Fancy cables and strobe tuners

[Joe K]

Let's see what directions we can take this thread. After getting a $100 Guitar Center gift certificate for my birthday, I walked in ready to blow it on something.

I looked at two things. One was a Peterson Strobostomp pedal (about $170) and the other a nice 12-foot Mogami cable (about $90).

I'd read some great reviews of this pedal, especially how accurate it is. In trying it out though, it took me just as long or longer to bring a guitar up to tune as with my $10 Korg tuner. It was a little frustrating really, so I passed on it.

I did no research on cables and decided to hold off for now.

What do you think? I'd get both if I thought they were worthwhile. I'm not sure though.

Chuck Berry certainly never used a fancy tuner, and I'm pretty sure Hound Dog Taylor would laugh at a $100 cable.

What do you, my fellow gearheads and Tele brothers, think about these items?

[mellecaster]

I use the Bench Model Peterson in my Shop...but there is a bit of a Learning Curve...don't see a need for it for Performing live...I'g just get the Ole Reliable Boss....and don't get me started on BOO-Teek Cables (hehe)

[wilkat1]

Here's my fancy-schmancy strobe tuner.


Fifteen bucks at MF or GC,
or free in a 5-pack of D'Addario strings (how I got mine)

[austintele]

If you do decide you want the peterson stomp hold off for a month or so. Peterson just released the updated version with metal(instead of plastic) input and output jacks. I believe they also updated the software it uses.

[dmt101proof]

Chuck Berry may not have used a fancy tuner - but the one time I saw him I wish he had!!

[Ed Bickert]

I have the Peterson Virtual Strobe VSII. It's not the pedal, but the rubberized box. I SWEAR by this. I have done close to 100 setups for people. Ranging from career musicians to hacks (like myself). The Petereson is simply the best tuners out there IMO. And also, if Peterson came out with a newer metal one and you don't HAVE to have the metal, you might be able to get the rubber one cheaper very soon.

Cables? By far the best cables I have ever used are "Klotz" cables. I doubt they have these at GC though. I do know GC carries the Monster cables. I have a Monster "Rock" and a Monster "Jazz" cable. I still like the sound and build quality of the Klotz better, but those Monster Cable instrument cables are a cable that should last a lifetime.

[stevedenver]

Originally Posted by Ed Bickert

I have the Peterson Virtual Strobe VSII. It's not the pedal, but the rubberized box. I SWEAR by this. I have done close to 100 setups for people. Ranging from career musicians to hacks (like myself). The Petereson is simply the best tuners out there IMO. And also, if Peterson came out with a newer metal one and you don't HAVE to have the metal, you might be able to get the rubber one cheaper very soon.

Cables? By far the best cables I have ever used are "Klotz" cables. I doubt they have these at GC though. I do know GC carries the Monster cables. I have a Monster "Rock" and a Monster "Jazz" cable. I still like the sound and build quality of the Klotz better, but those Monster Cable instrument cables are a cable that should last a lifetime.

totally agree on the peterson ps II-simply wonderful-and makes intonation a lot less of a headache when resetting up a guitar or changing string guages-and youll be amazed how many pocket sized tuners are off-not just the cheap ones-even the built in one in my old digitech purple faced 6101 (?) processor (originally sold for $900+) is off in the tuner ....

the suggestion to buy the close out model is excellent-as these things come and go so buy em cheap-they still do the job- i think the pedal board model may be one of the best for sheer versatility

havent used klotz but i do use the monsters-

have 2 jazz cables, a rock and some jumpers

- i do hear a slight difference in playing clean with certain guitars with the jazz-simply more transparency or treble-this in my low z lp recording guitar and in my single coil teles

-monster jazz are pricey-i like them but find that the roc 186 cords gc sells for $14 also please me a lot-especially when my son forgets one at school-they seem to work well-havent had any bad jack connectoin issues

[guitardedzen]

I've been a pretty big fan of the Spectraflex cables m'self. Haven't tried alot outside them however.

[marc sosnoff]

it takes a bit of time and patience to get used to the stobostomp
but it is worth it your guitar will intonate and tune better than i can explain in words

if you want high end cables check out lava cable web site he has the best cables and you can compare all the best cables

[Joe K]

Originally Posted by dmt101proof

Chuck Berry may not have used a fancy tuner - but the one time I saw him I wish he had!!

