Instrument Cables article
Instrument Cables for Beginners: A Complete Guide
Every guitarist and bassist needs at least one cable and usually a spare. Here is everything a complete beginner needs to know before buying.
If you are picking up an electric guitar or bass for the first time, you are going to need a cable to connect it to an amplifier. Understanding a few basic things about instrument cables now saves you from unnecessary spending and avoids the most common beginner mistakes. James explains what you actually need to know.
What Type of Cable Do You Need?
For connecting a guitar or bass to an amplifier or effects pedal, you need a 1/4-inch TS instrument cable — sometimes labelled as a "guitar cable". This is the standard connector in music: a mono, unbalanced cable with a 1/4-inch jack at each end. The TS stands for tip-sleeve, meaning the connector has two contacts: a signal tip and a ground sleeve.
You will also encounter TRS cables (used for stereo headphone connections and balanced audio interfaces) and XLR cables (used for microphones). These look similar but are for different purposes. For guitar and bass, you always need TS cables, not TRS or XLR.
How Long a Cable Do You Need?
For home practice, 3 metres (roughly 10 feet) is the standard and most practical length. It gives you enough reach to move around your practice space without trailing cable, while being short enough to avoid the tone-dulling effect of long cables (which adds capacitance that rolls off high frequencies in passive instruments). A 3-metre cable is the standard recommendation for any beginner.
For playing with a band or at small venues, 5–6 metres is more practical — enough to reach the front of a stage without restricting movement. Avoid buying very long cables (more than 6–8 metres) until you know your setup requires it.
What to Look For
Three things matter in a beginner instrument cable purchase:
- The connectors: The jacks at each end. Look for connectors from recognisable brands — Neutrik and Switchcraft are the two most common quality connector manufacturers used in mid-range cables. A connector with a strain relief (rubber sleeve at the cable entry) lasts longer.
- A recognisable brand: Ernie Ball, D'Addario (Planet Waves), Fender and Mogami all make cables that last years with reasonable care. Avoid unbranded cables — the connector quality is unknown and failures are common.
- Not too long: Longer cables are more expensive, take up more space, and introduce more capacitance into the signal. Buy the length you need, not the longest available.
How Much Should You Spend on Instrument Cables?
For a first cable, £10–15 is entirely adequate. The Ernie Ball Instrument Cable, D'Addario Planet Waves Classic Series and Fender Performance Series are all available in this range and all reliable. There is no need to spend £40 on a premium cable for home practice — the difference in tone and reliability at that level is marginal unless you are playing in demanding conditions.
How to Look After It
Cables are more fragile than they look at the connector end. A few simple habits extend their life considerably:
- Always unplug by holding the jack, not pulling the cable body.
- Coil cables in loose loops rather than tight figures of eight.
- Do not step on the cable or run it under heavy equipment.
- Store in a bag or wrap loosely — not crammed into a tight space.
If a cable starts crackling or cutting out, the most common cause is a loose ground connection at one of the jacks. This is usually fixable with a small amount of contact cleaner spray applied to the jack. If that does not work, the solder joint at the connector may have failed and the cable needs replacing.
Do You Need More Than One?
Yes — keep a spare. A cable that fails in the middle of a session or at a gig is a frustrating and avoidable problem. One working cable and one spare (kept in your gig bag or instrument case) is the minimum sensible setup. The spare can be shorter and cheaper than your main cable.
For a full technical explanation of how cables work and what separates them, the complete explainer covers everything. For a buying recommendation, the buyer's guide picks the best options at each price.
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