Buy the shortest guitar cable that lets you move the way you play. That one rule covers most of it. Here is how to apply it.
Why Length Matters
Every foot of cable adds capacitance, and with a passive pickup more capacitance means less top end at the amp. A longer cable also weighs more, tangles more and gives you more to trip over. Read why capacitance matters in an instrument cable.
A low capacitance cable like Ghost Instrument makes a long run sound much closer to a short one, so you can use the length you need without paying for it in tone.
Common Lengths
- Pedalboard jumpers: 1 ft or less between pedals. Order these custom so each one fits.
- 10 ft: Sitting at a desk or practicing at home, with the amp or interface close by.
- 15 ft: The all-round length for the studio and small stages.
- 20 ft: Standing and moving around on a typical stage.
- 25 ft: Bigger stages, or when the amp sits well behind you.
Ghost Instrument standard configurations come in set lengths from 1 ft to 50 ft, including 10, 12, 15, 18, 20 and 25 ft, and custom cables come in any length from 6 in to 50 ft.
How to Check Before You Buy
Stand where you normally play and run a tape measure along the floor from where the cable leaves your guitar to the amp or pedalboard. Add a few feet for movement and for the loop that runs up to your strap. Then round up to the next length.
Two Cables Beat One Long One
If you use a pedalboard, the cable from the guitar to the board and the cable from the board to the amp add up. A buffered pedal between them helps drive the second run. Keep the first run, the one from the guitar, as short as you comfortably can.
Choose the Plugs
Straight, right angle or silentPLUG? Read how to choose instrument cable plugs.