plugging in

[Guitar Cowboy]

I currently have access to a Bose L1 compact and may be using it for my first coffee shop gig next year. I realize that I don't know much about plugging in. Can someone point me in the direction of basic info? Do I need an acoustic guitar cable? I know Monster sells them specifically labeled as "acoustic"  . Does Taylor specify anything in particular for its ES? . What is balanced vs. unbalanced and how do you tell looking at the cable once its out of the packaging?  I am not looking for any special effects , just want to amplify  the acoustic sound. Sorry , I know these are real basic questions. Thanks

[TaylorMate]

Any normal (good) guitar cable will do. I use mainly Klotz and have not heard yet of aucoustic cables. That is probably mainly marketing. A balanced cable (with balanced trs(stereo)/xlr plugs) is only useful if you have balanced connections and need to have a long (10+ feet) cable. That won't be the case in your set up. If your guitar is already equiped with the ES2 pick-up Taylor even tells you not to use a balanced (stereo) cable. On the internet you can find lots of information about balanced vs unbalanced, e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo5HhfIUSP0

[Tarekith]

If you're not using the ES2 I'd still recommend going with a balanced cable, the output is definitely louder using one and it greatly cuts down on noise from the pickups as a result I find.

[MB]

You will love the Bose L1! At least I know I do....
When you plug into the Bose system it depends on whether or not you are using the Bose T1 mixer?
If not, then just plug a mono cable less than 10 ft long into the guitar input and select the guitar preset on the Bose Compact. Done!
If using a mixer then plug your mono guitar cable into one of the mixer channels. If you look closely at your guitar cable plugs, they will have a tip section and a sleeve section separated by a thin black band of plastic. A balanced, stereo or TRS cable will have a tip and then two sleeve sections. The Bose systems are all mono all the way thru. No need to introduce anything stereo including the guitar cable. You might want to test out the system with your guitar before your first gig so you can get a feel for it. Good Luck!

[Guitar Cowboy]

Thanks everyone for the information. I will currently have the latest ES-1 version on my 2013 816ce and will have ES-2 on my K26ce. For now, I would plug them directly into the L1 with no T1 mixer. I understand from your responses that I need to use an unbalanced cable for the ES-2 and it should be as short as possible (10 ft. seems to be the magic number) in order to minimize noise. I note however that a lot of pre-made cables are 12-ft and longer (ie Monster). Does anyone have any experience with Monoprice guitar cables or do you have any other suggestions for getting a shorter , good quality unbalanced cable. I am almost positive 12 ft. was the shortest I saw last time at GC. 

Also, should I get a balanced cable for the ES 1 in order to maximize the output and reduce noise as per the you tube link( A + A = 2A!/// Noise minus noise = no noise! )? I played an outside open mic this summer using 12 ft. Monster "Acoustic" cable direct to the L1 and had to crank the volume on the guitar and the L1 in order to be heard. It would be nice to get some more volume if that would indeed happen as described in the You Tube clip.

Sorry I am such a newbie here. I learned a lot today, though , Thanks!!!

[MB]

A balanced cable for the ES1 will not work with the Bose L1 Compact. The guitar end of that cable is 1/4" while the other end is XLR and will not plug into the guitar mode 1/4" input on the L1. I think you'll be fine with a 12 foot mono cable for both guitars. The ES2 will be a hotter signal but you can simply tame that one when you get there. I use both ES1 and ES2  Taylors on my gig and I use a Bose L1 system. Both guitars sound great thru the Bose. I use about a 15 foot mono cable for both guitars. All I have to do is turn down the gain for the ES2 equipt Taylor.

[Guitar Cowboy]

A balanced cable for the ES1 will not work with the Bose L1 Compact.

I'm still having some confusion on this. The Bose L1 Compact Manual says that the 1/4" input is a balanced analog input that accepts both 1/4" TRS balanced and 1/4" TS unbalanced cables, The 1/4 output says you'll lose 6 dB if you use unbalanced but it doesn't  say that for the input.  From other reading, it appears that TRS cables can function as mono or stereo cable  depending on whether the sound sources coming in are the same (mono)  or different (stereo). Apparently "balanced" does not equate to "stereo". So, I still think I may be able to gain some volume going to a balanced cable on the ES 1, which is what I think  Tarekith is saying. But on the other hand, swapping cables for different guitars used during a gig may be more trouble than its worth,  in which case it may be easier to just bump the volume controls as suggested by MB.

[MB]

Sorry about the confusion. When I was posting before I was thinking of the Taylor balanced cable they sell which has 1/4" on the guitar end and an XLR mic plug on the other end to plug into a PA. If you used that on the Bose L1 Compact, you would have to plug it into the XLR input on the L1 which is optimized for a Shure SM58 microphone. Not what you want to do. Now on the other hand a 1/4 to 1/4 inch balanced cable will work, but is not necessary. I would still recommend a 1/4 inch to 1/4 inch mono cable and used on both guitars. Then when you switch between the ES1 and ES2 guitars, the only adjustement you will need to make on the Bose unit is the level. The Bose end of the cable would then plug into the 1/4 inch input on the Compact which is optimized for acoustic guitar. The ES2 equipt guitar will be the hotter signal.
Does that help?