Customer Feedback

• Read the "Lava Cable ELC Pedal Board Kit DIY review" on The Gear Page: click here

• Read the "Kudos to LavaMan thread" on The Gear Page: click here

• Read the "Lava ELC Tweed Thread" on The Gear Page: click here

• Read the "Lava Cable Appreciation Thread" on The Gear Page: click here

• Read the "Mark @ Lava Cable" thread on the Huge Racks Forum: click here

• Read testimonial from recent van den Hul Integration Hybrid owner: click here

Recent Customer Emails:

12/20/07:

Mark,

The Van den Hul cables are the real deal! I've never thought that a cable could make this much of a difference. It is amazing how sonically balanced these cables are. Words can not express the sounds that I hear. The hidden nuances that I never heard before. The increased sustain with the low end punch I was looking for. The strings literally came to life with unbelievable amounts of attack.  I couldn't put my guitar down. These cables had everything that I was looking for. These are by far, the best cables anyone could ever buy. Well worth the money. I can understand why you use them when you play out. Thanks for all the help and patience you've shown me while I continued on my quest for pure tone.  I finally found it! Once a doubter, now turned a believer. Tone Freaks Unite!

Dave

11/22/07:

Mark,

I am speechless. I'm the guy that rolls his eyes to so called audiophiles when they discuss the difference between cables. When I ordered my Vovox cables from you, all I expected was a better built, durable cable. I was pretty sure that I would hear little to no difference between my old cables and Vovox. Little did I know.

I played through my old cables first. Nothing there. My sound as it has always been. I plug in the Vovox. Didn't even turn the volume up too much cause it was night time. I was ready to just play, see that there's no significant difference, roll my eyes, regret the amount of money I spent and move on with my life...

But WOW.... I'm speechless indeed. Vovox were SOOOOO clear. The sound opened up a lot. I tend to go easy on the gain compared to many people, even with my high gain sounds, and end up fighting my guitar cause it feels like there's not enough sustain. I considered a compressor pedal many times. But with Vovox I have sooo much more sustain. Notes are very defined too! I'm simply amazed by both the sound and physical quality of these cables.

To make sure, I plugged in my old cables again after testing the Vovox. The sound had like an artificial, loose low end going on and it felt like I was listening to my amp from outside my room behind the door. It was so much darker.

I'm definitely rewiring my whole pedal board with Vovox very soon. Thanks a ton man!

Gurkan

9/5/07:

Hi Mark,

The Vovox guitar cable you sent me awhile back is nothing short of amazing. I never expected that it would be that much of a difference over my generic guitar cable. I'm going to redo my whole pedalboard with Vovox as soon as I get the pedal lineup finalized.

Paul

9/5/07:

Thanks for the cables, they sound better than I expected! My setup has never sounded better. I'll definitely be coming back for more and will recommend your work to my friends.

Take care

Steve K.

8/28/07:

Mark,

I  want to thank you so much for your quality cables, and the exceptional service you provided. The Sommer Stratos cables arrived the next day and they are utterly fantastic! Mark, you are an exceptional person. Thank you for all your help.

Respectfully,

Jan

8/23/07:

Mark,

You’re the last guy I need to tell what a world of difference a cable can make, but man, that Crosslink speaker cable I received yesterday for my Vox AC15 Heritage head/cab has made a world of difference.

Goodbye hum, buzz and fuzz!

I still find it amazing that Vox would package the thing (which costs about $1700) with the cheapest speaker cable imaginable.

Thanks for the GREAT cable and the GREAT service.

Best,
 

Larry

6/22/07:

Hi Mark,

I just wanted to give you some feedback on the Zaolla and Cardas cables.  I've had them a couple days now and started first with just using the Zaolla long run cables in my rig.  They provided a dramatic improvement over the Canare's I was using!  Next, I swapped out all my George L's in my pedal board and rack for the Cardas.  WOW!  I had to literally dial back both the treble and bass on my amp head to compensate for the increased frequency response.  It was sort of the analog equivalent of going from 16-bit to 24-bit technology. I have also found much less signal loss as well and had to dial down the gain on my clean boost and OD pedals to avoid feedback.  I'm just floored at the difference these cables make!!  My guitar sounds like its running through 4ft of cable straight to the amp now despite the fact that the total run is roughly 32 ft from guitar to pedal board to rack to amp. I simply can't say enough about the difference this has made for me.  I eliminated some fizziness as well that I think was attributed to the George L's.  Both my Suhr Classic and Suhr Standard just sing crystal clear through this setup with exceptional cleans and punchy crunch tones.  Thanks a bunch Mark and great talking with you the other day.  Lavacable has all my cable business from now on!

