Best Cheap Guitar Patch Cable

I'm a drummer and former lead guitarist of the band Callalily, a platinum selling multi-awarded band from the Philippines. I also studied music for 6 years majoring in percussion and jazz studies with a minor in classical piano.

These feel great in the hands. They have a good weight to them - not heavy but substantial enough to exude reassuring quality, premium-feeling patch cables indeed.

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The flexibility is quite alright for a set of flat guitar patch cables. They are not the softest feeling wires I've tried but since these are fresh from the mail I expect these to soften up after some use.

Best Pedal Related Purchase. Ebs Pg Flat Patch Cable.

Also, being 3 inch cables, they'll most probably be relegated to simple right to left setups that aren't too reliant on extreme flexibility.

Being flat cables, they quite prefer being flexed up and down than side to side. Twisting okay too but not as natural feeling as your regular rounded cables so this will definitely work better with some layouts over others.

Based on my experience with patch cables, no one type is best for all layouts but flat cables are a space-saving good bet for many of your typical configurations.

Guitar Patch Cables

The cable texture reminds me somewhat of a stick of gum. The slightly textured matte white has a tinge of cream - I feel like due to the color, these could get dirty quite quickly and easily.

I'm very pleased with these short, little flat ribbon patch cables. Approximately 3 inches might be enough for most simple setups, but if you're serious about building complex boards I suggest buying an assortment of lengths, optimally of different colors to signify the lengths at a glance.

These Ernie Ball 3 Flat Ribbon Patch Cables don't take up a lot of space, sound transparent enough, and feel robust and high quality.

George Ls Gl155pedal12 Right Angle To Right Angle Pedalboard Patch Cable

The name itself is an easy giveaway of its main feature, which is the use of premium 24-karat gold plating on the contact housing and 1/4 plugs. Both add to its overall look and performance (the gold helps prevent corrosion - it does not improve your signal).

More importantly, even with its gold plated contacts, this patch cable retains a very reasonable price tag. The EBS PG-10 also comes with a flat profile cable and flat right angle plugs, which makes this patch cable easier to position, and if implemented properly, saves you a lot of precious pedalboard space.

I appreciate is the EBS PG-10's compact profile which is a dream to setup, almost giving me space for 2 extra pedals on my board. The flat cable design is very easy to work with, cutting down pedal substitution time and cable checking/maintenance by a considerable margin.

Ebs Flat Patch Cables

It also works with a lot of asymmetrical layouts that might be harder to wire with regular round cables due to the flat cable's unique flex characteristics.

If you need some flat patch cables and having 24 Karat gold-plated connectors is something that excites you, I recommend the highly rated EBS PG-10's.

Pedal couplers are simply two plugs connected back to back, removing the need for any cabling. They are ideal for linking pedals together that have identical input/outport jack placements to each other.

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This ups the value of this 6-pack bundle, which should be more than enough for most small to medium sized pedalboard setups. These work great if your pedalboard configuration will allow it.

I would describe the feel of these couplers as sturdy and solid and they have the added bonus of holding your pedals in position when connected. Value for money is another thing the OTraki Straight Couplers have going for them.

Like other straight couplers, they only work with pedals that have their input and output jacks aligned exactly with each other in height and position. Not properly aligning the pedals can damage the output/input jacks.

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Top 15 Best Guitar Cables (2023)

This style connector is a bit controversial amongst guitar players due to there being no points of flexibility designed into it. That makes sense to me but I haven't encountered any major issues yet, I suggest taking extra care when positioning your pedals.

If you feel like the couplers are applying force to your jacks, make sure that your pedals are not moving up and down which can be the case if you are using hoop and loop fasteners to attach them to your pedal board. Also make sure that your pedals are perfectly leveled to each other.

If you're looking for an affordable set of straight couplers to try out this unique aesthetic, then try these highly recommended OTraki Pedal Couplers.

