Coil Cable Tone Suck - Fact or fiction?

[Jwar]

It's funny. I've heard all the bs about tone suck this and tone suck that, 9/10 it's not true. People are just fucking weird.

[PetZounds]

Yeah, honestly I'm pretty surprised to see a thread about "Tone suck" on ILF.
Usually people here seem to not care about that sort of thing, fact or fiction.

[Derelict78]

I choose a cable based on how The Great Destroyer reacts it. TGD reacts differently to all my cables.

[WayToHip]

I know that manufacturing consistency has gotten better throughout the years, but a lot of things tend to get viewed with rose coloured glasses after a while. Unless you are using a coiled cable from the sixties, I wouldn't be worried.

[goroth]

Even though physics dictates that there's going to be a difference, you're likely not going to really hear it.

I play metal. Which means I don't have ears sufficiently gold plated to hear crystal lettuces. But with no buffer I find cable capacitance noticeable in any cable longer than around 3 metres. Which in a way isn't a problem - if it rolls off too much just turn up the treble on the amp. But having a buffer means that whatever base tone I have doesn't change - I can use low capacitance cables or lamp cord and it will sound good.

[Jero]

I play metal. Which means I don't have ears sufficiently gold plated to hear crystal lettuces. But with no buffer I find cable capacitance noticeable in any cable longer than around 3 metres. Which in a way isn't a problem - if it rolls off too much just turn up the treble on the amp. But having a buffer means that whatever base tone I have doesn't change - I can use low capacitance cables or lamp cord and it will sound good.

Where do you have your buffer placed? I know you have quite the board arrangement

[goroth]

I have an opamp buffer of the output that is always on and a jfet input buffer. The output buffer is more important. Input I've been using less because of finicky fuzz. Both are under the board.

Having both basically makes my board hermetically sealed in terms of what impedance my pedals see in and out, which is great. Most of the gigs we play are ones where we have to use house gear, so as long as I can set a flat eq on the amp I can use whatever amp, whatever cables and get a consistent sound. Which is way more important than doing it for the lettuce.

[goroth]

Fwiw I like most buffers. When you compare them directly you can hear that they aren't all linear, but boss, digitech, klon, opamp, jfet... they're all good and as long as one is on the output I'm happy and without comparing them directly I sure as shit couldn't hear which one was which.

I have a few older pedals where I do notice the bypassed tone takes a hit (old guyatone micros for example), but that's a thing of the past.

[D.o.S.]

I'll buffer your cable

[goroth]

I'll buffer your cable

Finally!
I've only been waiting like... all my life.

Come here DoSsy...

[KaosCill8r]

I have an opamp buffer of the output that is always on and a jfet input buffer. The output buffer is more important. Input I've been using less because of finicky fuzz. Both are under the board.

Having both basically makes my board hermetically sealed in terms of what impedance my pedals see in and out, which is great. Most of the gigs we play are ones where we have to use house gear, so as long as I can set a flat eq on the amp I can use whatever amp, whatever cables and get a consistent sound. Which is way more important than doing it for the lettuce.

If all your fuzz is first in the chain then run your input buffer after the fuzz but before everything else. Also make a load box to run at the start of your chain. It is basically the push/relax control on the Zvex Mastotron. It is good for making Humbuckers sound and behave more like single coils or P90s and can tame down active pickups so you can use them with impedance fussy fuzz pedals.

[univalve]

I hear differences with different cables. That shit is expensive. guys, don't open that rabbit hole.

[goroth]

I'm agreeing dude, which is why I use a buffer always. It negates any and all differences.

[univalve]

And i hate how the buffer changes my sound.

I'm doomed.

[goroth]

And i hate how the buffer changes my sound.

I'm doomed.

Just get D.o.S. to buffer your cable and you'll feel better