Core One Creative Bullet Coil Cables by Brian Fox

Be they braided, gold-plated or insulated, instrument cables have gone high tech and high fashion. On the retro tip, the Bullet Coil cable brings back the look of old-time rock & roll badasses who liked their amps loud and their cables coiled.

The Bullet cable’s name comes from the .44-caliber shell casings that form the straight and angled 1/4″ plugs. This hardy cable is built to last; underneath the brass casings, an epoxy mold seals in the shielded copper connections, protecting them from dirt and moisture, and the cable’s tips are capped with 24k gold. Core One Creative chose gold for more than just its “bling factor”. The precious metal’s conductive properties and corrosion resistance make it a popular among audiophiles.

The added length that comes with coiled cables tends to suck out an instrument signal’s high frequencies, but the Bullet fared well A/B’d with shorter high quality cables. In the trenches, the Bullet hit the mark, though its heavy coils formed minor onstage obstacles. (And stuffing the Bullet Coil in a gig bag was a bit like putting kitty in the bathtub- it just didn’t want to go.) But those were tolerable tradeoffs; the thing just looked cool. Plus, I actually enjoyed interacting with the cable onstage- it brought a new element of “play” into performing that I’d never experienced before. Bottom line: If you want to look as sweet as you sound, give the Bullet Coil a shot.

Bass Player
Sound Room
August 2006