Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I am replacing the pots and wiring on my Laredo (the VVT conversion was done with cheap components). Does anyone know the correct and/or best gauge wire?

Thank you sir. That is good enough for me.

In general, wire size is determined by the amount of current that needs to be carried. In a guitar circuit, the currents are minuscule, so just about anything will work. So, you go for what's easy to work with. Too small is easy to break and difficult to handle, too big is hard to bend and fit into solder lugs, etc. I'd suggest wire in the 18 to 24 gauge range. 16 would work, but is starting to get big, 26 is getting on the small side but will fit into smaller spaces if necessary.

This was done with 26 ga. ribbon cable:

I think 22 AWG is the popular choice--or else I just keep running into the stuff when I browse for guitar components. I like the kind with cloth covering that you can push back; it is much more heat-resistant than plastic. For pickup leads, however, I'd use a more substantial wire with a copper shield just like RIC uses. This prevents having to shield the pickup lead if you decide your bass needs shielding--you can limit it to the control cavity 90% of the time.

Is there any point in getting tinned copper wire (tin paling preventing corrosion or something?), or is pure copper wire just as good?

Factory spec is #22. Tinned wired is used for convenience in prep and soldering- not much other benefit.

I'm surprised that no one has raised the ridiculous assertion again that silver wire makes a guitar or bass sound better. This was making the rounds ten years ago or more, and some huckster actually got people to believe they could hear the difference, though blind tests proved otherwise.

johnhall wrote: I'm surprised that no one has raised the ridiculous assertion again that silver wire makes a guitar or bass sound better. This was making the rounds ten years ago or more, and some huckster actually got people to believe they could hear the difference, though blind tests proved otherwise.

kind of reminds me of the worlds most (ridiculously) expensive power cables http://www.highendcable.co.uk/Nordost%2 ... 0Cords.htm - have a look at the rest of the site for a laugh.

Same thing but for guitar and bass amps:

http://www.essentialsound.com/musiccordproes/index.htm

Ridiculous. There's nothing wrong with having a cable properly sized to handle the current, and in some cases I can see a ferrite bead, but get real.

It's a little disconcerting also to note who believes in this stuff:

http://www.essentialsound.com/guitar-bass.htm

22Ga. wire is rated to conduct 7 Amps, 26Ga. rated to 2.2 Amps. Either is more than adequate for the task.

I prefer to use a multi stranded type for greater flexability and vibration tolerance.

johnhall wrote:Same thing but for guitar and bass amps:

http://www.essentialsound.com/musiccordproes/index.htm

Ridiculous. There's nothing wrong with having a cable properly sized to handle the current, and in some cases I can see a ferrite bead, but get real.

It's a little disconcerting also to note who believes in this stuff:

http://www.essentialsound.com/guitar-bass.htm

Now, just how do they go about "fixing" that long run of nasty "Romex" from the breaker box to the outlet? Or that awful aluminum cable from the transformer to the breaker box?

Oh wait, when selling vaporware to fools, facts don't matter...


P. T. Barnum's legacy is alive and well...

And Michael Manring is an endorser...maybe that's how he gets that bass tone.

FretlessOnly wrote:And Michael Manring is an endorser...maybe that's how he gets that bass tone.

Vic Wooten has a similar endorsement. Kind of mind-boggling as I've talked to him twice and he's a down to earth guy...

FretlessOnly wrote:And Michael Manring is an endorser...maybe that's how he gets that bass tone.

Well, Tony better get on the bandwagon for his Christmas show, if he wants that MM tone!

There is a ton of mumbo jumbo in the audio industry, been that way for a long time, now. Too bad it is filtering into the MI sector. We can blame Noel Lee for probably starting it, regarding cables, at the very least.

jps wrote:There is a ton of mumbo jumbo in the audio industry, been that way for a long time, now.

Add Planet Waves and Monster Cables to that list. I am going to burn my PW 30' instrument cable so it can't harm any more innocent people (or input jacks).