Over the past twelve months I tested fourteen different patch cables in my pursuit of the very best. As something of a pedal addict I’d already used plenty of different cables before this undertaking, giving me a great overview of what’s available and what’s worth your while. Out of all of the ones I tested, five of my top six are on sale in the Cyber Monday guitar deals, so it’s well worth your while picking some up before the sale ends.
Having tested so many different cables, I can honestly say that there isn’t all that much difference between them in terms of sound quality. Yes, those cheapo cables from Amazon can pick up extraneous noise, but any patch cable from a reputable brand will do the job these days.
The difference maker in my opinion comes down to two things. First of all, the durability of the cable in question. Patch cables take a lot of abuse, especially if you’re playing live, and the last thing you want is for one to fail mid-set - ask me how I know that one.
Secondly, the range of options makes a difference too, because no two pedalboard builds are alike, and having the ability to chop and change connector types and cable lengths is key to building an efficient pedalboard.
With all that in mind, I put all of the following patch cables to test in my own oversized twelve pedal board with pedal switcher, to find out how they performed. Read on to see which cable excelled where.
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