Best length patch cable for small board?

[Slim Chance]

I'm going to put together a small pedal board, which will hold at most 4-5 pedals. Maybe only three for the time being. I've seen cable lengths of 6" & 1' (15cm & 30cm). What would be most appropriate/practical length? I will probably make the board and power it with a One Spot combo. I want it to be simple and inexpensive.

Recommendations on cable brand. Not looking for the gold standard $20+ 6" cables. I bought a Livewire cable, which seems to have a ground short and will be returned. D'Addario Planet Waves? For home use only.

 

[Art VanDelay]

I love Hosa 6" right angle cables

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001R7OGZ0/?tag=tdpri-20

 

[corliss1]

What's the best length of extension cord? How long should your curtains be? Long enough to do what you want and connect things in your layout.

 

[schmee]

I love Hosa 6" right angle cables

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001R7OGZ0/?tag=tdpri-20

Yep, I just use 6" or 12" Hosa. I have measured the resistance and it's just as good as a big thick cable.

 

[beninma]

I have a mix of Mogami pancake stuff and the Planet Waves ones. You can get the Mogami stuff pretty cheap on amazon.

It is worth looking for good pancake ones as they can save a lot of room.

However quite a few of the pancake connectors are too big to use on certain pedals that have top mounted jacks that are squeezed too tightly.

E.x. I just got a Wampler Tumnus Deluxe.. it has Input, Power, Output crammed tightly together on the top. The Planet Waves cables I have work but the Mogami pancake connectors do not.. they're big enough they interfere with the power cable. My guess would be almost every standard sized Wampler pedal would have the same issue.

I'm probably going to end up looking for another cable just for that pedal if I keep it as it messes up the layout.

 

[Edgar Allan Presley]

I like the EBS flat patch cables. The length depends on what you need, obviously. The shortest are 10 cm, which is long enough to connect from one pedal to the pedal next to it. If you have to route from one row to another you’ll need a longer one.

 

[omahaaudio]

I'm going to put together a small pedal board, which will hold at most 4-5 pedals. Maybe only three for the time being. I've seen cable lengths of 6" & 1' (15cm & 30cm). What would be most appropriate/practical length?

It's really not going to matter.

 

[RetroTeleRod]

I've had good results with Planet Waves. They last really well and they are quite a bit longer than some of the other 6 inchers. They measure 6" plus the ends, where most cables are just measured from tip to tip.
A comparison...

 

[El Tele Lobo]

I don't know if this will be useful to you or not, but I found this to be a handy tool. If you don't have a a pedal train board, maybe find one similar in size/shape to the one you have. And if they don't have all your pedals in their list (they didn't have some of mine), find something of similar size and shape. This was really helpful to me in planning and "mapping" my board. Once I knew where everything was going relative to each other, it was easier to figure out things like patch cables/cable lengths and what kind of power supply I would need. Hope it helps you.

http://pedalboardplanner.com

For my board...I ended up needing several different lengths, some U-shaped, some S-shaped and some just those little double-ended 1/4" connectors.

 

[DavidP]

I try to maximize pedalboard 'real estate', and use as short length as possible for each connection -- so its George L's cut to order... Been using George L's for well over a decade now and no cut-out issues (but then pedals don't get changed out very often).

 

[bftfender]

added a tier & some pedals to a board last week & discovered something. Board goes 20ft cable from board toamp on stage.After i built my board..seemed some certain tone zap(have 8 in the amp in chain) inadvertently won a small simple buffer on ebay for $15. Put it at end of chain..night & day difference..just like cable strait into amp. My signal is dead quiet & just like no pedal. tried it in the front end..didnt have that effect. Way worth it 15 spent. have all my fav OD pedal hooked up for fun now. Oh yeah the.. point.. just used some cheapy patch cords i have had forever & they did hiss a lil before the buffer.

 

[Nick Fanis]

added a tier & some pedals to a board last week & discovered something. Board goes 20ft cable from board toamp on stage.After i built my board..seemed some certain tone zap(have 8 in the amp in chain) inadvertently won a small simple buffer on ebay for $15. Put it at end of chain..night & day difference..just like cable strait into amp. My signal is dead quiet & just like no pedal. tried it in the front end..didnt have that effect. Way worth it 15 spent. have all my fav OD pedal hooked up for fun now. Oh yeah the.. point.. just used some cheapy patch cords i have had forever & they did hiss a lil before the buffer.

Yes if all of your pedals are true bypass you need some kind of buffered pedal (like a Boss) or stand alone buffer in the beginning AND the end of your pedal chain (if you use many pedals),you also need a buffer even if you are using a very long cable without any pedals at all.

A good old Boss tuner always does a fine job as a buffer.

 

[bftfender]

Yes if all of your pedals are true bypass you need some kind of buffered pedal (like a Boss) or stand alone buffer in the beginning AND the end of your pedal chain.

yes..i think the end of chain really surprised me..all that clear tone was back..my pedals are decent but i couldn't believe the buffer on & off comparisons with it at the end..i actually was able to change some pedal settings & they react together in a slightly more sensitive way..like not as drastic of knob movement to get some affect on adjustments

 

[TheMindful]

Definitely opt for as short as possible when you can. Depending on your board layout, you may need longer ones that go from one end of the board to another. My advice would be to do what must be done cable wise and then make sure you have some kind of buffer and you'll be all good.

 

[4pickupguy]

6 and 3/7ths inches, exactly. No more. No less.

 

[schmee]

Get rid of all that length: Looper switcher. Your signal ONLY goes through the stuff that is on. Think about it; 8 pedals = 16 contacts in the jacks. That just metal to metal contact and there is resistance to that scenario. X 16. Also, got a signal problem? You can find the culprit instantly! Best thing I ever did.

 

[leonard d rock]

I've had good results with Planet Waves. They last really well and they are quite a bit longer than some of the other 6 inchers. They measure 6" plus the ends, where most cables are just measured from tip to tip.
A comparison...

i do t know if i got
a bad batch but i got the plamet waves
and they didnt last long. all 3 died even if 2 were not move on the board and i was only unplugging and pluging in 1 pedal. i bought hosa which are very good except for the bigger plug heads

 

[teleplayr]

I make my own. Cut to length needed, no more.

 

[TheMindful]

I heard too many negative reviews about having solderless cables stop working and needing to constantly be ready for it. I just ended up getting George L fully made patch cables and haven't had really any issues in 2 years or more.

 

[Chunkocaster]

I like the flat leads with low profile plug ends the shorter the better with just a few longer ones thrown in. I bought a bunch of these Mr Power Rock Leads knockoffs, $11 bucks for packs of 3 delivered. They double back on themselves easily with the jacks butted hard up against each other leaving a bunch more room on the board.