Core One Bullet Coil Cable
by Darrin Fox

Nothing says "old-school cool" more than coiled guitar cords, which were the choice of Jimi Hendrix, Danny Partridge, and other guitar legends. Unfortunately, nothing says "crappy tone" more than these notoriously bad-sounding relics of yore. But Core One's new Bullet Coil Cable ($70 retail/$40 street)--which sports 99.9 percent oxygen-free copper conductors and copper-braided shielding--is a major improvement on the "telephone wire" of the past. The Bullet has a noticeable high-end roll off, but that's hardly a surprise considering it contains 33 feet of cable (maximum extended length is 25 feet). Longer cables have more capacitance than shorter ones--which typically results in some loss of high-end--but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Early in his career, Stevie Ray Vaughan preferred the funkiest Radio Shack coil cords available, strictly for their tonal coloration. With my Tele plugged into a Fender Twin Reverb, I actually dug the way the Bullet rolled off some of the glistening treble spikes. However, one of the best things about the Bullet is that it looks cool, and that's a rare thing to say about any guitar cord.

Guitar Player
Accessory File
January 2004