Revealing the Shocking Truth: How a Cable Can Destroy Your Tube Amp

Yes, there are guys out there that don't know that some cables can easily destroy your tube amp or cause the output transformer to fail. Are YOU one of them?
Contents:
0:00 Start
0:23 Intro & Preamble
0:50 Reasons for cable talk
2:55 The rights and wrongs
3:21 Cable example right
4:49 But with the wrong cable..
5:41 Things can get bad
6:24 Correct cable is king
6:54 Hendrix and torn pants!
8:46 A great cable review
9:18 Cable specifications
10:39 The warranty
11:18 Cable close up
12:02 Why these cables are good
13:01 email from nasties?
14:45 Future reviews
What you will learn:
Is this the right cable?
What do these cables cost?
Can it really blow up your amp?
Guarantee? How long is it?
Related web links:
My website: tonymckenzie.com
Cable link: northwestguitars.co.uk/produc...
While there are many well versed and practiced guitarists, there are also many guys that sometimes do silly things without knowing the consequences of their error. And believe it or not guitar cables are a perfect example. Get things right and its all hunky-dory right? But get things wrong (even unknowingly) and Boom - its too late - you could have a damaged guitar tube amp with maybe the transformer blown and that can be a very expensive repair.
I was recently needing a longer cable for a tube amp and wandered around a recent guitar show as many guys do; I wanted a specific cable for the task in hand because the one I had was too short. There were the really rubbish cheap no-name Chinese cables for sale there as they always are, some of those promoted as high quality but were clearly not; and then there was the other extreme - very well known brands that cost substantial money - and I really do emphasize far more money.
By the way this video and review is NOT SPONSORED IN ANY WAY and my findings are absolutely genuine.
So I was thinking about cables and the problem that most cables are not even labeled as to what they actually are? We all take cables for granted - and that can be a massive mistake that anyone can make. Flip in the wrong cable when they all look the same and you're on the road to a very expensive tube amp amplifier repair.
But I also thought much about the claims from all of these cable makers and sellers and whether a cable costing £7 or £50 ($10 to $75) was really that different and whether the claims they make are just sales gimmicks.
Ultimately, I did buy two cables, and through this video firstly I advise the problems of using the wrong cables and show the differences, but secondly I make a review of the cables I eventually bought and tell you exactly if they met up to the standards that I (and you) NEED for these critically important cables. Ignore it all at your own peril!
By the way, if you have a line 6 helix or other digital gear the cable thing is probably less important to you... and don't use speaker cables for the four cable method (4 cable method) but if you have a tube amp... (maybe a Marshall tube amp or any of them) make sure that the speaker cable really is a speaker cable and mark it up... now, before you forget... later you will thank me...
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, RING THE BELL, AND THUMBS UP to give my channel a boost and thank you for watching - I sincerely hope the video is enjoyable for you and that you see the things in it that most other people really never show. It could actually save you a big repair bill!
(c) A B McKenzie and www.tonymckenzie.com 2009-2023
All Rights Reserved. All Trade Marks Acknowledged
Visit tonymckenzie.com for more incredible reviews (just updated servers) or my KZbin channel
#cable #tubeamp #cables #guitarist #tonymckenzie #marshallamps #cables #tubeamplifier #ernieball

[@ianchristopher6165]

And this is why we need people like Tony to explain the exact information needed to take care of the issue 👍🤘

[@tonymckenziecom]

I jsut thought it might be useful to someone... and of course then I reviewed that cable... thanks for watching.

[@stevenslater4395]

Tony is THE only person I watch on KZbin that I don’t question.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Ha me? I must be dodgy somehow... Ha that's what some suggest - especially if its a piece of gear they are 'fans' of. Thanks for those kind words and of course for watching.

[@J.Burrough]

Absolutely true in our case. My son lost his 16ohm jack & setting from cheap or using wrong cable. We just learned there’s a major difference. I’ll be passing this on to him. Plus we will be getting cables that are labeled speaker & guitar. Thanks Chief.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Exactly.. I know it happens and great example post of the results - you guys were 'lucky' in only losing one feature. You can label them yourself of course - and I liked the Ernie Ball cabler because it was actually labeled as such. Thanks for watching.

