IF YOU READ NOTHING ELSE, READ THIS!

[playmusic]

You might get a difference in tone from jostling a loose connection while you’re reversing the cable, but not from which end is tied to which side. The cable and any of its imperfections still present the same impedance in both directions.

A blurb from the article below regarding reversing direction and how it can change impedance (search on the words "reverse cable"). Not saying always, but it seems like things can easily slide into what some might deem cork-sniffing territory though. A point that has been made on the forum and in many an article that compares expensive cables to more economical ones.

Ihttps://sonicscoop.com/can-guitar-cables-really-change-tone-hear-decide/

I still wonder though if impedance is the only factor that could modify the tone when reversing cables. And if there are other factors, how (in)significant they might be.

Despite my best efforts to better spend my time, this has been an interesting topic. Anyway, on to the deliberation of other, more often than not, inconsequential minutiae. Think I'll stick to my testing on reversing my guitar and the impact of playing left-handed. The delta in the results is much easier to measure and only requires a single experiment.

 

[stephenclark1]

Also: your wah is on. Your amp didn't suddenly get thin sounding.

If I had a dollar for every preset I've downloaded and said "this sounds like sh...oh yeah, re-assign the Wah pedal" or "why is there no sou...of yeah, there's a Volume Pedal right in the middle to re-assign or delete" then I could afford two more III Turbo's!

 

[Rex]

A blurb from the article below regarding reversing direction and how it can change impedance (search on the words "reverse cable"). Not saying always, but it seems like things can easily slide into what some might deem cork-sniffing territory though. A point that has been made on the forum and in many an article that compares expensive cables to more economical ones.

Ihttps://sonicscoop.com/can-guitar-cables-really-change-tone-hear-decide/

I still wonder though if impedance is the only factor that could modify the tone when reversing cables. And if there are other factors, how (in)significant they might be.

Despite my best efforts to better spend my time, this has been an interesting topic. Anyway, on to the deliberation of other, more often than not, inconsequential minutiae. Think I'll stick to my testing on reversing my guitar and the impact of playing left-handed. The delta in the results is much easier to measure and only requires a single experiment.

I read that article. As the author says, the difference between forward and reverse cable is “quite subtle.” To the point where it’s questionable whether those difference actually exist. They’re certainly small enough to be accounted for by differences in pick attack between takes. It’s a guy claiming there’s a tiny difference without offering any conclusive proof.

Even if there were a correct direction for copper cable, it wouldn’t make any difference. Audio signals are alternating current. The signal spends half its time flowing through the cable in one direction, and half its time flowing in the other direction. Whichever way you connect the cable, the signal will spend exactly half its time flowing in the “wrong” direction.

 

[Greg Ferguson]

Even if there were a correct direction for copper cable, it wouldn’t make any difference. Audio signals are alternating current. The signal spends half its time flowing through the cable in one direction, and half its time flowing in the other direction. Whichever way you connect the cable, the signal will spend exactly half its time flowing in the “wrong” direction.

^Exactly^

 

[playmusic]

... Whichever way you connect the cable, the signal will spend exactly half its time flowing in the “wrong” direction.

Your statement really puts things in perspective. I guess one could ask, does it make a difference whether the origin point for that "wrong" direction is at the beginning of the current's travel, or halfway through, on the return? Agree, it does seem like this would be a primarily academic versus practical/audible issue in most cable scenarios.

 

[Rex]

Your statement really puts things in perspective. I guess one could ask, does it make a difference whether the origin point for that "wrong" direction is at the beginning of the current's travel, or halfway through, on the return? Agree, it does seem like this would be a primarily academic versus practical/audible issue in most cable scenarios.

It makes no difference. The length of a guitar cord is so small compared to the wavelengths of audio signals through copper that the various impedances can be treated as lumped sums whose position makes no difference.

 

[Peavey Herman]

When people want to do comparisons of stuff that they admit is soo subtle, that playing position, pick attack or breathing while playing can dictate the outcome, they need to use a reamp box (or whatever means of reamping they got).

Don't they?