"Snake Head," as we like to call them, is a cable with heat and abrasion-resistant sleeving stopping short at the end connecting to the instrument. This technique leaves a portion of raw cable touching the instrument, perfect for wrapping around guitar straps. Our Snake Head Instrument Cables come in 10', 15', and 20' lengths. Each cable can have a straight, right angle or a mix of Neutrik Nickel plugs (Neutrik Golds are also available) - be sure to select the proper plug style connecting to the instrument. Colors include red, black, sage, dirty tweed, blue, copper, and mean green.
Snake Heads are ideal to connect your instrument to a pedalboard or directly to the amp. Suppose you're looking for a cable connecting the pedalboard to the amp. In that case, we recommend our Standard Instrument Cable - where the weaving fully covers the cable from plug end to plug end.
Please review the Specs tab for detailed specifications, including wire gauge and cable capacitance. Our Standard Instrument cables are milled to custom specs here in the United States.
A Snake Head is a cable that has the outer weaving stop short on the instrument side of the cable. This is a cosmetic feature, especially nice if you have vintage or sensitive finishes and you're concerned about the weaving causing wear on the instrument if you run the cable between the strap and instrument body.
No, our cables are not directional. If you're purchasing a Snake Head, the Snake Head portion should be on the instrument side, but that only is cosmetic. The cable will work fine if plugged in any direction.
The Snake Head is only needed if you're concerned about finish wear if you have vintage or sensitive finishes like thin nitro, etc. If you don't care (or even want the wear) a Standard is great for the primary instrument cable. If this cable is going from pedalboard to amp, then it should be a Standard to ensure maximum protection of the cable.
A silent plug is not necessarily an "upgrade". Typically, a silent plug is for acoustic players who do not have the ability to mute their signal and would unplug their instrument. If you're an electric player with a Tuner or Volume pedal, then you don't really need a silent plug. Silent plugs are great, but they do provide another potential point of failure - so I always recommend, if you don't need the feature, purchase a standard plug.
Some of our customers swear by gold contacts. Some of our customers can't hear a difference. Gold does provide a better contact surface, but the signal improvement may be hard to notice. Some of our customers (including myself) just like the cosmetic look of the black shells with gold contacts. If you're in a humid climate and deal with corrosion, gold might be better for you as well.
When people read that, the first assumption is that the copper is somehow 'air tight'. Nope. OFBC is part of the smelting process where the oxygen molecules are smelted out or removed to a point where it's below .001%. This makes a very pure copper allowing for great conductivity.
We have a variety of wire mills that we work with. All of the wire mills we work with our in the United States. We take extreme pride that our cable is milled in the United States and hand assembled here in Missoula, Montana.
The weave is a poly-weave, meaning it's a plastic polymer-based weave. We use a variety of brands, but primarily TechFlex. It's designed to be heat and abrasion resistant. It is not a cloth/fabric weave, which tends to fray and stain easily.
Jeremiah S. - The Snake Head Instrument Cables with right-angle connectors have been a perfect fit for us on stage. As guitarists who move around while performing, we need cables that are dependable, quiet, and built to handle real live use. These cables feel... Read More
Byron O. - After talking to some friends that are using Rattlesnake Cables I knew that I needed to give them a try. Im sure glad I did too! These are some of the beefiest Cables ive ever used and they're masterfully assembled! Great looks, great builr, and... Read More
Christopher V. - I happened upon Rattlesnake Cables some years back. I try to buy things that are made ethically, so I am always scoping out boutique companies. What I have found with Rattlesnake is that the products are incredibly well-made, but still at a decent... Read More
Jerzey B. - SnakeHead vs. Mogami 20' SnakeHead red/black weave, looks great. Got it to replace the Mogami 18' I had going from guitar>board, mainly to complement all the other Rattlesnake cables in my rig, board>splitter>amps. The A/B was every telling,... Read More
Joshua W. - I had ordered a couple of the snake head TRS cables by mistake but once I noticed, I contacted customer service. Hank and his team went out of their way to correct the ordering mistake I had made. They exchanged the TRS Snake head cable with the... Read More
Prawit S. - The cables feel extremely sturdy from the cable material all the way to the shrink wrapping on the plugs. I feel like they'll last a long time in all sorts of conditions. They also sound great, great translation of the frequency range into the amp. Read More
Will G. - I purchased a snake head 1/4" cable, a custom length cable for my Shure wireless unit, a speakon to 1/4 speaker cable for my bass amp. I've played a few shows with them now and these are the best cables I've had in my hand. Do they sound better? Do... Read More
Tom H. - I just placed an order for three fifteen foot Rattlesnake cables. I received my cables in a timely manner and each cable shipped in it's own cloth sack. These are perhaps the best guitar cables I have ever used. Not only the durability but the... Read More
The Snake Head Instrument Cables with right-angle connectors have been a perfect fit for us on stage. As guitarists who move around while performing, we need cables that are dependable, quiet, and built to handle real live use. These cables feel strong and road-ready, with a clean, noise-free signal, but they are still flexible enough to loop around a guitar strap and stay comfortably out of the way during a set.Rattlesnake Cable Company makes the kind of gear working musicians can trust, and we are proud to have these cables with us on stage.