Regards,

Steve

5/12/07:

I bought all the patches directly from you directly- Klotz. They just sound great with my configuration. My board is an ongoing project that has had over 100 pedals on it  in the last 15 months and thousands of dollars invested.

"I love your cables, they are the only way to go if you demand great tone."

Trainwrecker

Frank T.

5/12/07:

I just got my two Lava ELC Tweed today. OH MY GOD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have 3 really sweet guitars and 1 great amp that's rich in harmonic detail. I new my gear was good, I just never "heard" how good it actually was until tonight. It's like someone took a blanket off of my speaker cab. I actually experienced an increase in volume, clarity, note definition and tone, tone, tone. So let me say thank you very much for making a product that actually does what you said it will do. You are THE REAL DEAL! In today's time, that's a breath of fresh air. And as if the fantastic tone isn't enough, the tweed jacket is dynamite. (glad I spent the extra cash).

Bob

3/28/07:

Props for bringing in the Kimber Line!

I had a chance to install the Kimber 2x12 cabinet kit and test it along with the Kimber speaker cable last night. Quite a noticeable improvement over the 16 gauge wiring that came stock. The mids are, bolder, very detailed and much more forward in the spectrum, (perfect for guitar frequencies) the bass remains tight and the highs are not too harsh nor piercing. Raises the fidelity of the tone without sounding "hi-fi". A huge plus is the RFI canceling, weave technology. It actually works. I had problems with picking up radio stations and other stray noise, and that has been eliminated by going with Kimber throughout the output wiring chain. I appreciate you making this product available!

Thanks!

JB

3/16/07:

3//3/07:

Wow the melody patch cables you sent are awesome. I did a side by side test with monster rock patch cables and the melody blows them away.

Brian

2/10/07:

Mark,

I want to let you know how much I am impressed by the Evidence Audio Siren cables I ordered from you. Not only is your workmanship impeccable (as always) but the cables made a huge improvement in the tones of every amp in which they were installed. I noticed a vast improvement in overall detail, naturalness, and a much sweater, open top end with the EA cables.

I had my wife do a quick A/B with the stock and EA Siren cable on my Budda Superdrive just to make sure it wasn't just me. She easily heard the superior sound of the EA. I did further A/B test on my Rivera era Fender Concert, Princeton II, Super Champ, and also a beater Peavey Triumph. The EA Siren noticably improved the performance of each and every amp.

After having done about anything and everything to improve amp performance: tubes, speakers, transformers, etc. I consider your EA cables a best buy in regards to the performance improvement they make in comparison to there cost. Thanks for a great product.

Sincerely,

Thomas

1/18/07:

I was playing my guitar when my Lava ELC cables arrived. I put my Mesa Boogie Rectifier head on standby and swapped cables throughout, pedal board and speaker cables. I could not believe what I was hearing.  This was like adding an equalizer , a compressor, and a noise gate, and a overdrive pedal, but all I added was good quality Lava ELC cables. Wow!!   All the crackles are gone. My amp is dead quiet, and the gain is on  nine. I have more sustain, almost endless, and all the harsh mids are gone,  and the sound is more open, like a blanket was lifted off my  mesa cab. I was going to get the aforementioned pedals, but that would have cost more than the cables and would not have solved my tone problem.  I am not a cable salesman, I was a skeptic, but  this is real, believe me. Lava ELC cables have given me my tone back!  Thanks so much.

Matthew

10/5/06:

10/4/06:

Mark:
 

The Tara Labs cables made a huge difference in the sound of my Godin LXP90. After buying processors to try to balance and bring out the nuances of the strings, I find that some really good cables were what I needed. since all my electric guitars are single-coil or p90 pickup-equipped, the initial signal needs all the help it can get. When I powered up, I ran my thumb across the strings and couldn't believe what I heard, and the dynamics were amazing; even the lightest touch produced great tone. wonderful product! I'm placing another order for a cable to run from my acoustic to the preamp. Glad I checked your website out-good and thorough information. I'll be glad to recommend you to others.
 

