Music Gear Misinformation

[Rudi]

I collected the band PA a while ago from another band member.

He pointed out some damage to the speaker cables. One jackplug was bent to an angle of about 75 degrees at the collar. Another had half of the casing missing.

I went to buy some new ones yesterday (at Nevada Music - Farlington). I couldnt find what I was after, so asked a young staffer for help.

He could find any at first either. At this point he suggested I buy instrument cables instead.

I have interchanged speaker & instrument cables many times, and didnt understand the difference for a v long time. I was surprised that a music shop assistant was glibbly offering duff advice though.

We found the right article eventually.

caveat emptor !

[Steve]

Did you thrash him soundly with the incorrect cable?

[Rudi]

none were heavy duty enough.

doing the job with a cheap flimsey cable would have taken at least 2 hours. I'm just not fit enough.

[TapperMike]

Sadly your best bet is Radio Shack. If they don't do amp repairs inhouse then it's a good chance they are ill equipped to provide you with the correct information. Usually amp/pa/keyboard repairs are farmed out to third parties.

My amp tech I've known for years he has a relatively cheap bench and I can trust him to do things right. For that stuff my local store farms out but they have been known to do simple stuff inhouse.

Usually for internal wiring of speakers you want a 22 gauge wire. It's thick and can handle high output

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103617

Granted with 100ft you'll have a lifetime supply. Ideally you want the shortest distance from the jack to the driver.

You might want to save yourself some hassle and buy a new jackplate.

http://www.seismicaudiospeakers.com/Jack-Plate-Dual-Speakon-Dual-p/jack%20plate.htm