Pedal cables and power supplies.
Look, at some point as a guitarist you are going to get a pedal. Some sort of sound which in turn leads to needing cables for your pedals. I say “pedals” (plural) because once you have the infamous pedal fever you are hooked. Now, that leads us into the pedalboard cable syndrome. There are so many pedal cables out there which do you buy?
Pedal cables and power supplies.
Above is a small example of a type of cable you can get. So many factors come into play however. The type of board you have for your pedals. (should you go that rout) You may opt to build your own cables from a kit. Or buy many different types trying them all out. That’s fine if you have the money to do so. But different cable lengths, head attachments, and thickness all play a role.
Another factor that can influence your cable tone is the length. This is because guitar pickups (electric guitar or acoustic) push out an electrical signal, but that signal has a finite amount of strength. The longer the distance we’re trying to push through the more likely it is to lose strength over a given distance. For this reason (unless you’re using specialist cables with high-end materials) we’d always recommend using the shortest cable you can.
You also (most likely) need a power cable long enough to get to your power supply. These supplies are usually located somewhere under your pedalboard. Below is an example of a power supply.
So whether you notice any tonal benefits or not, it is totally dependent on a multitude of things including your guitar, its pickups, the, guitar amp, and even the guitar strings. But even if you don’t, it pays to invest in decent cabling so you don’t have to replace them so often.
There are so many brands out there it is hard to choose. I personally opted for an inexpensive power supply similar to the one above. You however may choose an expensive model. Voodoo Lab has been a frontrunner in the power supply industry with many variations and connections. See below.
Be careful though in choosing pedal cables. Get a set that you only need to get once. Get cables though, not pedal connectors! Remember, if your board fails in the middle of a jam, unplug from the board/pedals and plug straight into the amplifier. Figure out the fail later or during a session break.
Stay cool and keep jamming. Remember, it is all subject to what works for you. Nobody knows better then you which system to purchase.