I just saw another post claiming directionality of cables

[PRR]

> anything to cable that uses different metals for ground and hot, apart from being able to visually identify

You mean copper and "tin"?

The "tin" conductor is 99.9% copper. Thinnest possible wash of tinny dross. Just a visual ID.

If you mean Rhodium and Palladium.... yes, that gooses your ego which makes you play better.

[Johan]

But. .But. ...But. .The electrons are not going anywere.. They don't magically appear at the pickup then go on a journey down the copper road... They just wiggle in place...Boundaries between materials only matters when conductivity gets so bad it stops the wiggle. And since they just wiggle in place, it doesn't matter which end the good plug sits. ..But then, it seems we all agree this is all nonsense
J

[Thecomedian]

Directionality of cables is not related to how the electrons prefer to travel, but on screen from external noise.
The term directional cable refers to a cable with two wires in and a shield all around, connected with one of the two wires.
Then the shield is connected to only one side, that needs to be connected to the amp (side at lowest impedance to ground).

That's all.

A sensible post about the issue.

[bool]

Sensible yes, but not really exactly "on topic"; as I see it, it was meant as a "serious" answer.

About the same level of techy explanation (minus humurous sarcasm) as f.e. "this inst. cable is directional. It has a straight jack on one side to be plugged into your amplifier, and on the other side it has an angled jack to be inserted into your guitar so it dosent fall out while you rock hard".

Atoms, baby, them dancing atoms! Those are the ones that really matter!

[Jdansti]

But does it really matter since in one parallel universe you plugged the cable in the opposite direction, and in another you didn't plug it in at all?

[bool]

That's probably the real reason that lots of bands release both "electric" and "unplugged" versions of their tunes. So NOT the "greedy label" policy - or outpours of blossoming creativity.

Multidimensionality it is.

[garcho]

i love lamp.

[vigilante397]

i love lamp.

Do you really love the lamp, or are you just saying that?

[kaycee]

Of course cables have directionality. Electrons can read, why else did they used to print the circuit schematic  inside those old fuzz pedals?? So the electrons knew where to go, that's why old gear sounds so much better. The elders understood this stuff so much better than us, we just call it mojo in our ignorance, but to them it was science I tell you!

[Mark Hammer]

...which is probably why whenever I try to build something, using a schematic that is NOT drawn from left to right, all the way from input to output jack, it seems to never work out.

The electrons get just as confused as I do!

[pinkjimiphoton]

The worst part is that he's telling others about it. What the hell?
He said "the directionality of the cable. I found that print (George L's points to the amp side of the cable!"

I don't know why but this just made me irritated tonight.

wellllllll.....

in some cases, direction DOES seem to matter. i know it sounds crazy, but everything is gonna be slightly polarized on an atomic level. but can you hear it?

sometimes, yes, i think you can. i've built circuits that sounded different just swapping orientation of stupid shit like resistors and caps... and some guitar cables DO sound a bit different.

for the most part, i think it's bullshit tho.

i wonder if maybe the way the braid is done makes a difference... shielded cables with a braided ground definitely sound different to me than the ones where the shield just kinda wraps around the center conductor...

or maybe i did wayyyyyyyyyyyyy too much blotter acid.





*but not as much as eric johnson   

[GGBB]

i love lamp.

You'd love it more if it had a directional cable.

[garcho]

for the most part, i think it's bullsh*t tho.

Even if it isn't, where are you playing? Stage, studio? What mic is in front of your amp? What XLR cable? What snake? What pre, compressor, speaker, room, etc.? At a certain level, it seems like the variables outweigh the constants. Just sayin'

[tca]

I've done some more thinkering, it's symmetry breaking.

Symmetry breaking describes a phenomenon where (infinitesimally) small fluctuations acting on a system which is crossing a critical point decide the system's fate, by determining which branch of a cable is plugged into the guitar. To an outside observer unaware of this, the choice will appear arbitrary. This process is called symmetry "breaking", because such transitions usually bring the system from a symmetric state into one definite state. Symmetry breaking is supposed to play a major role in guitar playing^{[clarification needed]}.

[mac]

Symmetry breaking describes a phenomenon where (infinitesimally) small fluctuations acting on a system which is crossing a critical point decide the system's fate

That's very Quantum Statistical Mechanics.
When you boiled water this morning for your breakfast small fluctuations took place inside the liquid. Those small but infinite changes make transitions from temperature T1 to T2 happen.
For example, computer simulations of a system having two spins, up and down, work by changing the spin of one particle and letting chance decides if this small energy change at a given constant temperarature is going to happen or not. Sorry Albert, God do play dices!  
The total energy begins to change so as to be in tune with temperature. After a zillion spin changes energy reaches a steady state.

NOw, since the wire, your guitar and amp are in a steady state at room temperature, the only "symmetry" breaking is... US!  
( Or should I say "ball"? )

But you can try heating the wire...

mac

[tca]

^ Well, it could be explicit or spontaneous, depending on the guitar player and the space-time continuum in that moment at that place

[Thecomedian]

The worst part is that he's telling others about it. What the hell?
He said "the directionality of the cable. I found that print (George L's points to the amp side of the cable!"

I don't know why but this just made me irritated tonight.

sometimes, yes, i think you can. i've built circuits that sounded different just swapping orientation of stupid sh*t like resistors and caps... and some guitar cables DO sound a bit different.


*but not as much as eric johnson   

Possible parasitic inductance or capacitance?