Thoughts about our Service:
Communication with the Rattlesnake team was prompt, friendly, and accommodating, helping us choose and order the right cables for our needs without any hassle or confusion.
What was purchased:
2 15' Snake Head Rattlesnake Instrument Cables with Right Angle and Straight Neutrik Nickel Connectors
What Byron O. Said...
Testimonial:
After talking to some friends that are using Rattlesnake Cables I knew that I needed to give them a try. Im sure glad I did too! These are some of the beefiest Cables ive ever used and they're masterfully assembled! Great looks, great builr, and great tone! What else can you ask for! Big shout out to Hank and the entire Rattlesnake Cables team!!!
Thoughts about our Service:
Delightful! Ordered from the www but the discount code was automatically added in the cart. Also after ordering it got a shirt video from Hank thanking me for the purchase. I thought that was a nice touch and made me feel even better about choosing Rattlesnake for my new cables!
I happened upon Rattlesnake Cables some years back. I try to buy things that are made ethically, so I am always scoping out boutique companies. What I have found with Rattlesnake is that the products are incredibly well-made, but still at a decent price point. When you consider the customizations ability, I would even say that these might be priced a little low. I think Hank and the team at Rattlesnake is doing something that other manufacturers are not. His products are great, and his attention to detail and value trickles all the way down to the packaging. All at a price point comparable or lower to many other custom cable manufacturers. Your dollar isn't going to some private equity organization led by spreadsheets. It's going to a real company run by real musicians with accesible administrators. They deserve your consideration.
Thoughts about our Service:
Insanely fast shipping. I live a long way from Missoula, and I am amazed at how fast my orders get to me. Nothing has ever really shown up wrong, but I have changed my mind on some things and Hank could not have been more accomodating.
SnakeHead vs. Mogami
20' SnakeHead red/black weave, looks great.
Got it to replace the Mogami 18' I had going from guitar>board, mainly to complement all the other Rattlesnake cables in my rig, board>splitter>amps.
The A/B was every telling, SnakeHead wins without even having to replug the Mogami, it's that obvious.
I had ordered a couple of the snake head TRS cables by mistake but once I noticed, I contacted customer service. Hank and his team went out of their way to correct the ordering mistake I had made. They exchanged the TRS Snake head cable with the correct snake head instrument cables. Once they arrived and had a chance to try them out, I decided to purchase the another instrument cable and patch cables to reconfigure my pedal board. I could not be happier with the choice I made.
Thoughts about our Service:
I made a mistake in my first order and Rattlesnake Cable Co.'s customer service was able to correct the mistake immediately after I contacted the team on my mistake.
The cables feel extremely sturdy from the cable material all the way to the shrink wrapping on the plugs. I feel like they'll last a long time in all sorts of conditions. They also sound great, great translation of the frequency range into the amp.
