where to buy shielded wire?

[stormbringer]

Hi guys,

I'd like to get some 1- and 2-conductor shielded wire for the usual spots inside an amp. I'd like to get it in lengths no more than 25' at a time. So far, I have found the selection to be very limited at the online amp supply shops (e.g. tubedepot.com) and overwhelming at places like newark.com. Can somebody point me in the right direction?

Cheers, John

[Enzo]

Unless you need longer pieces, I find the little shielded wires inside VCRs and cassette decks to be very useful for inside my amps.

I find it relaxing when I need to get my head clear of the bench to strip down an old VCR or tape deck as far as it will go. I take out every screw and remove every mechanical part. I save all the screws, and usually the powr cord. yeah, I am a geek, so i have a big box of little motors saved up. I sometimes keep a circuit board for the occasional odd emergency part, but often as not I pitch the boards. But these things all have small diameter shielded cables going from the board up to the heads or other paths. Small, flexible, easy to use, and free. No REALLY long pieces, but most shielded runs I have to make are not very long. Input jack back to a tube socket on a Fender is about my max.

Hey, it's a thought.

[Zipslack]

I thought I was the only one that did crazy stuff like that. Some of those Radio Shack/Realistic decks (8-tracks or cassette) have loads of shielded wire. One good unit can yield up to 3-4 feet in pieces of 6 inches or greater.

[Enzo]

I find it soothing. VCRs - the older the better. The older ones had soooooo many little parts.

[loudthud]

Some shielded wire intended for RF signals is terribly microphonic.

[big_teee]

I've cut up and use those little small diameter guitar cords that come with cheap guitars.
Some are not much bigger than 1/8-3/16".
Some are double shielded, have a carbon shield, then a braided shield.
There is some in my marshall clone.
T

[olddawg]

I've cut up RCA audio/video cables that come with everything home electronic, but quality will vary. As a starving musician I have even wired pedal boards with them.

[Bill Moore]

I guess I'll show my age, I have been using the skinny cable that the old Shure mics used to ship with. Maybe we weren't as hard on cables then!

[gecko13]

I thought I was alone in this habit (art?) of scavenging, lol. Old headphones and earbuds are a great source of very fine shielded wire (they have both single and double conductor cables). I was lucky enough to score a huge stash of high-end audio RCA patch cables, and I have been using that in the past few builds. Just think outside the box (chassis?) and you will find all sorts of sources.

[stormbringer]

Thanks for all the tips. I'm happy to dig up old VCRs and the like, however it would also be good to find an online supplier. Also, I am not sure super-fine wire is what I want. The shielded interconnect available at tubedepot.com is very fine and doesn't hold its shape when you solder it. Also, can anyone comment on the voltage-handling capacity of such fine stranded wires? With solid-core, I usually use 22 awg; going to anything finer makes me worried a little.

[olddawg]

I use Redco quite a bit. Professional Recording Equipment Accessories: Shop Our Selection of Audio Equipment Accessories, Custom Engraved Panels and Custom Audio Cables - Mogami Instrument Cable.

[Randall]

I just bought some externally shielded wire from Mojotone.

[Diablo]

Apexxjr.com has some available.

Wire

[echuta13]

I use Redco quite a bit. Professional Recording Equipment Accessories: Shop Our Selection of Audio Equipment Accessories, Custom Engraved Panels and Custom Audio Cables - Mogami Instrument Cable.

Redco for me too. I use Canare cable though: Professional Recording Equipment Accessories: Shop Our Selection of Audio Equipment Accessories, Custom Engraved Panels and Custom Audio Cables - Canare GS-4 Mini Instrument Cable