Bill

8/1/06:

8/1/06:

Mark,

7/15/06:

6/25/06:

Mark,

The van den Hul cable is fantastic!  I just A/B'd it into my Vox DA15 practice amp with a Meistersinger chorus, using George L's, and then the VDH's.  What a difference!  Much more pristine, and clear/shimmery than the George L's.  Notes are more distinct, and chords full with individual notes coming through very nice.  I haven't even tried them yet on my full rigs!  If there's this much difference noticed on a small amp, I wonder what it will be like on the big boys! 

Larry 

6/23/06:

Mark,

I received the order for the Van den Hu Integration Hybrid cable yesterday.  The guitar cable included the Neutrik Silent Plug.  I have to say that the sound improvement is incredible.  It is so much clearer and warmer.  I play through a Carr Slant 6V amp in the clean setting most of the time and the sound was as clean and “pure” as I would ever want it to be.  The silent plug is great.  No need to keep hitting the stand by switch every time I switch guitars. My Monster cables have now been relegated to outdoor or back up cables.

Thanks again for such great quality and improving my sound closer to what I want.

Thank you,

Louis

6/21/06:

6/13/06:

Hey Mark,

I just wanted to let you know that I received my Sommer 15 cable, and I'm simply amazed with it man.............words cannot describe the sonic capability of this cable and connectors. It makes my amp fuller, and louder even, it's really impressive. I'll probably be calling you back for another 15 footer.

Thanks again for the great service and fast shipping

David
 

6/8/06:

Mark

I AM A BELIEVER!!!! Even though you did a great job convincing me to invest in new high tech cables - I was still somewhat skeptical before I tried the guitar and speaker cable out - I thought the difference would be very subtle - and now I cant believe what a HUGE difference both cables make. It is actually a bigger difference than you described - I will never play again without either cable again. I tried swapping back and forth between the 10 foot Lava ELC -> to my generic cable I used to think was just fine - and there is just no comparison. I play fingerstyle jazz on an Eastman Uptown - and the difference in the tone is really remarkable - it is almost like I changed to an active pickup - so much more presence and umph. (I cant wait to see what the ELC does for my Strat going into my Mesa Boogie!) I had the same experience comparing the Evidence Siren to my 6 foot $20 CSI cable - I could not believe what a difference a lowly speaker cable could make! The Siren makes my $280 Robelli guitar sound like a $7000 L-5! I am not kidding - when I swap the Siren in, it is as though I changed to a solid top guitar - more "woody-ness" the tone and much better dynamics. When I get some time, I will record a quick A-B comparison between the cables for you - I bet even YOU will be surprised at how good the Siren makes my Robelli sound.

Thanks again for the time you took to help me choose the cables that fit my playing style. I will definitely be ordering another ELC to keep as a backup - and eventually another Siren for my extra speaker out...

Mark
 

5/15/06:

Hi Mark-

5/15/06:

5/14/06:

5/8/06:

I have gone through many cable types and brands and after plugging yours (Lava ELC) into my equipment there is a definite difference in sound and to my taste better. They seem to add another dimension to my guitar sound. Thanks a million and i will tell all my guitar playing friends about you.
 

Bill

5/4/06:

5/3/06:

Mark - I'm really liking both the Lava ELC and the Melody cables you've sent me. These two 3-footers are going to connect my Rotosphere to the effects loop of my amp. I set the Roto on top of the amp and operate it with a remote switch.

Piece-by-piece, I'm going to replace all of my cabling with the Melody and Lava ELC eventually!

Tony

5/3/06:

Mark,

I wanted to email you before my euphoria diminishes!

I just got the cables (made me late for work to plug them up, but I just had to check them out).  I'm totally pleased with these cables! I think 'in awe' would be a more appropriate term. Them seem very transparent, which was what I was looking for. My lollard pups come through with all their shimmering sweetness, just beautiful! I mean that...absolutely stunning sound quality!

I've tried many of the premium cables available, and the Lava cables sound the best of all the ones I've tried thus far. I was especially impressed with the mid-range response. But, having said that, what really impresses me is that the Lava cable is really balanced. Very transparent and natural sounding. I'm hooked already.

