a nightmare to find the right cable for each application (didn't help that he also seems to use just about every type of plug 7 socked combination imaginable!).[/quote] Yep, it's that 'hot' thing I like, the fat orange cables just look like they're doing something really important and are not to be messed with. I love organised soundguys! C C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molan Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 [quote name='Beedster' post='907392' date='Jul 27 2010, 05:54 PM']I love organised soundguys! C[/quote] This guy was an absolute star - I've never seen anyone as organised as him at a gig. The speed with which he, and his team if required, would break down a large PA was nothing short of breathtaking. We had a very big rig for Hawkwind once and after the gig was finished the band & road crew disappeared of to the dressing room to 'refresh' themselves. By the time they came out (which wasn't really that long) we were wheeling the last of the cables boxes out the door, all speakers, amps etc had already been loaded into the van. The look on their faces was wonderful - you could see them all doing a double take trying to work out f they'd walked out of the wrong door to a different stage etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slobluesine Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 speaker cabs should NOT have 1/4 jack ins, Speakons only..... problemo solved cant believe they still put 1/4 sockets on cabs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 (edited) [quote name='molan' post='907384' date='Jul 27 2010, 05:48 PM']All interconnects were blue (not quite sure why, lol)[/quote] Well they had to be a colour, and blue's as good as any other! [quote name='molan' post='907398' date='Jul 27 2010, 06:02 PM']....of to the dressing room to 'refresh' themselves. By the time they came out (which wasn't really that long)[/quote] They were past masters let's fact it, I doubt they spent too much time deciding who was having what and what went where [quote name='slobluesine' post='907401' date='Jul 27 2010, 06:04 PM']cant believe they still put 1/4 sockets on cabs [/quote] My point above, it's cheaper! Edited July 27, 2010 by Beedster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 I recently made some speaker cables because of all this talk about burning patch cables. I used mains cable because for whatever reason I have a big reel of the stuff. My problem is that the cable is so chunky I couldn't possibly get it to fit into a standard jack plug, and my cables (which work perfectly) are covered in insulation tape at the end, rather than a nice silver jack. Anyone know where I can get bigger jacks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 [quote name='cheddatom' post='909017' date='Jul 29 2010, 11:11 AM']I recently made some speaker cables because of all this talk about burning patch cables. I used mains cable because for whatever reason I have a big reel of the stuff. My problem is that the cable is so chunky I couldn't possibly get it to fit into a standard jack plug, and my cables (which work perfectly) are covered in insulation tape at the end, rather than a nice silver jack. Anyone know where I can get bigger jacks?[/quote] I bought some lovely speaker cables from John (BB2000) on here. I'd recommend either buying some cables from him or finding out where he gets his jacks from C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceH Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 (edited) [quote name='cheddatom' post='909017' date='Jul 29 2010, 11:11 AM']I recently made some speaker cables because of all this talk about burning patch cables. I used mains cable because for whatever reason I have a big reel of the stuff. My problem is that the cable is so chunky I couldn't possibly get it to fit into a standard jack plug, and my cables (which work perfectly) are covered in insulation tape at the end, rather than a nice silver jack. Anyone know where I can get bigger jacks?[/quote] Neutrik do a speaker-specific jack plug with a larger case. I'm sure they're available through studiospares...(google)...HERE: [url="http://www.studiospares.com/connectors/neutrik-speaker-jackplug-nys225/invt/578030/"]http://www.studiospares.com/connectors/neu...25/invt/578030/[/url] Edited July 29, 2010 by LawrenceH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 nice one! I'd rather make my own cables as I have a huge reel of mains cable I got for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted July 30, 2010 Author Share Posted July 30, 2010 How about this for customer service? I spoke to Mark at BassDirect on Tuesday, who arranged shipping labels etc. By Wednesday I had posted the faulty head back to TC in Denmark and today the replacement arrived direct from TC. Three days to sort the whole matter! Thanks Mark and amazingly speedy service from TC Electronic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Marvellous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 [quote name='Clarky' post='910595' date='Jul 30 2010, 07:55 PM']How about this for customer service? I spoke to Mark at BassDirect on Tuesday, who arranged shipping labels etc. By Wednesday I had posted the faulty head back to TC in Denmark and today the replacement arrived direct from TC. Three days to sort the whole matter! Thanks Mark and amazingly speedy service from TC Electronic [/quote] Great news Clarky, label your cables mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted July 30, 2010 Author Share Posted July 30, 2010 [quote name='Beedster' post='910598' date='Jul 30 2010, 07:57 PM']Great news Clarky, lable your cables mate [/quote] Thanks Chris, I will be buying some thick, lurid coloured amp cables before I even try this out as I don't trust what I have! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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