Guitar Cable

[danxrs05]

Hey everyone.

 

Is it worth it to invest in a guitar cable? What I mean is: Is there difference between a 15$ guitar cable and a 50$ guitar cable.

 

I have an old Fender guitar cable that does the job but never compared it.

 

So I am wondering if the cable you use will make a difference.

 

If so, why?

And are there brands more recommended than others?

 

Thanks! Have a good week-end!!!

[Padrino]

there is a difference. but unless you have money to throw away, its not really worth it imo.

if you play with effects especially, you'll need a fair bit of money to couple everything together with expensive cables (mogami).

that being said, if you're a guitar into the amp kinda guy, its probably worth it to invest in a decent cable, something that won't crap out on you a week after you buy it. But keep in mind that coiling it, flexing it and bending it will decrease its lifespan and tone loss.

[danxrs05]

Thanks. I have a gift certificate that i don't know what to do with so I'll probably buy a good cable.

any good brands except Mogami?

[jdgm]

I use George L's WITHOUT the angled jacks which (I've read in HC reviews) can be problematic. Some years ago I bought a very expensive Pete Cornish guitar lead (it was the only PC item I could possibly afford!) and though it is a million times more robust it doesn't pass any more highs than George L's. Planet Waves jacks crapped out on me, as did Klotz.

[Slave2TheAudio]

I would say, get a Lava Cable, those things are nice all the way around..

[mightysasquatch]

I have a Monster Gold, and it has never let me down, and works great. There is a big difference between a $10 cable and a $50 cable, (less noise, more highs, better built). However the difference between a $50 cable and a $200 cable is very small. The $200 may be 5% "better", but it cost 400% more.

[Stoneball Jack]

I have a Monster Gold, and it has never let me down, and works great. There is a big difference between a $10 cable and a $50 cable, (less noise, more highs, better built). However the difference between a $50 cable and a $200 cable is very small. The $200 may be 5% "better", but it cost 400% more.

 

 

+1 this is exactly what i was going to say until i read that he said it. you definitely need good cables but the difference between different brands of good cable will be so minimal that it's not worth fretting about. If i were you i'd just get a good cable that comes with a lifetime warranty like monster or planet waves

[bigconig]

Which Fender cable do you have? The American guitars come with Whirlwind ((Vintage Voltage ) which is a darned good cable.

[jamdogg]

[YOUTUBE]tFpm6JxGH6E[/YOUTUBE]

[Belva]

Slash is getting paid. Keep that in mind. I think he's full of feces.
I hear the GFS cables are a good dollar value. If you don't hear a bunch of noise, and you don't use a bazillion pedals, run whatcha got. Spend the gift cert on strings, beer, whores or somethings else you can use.

[jamdogg]

that was a joke. :poke:

i post that clip at least 5 times a year....or as often i see this topic come up.

i do have many 8-9 year-old monsters - they work like the day I bought them. and if they {censored} the bed, i will get them replaced for free easy enough.

[gitmo]

 

+1 this is exactly what i was going to say until i read that he said it. you definitely need good cables but the difference between different brands of good cable will be so minimal that it's not worth fretting about. If i were you i'd just get a good cable that comes with a lifetime warranty like monster or planet waves

 

 

+2, get Monster. These are a reasonably priced cable, shielded. By them from G.C. and they will swap them if there is ever a problem.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Monster-P500-I-12-Performer-4-Inch-Instrument/dp/B0002E3920/ref=sr_1_32?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1276298384&sr=8-32

[tlbonehead]

there's $35 difference in toan.

[tlbonehead]

http://www.amazon.com/Monster-P500-I-12-Performer-4-Inch-Instrument/dp/B0002E3920/ref=sr_1_32?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1276298384&sr=8-32

WAT? They're shielded???

[john_p_t]

You'd have to go to a third world dustbowl to find a cable so crap it made a difference to tone. The thing that's worth paying for is good construction. Those crappy sealed plastic jack holders don't survive very long. A nice cable with good sturdy metal jack holders will last forever.

[ashtray]

It's easy to compare a cheap cable to a nicer one. I've got a collection of cables, and yeah, the nicer cables I have (Planet Waves w/ gold, Mogami, etc) actually sound brighter/fuller. The cheaper cables dull the sound down, or add a lot of noise to the signal. If you're heavy into overdrive you may not notice - but when you play clean a lot, you'll definitely notice.

I wouldn't waste too much money though - there's a definite drop off of ability to hear the difference between a $50 cable and $300 cable. Maybe in the studio if you're doing a multi-million dollar album... maybe.

Also, the nicer cables have a lifetime warranty - so if they go belly up, you get a replacement for free. (I usually lose them before I have issues with them.)

[Stoneball Jack]

You'd have to go to a third world dustbowl to find a cable so crap it made a difference to tone. The thing that's worth paying for is good construction. Those crappy sealed plastic jack holders don't survive very long. A nice cable with good sturdy metal jack holders will last forever.

 

 

I have one and i don't live in a third world dustbowl. I live in america. it was the first cable i ever bought. I didn't know and the guy at the guitar store said get it, it's cheap and is just like the other cables. He was wrong. it sounds like crap.

[Doctor49]

The issue is cable frequency response. The more expensive cables claim a lower capacitance and so act as less of a lo-pass filter (lose less high frequency=brighter).
As with many other things, the questions is not does it happen but can you justify the cost for the difference in what YOU hear?
Personal choice.

[gitmo]

Here is an oustanding article on cables:

 

http://www.procosound.com/downloads/whitepapers/Understanding%20Instrument%20Cables.pdf

[EADGBE]

Just try to stay away from the cheapest.

[Grantus]

There are some really crappy, cheap cables out there. That said, there are several cables in the $30 to $50 range that sound great. You can spend a lot of money on a cable, but at some point, you reach some quickly diminishing returns.

[jpnyc]

You'd have to go to a third world dustbowl to find a cable so crap it made a difference to tone. The thing that's worth paying for is good construction. Those crappy sealed plastic jack holders don't survive very long. A nice cable with good sturdy metal jack holders will last forever.

 

 

No you don

[RaVenCAD]

Stop overthinking it and just buy a Lava cable.. sheesh..

[Belva]

WAT? They're shielded???

 

ALL guitar cables are shielded. You have a center wire and a ground wrapped around the outside. That in itself is a shield.

[Wyatt]

There is definitely a difference between different brands. Some hype some not. Some have (subjective) desirable affects on tone, some no so much.

Monster is mostly hype. They are a good cable, but you can buy cables that perform and sound exactly the same for less than half the price. Look into the DiMarzio, Planet Waves, Pro Co and others. A good, reliable, great sounding cable is around $1/foot. Anything cheaper usually is (caveat, haven't tried the GFS). And 90% of all major cable manufacturers offer a lifetime guarantee. DiMarzio just replaced one of mine.

Once you start getting into REAL high-end cable, generally its about capacitance, as Doctor49 mentioned. You retain more highs with a better cable. And you know what? I personally don't like it. It's my own tastes creeping in, but I think they sound overly bright. After years with great cables like Mogami, I went back to DiMarzio and Pro Co. Not because I hated the Mogami and Geo. L's, but because I preferred the high-end rolloff of the others. And when I'm using 50-year-old Fender and 60-year-old Gibson amps, it's harder to dial that high-end out, with such simple amp designs, everything that affects the signal counts.