Recently, we got our hands on some boutique instrument cables made by Sweet-Tone. Over on their site, these cables promise ‘high quality sound performance’. But with a $50 price tag for a 10-foot cable, I thought ‘how much better can these be compared to standard cables I get from my local music shop in the $10-$20 price range?’
I unboxed my two 10-foot cables and proceeded to plug my ’68 strat into a Tweed Blues Deluxe. Before doing so, I made sure to play with a regular instrument cable right before so I had a good idea of the overall sound. Now time for the Sweet-Tone cables. I plugged in, turned off the standby on the amp and proceeded to play some improvised blues. WOAH!! All of a sudden, I felt like a better guitarist! I did not imagine that I would notice this much of a difference. There were 3 things that stuck out with the Sweet-Tone cables:
1) My tone was so much clearer. Each note had its own clarity and definition. All this time, I thought I knew the tone of my 68 strat. But trust me, I did not know at all!
2) Absolutely no noise or hiss! Just the light hum coming from the strat as usual, though even the hum sounded better. These cables are so much more quiet.
3) My guitar became more responsive. Hammer-ons and pull-offs sounded more noticeable. Holding notes seemed to have greater sustain despite the amp settings. And when I did really subtle things on the guitar, they were much more noticeable to the ear.
Overall, my tone had gotten a lot better. I honestly couldn’t believe it. I continued to play for much longer than I normally do, because of how additive the tone was.
What intrigued me about Sweet-Tone is their cables are made by a guitar player who is also an electrician. The fact that he has knowledge of high-quality components and an ear for tone is what makes these cables so good.
I really wanted to make sure I wasn’t the only one seeing this. Good thing we have testers at GuitarToneTalk! All 3 of our guys here noticed everything I mentioned. I didn’t even tell them what to expect, so there was no bias.
All I can say is that if you have nice guitars/amps/pedals, but are playing with cables from your local music store, than you are NOT getting the full benefit of the tone you should have. Plug in some Sweet-Tone cables, and your gear will sing to their fullest potential. I don’t plan on using any other cables. Now I just gotta get my hands on some of their patch cords!
For more info on Sweet-Tone or to purchase their cables, visit: