Anyone using George L patch plugs and cables?

[keith_h]

They look a lot like some solderless connectors I used back in the late 70's, early 80's. My experience with those was they did not like to be moved about and if they were they would make intermittent connections sooner than later. They were adequate when I used them to connect effects on my pedal board where everything was fixed to the board and did not move but they would still on occasion become intermittent. It was easy to fix the problem. All I had to do was remove the wire, trim off a 1/2 inch and reinstall the wire. After about a year I went back to solder connections for all of my pedal board cables.

I think you're thinking of Bill Lawrence's cables: https://www.wildepickups.com/products/cable-plugs-set-1?variant=32638205067326

I'd echo the above - for a pedal board with fairly fixed connections it should be fine. I just bought two of their cable sets over the holidays (along with some pickups) and they feel really well done and sturdy. I just play in my living room, though, so I can't speak to their stage durability!

They weren't sold as kits but as parts. They might have been Bill Lawrence but it is so long ago I don't remember. I picked them up to try mainly for the same reason as Bill and jazzyvee and that is for the pedal board. I did make a 10 or 15 foot guitar cable to try out but abandoned it quickly.   

I dug one out and they look like the ones being sold as Bill Lawrence in this Reverb listing.

https://reverb.com/item/18051824-bill-lawrence-lawrence-1600-cables-2000-s

[gtrguy]

I do kinda remember buying mine at a music store back then and it was sold on a spool of wire (you pick the length) and two brass connectors. The fact that I still use that cable today, long after all my other cables from the 70's have been thrown away, says a lot.

[gearhed289]

I used George L's for several years, but finally got tired of them failing. Not fun on stage. After I'd given up on the "build your own" parts, I thought I'd try a couple pre-assembled. One of them was bad right out of the package! I really wanted to like them, but it just wasn't working out.

[bigredbass]

No.  Not even.

I learned a long time ago that everything needs to be blast-proof, the worst will happen, and weird stuff happens all the time, and the Number One on today's question:  Dopey cables will bite you in the a*s EVERY TIME at the worst possible minute.  This is one of those things that if the biggest touring sound companies or pro recording studios don't use them . . . . there must be a reason they're not betting on them to do a 50,000 seat show, or a JT's next master recording sessions.  Good enough for me.

So since I don't solder, it's either Mogami or stuff from my friend Butch at Bayou Cables.  That George L stuff, just like every other cheap cable, gives me the willies.

My Two Cents.  Your results, as they say, may vary.

[jazzyvee]

Well i wired my pedalboard and loop switcher this evening with the George L cables and jacks and checked each one using Bill tgo suggestion of a multimeter and all except one plug tested fine. The failed one did not have a pin in the jack.
i decided to wire my distortion and a couple of wah pedals with standard patch cables and put them before the loop switcher so that in the event of the George l cables misbehaving, i can bypass them and still have some basic effects.


I have to say that tightening all the thin knurled screws one after the other makes for a really sore finger and thumb. 🫰🏾

[cozmik_cowboy]

"i decided to wire my distortion and a couple of wah pedals...."

A couple?  Dude, you must post a video of you wahing with both feet at once........

Peter

[jazzyvee]

Hahaha, there is method in the madness.  i have used two for as long as i can remember. One is used as a regular wah and the other is used as a tone control. Anyone else do this?

[lbpesq]

I use both a wah and an envelope filter/auto wah.
 
Bill, tgo

[jazzyvee]

That's my layout before cabling it all up. The power supply should come in a few days so maybe I will get a chance to check it out and programme the loop switcher at the weekend.
In the end I swapped the pedal tuner and the Chorus pedal as the more central position would make it easier to click on to tune or to mute.

[BeenDown139]

kinda late to the party, i'll cop with hte usual excuse.

these press-fit, insulation-piercing connections are fine for landscape lighting connectors or lamp cord replacements but with dry low-level electrical signals any kind of corrosion or flexing is gonna cause intermittent and/or noisy connections gauranteed.  plus it's just not a good electrical connection.  i don't care how ya slice it.  i'm old school and it's solder and strain-relieved connections everytime in my signal chain.  period.

[jazzyvee]

I'm sure you are right, as others have noted but i'd committed myself to buying them before consulting the wisdom of this forum. So i will see how I get on with them. At the moment i don't have any guitar gigs so I can check them out at home and at a jam session before that changes.  I don't use effects on bass so that's not going to be an issue.
 

[Glynn]

I never use anything other than these:-  https://www.mikehillservices.com/.  Based in Milton Keynes UK and superb cables.
Glynn

[lbpesq]

Looking good, Jazzy!   I assume you will be adding the little black rubber covers to the George L’s?

Bill, tgo

[jazzyvee]

Yes i do have a load that came in the package.

[jazzyvee]

Well yesterday I took the pedal board to rehearsal with the band for my next gig. The cables behaved fine, no issue there but the Joyo PLX8 has a click that comes through the speakers when you select any of the loops. So that's pretty much rendered it useless. Will have to look for another type that has silent switching or go back to daisy chaining my effects together.