Allies Vemuram Allies Custom Cables and Plugs [BBB-VM-SST/SRA-10f]

Allies cable now available in S/L specifications!
A combination of SST (Short Straight plugs) = short S plugs and SRA (Short Right Angle plugs) = short L plugs.

Over the course of approximately three years, we repeatedly tested various combinations of shield winding density and strength, along with the simultaneously developed Allies plug, thoroughly exploring the balance between the sound's sweet spot and the cable's flexibility and noise interference. Rather than simply aiming for a lower capacitance, we focused on actually listening to the differences in the cable's capacitance. As a result, we found that cables with extremely low capacitance values are not necessarily better for guitar sound, and that there is an audible sweet spot within a certain range of values. Through these repeated tests and tuning, the sound we aimed for in the cable was a natural, straightforward sound without any quirks. However, while this is easy to say, what defines a natural or straightforward sound varies from person to person, so we were faced with the question of what criteria to use when starting development. The engineers developing the cables are not top professional guitarists. They are not bluesmen who perform over 100 shows a year, nor are they rock guitarists who tour arenas every year.

So we brought a large number of samples to our close friends, top guitarists and engineers, and had them test each cable in their own setups, comparing them. We asked them how they felt about the sample cables with their different characteristics, what they wanted from future shielded cables, and what problems they saw with current cables, not just in terms of sound quality but also usability. We began development based on their opinions and advice, and we would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to them.

We then selected a few cables as candidates and, from the samples that many of them found to be good, we were able to naturally identify the direction for development. Furthermore, shields are used in conjunction with plugs on both ends. The sound changes significantly depending on the plugs used. At the same time, we decided to completely rethink the plug structure to address their dissatisfaction with the plugs on current guitar cables. We then produced a huge number of sample plugs, and after repeated testing and tuning of the cables in combination with several representative plugs from other manufacturers, we finally arrived at the Allies cable and plug.

[About Allies Vemuram Cables and Plugs (Original Plug Series)]
The Allies Original Plug is the highest-end plug used in Allies Vemuram shielded cable products. This plug structure, consisting of three machined pieces*, incorporates various patented ideas to solve many of the problems inherent in conventional guitar shielded cable plugs. The plug is made of two materials: brass, currently used by many manufacturers, and phosphor bronze, a new material we have recently adopted. We chose phosphor bronze over the traditional brass plug material because we discovered that phosphor bronze offers a different sound character than brass, with a clearer sound, slightly stronger low and high frequencies, and a wider range than brass. It also offers greater rigidity, making it ideal for plugs. After testing various combinations of phosphor bronze and brass plug materials, we ultimately selected three material combinations for the three-piece plug*: all brass (all brass: BBB), mixed (brass and phosphor bronze: BPB), and all phosphor bronze (all phosphor bronze: PPP). The sound characteristics of these three plug combinations are based on our own auditory impressions. The all-brass (BBB model) offers a full, mid-range sound, similar to the tones of legendary guitar players of the past. The mixed (BPB model) offers a flat sound balance across the entire frequency range, without any strange high-end boost or overly emphasized lows. The midrange is also slightly subdued compared to brass, offering a flat, straightforward character. The all-phosphor bronze (PPP model) offers an unprecedented wide range and a clear, forward-looking character across the entire frequency range. Furthermore, these three plug types are paired with only one shielded cable: Allies' original cable, featuring a double spiral shield. This offers better resistance to noise interference than standard braided shields, while also providing flexibility that affects cable handling. The shield is wound slightly loosely, resulting in a full, yet straightforward, flat sound character. In this way, the cable itself is tuned to have as organic and straightforward a sound character as possible, and by combining it with three types of plugs (BBB, BPB, PPP) with different sound characters, we have created an exquisitely tuned, carefully crafted shielded guitar cable.This is the characteristic of this shielded cable series, which uses Allies Vemuram's top-of-the-line plug (Original plug).

*The three pieces refer to the components that make up the plug: Tip (tip part), Body (middle part), and Cap (cover part).