Shielded wire. What to buy and where?

[nomorebetts]

I'm curiuos to know what shielded wire you guys use on your hi gain builds?  And where do you get it from? 
I've tried two different kinds I got off ebay and couldn't really use either.  One was a tiny gauge and the other had more than one insulated wire inside the shielded wire... if that makes sense.
Cheers!

[pakrat]

I just recently tried this for a high gain build and it worked out fine.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Ft-Braided-Shield-Stranded-Vintage-Style-Single-Conductor-Guitar-Wire-22ga-/400448521925?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item5d3c9786c5
If you have a rats nest in the box you may want to cover it with heat shrink tubing.

[deadastronaut]

i cut up RCA/phono cables...never had a problem.

[armdnrdy]

I use RG-174 coax cable.

http://www.hytamerica.com/Download/Private/file/PDF/belden/8216.pdf

It's very flexible and about the right size for the job.

You can buy it online or at your local electronics store. Very common.

[davent]

Just answered the same question on another forum so copy paste, Teflon is a dream!

Hi Bill, The wire is a Teflon/Kapton insulated coax i picked up on ebay, very stiff and can only get away with a gradual curve, no 90° bends, very small diameter package. Put 1/8" Techflex over it. Really like the teflon, no worries of creating a short when soldering to shield. To attach a wire to the shield all you need to do is strip of the insulation, wrap a piece of wire around the shield, trim off the excess shield then solder the two together, cover with heatshrink.

He also has longer lengths available.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/10-feet-26-AWG-Shielded-Silver-Kapton-Teflon-Wire-Coax-/230824758424?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item35be3a4c98#ht_500wt_1203



This one was soldered before trimming off excess shield, try it both ways, never created a short with this wire.



dave

[rutabaga bob]

Per Rob's RCA/phono cable idea, I imagine you could get a bunch at a thrift store or yard sale for peanuts.  Know anyone who does wiring installation for a living?  They could probably bring you all kinds of scrap.  I myself use RG174, or wire from old phonograph tone arms.

[Govmnt_Lacky]

He also has longer lengths available.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/10-feet-26-AWG-Shielded-Silver-Kapton-Teflon-Wire-Coax-/230824758424?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item35be3a4c98#ht_500wt_1203

Just a heads up from someone with A LOT of experience with Kapton wiring.

THIS STUFF IS GARBAGE!!! 

After a short period of time, the outer jacket will begin to flake off and leave a huge mess! I have seen it first hand and it is not pretty.

[nomorebetts]

Cheers for the replies guys!
I'll see what I have lying around as I might already have an RCA cable I can cut up.  Otherwise I'll check out some RG174.
Thanks!

[digi2t]

I use two types. The cheap Chinese RG-174, and because I recently scored a great deal, Belden RG-174.

The Chinese RG-174's core wire casing is PVC. You need to be VERY fast on the soldering. Keeping the heat on too long, you'll see the casing go transparent, and melt. For tricky positions, you have to prepare your setup ahead of time, to ensure that you don't hold the heat to it for anymore time than is absolutely necessary. Holding the wire steady, just in case the casing gets too hot, and preventing the core wire from breaking out, helps as well. The advantage of this wire is it's price (50' for about $10), and it's flexibility. It can conform into some pretty tight corners.

The Belden wire I scored is teflon core casing. It's stiffer, and more expensive (up to $25 for 50'), but the teflon casing is excellent at resisting heat. No need to worry about holding the iron to it for too long. You will have to watch your runs though, like I said, It's much stiffer than the PVC stuff.

Your needs, will ultimately guide your choice.

Cheers,
Dino

[davent]

Just a heads up from someone with A LOT of experience with Kapton wiring.

THIS STUFF IS GARBAGE!!! 

After a short period of time, the outer jacket will begin to flake off and leave a huge mess! I have seen it first hand and it is not pretty.

I can only go back five years with this particular length of wire so opened up a tube amp and a pedal from early 2008. Grabbed the wires, wiggled them around, had a good look see, wiggled them around some more, looked them over with a 10x jewelers loupe, all's well. Looks the same as the pieces i put in a build last week, no cracking, no flaking, just like new. You can't force it into sharp bends, large radius curves are necessary. Wouldn't hesitate a second before buying more but i've enough for this lifetime... if you're still leery the same store has a number of gauges/colours! of coax with just teflon insulation, wouldn't waste time with pvc insulated coax.

Apex Jr. is another very good source for wire and he will have PFTE (teflon) coax as well and at very good prices but does have a minimum $ order (at least to Canada last time i ordered.)
Take care,
dave