Identifying instrument vs speaker cable

**Woody Sound** · 01-11-2021, 09:43 PM

I am in the process of sorting out and weeding out years of accumulated cables. Is there a way to differentiate 1/4" speaker cables from instrument cables? (When there is nothing printed on the cable, and the plugs are sealed.) I do have a multimeter, if that helps. Thanks.

**neatomic** · 01-11-2021, 09:59 PM

instrument cable is center wire within ground wrap..speaker cable has two distinct covered center wires

cheers

**Woody Sound** · 01-11-2021, 10:03 PM

Originally Posted by neatomic

instrument cable is center wire within ground wrap..speaker cable has two distinct covered center wires

cheers

Thanks, but as I mentioned, if the plugs are sealed, you can't see the wiring. Ex:

Identifying instrument vs speaker cable-cable-jpg

**neatomic** · 01-11-2021, 10:14 PM

Last edited by Woody Sound; Today at 18:01.

i was in before your edit!

but luck

cheers

**icr** · 01-11-2021, 10:14 PM

Speaker cable is safe to try on your guitar. It will be very noisy, you will not want to use it, that is how you will know it is speaker cable.

**Zigracer** · 01-12-2021, 02:53 PM

Here in CT, I used to be able to tell by plugging the cable into the guitar and the amp, turning up the volume and seeing if I heard WTIC 1080 AM in the amp - the 50,000 watt pulse of New England.

**TOMMO** · 01-12-2021, 04:20 PM

Originally Posted by icr

Speaker cable is safe to try on your guitar. It will be very noisy, you will not want to use it, that is how you will know it is speaker cable.

^ This.^

**AlsoRan** · 01-12-2021, 08:36 PM

I looked all over the internet for 30 minutes - no answer!

**marcwhy** · 01-13-2021, 01:36 PM

Any luck, Woody?
Speaker cable "tends" to be thicker than instrument cable, too. [All my speaker cables are between 3-6', so that makes it easier for me!]

**Woody Sound** · 01-13-2021, 03:23 PM

Originally Posted by marcwhy

Any luck, Woody?
Speaker cable "tends" to be thicker than instrument cable, too. [All my speaker cables are between 3-6', so that makes it easier for me!]

That is often true, but see the picture of the Monster Cable speaker cable in my op.

**sgosnell** · 01-13-2021, 06:56 PM

If it's the same size as instrument cable, it's not quality speaker cable. It needs to be thicker than that to be safe and provide quality sound. I do not use Monster Cable for anything.

**Cunamara** · 01-13-2021, 09:22 PM

There's always the old-fashioned method: plug it in between a Marshall head and stack, crank it up and see if it melts.

**sgosnell** · 01-13-2021, 10:16 PM

A better way is to use Speakon connectors for speaker cable. If an amp comes with 1/4" jacks for speakers, I change them immediately. The short circuit that occurs when the 1/4" plug is inserted or removed can be fatal for speakers or amps. With Speakon connectors, that's not an issue, because they cannot short out. Sure, you're supposed to turn everything off before you plug/unplug, but defecation occurs.

**Tal_175** · 01-14-2021, 08:34 AM

One method can be putting one hand on a laptop keyboard while the other hand is holding the cable plugged into a dimed amp. The other end of the cable I guess should be plugged into a humbucker guitar to make sure the noise isn't coming from the guitar. You can compare cables this way.

I don't know if this method is reliable enough to risk using a "noisy cable" as a speaker cable for a high power amp but it would rule out using it as a guitar cable

A more reliable method would be to remove the outer skin in a small area to see if there is shielding under it, then wrap that area back with electric tape.