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©1999-2009 Whirlwind Music Distributors, Inc. - All descriptions and specifications subject to change without notice.

Whirlwind Instrument Cables

Whirlwind's first product was a high quality U.S. made guitar cord. At that time, just about all guitar cords were made with cheap cable and plastic shells molded right onto the plugs. Anyone who played electric guitar in those days will remember (sometimes in the middle of a gig) having to tape a cable or twist it to get it at just the right angle in order to make it work. Whirlwind began producing a premium quality cord with Belden wire and Switchcraft ends, the first US company to do so. The resulting cables were so reliable that they actually had a guarantee, something unheard of with the cheapies. Sales immediately took off and it wasn't long before Whirlwind began receiving requests to build microphone cables, patch cables, etc. of the same quality. One of the first innovations spearheaded by Whirlwind was a design change to the tip of the plug used on guitar cords. Up until that time, Whirlwind had been using a military style 1/4" all brass plug with a round tip. An amplifier manufacturer felt that this tip was putting too much pressure on the amplifier's input jacks and could possibly bend them. Whirlwind addressed this by designing its own plug bodies that incorporated a new diamond shaped tip design. These were also capped with stainless steel and provided positive electrical contact without causing stress on the jack. Whirlwind's diamond shaped tip has become the standard for virtually ALL instrument cords made today. The marketing for Whirlwind guitar cords was based around referring to them as different types of snakes. A 1981 catalog showed the following models: Snake - Switchcraft plugs and straight cable UltraSnake - Whirlwind plugs and straight cable Cobra - Coiled cord, one Whirlwind plug and one right angle Switchcraft UltraCobra - Coiled cord, two Whirlwind plugs Constrictor - 10' straight cord with 20" coil section, one Whirlwind and one Switchcraft right angle plug Viper - Straight cord with special plug bodies featuring spring style strain reliefs at the cable exit This line continued until 1985 (only the Snake survives as the present "Classic" series) and the introduction of the patented Leader® plug, Whirlwind's first venture into the complete design and production of a product all its own. Until then, all the cables were essentially made with "off the shelf" components. But after nine years of building cords and listening to musicians likes and dislikes, Whirlwind's engineers had ideas of their own. The Plug Experience had taught us that most cable failures were caused by the flexing of the cord where it exited at the plug body and that the crimp style strain relief didn't always provide enough protection for the solder connections. The solution was to design a completely new connector specifically for guitarists. The now widely copied diamond tip was kept for the plug, but the plug body incorporated a new and innovative "drill chuck" style strain relief and a metal cap that was molded into a flexible boot. The strain relief closed 360 degrees around the cable when the cap was tightened, providing 100% strain relief. Also, the back end of the tapered boot was flexible to provide gentle support for the cable as it exited the plug body. The result was a revolutionary (and patented) plug that virtually eliminated cord failures caused by previous designs. The Cable Next, Whirlwind decided to produce its own cable designed specifically for the working musician. It would have true braided shield for superior noise rejection, low capacitance to preserve high frequency response, an extra layer of carbon between the inner insulation and the shield to eliminate handling noise with modern high gain amplifiers and a flexible yet durable jacket. The resulting Accusonic® +1 cable was matched with the new plug to produce the Leader® cable. It was a huge success and firmly established Whirlwind as a company willing to listen to the pros and incorporate features that they wanted into its products. Its success also reinforced Whirlwind's commitment to the idea that well designed, quality products could be successful in a market often thought to be driven by price alone. Today, Whirlwind builds hundreds of different types of cables with the same dedication to quality and innovation that has remained its philosophy for over 30 years.