New Bill Lawrence cable - anyone tried?

[Chris (UK)]

http://www.billlawrence.com/Pages/Connector_Cable.htm

Has anyone tried Bill's plugs and cable? I think it's only recently appeared on his website. The 50ft package, including 10 plugs, is much cheaper than the equivalent in George L's.

 

[S0C7]

First I've heard of them...

...but given Bill's products and experience, I wouldn't hesititate to buy 50ft of cable from him sight unseen.

Good deal, too.

 

[editorjuno]

BL's new plugs/cables

They're terrific and will really open up the high end of your sound if you've been using conventional cables. BL's new cable is very flexible, without a trace of microphonics or static, and the plug is a masterpiece of durability-by-design -- it's got only three parts, four if you count the setscrew. At only $48 for the fixin's of five cables, the deal is a steal! The cincher is that I made myself two cables in about two minutes -- that's my kind of do-it-yourself project! Btw, these things are stronger than thick, rubber-jacketed Belden cable with soldered-on Switchcraft 280s -- a setscrew gripping the inner insulation is more secure than any kind of strain relief clamp that depends on the outer cable jacket.

 

[Terry C.]

Ditto what editorjuno said.

The connectors are a real breeze to use. As long as you have a good, clean "razor-cut" end (no frazzles), the plugs are almost idiot-proof.

I was really surprised at the small diameter and flexibility of the cable, but I like it! Crisp, clean, quiet signal.

Being a couch player, I don't put a lot of wear and tear on my gear, so it'll be up to the more active members to test the long term reliability of the cable/connectors.

I do know that I was able to jerk the cable hard enough to pop out of my Strat's jack, a Switchcraft with a pretty secure 'snap', with no ill effects. This is not something that I would ever intentionally do with *any* quality cable, except for the purpose of this test.

 

[TeleGeir]

So, an Albert Collins fan would just like to know...

If the cable is only 50 ft, do I get a discount if I buy 3 at a time? And what do I do with the 28 spare plugs...? :? 8)

Geir

 

[Ringo]

is this any different than George L?

I have a very old Bill Lawrence cable, got it about 23 years ago.
It's the same as the newer George L stuff.
In fact the George L folks told me that they had a licensing deal with Bill back then.
Apparently Bill had some business problems - don't know the particulars but the George L people have been making and selling their product all along.
So my question - is the "new" Bill Lawrence cable any different or just repackaged George L stuff again?
Thanks

 

[Poppatwang]

If the "new" Bill L cable is the "now" George L cable,
Isn't it the "old" Bill L cable at the same time?

 

[editorjuno]

Re: is this any different than George L?

I have a very old Bill Lawrence cable, got it about 23 years ago.
It's the same as the newer George L stuff.
In fact the George L folks told me that they had a licensing deal with Bill back then.
Apparently Bill had some business problems - don't know the particulars but the George L people have been making and selling their product all along.
So my question - is the "new" Bill Lawrence cable any different or just repackaged George L stuff again?
Thanks

Mike, afaik there was never any "licensing deal" -- George Lewis was BL's domestic distributor and reverse- engineered BL's stuff after he ran out of old BL stock to sell. As good as it may be (and it is quite good compared to conventional cables), what George offers today is not as good as what BL made in the '80s. The machining of the plugs isn't nearly as precise, and the cable is sourced offshore -- it has the low capacitance, but afaik it isn't static-free and the jacket material (and therefore the cable) is relatively stiff. Moreover, the troublesome right-angle George L plug is not a BL design, so caveat emptor on that one!

What BL is selling today is a completely new version of the plug and an entirely new, U.S.-made cable. The plug has a smaller grip (small enough for pedal effects imo, ymmv) and all the brass parts are bright nickel plated. The setscrew is now stainless steel with an allen head (BL supplies a couple of wrenches with the package), so the whole plug is corrosion-resistant. The cable is BL's best ever, it's entirely static-free, highly flexible, and, like his plugs, U.S.-made -- iow much bettter than George's Asian-made stuff in every way except capacitance per-foot, where the two are in the same ballpark. Then there's the price....