I purchased a snake head 1/4" cable, a custom length cable for my Shure wireless unit, a speakon to 1/4 speaker cable for my bass amp. I've played a few shows with them now and these are the best cables I've had in my hand. Do they sound better? Do they improve my tone? Ill be honest - I have no idea. What is I can say is that you can quite literally feel the quality in these cables. and the attention to detail is a cut above. Connections are rock solid, the cable itself feels sturdy, and the attention to detail is a cut above. You can tell this cable is going to last. Plus, they just look cool as hell! This is the kind of gear upgrade that makes you wonder why you didn't do it sooner and spent so much money on crappy cables for all those years.
Product aside, the customer service at Rattlesnake is stand out. Its the level of customer service you expect from a custom order, made in America small business and then some. Hank and the rattle snake team kept me updated about my order every step of the way, shipping was fast, and when the package arrived it had a hand written thank you note from the owner with product info and some freebie swag. The cable packaging was a screen printed snake bag. There is something about great packaging and again, that level of attention to detail that makes elevates an already great product. I couldn't tell ya about returns or warranty, everything has been perfect but I expect you will get the same top notch service.
It all comes down to confidence. You need to have confidence that your gear is going to work every time you pick it up or plug it in. Cables are such an essential but often overlooked element that can really screw up a session or performance if they falter. I have full confidence these cables will deliver every time, so much so that my entire band is in the process of changing over every cable in our live show set up to Rattlesnake cables. I promise you, they are worth the money.
I just placed an order for three fifteen foot Rattlesnake cables. I received my cables in a timely manner and each cable shipped in it's own cloth sack. These are perhaps the best guitar cables I have ever used. Not only the durability but the consistent tone through these cables was impressive. I highly recommend these Rattlesnake Cables.
Are you looking for something custom? A set of specific-length patch cables? Or a longer or shorter instrument cable? Maybe you're looking for a limited weave we offered in the past but is no longer available. Shoot us a Custom Build Request, and we'll see what we can do to help!
We understand after placing an order, the excitement starts - and we want to make sure you get your order quickly. From day one, we've pushed to get orders out as quickly as possible. Usually, orders are shipped the next day!
Customer Service
We take customer service very seriously around here. We really appreciate ALL of our customers, and we want every aspect of your buying experience to be a great one. We ensure the buying experience, communication throughout the process, and final delivery of the product are perfect!
U.S. Milled Custom Cable
We take great pride that our custom instrument, XLR, and speaker cables are milled in the United States. All of our milled cables are built to our specifications here in the states and then soldered by hand in Missoula, Montana, by our great team!
We Are Musicians
We are musicians. What does that mean? We know what it feels like when gear fails on stage. We hate that feeling, and we think about that with every build. As musicians, we also know how hard the road can be on gear and focus on making it stand the abuse.
Family-Owned Business
Rattlesnake Cable Company started with a simple idea by me - Hank. It quickly encapsulated my entire family, from my kids to my wife, Amy. Now, Amy and I are 100% committed to the success of the business and love that it has grown into a fantastic team moving forward.
Lifetime Warranty
We will absolutely take care of you if you run into any issues with your cable. We do our best to prevent issues and understand life on stages and on the road can be hard on the cables. We've been there, and we'll definitely treat you right if you have any issues.
stan proctor
6/16/2025
The splitter box and cable are of top quality! Customer service & follow up are first rate. If you own a Rickenbacker guitar or bass, or anything else wired for stereo, you'll want to have this set up...
Doug Dorris
8/5/2022
I love this company, you are treated as someone special, the cables are of the highest quality, website is easy to navigate and items arrive on time, I plan on using them for all mine & my bands cable needs , I highly recommend them to everyone
stan proctor
6/16/2025
The splitter box and cable are of top quality! Customer service & follow up are first rate. If you own a Rickenbacker guitar or bass, or anything else wired for stereo, you'll want to have this set up...
Doug Dorris
8/5/2022
I love this company, you are treated as someone special, the cables are of the highest quality, website is easy to navigate and items arrive on time, I plan on using them for all mine & my bands cable needs , I highly recommend them to everyone
Check out some videos talking about Rattlesnake Cables - unboxing, demos, etc.
Please note - the above photo is an example of a specific product. Some products will need to be configured for lengths, colors, etc. Some images display groups or multiple items. All items available for purchase are individual pieces unless otherwise stated as 'pack' or 'packages.'
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