I recently contacted Stringdog.net regarding their Armor Gold Cable which I became very interested in after seeing that it came top of Guitar Player Magazine’s test of 49 different cables across different price points, including a $229 Alessandro Series Three cable (The Armor Gold Cable costs $35 direct from Stringdog.net). I’m no audiophile so I would never be able to construct a review like Guitar Player’s experts but they described their favourite cable like this:
The StringDog Armor Gold has a mellow top end, sweet upper mids, and nice overall balance. This cord dishes out a slightly smoky flavor, which is great for rockers seeking more buttery tones.
That description reminded me of wine buffs who talk about the hint of cadbury’s creme egg with overtones of steak and kidney pie in their Barossa Shiraz. So here it is in my simple guitar player’s terms. First of all this guitar lead is built like a tank, hence the Armor in the title. It has what Stringdog call an “Industrial Mesh Outer Layer… which prevents damage from stretching, pinching, bending, slicing, kinking and other common hazards of continuous stage use”. They say it is a high tech polymer mesh commonly used in industrial applications and I can see why! Not only does it feel like it would withstand a nuclear holocaust it looks cool too! I don’t know much about the technical side of guitar signals so here is some more techy stuff:
20 Gauge, 41 Strand Oxygen Free Copper Conductor – 20 gauge thickness achieves the perfect blend of flexibility, strength and medium-low capacitance. High strand count increases flexibility, preventing breakage due to repeated bending. Oxygen free copper delivers a purer signal.
95% Spiral Wound Copper Shield – Provides protection against outside interference, but maintains flexibility.
Resin Injected Connections – After soldering, resin is injected between the hot and ground connections preventing them from contacting each other and shorting out
Stringdog.net also have a lifetime warranty on all Armor Gold Cables against defective materials and/or workmanship AND they offer a 60 day trial so if you are not convinced for some bizarre reason you can get a full refund… they offer this for a reason though, you are not going to want to give this cable back! I’ve used it at home and at rehearsals and I can’t fault it, it sounds great.
If you have ever wondered if good quality cables really make a difference there is a simple answer, yes they do. What is the point investing in a good guitar and amp and then buy a cheap noisy cable that is going to break within a few months to complete the signal chain? The Armor Gold Cable is not only reasonably priced at $35 but it will last forever so it is a really great investment.
Stringdog.net were also kind enough to send me some of their Black Snappers picks which are great, they are Delrin matte finish picks which make them very grippy. I have been using the Heavy 1.0mm picks for the last couple of weeks and they are every bit as good as the Dunlop Tortex picks I used to use. I’m thinking of buying a bag of these picks because they are only $19.99 for a bag of 100! I don’t think I’d need to buy another bag for 10 years!!
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