Sound
As far as sound quality goes, these cables would likely fall squarely into the category of “prosumer.” (for the less poetic, that’s a contraction between the words professional and consumer) If you’re looking for the most professional, high quality tone available, you might be better off looking elsewhere. However, if you want fantastic quality sound for less than the cost of a nice case of beer, these are the cables for you. They are quite silent in comparison to similar cables, and tone comes through the cable truly and without degradation. These cables almost seem to warm up the sound a bit, making this a great cable for jazz, clean guitar tones, and rock and roll. Based on online reviews and personal testaments, the sound quality seems to hold up for quite some time, but we’ll get more into that in our next section on build quality. Speaking of which…
Build Quality
As with most tweed jacketed cables, the GLS Audio Tweeds feel quite solid in one’s hands, as well as look rather dashing. The tweed prevents the cables from wrapping on themselves too much, so players should expect to spend far less time unwinding instrument cable messes.
In the interest of getting a bit more technical, GLS actually provides a number of insights into the actual construction of their cables. In order to strengthen the build and use stress relief, three strategies were employed, including heat shrinking, rubber tubing, and metal clamping. The cables also have conductive PVC and an insulator shield to protect the signal from external electrical interference. GLS actually goes as far as to provide the capacitance rating of the cables (38 picofarads per foot if you wanted to know), a relatively unprecedented move in today’s market. That rating is actually quite low, which greatly contributes to the high quality sounds the GLS Audio Tweeds delivers players.
Options
Although GLS offers numerous lengths and versions of their classic black rubber cables, the tweed version of the product does not seem to be as diverse. The user basically only has one choice of length: 20 feet. Fortunately, this length should be more than enough to cover the stage in most all live situations, though it might be overkill in small home studio. The jacks are only straight tipped; again, the option for right angles is only available for the GLS black rubber cables.
While the lack of options is a bit disheartening, GLS makes up for it by offering several different colors to guitar players. Currently, three tweed options are available: black, gold/brown, and red. All three of these colors are actually quite attractive, but we personally prefer the red. The gold/brown is the classic tweed coloration that one might expect classier, upscale, and old school musicians to utilize.
Value
The GLS Audio Tweeds are a phenomenal value. Furthermore, these cables are rather widely available, as GLS appears to operate primarily through an online storefront. When considering the quality and durability of the GLS Audio Tweed cables and the low price point, it’s pretty evident that these cables make a fantastic deal. If the plethora of positive reviews is any indication, more often than not, the GLS Audio Tweeds are more than enough to meet any players needs.