What gauge wire speaker to chassis on Fenders?

[Sidney Vicious]

What is the gauge of the wire that came stock on vintage Fender amps from the speaker to the rca plug? The black and white twisted stuff?

thanks.

[Sidney Vicious]

Nobody?

[DavidP]

that's what I have in my SF Fender amps.

[Sidney Vicious]

I was afraid of that - 18 like lamp cord?

The solid stuff I was going to use is 22 gauge - is that dangerous? Will it work as well?

[Darcy Hoover]

18 gauge is the stuff you need.

http://www.mojomusicalsupply.com/products.asp?id=566291

[Billm]

Don't use solid at all. It's just going to fatigue and break. And 22 gauge is too small.

Get some zip cord from a broken hair dryer or pick up a cheap (not too cheap) extension cord at the dollar store.

Or if you want the black wire/white wire look, buy three feet of 18/2 SJ wire at Home Depot or Lowes and strip off the insulation. You'll find good-quality 18 gauge stranded wire inside.

[Sidney Vicious]

Originally Posted by Billm

Don't use solid at all. It's just going to fatigue and break. And 22 gauge is too small.

Get some zip cord from a broken hair dryer or pick up a cheap (not too cheap) extension cord at the dollar store.

Or if you want the black wire/white wire look, buy three feet of 18/2 SJ wire at Home Depot or Lowes and strip off the insulation. You'll find good-quality 18 gauge stranded wire inside.

That sounds like a plan!

Thanks gents.

[jeffM]

22 gauge is fine..like many things in the guitar amp world there are many myths that continue to prevail ... this is from a McIntosh Engineer (McIntosh makes sone of the finest engineered amplifiers in the world - and yes, folks (Grateful Dead in particular) use them for guitar and PA amps. Here is an what McIntosh recommends:

Maximum Wire Lengths For TWO CONDUCTOR Copper Wire

Wire Size 2 ohm load 4 ohm load 6 ohm load 8 ohm load

22 AWG 3 feet max 6 feet max 9 feet max 12 feet max

As you can see, you can use 22gauge wire into an 8 Ohms load for up to 12 feet of length

good old zip cord is fine, and stranded v. solid makes no difference.

cheers !!


20 AWG 5 feet max 10 feet max 15 feet max 20 feet max

18AWG 8 feet max 15 feet max 23 feet max 30 feet max

[Billm]

It's not about the current capacity.

Why would anyone put solid-core wire into an application where it terminates at a plug and lives inside an area where it's subject to movement from people stuffing the line cord into the amp, putting pedals in there, etc.?

Stranded is for ruggedness/resistance to breakage and 18 gauge will certainly stand up better than 22 gauge if it gets some inadvertent tugs, pushes and pulls over the years.

[bradpdx]

Originally Posted by Billm

Stranded is for ruggedness/resistance to breakage and 18 gauge will certainly stand up better than 22 gauge if it gets some inadvertent tugs, pushes and pulls over the years.

That's why I'm voting for lamp cord. Cheap and to the point.

[pbenn]

Ordinary white and black lamp wire, oldest hardware store in town.

[Wayne Alexander]

Fatter wire will sound a little better, I like 12 gauge stranded when I can find it.

[Billm]

> Fatter wire will sound a little better

Uh-oh, time for a blind A-B comparison!

[Sidney Vicious]

I'm convinced on the stranded - and 18 is readily available - but just for authenticity -

is 18 stock on the old stuff in that application?

[Billm]

Yes, 18 gauge was stock.

[Sidney Vicious]

Thanks, Billm.

[jeffM]

not trying to flame you Bill M but it is about current capacity.. the OPT transfers high voltage low current into low voltage High current and that goes thru the speaker wire. So the gauge is chosen based on the length required as shown in the chart I provided from McIntosh. Yes 18 gauge will hold up better and stranded is less prone to breakage if moved around a lot.
cheers!

[Billm]

Heh. And this twine has a breaking point that's a full five lb. over my weight. But I think I'll find something with a little more headroom before I go mountain climbing.