As far as noise is concerned: man, my rig has *never* sounded quieter - I mean, with my amp on 10 and my guitar turned all the way up, there's just the slightest, barely audible bit of noise floor (and you can only hear that within a few feet of the amp). I can't wait to get home later and put a pedal in my circuit and try out the 6" patch cables.

Great job!  I would, and will recommend these cables to everyone I know. They are a fantastic *value*. IMO they are worth far more than they are being sold for. I'll email you after I really have time to put these cables through their paces, but judging from what I've heard thus far, I doubt my current opinion will change. Thanks.
 

Jim
Hustonville, KY

Joel Wanasek(Canare GS-6):

I am definitely no stranger to high end cable. Being a recording studio owner and an audiophile, I’ve got my whole studio decked out with top notch cable like Mogami and Monster Cable. Every connection in my Mesa Boogie Triaxis/20:20 guitar rig is all Monster Cable as well.  I originally heard of Lava Cable when Mark, the company’s owner, emailed me and told me to check it out. The website caught my interest and was highly informative with lots of good information about cables. So, I asked him to send me one to test out.

My previous school of thought was that as long as you were using a high end audio cable, you would be alright. The reasons for buying a good quality guitar or speaker cable are numerous. Features like a lifetime warranty, high quality shielding, less signal loss, punchier tone, better preservation of your signal’s high end, better build quality, and higher durability are very important if you actually care about your tone. I’m an honest believer that you get what you pay for. If you spent the extra money and get something quality, then you won’t need to replace it down the road. I’d rather spend the money for something once and do it correctly.

For a long time I was a skeptic of companies like Monster Cable. I always thought that they were a rip off and not worth the money. The day I went out and bought my first monster cable, it shattered that stereotype and humbled my skepticism extremely quickly. That cable improved my sound dramatically! Ever since that day I’ve bought high end cable for every connection that I have. Enough background… let us get to the point now shall we?

The cable showed up in the mail two days after I asked for it. I opened it up and took it out. It was a lot thinner than my monster cable, but it is built like a tank! It resembled the Mogami cable I had. It is thinner, but more durable than Monster in my opinion. The build quality was impeccable. I ripped that cable apart from top to bottom and let me tell you that it is a work of high quality craftsmanship! So far I was very impressed. I ran down stairs and plugged in my Mesa.

First I tried my cheap store brand cable. It was noisy, cheaply built, and sounded alright. Then I plugged in the Monster. The noise instantly disappeared, the tone was punchier and a lot more clear sounding. It was exactly what I expected as I’m already familiar with this difference.

Next I plugged in the Lava Cable. The only word I could think of upon hearing the difference was WOW!!! It sounded great! The Monster cable sounded dark and scooped in the mid range compared to it. The Lava Cable sounded a lot more open in the high end, while it was also clearer and punchier sounding. It also had some more grind to it, which was perfect for shred/metal distortion. Basically it sounded like the monster cable was putting a blanket over sound and masking my tone. Just for fun, I plugged the cheap store cable back in, it sounded terrible. There was no comparison!

I thought that the Monster cable was a little quieter than the Lava Cable. However, the slight reduction in amp buzz with the Monster cable also came with a reduction of tone. It sounded very dark like the Monster Cable was covering the amp with a blanket.

Lava Cable is much cheaper than Monster, sounds much better, and has the same kind of warranty and craftsmanship. I was very impressed and all I can say is that from now on, lava cable is my cable of choice! Another thing that I like is that Lava Cable is a much smaller company than Monster Cable and the owner Mark is a really nice guy. I’d rather support a small company that produces a top quality product than a large company’s marketing department. It is nice to know I can call up the company if I have a question and talk to the owner. Lava Cable is a great product from a great company, don’t short yourself from getting better tone, go get one today!

Post from Guitars 101:

6/16/05:Just rewired my whole setup with cables from Lava Cable I purchased 6 3' patch cables to chain my rack effects/preamp, a pair of 6' speaker cables, a pair of 20' guitar cables (with the optional nylon casing - great for durability!), and a 3' patch cable with 90-degree connectors to hook up my tuner to the rack. I also got a 10' mic cable as well. For the whole lot, I spent under $230.

I was very surprised by the quality of these cables - the ends have a very 'heavy' feel to them, not cheap or flimsy. Opening up the connector, you can see the attention to detail, everything is wrapped up nice and tight, no loose ends or exposed wires.

