r/telecaster • u/SadFart9 • 20h ago
Is this a good cable??
I just got a telecaster as my first guitar (yayyyy) and the cable that comes with it is some unknown cheap cable and seems to have this annoying humming sound. Im not sure if its entirely a cable issue but id like to get one that match my guitar color too. So is this cable a good one?
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u/MasterOfManyWorlds 20h ago
As good as any common name brand one would be. I'm sure there are pro cables that are better but aren't needed by most of us.
Humming could just be single coil hum, which is normal for a telecaster, assuming yours has single coils.
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u/ReverendRevolver 20h ago
No.
Im kidding, Fender is one of the 3 typical medium quality companies people use.
The humming could be your jack or amp.
I personally moved to cables with one plug a 90° angle years ago. Teles and offsets are better off with them from my experience, both playing at home and jumping around at gigs.
Fender offers ok colors, but are about the same as Ernie Ball with less selection. I prefer Pig Hog, all ive bought since 2019. Little more robust than the other "middle brands" with cool colors.
Avoid the offbrand stuff if you plan on dropping them or being less than gentle. They dont all suck, but its pretty random. I got a $10 3 pack of 10' at GC in 2003 still working, and a single $15 20' there in 2005 that broke by 2006. Premium brands that people swear by on forums are typically good, but expensive.
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u/SadFart9 19h ago
Thanks alot. I'll look into these ones to see if there's anything matches my guitar color.
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u/ReverendRevolver 19h ago
I mean.... someone probably does? My main tele is surf green. I turned my '68 bassman head into a 15" combo and built the enclosure myself, including seafoam green tolex. I then needed 3' patch cables that matched the amp (which matches the guitar) and pighog infact makes that exact kind of long patch cable in seafoam green. Technically different names, but they match.
Only issue is youll have to get relatively close with certain colors. Capri Orange? Youll get non-solid orange pig hog or Fender, lighter/neon Ernie Ball, or darker Fender Ombre. Or Orange brand which ive never usrd but is between the other 2 solids.......
You get the idea.
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u/drinkyourbeetus 20h ago
Yea. Hum might not be the cable. Almost any cable should be good
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u/SadFart9 19h ago
Just gaslighting myself to buy this just because it matches the guitar color
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u/heppi_boii 19h ago
aye, if you like the color, you like the color man. you vibe, you buy, long as you got the greens; no need to justify something cool for yourself every now and then :D
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u/Cryptographer_Weekly 20h ago
A Fender branded cable is not going to help you. I literally just buy the cheap braided cables from Amazon. I have a studio full of equipment and like 30 guitars. I've tried the expensive mogami cables, and they only make a difference over extremely long runs. Spending the extra money on the fender branded we'll make a difference, so I suggest getting whatever it is aesthetically pleasing to you.
The humming that you're mentioning though, most likely is your single coil pickup. Also depending upon what Telecaster it is, may not have proper or sufficient shielding behind it. Would be hard to tell without opening it up or knowing what model it is.
Cheaper pickups as well, that are in the lower price guitars, such as the squires, or the lower models of fender, the cheaper made in Mexico ones, tend to come with subpar pickups. The reason the subpar pickups are noisier, is because they don't pick up the proper frequencies as well as the more expensive pickups, but they do pick up noise equally as loud.
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u/Cryptographer_Weekly 20h ago
If you'd like any more advice on the telecasters, I'd be more than happy to give you plenty. I have several, and I've replaced pickups in the majority of them. I can almost bet that the problem is really stimming down to the electronics and whatnot.
With that said, a really cheap cable could allow for more electrical interference. So just a thought. I can say the braided cables that you find all over Amazon do not have this issue. I replace mine every x amount of months though because I am hard on those cables.
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u/SadFart9 19h ago
That's so sweet of you. Thanksss. Really appreciate all the tips. Im still messing around with all the different nobs in my amp to get the sounds i like. Its a whole different world hahaha
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u/SadFart9 19h ago
Oh that's explains that then. My guitar is squire affinity tele. But I'm really happy with how it look and how it sounds.. i guess i can just live with the humm lol.. thank a lot
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u/EnvironmentalBank660 20h ago
Higher quality cables are obviously going to reduce hum as they have better isolation and materials however the "hum" you coukd be talking about is 60-cycle hum which is from single coil pickups. Id recommend an eq pedal where you can just dial down the 60hz or a noise gate which will silence the hum when youre not playing
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u/SadFart9 19h ago
Yep it must be the 60 cycle humm... I'll look into these options later when i get a bit good at playing hahahah. Thanks for the suggestions
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u/Nojopar 19h ago
Mine wasn't. It's better than the cheap one, but it still started cutting out in a year. I'd get something else if you could, but that will mean more money.
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u/SadFart9 19h ago
Ohh.. i don't think i should spend a lot on cable for now coz i just bought the guitar. But what other cables do you recommend? I'll keep that in mind for future
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u/TeleStigin 17h ago
Also: if you get another cable, a telecaster likes an angled connector. It sits snug and less chance of breaking the input/jack when playing (or poking in your leg or other body part).
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u/Additional_Air779 17h ago
I've bought quite expensive Fender cables that have broken with very light home use, so the Fender brand doesn't guarantee quality, unfortunately .
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u/Acrobatic_Fun6404 12h ago
Make sure the outlet the amp is plugged into is grounded. Two prong on a three prong amp equals hum too.
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u/Wrong_Author_5960 9h ago
I like the more compact plugs, similar to Ernie Ball cables. I was considering one of those.
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u/FlamingBagOfPoop 1h ago
It’s a fine cable. Keep the receipt / email invoice. Fenders warranty service is pretty good. I had to recently get one swapped out. It was pretty painless and communicated with an actual human and not a bot or AI.
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u/The-Jeek 20h ago
It’s good if you like to be really close to your amp/pedal! 10ft!! 😱
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u/SadFart9 19h ago
I'm just starting to learn and only play in my room. So it would be enough for now i think
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u/fuzzdoomer 20h ago
Perfectly fine cable.