[@GlennDeLauneOfficial]

Love your videos Mr. Tony. Been watching you for years.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Glad you like them! and sincerely, thanks for watching... you're one of the good guys...

[@Frankentoane]

I make my own instrument cable and speaker cable for 2yrs now. Even a lamp cord will work as a speaker cable, but i use atleast 16awg cable. The issue is finding a mono jack that fits the thick cable

[@tonymckenziecom]

Good point and thanks for watching.

[@gamjammallota78]

Thank's, Tony for that very important overlooked tidbit. I swear by the Ernie Ball speaker cables for price and performance. I have about a dozen and so far all is well. And nobody in the band or sound crew can confuse them for a pedal or guitar patch cable. Many new school, newbies, and even some seasoned players never spend enough time to explore the finer points of cables as far as gauge, ohms, shielding {or not} wire quality, soldering, type of solder, connectors, etc. I learned to solder and make my own back in the late 60's. I made my bass cables/cabs 1/4" to locking XLR for the sealed {infinite baffle} Bass cabs so the Marshall Majors or Ampeg SVT's would not blow the 1/4" connector out from the speaker cab at high volume. Or cause intemittent connections {brutal for a valve amp}. Yes, they had that much power. Ampeg also used them on some of their early tube bass amps in the US. Wished they stuck with it instead of speakon connects.

[@tonymckenziecom]

These are very good points you make... and of course the Marshall Majors (if I remember correctly) were 200 watts! I have not see them 'blow out' but I bet they could.. well as you attest they did! Honestly, a very good post and these are what guys should post - practical experience says everything really. Yes the EB cables seem pretty cool to me compared to some I could name and the cheap stuff looked like a nightmare waiting to happen. Thanks for the post and for watching.

[@nuitari666uzgurzmor6]

As a former bass player I never understood, why guitar amp companies don‘t use speakon speaker connectors 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@tonymckenziecom]

Probably price... ;-)

[@gerrykavanagh]

We don't get radio signals in amplifiers any more because most broadcast radio is FM rather then AM. AM can be demodulated (detected) by a simple diode, so the rectifier in the power supply of an amp, for example. FM on the other hand cannot.

[@tonymckenziecom]

That IS a fair point, but once you start listening out there everything certainly is not all FM I don't think - listen on the amateurs' bands... But the real example was Hendrix IOW and go and hear it yourself there it was... it was just an example really. Thanks for the post and for watching.

[@steverhenius6734]

Good points. I have come across this several times on deep’s - if the advice is welcomed, I’m happy to explain. Much misunderstanding about impedance matching - low versus high impedance - line, instrument and speaker level signal. Getting it wrong can degrade sound quality and in worst case damage a power. Amplifier stage - usually for those who can’t afford such mistakes !

[@steverhenius6734]

‘Deep’s’ !

[@tonymckenziecom]

Nah this was just a point of view from what I have seen over the years... the important bit is really not mixing up those cables because they are NOT often marked up accordingly, cranking the amp and there goes a big cost... thanks for the post and for watching...

[@tonymckenziecom]

:)

[@fongy200]

Hey Tony, the little things certainly matter. I've been fortunate enough to have gained enough knowledge and experience as to make my own. Of course i have bought plenty of cables through the years but i just make my own now. I use premium components, the wire and Jack and then they are tested thoroughly. The information you present wouldn't cross the mind of many until they have a strobing 12AX7 or a smoker. Thanks mate. I'm off to Mesa in Arizona in December. I have a pal who owns a Guitar shop so I'm off to bug him for a few weeks over the Christmas period. Stay safe on your journeys Tony.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Well done on making them... I could but don't often have much time available. At least you know what goes in yours :) The Ernie Ball ones seemed a pretty good deal at the time so I bought those... all good. Thanks for watching and Mesa in Arizona... I have never been there, but maybe at some stage... as I get older it does all get harder though... thanks for the info and for watching and I trust that Arizona is good for you.