I was previously using home-made cables that I bought in bulk and soldered the ends on myself. I never really gave the cables much thought - I can hear the amp, they must be working, right? What a difference in sound good cables can make - 10 years I've been using those old crappy cables! The difference is subtle but powerful - my sound just seems to have more 'body' that it had before. In fact, a friend of mine came over and asked if I had changed my sound somehow, not even knowing I had replaced the cables.

Finally, Mark is a real pleasure to work with. He was very fast to respond to my questions, and shipped my order promptly. I'm a very satisfied customer, so if you're looking for some really high-quality cables at a VERY reasonable price, look no further!

Posts from Harmony Central:

5/3/05: Lava Cables Are freaking AWESOME! If any of you guys are looking for an affordable, quality cable, please do yourself a favor and get some of these cables. We just had an Ampfest in Raleigh NC and Mark the owner and maker of Lava Cables was there and we did some quick A/B comparisons with his cable and my regular cables and his cables had a very noticeable difference. I tried his instrument cable and speaker cables and all I can say is WOW!!! It was a night and day difference. I know a lot of people will call BS but I as well as many others heard the difference right then and there. I  guess the best way to explain the difference and I know this is an old saying but it was like you lifted a blanket off the cab. Just a more alive non sterile type sound. It was very cool for me to experience as I was a bit of a skeptic on a cable making a difference in the tone of a rig. Needless to say I'm using Lava cables for my instrument, speaker and rack. Mark is a great guy and only uses the best materials and will custom make cables to tailor your needs. Do yourself a favor and get some of his cables. Oh yeah did I mention they are affordable!

5/24/05: Lava's ROCK! I picked up a pair of the 20 footers. They brought SO MUCH more tone out of my signal than the George Ls I was using from guitar to board and board to amp. I still have Ls on my board, because I love being able to cut them to length. These cables are top notch parts ALL THE WAY! They should be priced at twice as much as they are now. I've played the super expensive cables, and the cheaper versions as well. Lava leaves them all behind. Buy them and never look back.

Posts from The Gear Page:

5/16/05: I just wanted to give Mark at Lava Cables a big bump

really cool guy - great customer service, pricing and products -
I hit send from my PayPal account on Friday and on Monday the package was in my mailbox!

I just got his 6 foot Lava Power cable for $75 - and a set of his Lava patch cables

every other high end audio cable i've ever even heard of is at least twice the $$$

so does it work?

I definitely noticed an improvement in something...you know, i have heard the argument over and over again, and i don't know what to say...there is something there..it's hard to quantify...kind of like the punch or clarity a new set of tubes or instrument cord gives ya...but i tried it, liked it...unplugged it, plugged the old one back in, compare the two again, and then decided to give the old one to my niece to use as a jump rope (she's almost five - early birthday present)
 

for the patch cables, i tried running straight with my Klotz cable into the amp, then through some true bypass pedals with the Lava cables...no tone suckage at all when in bypass mode...nice

just wanted to give Mark and Lava a bump - very easy to deal with - and it's a refreshing change from some of the other Soup-Nazi attitudes out there (remember something called customer service?)

5/10/05:I have a/b'ed the lava and george l cable from guitar to amp. extremely close to my ears, but i preferred the sturdy construction and the lack of spaghetti- noodle-curling effect with the lava. plus Mark is great to deal with!
 

4/27/05: I just got my order of 10 eight inch connectors for my pedalboard and a guitar cable. Came in 2 business days from ordering! These cables are sweet with the best 90degree connectors I have ever seen. VERY transparent sounding cables. I am very impressed with the product and the service.

Posts From the Guitar Diner:

3/19/05: Last week I answered a trivia question on one of our new members sites and actually won something. More surprizing to me was I actually recieved this prize. Not only did I get it, but it came within a couple days (Hell, I can't even get crap I buy that fast) So now I'm the new owner of one of LavaMan's primo cables. Used it last night and it sounded great. Very heavy duty, Neutrik gold ends, Canare GS-6 cable, and a handy dandy chord tie. Prices are very reasonable, and I think I'll buy a couple more for my A/B box. Thanks LavaMan, you make a fine product! My "Monkey" even liked it. (just when you think you have a Monkey free forum again. Bwaahaahaa)

Lava Cable review (Canare GS-6) (Teleman, Guitar Geek Forum):

 Mark from Lava Cable made an offer last week for a free cable as long as it got reviewed here. Well, I was the lucky one chosen to get the cable and do a review.Here it goes.

