The difference between Speaker Cable and Instrument Cable?

[Wana_make_a_guitar]

Pretty much as the title says. I'm also wondering what the best of each is to look for.

 

[Cagey]

Speaker cable uses much heavier conductors, and isn't usually shielded.

For speakers, I've been using these Live Wire Elite cables. Very heavy duty.

For the guitar, I like these parts. Low impedance (capacitance), no handling noise, tight shield, highly flexible, etc. Very nice parts you'd have to spend a helluva lot more to beat.

 

[AndyG]

Speaker cable uses much heavier conductors, and isn't usually shielded.

Speaker cables should never be shielded.  First of all, there is no reason for them to be, as they are immune to RF.  Secondly, you want both the "+" and "-" to be of equal guage.

Instrument cables are always shielded, because the low-level signal is indeed prone to picking up RF interference.

 

[mayfly]

Just adding to the above:

speaker cable is lower gauge because of the increased current that it must carry.  This is because the power that speakers need comes in part from the current from the power amp.

Speaker cable does not need to be shielded because the output impedance of the amp and speaker are both very low making it difficult for RF interference to have any effect.

 

[Steve_Karl]

Canare star quad for instrument cables is the best I've found for solder your own.

 

[Neo Fender]

Follow up Q: When making homemade speaker cables, should they be wired tip to tip, sleeve to sleeve or tip to sleeve, tip to sleeve?

Thanks.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

For speaker cable you can use heave gauge wire that is used in power cords, like the orange extension cable.  Heavy gauge stuff, not the 18 gauge of the cheap-o-rama stuff.  The two wire 16-14 gauge is fine, the 18 stuff is usually cheap stuff that is prone to problems.  It is black (hot) tip and white (sleeve) in the US.  Harder to find with all of the grounded stuff, but most hardware stores carry it.  Also get a crazy color, so you can always yell at the guys trying to steal it from you at the club that the (blank) color cords are yours.

Instrument cord is shielded, as mentioned.  Shield, or braid, goes to the sleeve, and conductor is the tip.  Do not use this for speakers, as mentioned, it has much less for power capability, and you can change the impedance load on your amp, potentially frying the output transformer.  Don't argue this one, just don't do it.
Patrick

 

[mayfly]

Follow up Q: When making homemade speaker cables, should they be wired tip to tip, sleeve to sleeve or tip to sleeve, tip to sleeve?

Thanks.

Well,

If you know what you are doing you can wire them tip to sleeve... BUT they all must be done the same way.  If you don't, you'll have phase cancellation issues which will make your PA sound like crap.  Usually you'd only do this if you have a specific problem to solve (i.e. one cab wired backwards and you need to fix that in a hurry).

If you just want a general rule to follow:  Tip to tip.

 

[Strat Avenger]

I get really irritated when I see people plug a guitar cable into a speaker, and a speaker cable into a guitar or other instrument.