[@glennmichaelthompson4112]

Thanks Tony! It is so important to use the correct cable for the job. I've seen so many guitar players use a regular guitar cable in place of a speaker cable. Warned some not to do it... but they often ignored it. You are spreading truth and knowledge!!! Couldn't ask for more!

[@tonymckenziecom]

Yes back in the day (a long time back) I did it once or twice too! I was lucky. These days so many cables look the same, and it was clear to me that Ernie Ball know that - hence they marked them up accordingly which was a great thing to do. Thanks for watching.

[@malcolmhardwick4258]

Had same issue after getting new cable. Few days later no sound coming from the amp. Took me a while to figure out that the cable had badly soldered contacts. Cold soldering they call it. So my valve amp was running without a load. Amp is a Bugera V22 seems like nothing bad happened but not like I could get my money back due to faulty cable.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Worse thing I reckon would be something like that with a cable with 'lifetime warranty' and it takes out the amp and they offer you a replacement cable. Of course they would be having a laugh! Thanks for the post, good content and it shows that it can all happen... just like that. Thanks for watching.

[@PeterDad60]

Here in America we describe wire used for electrical applications by their thickness/gauge. "Thin" wire is somewhere around 20AWG (AWG=American Wire Gauge) and above. The wire you showed us inside your Monster Speaker cable looks to be around 14AWG which is thicker and is acceptable for use as a speaker cable. Note the higher the AWG number the thinner the wire gauge, conversely the lower the AWG number the "thicker" the wire. I have owned speaker cables that used 14AWG and even 12AWG (these 12AWG speaker wires were very thick and were about the same as the everyday lamp chord wire. Cheaper speaker cables can use 16AWG and still work properly. But 20AWG is not recommended as it is too thin and will overheat fast. When a wire gets hot the resistance changes because some of the current is being absorbed into the wire producing heat. That means a hot wire shall conduct less electricity than a cool room temperature wire of the same gauge. If the resistance goes up, well then that means the wire can no longer be used for 4ohm, 8ohm and 16ohm speaker loads. So that means you can not use a thin wire for these speaker loads. I am not an electrical engineer, but I was a mechanical engineer who owned a copy of the NEC National Electric Code in America. So I did learn a few things regarding electrical design. Please note: If you have ever looked inside your Marshall 1960A or 1960B speaker cabs you may have noticed that the wire to each individual speaker is thin and around 20AWG. Please remember this is for each individual speaker. But to be clear, usually all the internal speaker wiring is around 20AWG even for all of the 412 speaker configuration. Just remember the length of the internal speaker wiring is not very long at around 18" maximum from one connection to the next connection, so for these short connections a thin wire is acceptable. However a 6ft or 10ft. or longer external speaker wire must be thicker than 20AWG, a 16AWG is the minimum I would say. Anything longer than 10ft. I would recommend 14 and 12AWG as a minimum because length of the wire also adds resistance so you want to keep the wire resistance as low as possible for use with your valuable tube guitar amplifiers. - Peter age 73

[@tonymckenziecom]

That 'thick' cable was NOT the 'Monster' cable but a rather 'cheaper' cable I typically used on the Marshall Plexi... and to be honest, of all the cables I showed that 'cheap' one was the thickest all round. Great points and thanks for watching.

[@Twobarpsi]

Tony! I had this exact issue with my Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier!! Anything past 2 or 3, I would get horrible feedback. I called Mesa, and after a few trials and errors, we discovered I was using a FX send/return cable for the speaker connection! You are right, they all look the same. I could have blown my output transformer.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Exactly... one reason I was so elated to actually see this cable marked up as a speaker cable... very few do it and its absolutely not obvious when they all look the same and you have a choice to make maybe even at a gig... thanks for the info and hopefully someone will see this and take heed... the fixes are very costly. Thanks for the post and for watching...

[@cembobiohazard7779]

excellent video Tony. I was wondering why my old 83 JCM800 gets so hot after 30 minutes. Thanks 👍

[@tonymckenziecom]

That's not the cable :)... that's you flat out on that screamin JCM800 :) Thanks.

