Members danxrs05 Posted June 11, 2010 Members Share Posted June 11, 2010 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!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Padrino Posted June 11, 2010 Members Share Posted June 11, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members danxrs05 Posted June 11, 2010 Author Members Share Posted June 11, 2010 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jdgm Posted June 11, 2010 Members Share Posted June 11, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Slave2TheAudio Posted June 11, 2010 Members Share Posted June 11, 2010 I would say, get a Lava Cable, those things are nice all the way around.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mightysasquatch Posted June 11, 2010 Members Share Posted June 11, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stoneball Jack Posted June 11, 2010 Members Share Posted June 11, 2010 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bigconig Posted June 11, 2010 Members Share Posted June 11, 2010 Which Fender cable do you have? The American guitars come with Whirlwind ((Vintage Voltage ) which is a darned good cable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jamdogg Posted June 11, 2010 Members Share Posted June 11, 2010 [YOUTUBE]tFpm6JxGH6E[/YOUTUBE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Belva Posted June 11, 2010 Members Share Posted June 11, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jamdogg Posted June 11, 2010 Members Share Posted June 11, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gitmo Posted June 11, 2010 Members Share Posted June 11, 2010 +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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted June 11, 2010 Members Share Posted June 11, 2010 there's $35 difference in toan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted June 11, 2010 Members Share Posted June 11, 2010 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=8-32WAT? They're shielded??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members john_p_t Posted June 11, 2010 Members Share Posted June 11, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ashtray Posted June 11, 2010 Members Share Posted June 11, 2010 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.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stoneball Jack Posted June 11, 2010 Members Share Posted June 11, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Doctor49 Posted June 11, 2010 Members Share Posted June 11, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gitmo Posted June 12, 2010 Members Share Posted June 12, 2010 Here is an oustanding article on cables: http://www.procosound.com/downloads/whitepapers/Understanding%20Instrument%20Cables.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EADGBE Posted June 12, 2010 Members Share Posted June 12, 2010 Just try to stay away from the cheapest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grantus Posted June 12, 2010 Members Share Posted June 12, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jpnyc Posted June 12, 2010 Members Share Posted June 12, 2010 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RaVenCAD Posted June 12, 2010 Members Share Posted June 12, 2010 Stop overthinking it and just buy a Lava cable.. sheesh.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Belva Posted June 12, 2010 Members Share Posted June 12, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wyatt Posted June 12, 2010 Members Share Posted June 12, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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