Ha. Yeah, that's my point. Berry was known to often play out of tune.

I'd love to hear from people that have tried the fancy stuff (especially cables) and decided they could not tell a difference. Is that the case? Does the emperor have no clothes, or does he have fine threads?

I definitely believe a strobe is very valuable for intonation and am wondering if it does any better than the others for day-to-day tuning. Good tip that the current model may fall in price soon. We share so much great information here. Many thanks.

[Blues Hurler]

I can see spending the money on the Peterson if you're doing a lot of set-ups, but otherwise seems like a lot of money. Most times I just use a cheapo Cort or Korg and they work fine, but I'm not gigging all the time. These days, cheap electronic stuff is pretty good. But for stage, Duke Robillard uses the Boss, so that makes it good enough for me.

I can hear a slight difference in cables, but I never buy the really expensive one's so can't say which might be better. I do believe that the shorter the better. I bought some fancy Planet Waves thingy and don't like it. In my experience, you could buy 3 perfectly good cables for that $100.

[Martinp]

I use a Peterson Stroboflip for setups, but the boss pedal tuner works great for day to day use.
for cables, I've been using George L's for a long time. I've acquired a couple of Monster cables (monster rocks) and they have both failed on me. I exchanged them at GC, but it was a bit disconcerting to have a $40 dollar cable fail after only 3 weeks of light use. The other one lasted 6 months. The george l's lasted several years, and then you cut 1/2 inch of the end and reseat the connector and your good to go. I'd have a hard time recommending the monsters. oh yeah,and I can't hear any sound difference between them.

[Rick S]

Originally Posted by gibson guy

you could buy 3 perfectly good cables for that $100.

That's my opinion on the cable thing as well. I recommend Planet Wave.

I used the Boss TU-2 stomp tuner for quite a while, since they first came out. They function real well as far as use, but I knew the accuracy was ballpark at best, not just my ear but having checked it against a bench strobe.

I started using the Strobostomp over a year ago and no turning back for me. I really like it. I think the build quality is a bit light duty for road use. It's a made in China product with typical construction. Anyway, mine is still doing well. I suppose the question of value for the price just depends on how picky you are about such things.

[woodman]

Originally Posted by Ed Bickert

those Monster Cable instrument cables are a cable that should last a lifetime.

good-sounding cables, but lifetime durability hasn't been my experience. i bought a couple for playing out, and both failed at inopportune times. the lifetime guarantee is great, but you can hardly jump offstage, run to GC and get a replacement before break time's over. the lack of strain relief at the jacks is a fatal flaw in my book -- that's where they always seem to fail.

[andy__woods]

Well, as far as tuners, I started with the usual Korg handheld. I still use it for my acoustic occasionally, and for intonation if I don't want to lug out my Boss TU-2. Just recently I got one of those PlanetWaves Strobe tuners WilKat1 mentioned (won it in a contest). These things are pretty interesting, and also quite accurate. It is hard to pick up the lighter gauge strings though (b-e).

As far as cables, Monsters are fine, but I've had mine replaced twice in the past year. I have a George L thats done a great job, and just got a ProCo Excalibur 20' cable (in the same contest I won the strobe tuner). This thing is heavy duty. It had a $70 pricetag on it, so I'm glad it was free, but it's really a workhorse of a cable, and being 20', I can get from my amp to pedals with ease on larger stages.

[EMan]

Here's my personal opinion - I HAVE taken various guitar cables to work, and run them across a Low Frequency Analyzer we have. I ran them from 10hz to 100Khz. The curves for all the cables (of the same length) were literally identicle. In that case, I look for the cables that are the most rugged, and make the least electrical noise when dragged around the floor. Any claims about superior 'tone', etc., get a thumbs dowm immediately.

Tuners - I agree, there virtually no electrical difference between a $10 electronic tuner, and a $100 tuner, fundamentally. I have a $20 Boss tuner that works perfectly. I am of the opinion that 'we' as guitar players need very little in the way of ancillary gadgets..but the music gadget industry knows that 'we' are suckers for cool looking stuff. In that light, they try and package every possible 'thing' they can, give it some cool name, and try to sell it to us.