[@aipsong]

Ohm, my god! Luckily my amp is a combo!!! No cable chicanery here! Yippee!!!

[@tonymckenziecom]

There could be... so stop messing! :) regards...

[@therealrem]

Great informative video Tony. Wasn’t Brian May known for using those curly guitar cables too??

[@tonymckenziecom]

Ha back in the day they all were using them I reckon - even I had a couple :). They were pretty cr*p I guess really but it was like a trend at the time. Thanks for watching... and watch the Hendrix thing... you have to laugh that he literally spit his pants from ear to ear (I'll call it that)... He was laughing even at the back of the speakers...

[@PeterMoore350]

Cool video. I just replaced the speaker cable and aux DI out cables on on of my heads. So on this topic what cables should you use in the effects loop of an amp head from your pedals/pedal board? Cheers from NZ 😎🎸🤘

[@tonymckenziecom]

Those don't have the high power flipping through them, but do have audio signal and I would use screened cables and not speaker cables. Only speaker cables for speakers really. NZ huh... man its a small world once you're on here. And thanks for watching.

[@PeterMoore350]

@@tonymckenziecom cool thx for that. Yeah small world hey ! Not seen your channel before but also watched your previous video too. Very informative, keep em coming!! 😎🎸🤘

[@KaddysJamKave]

I remember back in the day my bass player blew up an expensive RENTED Mesa Boogie Bass Amp head with a dodgy cable... we didn't go back after that haha.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Ouch. I'm sure it still happens and while anyone that knows the answers is likely OK, there are guys that do get things wrong. For me, I do think that unmarked cables can be problematic and some do look very similar and easy to confuse... thanks for watching.

[@Barbarapape]

As we both know there are cables and there are cables, using a speaker cable on your guitar to the amp will let you hum along with the music, but use a "Guitar Lead" from your head to your cab and sooner or later the amp will complain or just go dead, this keeps me busy, but trying to explain to the customer can be hard work, to them it is just a cable that the spotty nosed kid in the shop sold him. Hope you are keeping safe and well Tony.🙂👍

[@tonymckenziecom]

You're exactly right re cables. People sometimes don't relate to much other than 'it fits' so it must be OK... and that can be really bad for the amp. They never seem to mark them up but I noticed that Ernie Ball did and for me in the studio, it saves much time messing about whether the cable I'm just about to fit is safe for the amp or not. But starters, like you say, they don't know about it. I thought it was worth the effort to make this video because while it does have a review in it, its as much like educational to some I'm sure and can only at the least help a bit. I'm still here, and have a few health things which seem ongoing and as I get older that stuff seems to be more prevalent but should get by... sadly have had to pay for specialist and scan out of my pocket simply because the NHS seems at best semi dormant :( Oh well, they get the tax, and then want me to pay for medical... just a moan really. But it can get you that way for sure. I'm going to the USA (assuming I can) in a week or so and want to rest up a little. Regards and thanks for watching...

[@miked9000]

Since I have used EMG's in my guitars since the 80's, I have only bought TRS cables for my guitar. Inherently better at EMF rejection because of the phase shift(balancing) the sleeve provides.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Very good point and thanks for that post... and for watching.

[@rayprevailer8454]

Great review. I am definitely guilty of buying over priced speaker cables. However, for long 20 ft runs it may be worth it if the gauge needs to be heavier. Like a head in the studio with the cab in an isolation chamber in the next room.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Of course I get it... and thicker cable IS better than thin. Just don't ever use a guitar cable whatever you do. And I think those Ernie Ball cables are pretty great especially for that cost and warranty. Thanks for watching.

[@MOAB-UT]

Cool tips. Why do they say it is dangerous to stick a SILENT cable end into the amp (vs the guitar?)

