.: to George L or not :.

The George L debate

This topic has been up for discussion (and a lot of bickering too) in the Effects forum at Harmony Central for a long time, and every time it comes up someone ends up angry... The question is actually several issues rolled into one: to George L or not to George L? (and the reasons why, or why not). Can you trust a solderless connection, and will soldering the George L cable into a "regular" plug defeat the purpose of the George L system?

To answer this question in an orderly fashion, we need to break down the George L system into its components. Let's start with the thing most people seem fascinated with: the solderless plugs.

Wot? No soldering?

Yes, it's true - the George L system is designed to be put together without soldering the plugs. They screw together, making connection as you go, which means that you can fit and replace a plug in seconds - sort of. It's easy as can be - just cut the cable to length, stick it in the plug and screw it down. Finished! And if it comes loose, it can be fixed in minutes, without having to break out the soldering iron. Trouble is, from what I'm hearing, they have a tendency to come loose, unless you re-tighten them regularly. Now, I might be obnoxious, but I don't want to have to think about things like that when I'm gigging - I just plain don't trust connections that aren't soldered. Definitely not, under any circumstances, in stage leads, and preferably not even on pedalboard patch cables. In my view, using a solderless plug on a stage cable is flirting with disaster. With short patch cables that are designed to sit still on a pre-wired pedalboard, I can see the merits - especially during messing about with the layout. But I'd still like them properly soldered, sooner or later...

What about the cable, then?

Measurements tell the tale, and support the impression I got when I first tried the George L cable - it's a lot brighter and punchier than most regular (cheap) cables. When you measure the capacitance (which causes the treble loss), it's way lower than in most cables. The end result is a louder, clearer tone - especially if you use the cable from the guitar to the first buffered pedal. After that, the signal isn't as vulnerable, so the sound advantage is smaller. But the George L cable seems to be a winner, soundwise.

So do you have to use the plugs, to reap the benefits of the cable?

Of course not - the George L cable is excellent, and the plugs don't contribute to the sound at all (unless you're Eric Johnson, of course). The cable can be purchased separately, and here in Sweden "proper" tele plugs (Neutrik, that is) are actually cheaper than the George L plugs.

I'd use the thicker .225 George L cable, with Neutrik NPC-BAG connectors, for connections between the guitar and pedalboard. On the board itself, the .155 cable is just the ticket, and Switchcraft right angle jacks are much flatter than the George L equivalent (meaning that the pedals aren't forced as far apart). The one advantage the George L right-angle plugs have over their Switchcraft counterparts (not counting the soldering issue) is that they don't take up as much space on the pedal sides - meaning that several right-angle plugs will fit into jacks that are closely spaced, for instance on a small true bypass box. The Switchcraft plugs are quite a bit wider than the jack itself, whereas the George L plugs are circular and just a little bit bigger than the jack (so the cable can be routed under the next plug).

Of course, if the cut-and-paste idea is the reason you're considering buying George L's cable, go right ahead and get it. But PLEASE stop bickering about me "missing the point" if I decide to solder it - if I decide to use the cable, it's because of the sound (which I deem infinitely more important than saving time on soldering...). And since I want my sound to be there all the time - without having to worry about "did I tension the plugs before the gig?" - I prefer not to use the George L plugs. Period.

© 2002 - 2007