My equipment:
Fender 50's tele with Joe Barden pickups
Fender Blues Deville 4x10

Other cables I compared with it:
Fender vintage voltage (I love tweed)
No name cable with metal ends
Planet Waves patch cable

First off, the Lava cable is a little thinner than the others, giving it a little more flexibility.  The ends are shrink fitted, and seem solid. It came with a cable tie, always a nice touch. The plugs made solid contact when I plugged them in.
I plugged it in. No noise. I expected that. the same with the Fender or PW cables. The no name had a slight buzz to it.

Sound quality:

This is where the lava really shines.A tele through a Fender amp is obviously going to have a lot of top end. there was a very noticeable increase in the top end compared to the no name cable. The increase was noticeable, just not as much with the Fender cable.

Summary:

Overall I say that Mark has a very good product, especially considering the price. Plus, the guy is in the Army. That gives him much more status for me anyway. I will be getting some more as soon as I can get the bread together. Anything I didn't address, just ask away!

Lava Cable review (Canare GS-6) (Ron, The Netherlands, Taborama Forum)

Well, I guess it's time for my review of the Lava Cable I received a few days ago. I'm comparing the Lava Cable to both my free 10' lead, with plastic plugs and my good 18' lead, with Neutrik NP2C plugs.

Build quality and materials used:
The Lava Calbe features Neutrik NP2X-B plugs, slightly thinner than the NP2C, and with gold-plated contacts. The cable is Canare GS-6, a good quality cable. After opening the plug up, I found out that the contacts were sealed with funky-looking orange insulation, good stuff because it will not likely break like this, though I personally prefer the contacts open so I can repair them in case it breaks. A malfunction, however is not likely to occur because of the orange stuff sitting tightly around the contacts. Big here, this cable is made to last.

Stresstest:
A cable needs to be able to take a beating, so that's what I do with a cable I get to review. I've plugged it in, thrown the plugs on the ground with distortion on, and smacked the cable against my desk to check for handling noise. I've also bent the cable at the plug to check what it could take. Plugged in, but not into the guitar: The cheap cable hums like heck when I just hold it in the air, the other 2 cables are silent. Plug on the ground: All 3 cables hum, this is 100% normal and not unexpected. Plugs in amp and guitar: The cheap cable hums more than the other 2, the Lavacable and my other good one are as silent as the guitar. Handling noise: SMACK, SMACK, SMACK, there goes the cable against my desk, being plugged in in both the guitar and the amp. This is exactly what happens when you jump around on stage. The cheap cable makes a ticking noise each time when it hits the desk, VERY annoying and NOT something you want while playing. Both the Lavacable and the other good cable are silent. Bending the cable at the plug: The cheap cable gives me a horrifying buzz, the other 2 remain virtually silent.

Sound quality:
The cheap cable misses some low end, but to be perfectly honest, I don't hear any remarkable differences between the Lavacable and the other good one. The difference between either and the cheap one is absolutely noticeable, but the differences between the 2 are hardly noticeable, if any (I can't replicate exactly the same pick attack and such each time, I would need a picking-machine to thoroughly check this)

Summary:
The cheap cable is out of my rig now. The Lavacable is now my preferred one when I don't need the 18' of my other one, and when I'm using a pedal too. It sounds good, looks spiffy with the orange stuff, and is definitely made to survive tough conditions. I expect to be still using this cable 10 years from now, and I don't think I'd need a backup when gigging. THE question, of course, is: would _I_ buy it? I'd have to admit, I probably wouldn't. THE more important question is: is it worth the 24 bucks? A simple YES will do here. Of course this is where the question: 'Why wouldn't you buy it?' comes in. It's quite easy to answer actually: The things that make this cable worth it's price are the great build quality and lifetime warranty. The reason I wouldn't buy it are that I don't need both. When I need new cables, I make them myself, and when a cable breaks, I repair it myself. If I'd need a quick replacement (assuming they'd be available in Europe) I'd definitely consider Lavacable, 'cause they can definitely be trusted. All in all they're great stuff if you're not handy with a soldering iron, and I would definitely recommend them!