To be honest, I only use a electronic tuner for intonation setting. I use a $1.29 tuning fork for everything else...YMMV.

The last time I got a $100 gift certificate for a music center, I used it all on strings!

[Jeffscreamedcorn]

The best thing about the high end cables (besides being Hi-Fi) is the life time warrantee. The down side is that a-holes steal them at gigs...

[franchelB]

No one in the audience really cares whether you're using a Strobo-Stomp or the MF's version of a tuner! And I'm sure that even though you can afford a Peterson, while others use a Boss, Korg, Sabine, or nothing, everyone will still not be "in tune" with each other. One cannot certainly force others to use one particular brand of tuner.
The same thing with cables. I still conted that my Horizon cable has a lifetime warranty that's just as good as my Planet Waves Circuit Breaker or any higher-end cables. Some people might be able to tell the difference, soundwise, but I'm like the audience I play for...I can't tell the difference, and neither can they. All I'm concerned about is whether they like my guitar sound...I have yet to meet someone in the audience to tell me that I'd sound better if I were to use an "X" cable and a "Y" tuner!
It's a shame that Guitar Center doesn't accept Gift Cards for guitar lessons...which is what we really should be concerned about in the first place!

[timmer]

For my acoustic I still use the fork tuned to A.

For my Teles I have an Intellitouch which does not register 12th fret notes for intonation work.

I've been thinking about a Peterson for a while, and now I think I'll get one.

Thanks!

[Joe K]

Originally Posted by EMan

I HAVE taken various guitar cables to work, and run them across a Low Frequency Analyzer we have. I ran them from 10hz to 100Khz. The curves for all the cables (of the same length) were literally identicle. In that case, I look for the cables that are the most rugged, and make the least electrical noise when dragged around the floor. Any claims about superior 'tone', etc., get a thumbs dowm immediately.

Tuners - I agree, there virtually no electrical difference between a $10 electronic tuner, and a $100 tuner, fundamentally. I have a $20 Boss tuner that works perfectly. I am of the opinion that 'we' as guitar players need very little in the way of ancillary gadgets.

To me, this is a PERFECT answer. Thank you EMan.

Originally Posted by EMan

...but the music gadget industry knows that 'we' are suckers for cool looking stuff. In that light, they try and package every possible 'thing' they can, give it some cool name, and try to sell it to us.

Yeah. And sometimes I'm okay with that. Once we get a good guitar and amp, this becomes an inexpensive hobby. After putting hours and hours into playing and practicing, I/we sometimes like to treat ourselves to a little something special.

[TieDyedDevil]

Tuner -

For some people tuning by ear is close enough. For others, a strobe tuner can make a huge difference in the consonance of complex chord voicings. I've used a strobe tuner for the past six years and swear by it.

Cables -

If you switch cables you will hear a difference. The difference has to do with capacitance. Pure and simple. Most manufacturers don't spec capacitance, so you just have to try the cable and see whether you like it. But don't think that there's any correlation between cost and sound quality... When you start reading florid prose about metallurgy and other terms that seem scientific, think "snake oil". Any decent cable that costs more than about $15 or $20 should last for a long time. If you get one with quality metal ends (avoid the molded-on ends) you'll be able to repair it with a soldering iron if it breaks. But if you don't abuse a cable it should last a decade or more.

[Ben Harmless]

I'll put it this way:

In my old job doing audio work at a local 1,000 seat venue, I saw literally hundreds of bands go through. A lot of 'em were current or former chart-toppers, or at least the people who actually wrote the songs for the chart-toppers (lol). The average band, travelling without a guitar tech, would have a handfull of white Boss TU-2s on stage. If they had a guitar tech, they'd usually have a strobe tuner on the bench, and more Boss boxes on stage.

I don't remember seeing a single Monster cable or any other fancy cable. Ever.

...And that pretty much sums up what I feel about both types of products as well.

[Tremo]

Yeah, once you're at a gig, a decent Boss or Korg tuner will get the job done plenty good enough.

For cables, I like the Spectraflex. They seem to be pretty rugged and reliable.