 

[Ringo]

re BL vs GL cable

Well I don't know about all that, and I don't really care about the business arrangements that they had.

All I know is that the old Bill Lawrence brass cable ends that I have look EXACTLY like the new George L ends, except that the GL's are chrome plated.

The GL folks are nice people, I've been buying their stuff at the summer NAMM for the last few years, probably have enought to last a lifetime.

That said, I did order some of the "new" Bill Lawrence cable, as mentioned the price is good.

I'll do my own comparison, if it's more flexible that will be a plus, though I haven't really had much trouble with the GL except for the red cable that I got, it's stiff.

Either way , they both probably sound much better than most of the stuff out there.
The original BL cable that I had lasted me over 20 years, I ended up cutting up the cable to use for patch cords because the insulation had some bad spots.

 

[seeker1351]

Where can I get the Cables?

I too had those thin solderless Bill Lawrence cables some years ago and they were my favorite, but I haven't been able to find them lately. Would someone please tell me where I can get them now, or at least the GL cables? Thanks a lot!

 

[mudbean]

I bought Bill's cable kit recently ... the cable is REALLY thin, and IMHO not all that flexible. I'd be uncomfortable using it as my long primary guitar cable - it just doesn't feel hefty or soft enough. Howver, I LOVE them as pedal patch cables. The plugs are very nice, and plug in firmly - I actually have several pedals from which it is quite difficult to unplug. The wire sounds great - dead quiet and I can hear an improvement in sparkle. I use the long cord for recording (or home practice) only.

mud

 

[Ronkirn]

Bill concentrates on optimum, and I DO mean optimum performance from anything he produces...he is so focused on it meeting his stratospherically high standards; it's almost to a fault.

The primary feature of his cable is very low capacitance. He also has the knowledge to measure and insure the capacitance is low enough to meet his standard.

Why is capacitance important? Well Bill’s answer would take up several pages, and only Terry and a few others would understand it. The short answer…. Think about it… how do you modify the tone in the electronics contained in a basic (passive) guitar circuit? You throw a few capacitors here and there… usually in a place that will place one lead on the “hot” side, and the other on the “ground” or shield side.

So if the guitar cord has a relatively high capacitance, it is exactly like placing a cap across the output of the guitar, altering the tone. If the cord’s capacitance is zero, it’s exactly like placing nothing across the output. If you put nothing across the output, nothing happens, but put something across it (a capacitor) something does happen. That might sound condescendingly simple, but I hope those who may be electronics challenged will understand, you Ph. Ds.. Bear with me…

Most guitar cords offered for sale are made along the “Pacific Rim”. I can buy ‘em buy the boat load for about a buck each. I do not, because they’re junk. I don’t want my name associated with then. The “manufacturer” that places their name on the cables typically have nothing to do with any aspect of the electrical characteristics of the cable, only choosing something that looks “sexy” and having ‘em drop-shipped to the retail outlets after their logo is printed on ‘em.

Bill can tell you the capacitance of his stuff to the inch; he can also tell you how the cable will affect the “resonance” of the pickup. Something most others selling guitar cords do not even know exists. Further he can tell you why and how whatever type shielding in the pickup cavity will effect that resonance, and how modifying the capacitance of the cable will relate to it all.

Those who have talked with Bill share the same level of amazement at the incredible level of scientific thought that he applies to very aspect of what ever he is building. And I want you to know… I do mean EVERY LITTLE DETAIL.

Listening to him relay the calculus applied to everything, from the hardness of the base plate on his pickups to the density of the windings in a specific pickup makes me feel like a High School Physics student chatting with Hans Bethe, Robert Oppenheimer, and Edward Teller…

The bottom line… when you buy his cables, you get a hellova lot more than wire and plugs. You just can’t see it.

for cable. . .
(link removed)

Ron Kirn