"NEW FOR 2008, TONE-MASTER CABLES"
Plug In. Tell Your Story.
More than a pretty face, Fender® Premium cables are the sonic and aesthetic result of exhaustive research and development. Designed to look, feel and perform better than anything on the market and priced within reach of every musician, they won't disappoint. Built around our exclusive Differential Cable Architecture (DCA) and premium source materials, be prepared to plug in and Tell Your Story. See them at stores near you in three amazing flavors: Gold Series; Platinum Series and the vintage-vibe Koil Kords-- Series.
A significant amount of research and development, combined with countless hours of listening test, has produced results that will extend the levels of performance of any guitar and amp combination. This technology represents a significant advance in the field of cable technology.
Differential Cable Architecture:
Stranded cable is commonly used for guitar cables and other pro audio applications, but usually avoided for home audio. The difference in sound may be from the fact that the signal jumps from strand to strand in an uncontrolled, unpredictable manner, and that oxidation among the strands impedes signal flow, and causes distortion. This appears to be manifested primarily in the upper-mid and higher frequencies, and the symptoms are primarily a grainy distortion to the sound that most audiophiles find irritating, but some use of this is desirable for guitar use, especially in rock music.
It is also well accepted among audio cable designers that different gauge (diameter) wires sound different. For this reason, most high-end cable designs use solid core conductors of varying gauges (large diameter conductors accurately reproduce lower frequencies; medium gauge conductors, the mid frequencies; and fine gauge conductors, the high frequencies.
But, the size of the wire isn't the only way to affect the sound; the shape–or design–of the conductors has a large role as well. Flat, or rectangular, conductors prevent the concentration of low frequencies, and reproduce midrange frequencies well.
Given these considerations, that different conductor types and sizes tend to sound and perform differently, and combinations seem to work best based on optimization, it naturally follows that different types of conductors could be combined to produce a cable that excels in every frequency range. This is the concept behind Differential Cable Architecture. To arrive at the ideal balance between the different frequency ranges, it is critical to choose the correct sizes and quantities for the different conductor types.
Dielectric Materials:
The plastic insulation that covers the copper conductors in guitar cables is technically referred to as "dielectric" material. PVC is commonly used as insulation in many inexpensive guitar cables, yet has marginal electrical properties that result in signal loss. Basically, the insulation material absorbs a certain amount of the electrical signal, resulting in a weaker signal. Polyethylene and polypropylene have much better dielectric properties, yielding a lower loss while retaining more of the instrument's original tonality.
OFC Copper:
Fender® Premium cables feature genuine Oxygen-Free Copper (OFC)—a significant upgrade over normal electrical grade copper. OFC is cast and drawn in a way that minimizes the oxygen content in the copper. This drastically reduces the formation of copper oxides (or grains within the copper), substantially reducing the distortion caused by the grain boundaries. OFC has only about 400 grains per foot, as compared to 1500 in normal electrical grade copper. Therefore, there are far less distortion-inducing boundaries for the signal to cross. The sound of an OFC copper cable is smoother, and more open and dynamic than the standard electrical grade copper commonly used in guitar cables.