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The OTraki 0021 is a Z type pedal coupler that features gold-plated copper connectors. It has a round middle section where the two plugs join for easier handling.

Being a Z-type coupler means that there's a bit more leeway in positioning compared to straight couplers, but do note it's still quite limited compared to regular patch cables.

This is great for neat-freaks and giant 10+ pedal boards. It's a novel way to reduce the length of wire used in your signal chain thereby improving your signal quality.

Pedal Patch Solderless Cables Review

And in contrast to straight couplers, these won't work well if all your pedals have the same jack input and output placement - lest you make your pedalboard resemble a flight of stairs. Maybe have both types on hand for more options.

I appreciate the OTraki 0021's offset design, which allows for a bit more flexibility to connect different pedal types. Also, I'm satisfied with how solid the plugs are, and with a bit of smart placement, I'm able to shorten the runway on my pedalboard with this coupler.

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Even with its Z-profile, this coupler is never going to be as versatile as patch cables. There's definitely a limit to the jack placement variations this can accommodate. It still won't solve your problems if the position and height of the 2 pedals is extremely pronounced.

Evidence Audio Solderless Patch Cable Kit 1

This SIS/Monorail Solderless Patch Cable kit from Evidence Audio features a small diameter cable of only 0.155 inches to help save space on your pedalboard.

While this Evidence Audio kit might seem a bit on the pricey side, their cables are used by notable musicians such as David Gilmour, Ed O’Brien, Noel Gallagher, Guthrie Govan and Andy Timmons - this demonstrates that Evidence Audio really know what they're doing when it comes to cabling.

Add to that they are a respected OEM wiring provider for some famous and boutique brands such as Fender custom shop, OktavaMod and Black Lion Audio.

Yorkville Standard Series Instrument Cables

Although not a fault of evidence audio but something to consider is that these kits don’t come with a warranty due their do-it-yourself nature.

There are just too many factors when built by the end consumer that could go wrong. But if it's good enough for the likes of David Gilmour, Noel Gallagher and Guthrie Govan, they should be reliable enough for mere mortals like us.

I consider this as the best patch cable kit for its quality, both in terms of build and noiseless operation. Also, being solderless this kit is easy to use and assemble even for someone that's not especially handy like me.

Pedalboard Patch Cables

You invest a lot in your pedals and the rest of your rig, so if you want to find out why so many top guitarists use Evidence Audio then consider buying this top-of-the-line patch cable kit.

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Patch cables come in different lengths, usually 3 to 18 long. Since they are pre-cut to specific lengths, it is best to plan and measure the position of your pedals prior to selecting the right sizes.

Patch cable kits like the ones we recommend above are ideal if you want to have detailed control over how long each patch cable should be on your board. We've also included pedal couplers in this guide in case you're connecting pedals of the same profile and maker to save even more space.

The Best Patch Cables For Your Guitar Pedalboard In 2023

Note that while patch cables are short, they can add up significantly if you have a lot of pedals, and this may cause some frequency response loss.

Much like regular instrument cables, many patch cables are available in bundles, and most of the time they are cheaper to buy compared to when buying them one by one.

Many patch cables come with right angle TS Connector Plugs because they conveniently connect to the side and save space. There are also low-profile (sometimes called thin, flat or pancake jacks) right angle plugs that allow you to position effects pedals closer to each other.

Mogami Platinum Guitar Pedal Patch Cable, Right Angle Ts To Same, 1 Ft

Note that right angle plugs can block ports that are positioned close to each other, so do look out for those when planning your pedalboard layout.

You'll notice that some audio cables have gold-plated tips, which has become industry standard, this is because of gold's inherent corrosion resistance. Nickel or chrome plugs corrode faster when exposed to humidity, and is often the reason you hear crackling / handling noise on plugs with older tips.

The cable jacket serves as the cable's outer protection and is usually made of sturdy yet flexible PVC. On the inside of the jacket, the copper conductor is wrapped in a special shield that blocks interference.