[@tonymckenziecom]

Well it could be dangerous if you used it for the speakers... there should be load on there all the time - a tube amp turned on without load for whatever reason is not good. If you mean on the input side... I have not heard that one before and have used the silent cables for input of course. Interesting point..... and thanks for watching

[@victor493]

I bought a Mesa Lonestar Special in 2008, the cable they run from the C90 speaker is 18” long, says professional low noise speaker cable, I get radio noise through my amp, freaks me out, my Dr. Z Maz 38 sits on top of this amp, so I can use the Mesa C 90, I never have this problem with this amp, something is not right.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Interesting thing. Well its probably NOT the speaker cable unless you have had those issues from day 1 with that amp. If you use a loop (if the amp has one) what about those leads that can 'pickup' and effectively inject spurious signals in to the amp tha then get amplified? Obviously, there are many things that it could be, but hard from here to advise easily. Thanks for the post and for watching...

[@Stefan-]

Having worked in electronics since the 80´s i have made a lot of cables both professionally and for myself, these days i seldom find it worthwhile to make my own cables unless i want something custom since there are so much affordable good ones but i have made my own speaker cables using ordinary lamp/extension cord cable. For use with speakers you dont need any special cable it just has to be thick enough and a with two leads and not the shielded kind like a guitar cable.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Exactly... and that first cable I showed (with the thick conductor cables) was very good. Thanks for the post Stefan and of course for watching!

[@joeyvanostrand3655]

I re-wire ALL of my cabs and combos with 10 or 12 gauge wire. Heavy duty super thick. I also solder the connections. I dont trust spade or slip ons. If they slip-on they will slip off. And when I have a cabinet go out the door I make sure I supply the speaker cable and I mark BOTH ends with red tape and write AMP TO CAB ONLY on a little hang tag on both ends. If it's a novice or somebody very new or confused easily i supply a guitar cable, each end with Green tape ( green for GUITAR). The $5 or $10 a reasonably decent cable costs me is worth throwing in then having to deliver the news that they cooked their output transformer.... at best..

[@tonymckenziecom]

That's all good practice and it can be so easy (for some guys) to just use 'any old cable' that's just the way it is... and years ago I did it a couple of times but I was very lucky I guess. The marking up of the cables I think is one of the most critical aspecs of cables especially when you have a pile of them (like in my own studio) and man so many do look the same. I don't change them around that much, but marking them I reckon is a must. Thanks for watching and the post which has some good tips in it especially re the spade connectors...

[@portuguesebeer5069]

Hi Tony. I use D'Addario/Planet Waves spreaker cables. Cheers from Portugal 🤘🍺🇵🇹

[@tonymckenziecom]

Price? And how do you find them?

[@portuguesebeer5069]

@@tonymckenziecom This keeps erasing my answer to you. Is perhaps because of the link. I will paste my answer without the link: "​@tonymckenziecom Hi friend. This one is about 27€. It has 3 meters but i use the same but 1,5m. Its a great cable, really big, the jacks are sealed and its feels really premium. Daddario PW-S-10 Cheers from Portugal 🤘🍺🇵🇹'

[@ericskinner7355]

It would be nice if it was industry standard for manufacturers to label on the cable itself weather it's instrument or speaker. Some do but a lot don't.

[@tonymckenziecom]

It would be nice I completely agree... then we would all be in a better place... thanks for watching.

[@chickenlickin3820]

why have waffle when you can have a crumpet?

[@tonymckenziecom]

What can I say... well, I think the crumpet wins... hey, which crumpet are you talking about? :)

[@hawg427]

Where are you going in the States Tony?

[@tonymckenziecom]

I will be Florida area... nice and relaxing... have some medical stuff going on and want to relax a bit. I'll be in Dallas in early December too. Those are the two main places I go but have been a few others over time... thanks for watching.

