Cable suggestions for wiring 2 GCX, rack units, and pedals?

Q & A for building and interfacing your rack gear with Ground Control Pro and GCX-based systems.
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rp108
Posts: 20
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2011 9:33 pm

Cable suggestions for wiring 2 GCX, rack units, and pedals?

Post by rp108 »

Starting to build my rack and quickly realizing how much cable I actually need for this setup. Just curious on what other people have done to keep costs down.

I am aware of the kits out there from George L and Planet Waves, financially looks good but are those solderless cables any good?

Also, Hosa cables seem very affordable but not sure the quality is up to par, especially for a complex rack.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

unix-guy
Posts: 63
Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2009 2:25 pm
Location: Vacaville, California
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Re: Cable suggestions for wiring 2 GCX, rack units, and peda

Post by unix-guy »

I really like the George L cables. Sound quality is excellent and I have found them to be very reliable.

I use them on pedalboards as well as in my rack stuff.

Another nice thing is that they are easy to fix at a gig since they are solderless.

I use them for my regular guitar cables, too - not just patch cables.

Kevin
Gear List:

'87/'88 Ibanez Sabre's (7), '86 Ibanez PL1770, Budda SuperDrive 18, George L's Cables, Barber Direct Drive (best $99 ever spent!), Rodenberg GAS-828, Nobels ODR-1, Morley Bad Horsie II, TC Electronic G-Major II, Ground Control Pro and GCX...

rp108
Posts: 20
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2011 9:33 pm

Re: Cable suggestions for wiring 2 GCX, rack units, and peda

Post by rp108 »

I heard they were pretty good. How much did it cost you (roughly) to wire your rig using them?

unix-guy
Posts: 63
Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2009 2:25 pm
Location: Vacaville, California
Contact:

Re: Cable suggestions for wiring 2 GCX, rack units, and peda

Post by unix-guy »

Connectors are typically $5 each, plus the cable which costs me $1.50/ft. Buying the pedalboard kit is a good option - check eBay.

The cost will depend on how many loops you are using and what particular connections you require. For each loop, you will typically have a send cable, receive cable and another from the out to the in of the next loop. So, that is 6 connectors plus cable...

I would say its a little more expensive than buying "generic" patch cables, but you can make the cables exactly the size you want which helps keep your rack clean.
Gear List:

'87/'88 Ibanez Sabre's (7), '86 Ibanez PL1770, Budda SuperDrive 18, George L's Cables, Barber Direct Drive (best $99 ever spent!), Rodenberg GAS-828, Nobels ODR-1, Morley Bad Horsie II, TC Electronic G-Major II, Ground Control Pro and GCX...

nyteowl
Posts: 1389
Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2010 8:53 am

Re: Cable suggestions for wiring 2 GCX, rack units, and peda

Post by nyteowl »

unix-guy wrote:I really like the George L cables. Sound quality is excellent and I have found them to be very reliable.

I use them on pedalboards as well as in my rack stuff.

Another nice thing is that they are easy to fix at a gig since they are solderless.

I use them for my regular guitar cables, too - not just patch cables.

Kevin
What he said.

I've heard a lot of folks complain about George L cables failing over the years, but there is one reason and one reason only why a George L cable will fail, and that is because it was NOT assembled properly. I have a number of George L patch and guitar cables I've been using for well over five years now, and not a single one has ever failed. Just follow the instructions, take your time assembling them to whatever custom lengths you need, and you should be fine.
For Sale: Original DMC GCX in Excellent Condition ($275) and a far more versatile SoundSculpture GL also in Excellent Condition ($1750). Free CONUS Shipping.

unix-guy
Posts: 63
Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2009 2:25 pm
Location: Vacaville, California
Contact:

Re: Cable suggestions for wiring 2 GCX, rack units, and peda

Post by unix-guy »

I've been using them for more than 5 years, too. One thing I have occasionally had to do is to tighten the "thumb screws" on the right-angle connectors. They seem to loosen just a bit over time. I have no real complaints other than that when I use my main guitar cables, they have a little more "memory" than other cables.
Gear List:

'87/'88 Ibanez Sabre's (7), '86 Ibanez PL1770, Budda SuperDrive 18, George L's Cables, Barber Direct Drive (best $99 ever spent!), Rodenberg GAS-828, Nobels ODR-1, Morley Bad Horsie II, TC Electronic G-Major II, Ground Control Pro and GCX...

noah330
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Sep 21, 2010 6:07 am

Re: Cable suggestions for wiring 2 GCX, rack units, and peda

Post by noah330 »

I use Georgle L and have also used the thinner Mogami 2319 and Neutrik connectors that Bob Bradshaw recommends.

The Mogami is cheaper (good) but you have to solder everything (PITA) but it won't come loose (also good) but the connections are bigger (bad).

I think you will need about 100 connectors for 2 GCX - figure 4 ends per loop then the 2 to connect each loop.

I bought the 50' roll of George L and a few packs of connectors because it was cheaper then buying kits. American Musical sells it by the roll.

I bought the Mogami from Redco.com

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