What a great way to wrap up the year this FSOTM thread really captures the full Christmas spirit, from heartfelt and reflective songs to humorous, foot-tapping performances. It’s lovely to see such a supportive and encouraging exchange here, especially with people sharing originals, covers, lyrics, chords, and even health updates along the way. Big credit to everyone contributing and cheering each other on; this kind of community interaction is exactly what makes these monthly features special. Looking forward to hearing more festive entries as December rolls on.     

Balanced vs unbalanced really comes down to distance and noise control. If you’re running a short guitar cable into an amp, unbalanced works perfectly and is the standard. But once you start dealing with longer runs, like going from a stage box to a mixer or connecting gear across a room balanced cables become the safer choice because they cancel out interference. In simple terms: short = unbalanced is fine, long = go balanced if the gear supports it. Keeps your signal clean and avoids all the hums and buzzes that can creep in.