Help with Instrument Cables

MichaelMcKevin

Why are cables so shitty? Every cable I've bought, found, or somehow ended up with has crapped out on me. One of them was even a Monster, which i hear are at the top. Can anyone recommend a good brand and/or line of instrument cables to use?


Also, with the addition of my TS9 and Phase 90, I used my Traynor Footswitch cable that reads "Low Noise Microphone Cable" on it to connect the pedals to my amp. Is there anything wrong with using that cable? It seems to work.

xtremehardy388

Cables give out after a few MONTHS of use-or at least they begin to. I don't kow about Monster but yeah, you need to replace them every so often. I use Rapco cords but those aren't top of the line.

exhausted

as with everything else surrounding gear, people will start benchracing and talking about the benefits of cable made in the heart of the andes by elves in hermetically sealed tubes....

i just use planet waves cables. they haven't given me issues yet. so i don't use the cheapest but they certainly aren't the most expensive either.

All Those Yesterdays

I'm the same way for the most part. I just buy the cable that's the length I need. I have cables that I've had for 10 years that still don't give me any issues, and I have cables that after a month, I'm cuttin the ends off and resoldering.

I do use George L stuff to make the short cables for pedal board stuff. That's about it

Pacomc79

http://www.lavacable.com

rejoice in cable choice. Pretty much everything he sells is very good and he'll talk to you about each one. Goes from the ridiculous to the sensible.

If you would prefer to soldier your own, Mogami is pretty decent you can probably get it from sweetwater and then find the connections you want.

I like George L's, I like Planet Waves, Mogami, Canare ... The monster I have is fine too. Overpriced but works fine none the less. Oh and bring it back to the store, it's guarenteed, and it should be no questions asked, just bring it in they should give you a new one.

Those Neutrik silent plugs are nice for changing guitars, and PW's has a circuit breaker that is a nice feature

Mike_Muse_Rage

Planet Waves. If they break you've got a lifetime guarantee anyway so you can just send it back and get a replacement if it does crap out on you.

harrisonmerwin

hey all,

remember, the better you treat cables, the better they treat you. when your done with them, allways wrap them in loose loops, and use some sort of cable tie to keep them all uniform. this will dramatically extend the life of your cables. remember when wrapping, don't go "industry man" style and wrap around your forearm and elbow, this stretched the cable, damaging the ground sleeve or crossing the hot wires. Lee Valley Garden centeres have nice velcro hose ties for real cheap (dont buy from electronic stores, they cost alot, LV sells 25 packs for 4 dollars) they are just like the ones shure gives you with a cable. well theres some tips,

Harrison

one way needle

Aye, treat them well etc etc...

I've got Whirlwind cables that I've been using for about 12 years now. Never had a problem and they're great quality in my experience.

ianvomsaal

I'm fairly particular about my sound, and I've been using click:MOGAMI cables (Gold Instrument R) with a 90° connection
on one end for the past 4 years, and have NO COMPLAINTS WHAT-SO-EVER (+ a lifetime warrantee - which makes me happy).
Virtually every major recording facility in the world is wired with Mogami cables.

Make sure you take care of your cables - wrap them up loosely when you're finished, and don't bend them up.
This goes for all cables, be good to them and for the most part they'll be good to you.

I used Monster Cables ( click:Monster Jazz Cables ) for years because of their "POSSESSION" lifetime warrantee.
(POSSESSION - just take the bad cable back to Guitar Center, and if they have that cable in stock they'll swap it out).
Unfortunately I started noticing that most Monster Cables seem to get a little crackley with age (when the cable moves you
hear a crackle), plus they seem to color your sound a little bit (which isn't necessarily a bad thing all the time - it depends).
However, I do still have a Click:Monster Studio-Pro 1000 (that cost $150) that I've had for almost 10 years now.
I take it to almost every recording session, and it's still going strong (no crackles or problems yet).

I'd say that you should try Mogami Cables - even boutique amp companies like BOGNER use them.

lucylespian

I had a PLanet Waves which I broke by standing on it, and cut it up to see what I had done before I realised abotu teh guaruntee. I have a couple of Gibson or Epiphone which have a solid metal right angle, which have withstood all of my abuse so far. If you are having a lot of trouble, you are probably breaking them by standin on tehm too.
Do you loop the cable through teh strap with a loop to act as a shock absorber ?? I dpon't which is why I broke the planet waves. I suspect you don't either !

Novawind

When I finally get all the pedals I want and I'm looking to wire up my pedalboard for good, I'm probably going to use the Canare ones from lavacable. A little more expensive than George L's but probably worth it in the long run. Right now I've got a mix of George L and cheapo generic connectors, but they work for me, I'm not doing any serious recording/gigging yet.

Far as long cables go, I have one braided Axl cable that I got from Musiciansfriend, 20' and after almost a year it works just fine, no issues with it. I also use a monster cable, 12' just the standard S-100 or whatever, also no issues. Both of these cables were on the cheap end so for that I can't complain. Eventually I'll probably get Mogami or Canare cables after a host of other purchases.

ezyrydr

WHILRWIND LEADER
seriously, this cable NEVER shorts.

http://www.wwbw.com/Whirlwind-Leader-Cable-i82214.music

ianvomsaal

ezyrydr wrote:

WHILRWIND LEADER
seriously, this cable NEVER shorts.

http://www.wwbw.com/Whirlwind-Leader-Cable-i82214.music

I have one of those that doesn't work anymore