Top 6 Guitar Cables: Quality Cables for Your Signal

For such a seemingly simple component, the guitar cable - also generically known as an instrument cable, or a 1/4” cable - is one of the most discussed, dissected, and often criticized components of a guitar rig. Want to start an argument amongst guitarists? Go to any music gear forum and start a discussion about guitar cables.

In this article, we’re excited to help you (and ourselves) find the best guitar cable for your budget and needs. There is a lot of confusion when it comes to cables and understanding what to look for, how much to spend, and what models to consider can be rather overwhelming, especially to the beginner or intermediate guitarists. Even those of us that have been playing guitar for a long time can’t help but be a bit “guitar-cable-curious” about what else is out there.

Do Expensive Cables Sound Better?

Ah, the age-old question. In the grand scheme of things, does having a top quality guitar cable really matter? You’re going to hate this answer, but yes and no. Ask ten guitarists and you’re going to get ten different opinions.

Luckily, there is one thing nine out of ten guitarists can agree upon:

avoid bargain-bin guitar cables.

Even if you’re on a shoestring budget and swear it doesn’t make a difference, we would advise staying away from the FOR SALE bin full of $5 guitar cables. More often than not, these are built with inferior components and are not made to last. What good is a $5 cable if you have to replace it over and over?

So, do expensive, high-end cables sound better? In our findings, there is probably something to this, but the extent to which it’s true completely depends on who you’re talking to. There are some guitarists that talk about the nuances of how a cable affects their tone the same way an art critic would dissect a Picasso painting. On the other end of the spectrum there are those who swear that expensive instrument cables are a bunch of overpriced marketing junk, and that there’s absolutely zero difference in tone. These actual quotes we found are good representations of the types of things you’ll read all day long:

There is absolutely NO difference in sound quality from a 10 dollar cable and a 200 dollar cable. Period!!!! The difference comes in the form of "esthetic" durability (how long the cable looks new), flexibility and the "feel" of the jack, also the packaging and branding of the cable. You pay mostly for the cables advertisement costs. Essentially you’re paying them to sell their cables to you! Very sad.

Versus this:

you guys are stupid if you think the sound quality is the same for all cables, why don’t you actually test them out and you will see that there clearly is...especially when you have so many cables through your pedal boards

As you can see, we’re not going to come to a consensus anytime soon!

The argument about high-end guitar cables being “overpriced” is subjective. All we can say is that if you can afford a very high-end guitar cable, then go for it. The guitar cable is worth what you’re willing to pay for it. Even if you can’t “hear the difference,” buying a more expensive cables with a better build quality might be a good investment in the long run. Mastering guitar and getting your setup just right is challenging enough without your guitar cable giving you problems. So, to recap, if you insist you can hear the difference in more expensive cables, or you can afford to buy expensive instrument cables with a superior build quality that’ll last longer, then there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that!

What To Look For in a Guitar Cable

After polling dozens of people we discovered the majority of guitarists are seeking out cheap but reliable cables. If you’re in this camp, you’re in luck, since we have some great recommendations for you. We feel strongly that whenever you spend money on gear, you should know the basic ins and outs of what you’re buying. Here are factors to consider when choosing which instrument cable to buy:

» Shielding

Shielding is intended to block interference from the outside world (such as radio station signals, fluorescent lights, etc) from reaching the center copper conductor where your signal is passing through. If a cable is not shielded adequately, a hum, buzz, or radio signal can interfere with your sound.

» Connecting Ends

The connecting ends (aka jack connectors) of a cable are very important components. The jack connector, and the joint where it attaches to the actual cable, is a point of weakness in a cable since strain will be put on this part each time you plug it in or out or yank the cable. You’ll want to pay attention to how your guitar cable’s connecting end is connected to the cable. Several brands are known for making the best connecting ends, and other brands use those on their own cables. These brands include Neutrik, Amphenol, Switchcraft, and G&L. If the cable you're considering is using any of those, odds are the rest of the cable is quality. Also, be aware of marketing hype when it comes to jack connectors, such as “gold-plated” ones. Sure, gold is good against corrosion, but there’s no benefit to the signal.

» Reliability

Your cable is going to get thrown around, stepped on, rolled over by your chair, and yanked in and out of guitar amps and pedals repeatedly. It’s super important to get one that’s reliable! The reliability of a cable is the sum of a lot of different factors. Some manufacturers like Mogami and Monster are known for making high quality cables that last longer. Aside from your own personal experience with a cable, the best way to gauge reliability is to read as many user reviews of a cable as you can, and get a sense for which brands make the most durable cables... lucky for you we’ve done that hard work for you, and we're reporting the results in this guide! Another gauge of reliability is to see what cables pro guitarists are using, since between studio sessions and touring the world they tend to put cables through a good bit of strain.

» Cable Length

Whichever guitar cable you choose will be available in different lengths. From 3 feet, to 6, 10, 15, 20, 30, and beyond. It’s important that you select a length that’s appropriate for where you’re going to be playing guitar - in your bedroom 10 feet might suffice, but on stage you might need double that. The longer cable you get, the more the price goes up. Think about it and choose carefully! If you pick one that’s too short, you’ll get annoyed at always stretching it to the limit, and tugging at it can put undue strain on your guitar and amp jacks, as well as the cable itself. Pick one that’s too long, and your signal can suffer (several tests have proven that signal can degrade when running cable that’s very long). If you can help it, we recommend keeping your cable under 20 feet to preserve signal quality.

» Style of Music

If you mostly play jazz, you definitely want to get a cable that’s advertised as being better suited to jazz... right? Wrong! Some cable manufacturers have cables marketed to certain styles of music. Well, that’s all it is - simply marketing. The style of music you play does not matter when selecting a guitar cable.

» Electric Guitar vs. Bass Guitar Cables

Some manufacturers out there will have you believe there's a substantial difference between a cable made specifically for bass guitar versus electric guitar... which simply isn't true. Any of the cables we recommend in this guide are equally well suited for both instruments.

» Warranty

It’s worth checking if the cable you’re buying has a decent warranty. The more premium cables tend to have lifetime warranties, where the manufacturer will provide a replacement anytime you want. You simply send them your damaged cable, and they’ll send you back a new one. A good warranty is a good reason to spend a little more money on a guitar cable.

How Did We Choose the Winners?

In order to put together a list of the best guitar cables, we searched the web far and wide. We found dozens of forum threads where guitarists are recommending their favorite guitar cables. The problem with a single person’s recommendation is they might be naturally biased towards the one cable they have experience with. To eliminate as much bias as possible, we considered hundreds of opinions and made a master list. We got our hands on a few dozen cables ourselves, and put them through our testing rig.

In a few cases we're going to group a few of models made by a single brand. Don't worry, we’ll mention specific models we prefer and give you their pros and cons. The only thing we don’t make a recommendation on is length, since there’s no such thing as the best length!