[@cristianoclsc1617]

TOP

[@MarcAndreLevesque]

A speaker cable needs to be at least 14 gauge if you want to be safe, usually 16 gauge is enough but that is risky business if you crank the amp especially if it is a tube amp, the impedance/resistance might be starved ... hence killing the transformer of the amp fast or slow, but it will be killing it. I swear by Pig Hog cables, the soldering and construction can withstand major abuse, Hosa is a close second and the price is quite cheap ... a pig hog, which uses 14 gauge, unlike Ernie ball, will cost you 20-30$ for a 5 feet cable which is not much to safeguard your expensive amp.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Thanks for the info, very useful too. I don't know that brand here but that is thick cable. For me in the studio I think the Ernie Ball stuff is pretty cool. Its rare that I would be flat out on any of the amps that are 100w etc. and the 50w and 20w should be fine. In any case, thanks for the post as it does highlight the need for proper decent cable from amp to speaker and that was the plan for the video really. The cost of the fix could be ginormous these days. Thanks for the post and for watching.

[@kuitaristi3003]

Yeah don't go cheap when picking speaker cable. Quality speaker cable anyway last maybe your life time that's why also it's safer to buy good cable.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Well I think those Ernie Ball ones are a good bet and IMO paying more (that's easy to do) might well be pointless. Thanks for watching.

[@TheCyberMantis]

Simple: a guitar cable is thinner-gauge wire, and only used for the input side of the amp. Speaker cables are thicker-gauge wire, and they go from the amp output to the speaker cab. Never use a guitar cable for your speaker cabs. ( No need for a 16-minute video to explain this. ) 😉

[@tonymckenziecom]

Not always. Check out those cheap Chinese ones I mentioned... and @Twobarpsi post bears out exactly the situation so well. I get it of course and so do you, but it would be wrong to assume that everyone is like me or you. My way of thinking is that if it saves one repair cost then I was right to make the video. But don't forget that 50% of this video is also a review of some Ernie Ball speaker cables... so my 8 minutes of education was not really that bad. In any case thanks for watching... it was a fair point but I always try and see wider than just me when I'm making a video.

[@TheCyberMantis]

@@tonymckenziecom I always try to avoid stuff that is "made in China". Having said that, I do own a couple of Behringer pedals.

[@TheDogPa]

One could just buy a mogami and move on...lol

[@kennethc2466]

Enjoy being ripped off.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Well you could... but maybe then the 'hype' steps in to convince us that its all great value and somehow 'better' than other cables out there. I'm not particularly biased against expensive cables, but personally I don't think there is enough 'gain' as a buyer to justify some of the higher cost brands out there. Some guys WILL gain more than me and maybe buy those other generally expensive brands (at least in the UK they are) as opposed to the Ernie Ball level of cables. Scarily, I have even seen 'Stag' cables that have speaker use with fat cables... maybe not the lifetime guarantee, but my guess is its likely they work too. Ha for me as I said in the video I'll have at least a couple of the EB cables and have change over compared to the higher priced ones. But good point and there's nothing wrong with buying expensive cables if the cost is not a problem. Thanks for watching...

[@tonymckenziecom]

@kennethc2466 The truth is, that if someone buys an 'expensive' cable and they don't feel 'ripped off' then they were not ripped off... however if you ask the same guy and he says 'yes I was ripped off' then he was (he won't be happy) and he made a mistake re purchasing. But I get your point for sure :)... and thanks for watching.

[@TheDogPa]

@@tonymckenziecom My Mogami's don't break, I notice no real difference in sound...but years later, they still work...never repair...saves money in long run. Penny wise and pound foolish makes no sense to me. A cheap cable that will one day need a repair is a perfect example...from my perspective :O) I occasionally buy people Mogami's just cuz I get sick of their cable issues. They all still have them...they are still the only old cables they have, that work.

[@kennethc2466]

@@tonymckenziecomI thank you for publicly removing my reply, showing you have no integrity, noir honesty, as you removed a PG rated comment, retorting your logical fallacies, and demonstrable errors. Shame on your censorship of FACTS, and the deletion of a person's research, time spent post, and SOLICITED COMMENT...that you delete in cowardice. "But I get your point for sure :)" -a liar who can't take FACTUAL critique, and deletes a persons words. You're too old to be such a juvenile coward, mate. Shame on you.

[@ggmobi5817]

If somebody needs such an explanation about cables it would be better for him to stay away from any electric gear.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Everyone is not always as clever as you, and good advice is usually helpful to many. Thanks.