Open Box Livewire Advantage Instrument Cable Angled/Straight Level 1 10 ft. Black

Most Liked Positive Review

A Hearty Cable

You might think there isn't much to say about a 1/4" TS or mono cable, and you may be right. Is it Mogami? Belden? Canare? I have no idea. Last I checked, Canare instrument cable is thicker. Does Livewire fabricate their raw cable in-house? I have no idea. Whatever the case, the texture of the jacket is Mogami like, but not necessarily Mogami. So the thickness of the jacket is just enough to be satisfactory to me -- not too thin, and not too thick to be inflexible. I open the Switchcraft-like connector -- but wait! It's Neutrik!!!! I can already tell you that Neutrik is a quality manufacturer of fine connectors for professional use. Btw, I used to be a cable assembly technician. Btw, I used to be a manager for a cable fabrication house. Ok, so I open the 1/4" TS connector, and see that the shrink wrap sleeving is all the way up and over the "tip" solder joint. In the trade of cable building, this is actually considered good practice. Why? so that as you flex the cable repeatedly, the "tip" solder joint does not contact the outer connector housing, thus causing a short or that unpleasant buzz pop crackle dead one might be familiar with. And that's as far as I'm going to go with inspecting the connector. I'm not going to cut open the shrink sleeving to check the soldering -- is it cold and brittle? Did the solder flow nicely? I have no idea. I've already used the cables to my satisfaction, and they are functioning properly. Livewire tends to be my go to cable because they are moderately priced and aesthetically pleasing enough. Also, if I absolutely have to, I suppose I could break out the ol' soldering iron and repair them if needed. But wait, these cables have a Lifetime Guarantee. What does that mean, exactly? I have no idea. But I just called Livewire to ask if these cables are made in the U.S. and the answer is yes. Good enough for me.