Cable length between Fishman Bp 100 and Fishman platinum pro eq

[Dueling Banjos]

Greetings,

I have new gear and a question.

I'm using a Fishman bp 100 on my CCB going to a Fishman platinum pro eq then on to a Fender rumble v3 500...

I read that you should keep the cable between the pickup and the preamp as short as possible.

What lengths are preferred through the whole setup..?

Also, is there a quality difference in signal if I took the Fishman platinum pro eq out using the XLR to my rumble? Does the outbound choice of 1/4 vs xlr matter?

Thanks

 

[Matthijs]

In theory cable length might matter, but I've never heard a relevant difference live and I've used 10m of cable between pickup and the platinum sometimes. I prefer to keep the platinum close and the amp further away though, so most of the time I use something like a standard 2 m cable.

In recording situations the noise level is more important. Having a lot of cable before a high impendance input can cause some noise, but a few meters more or less isn't going to make the difference. The difference also becomes bigger with really high input impedances like 10 meg, the 1 meg platinum isn't that high. Using the XLR would also lower noise levels, but also not in a way that would really matter in a normal live setup with the amplification coming from your Fender Rumble. That would only be usefull if there's another reason to use the XLR input of the next step of the amplification chain: i.e. because you want to bypass a pre amp, use an axtra pre-amp or effect, or the jack is already in use for something else.

 

[Dueling Banjos]

In theory cable length might matter, but I've never heard a relevant difference live and I've used 10m of cable between pickup and the platinum sometimes. I prefer to keep the platinum close and the amp further away though, so most of the time I use something like a standard 2 m cable.

In recording situations the noise level is more important. Having a lot of cable before a high impendance input can cause some noise, but a few meters more or less isn't going to make the difference. The difference also becomes bigger with really high input impedances like 10 meg, the 1 meg platinum isn't that high. Using the XLR would also lower noise levels, but also not in a way that would really matter in a normal live setup with the amplification coming from your Fender Rumble. That would only be usefull if there's another reason to use the XLR input of the next step of the amplification chain: i.e. because you want to bypass a pre amp, use an axtra pre-amp or effect, or the jack is already in use for something else.

Thanks for the response. We might start working on some recording soon so that's helpful information since I'm the least experienced with sound in the group.

 

[PNeher]

Main thing for me is not the cable length but how well shielded the cable is. You can easily pick up "hum" if the shield is not good. You can try a ground lift on your amp if you get hum. Sometimes it helps to "ground" the pickup to the shield, other times it is better that the pick up electrically "float." I am sure there are some electrical engineers out there that can help explain ground loops and hum.
Finally, some pickups need a pre-amp. These can introduce noise too, but are often necessary especially if the cable is long. I make my own pickups and have never had a signal-loss problem due to cable length. Use good quality coax cable, connectors, and solder. Best!