Balanced Guitar Cable VS TS Cable Query

[Thumb Picker]

Would appreciate your input (when one type is better and why?) on using balanced v/s TS cables for short runs (< 20') from my 614 to my acoustic amp
I have a balanced cable with XLR to amp but I want to use a Y cable (TS) to plug both my guitar for lead and another person's guitar for rhymn to the same channel
Will I really be sacrificing anything?
I honestly can't tell the difference in sound one way or the other

Thanks for your time!

[Edward]

To answer the initial/main Q: I have never found any tonal difference between the balanced TRS/unbalance TS uses ...not that there was ever a claim to be.  The real difference is balanced provides superior signal/noise ratio (largely irrelevant if cable runs is reasonably short, which <20' is fine), and a significant increase in output (a 6db boost, IIRC). 

FWIW, I had gone balanced long ago, and it was fine.  I could easily overload the input channel if the soundguy wasn't expecting it, but any board can gain down and you're rosy.  But after deciding I wanted to add pedals, going unbalanced with a normal (good quality) TS cable left me zero disadvantages, just a significantly lower output signal, which I easily compensated for.

As for your use with a "Y" cable, I'm not sure what you're trying to do will work well.  Two guitars into the one input into your amp, right?  Lots of variables there with each guitar pickup's tone, impedance, and output with the two different systems.  No telling what the result will be w/o trying it.  So try it and let us know

Edward

[Louis]

Funny this is brought up Ed , cause I just went through  this yesterday - want to hook a balanced cable between my Sub and my Pass port , and wound up making one.On the Fender forums we have a tech guy who knows his stuff and always answers promptly here' s what he said to one of the guys


Go to any music supply store and ask for 1/4"TS speaker cables. Just make sure it's a speaker cable and not an instrument cable. The ends look identical. Good ones are labeled on the sheaths (Either "Instrument Instrument Instrument..." or "speaker speaker speaker...". Others? Well, unscrew the end and look to see if the cable has two fat wires (a speaker cable), or one skinny wire and one woven metal shield wrapped around the one skinny wire (instrument cable).

Instrument cables are too thin for speakers. The amperage from the Passport can heat these up, and possibly even short out and cause a fire. You want speaker cables. If the store doesn't know the difference, go to a different store.

Oh, and speaker cables don't make good instrument cables, either. The tiny, subtle signal from an electric guitar needs that metal shield that the instrument cable provides or it picks up noise from fluorescent lights and transformers, like the power supplies of your effects boxes. The 1/4"TS connectors are the same for instrument and speaker cables, but the cables themselves are NOT interchangeable.

[Thumb Picker]

Ed wrote

"As for your use with a "Y" cable, I'm not sure what you're trying to do will work well.  Two guitars into the one input into your amp, right?  Lots of variables there with each guitar pickup's tone, impedance, and output with the two different systems.  No telling what the result will be w/o trying it.  So try it and let us know

Edward"

Ed

Using my Ultrasound DS4 amp
We had a chance to try the "Y" connector idea

We Plugged in a Taylor 312  for rhymn and Taylor 614 for lead in one  amp channel
Plugged in a mic in the  xlr 2nd channel
Using the guitar's volumn and eq controls , we were able to setup with no problems
Our venue was a small , 60 seat room

We are not pros, just folks doing volunteer stuff at nursing homes, senior centers etc
our sound system quality bar isnt held to the level pros have to deliver
But this system seems to be working for us and reduces dragging more equipment around
Thanks for the replies

TP

[Edward]

Outstanding, TP!  As you already know, it ain't about the equipment; it's all about the heart in the music.  I am always relieved when the simple solution works for what I want to accomplish, so I'm glad that works for your most excellent gigs, man!

Edward

[MrHarryReems]

What version of the ES system do you have?  The older ones gave you a half gain signal with an unbalanced cable, so your signal would be weaker than a non-Taylor guitar.  The new ES systems have done away with all of that nonsense so you can use a standard instrument cable like every other guitar on the planet.  I used to have to use a balanced cable into a line-leveling transformer in order to get a full gain signal out of the guitar.  Earlier this year, I sent the guitar back to Taylor and had the ES system upgraded to the ES2, which was one of the best things I've ever done.

[Thumb Picker]

What version of the ES system do you have?  The older ones gave you a half gain signal with an unbalanced cable, so your signal would be weaker than a non-Taylor guitar.  The new ES systems have done away with all of that nonsense so you can use a standard instrument cable like every other guitar on the planet.  I used to have to use a balanced cable into a line-leveling transformer in order to get a full gain signal out of the guitar.  Earlier this year, I sent the guitar back to Taylor and had the ES system upgraded to the ES2, which was one of the best things I've ever done.

Thanks for the info, very interesting

The Taylors we are using are equipped with the pre ES  Fishman Pickup


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[MrHarryReems]

Thanks for the info, very interesting

The Taylors we are using are equipped with the pre ES  Fishman Pickup


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I believe the older Fishman preamps were basically standard output.  If you're using a balanced cable, I'm betting that you're not getting anything out of it.