Guitar Cord

[Promkingdrummer]

Hi. I play in a band where both guitarists seem to always have cords go dead. Not just the cord that connects from guitar to amp, but also the cord that connects from amp head to cab. One of them even managed to destroy a Monster Cabel with a lifetime guarantee (he is still looking for the receit). So my question is, are there any really good cords out there that are hard to tear up without going wireless? Thanks for the help.

 

[ez_willis]

They could try removing the cables by their ends instead of ripping them out by the wires.

Cables go bad, but one after another makes ya wonder what they're doing to them.

 

[Easto]

They could try removing the cables by their ends instead of ripping them out by the wires.

Cables go bad, but one after another makes ya wonder what they're doing to them.

I'd have to agree. I personally can't remember the last time I had a cord go bad. A little care goes a long way.

 

[zed32]

the cable i used for gigging w/ my bass has served me dutifully for 5 years without any problems, and it's not even what would be considered a great cable, shoot i got it for like $10. but as long as you dont yank it around alot and unplug/plug it in correctly then i don't see why anyone would run through cables so much.

 

[rxQueen]

try the fender california cables. they have the ends covered in rubber so they take more beating. or monster cables.

 

[mjareo]

I'll throw in the same thoughts as above - I've had the same cable for 4 1/2 years of steady playing and I've never had a problem with it. I have others as well, but I've never gotten rid of that first cable I bought. I echo the question of above...what the heck are they doing to the cable? And wireless is probably not your answer - if anything, wireless systems are more delicate. You'd rather go through a $15 cable than a $150-300 wireless system.

Just a thought...

 

[ggunn]

Monster cable = snake oil. Don't waste your money.

I pull my cable from the back over the strap button before plugging it in. It provides some strain relief and keeps me from disconnecting myself (D'oh!) if I step on my cable.

 

[mjareo]

I've done that ever since I ripped out my input on my first acoustic. It was an Alvarez, and the input wasn't in the end strap pin, but instead down on the bout of the guitar. Made me very sad. Got it fixed and the input moved - never sounded any different, but still made me sad....

 

[ibanezrocks]

I did that ever since I had a loose jack on my first electric, a cheap RG, that just wouldnt work otherwise, now I've just got in the habit of doing that with all guitars.

 

[scrubs]

One of them even managed to destroy a Monster Cabel with a lifetime guarantee (he is still looking for the receit).

You shouldn't need a receipt to return a monster cable. I think their return policy is lifetime, regardless of owner. Take it to any store that sells them and they should replace it for you.

(not that I'm advocating buying monster cable -- cuz they're bastards).

 

[Promkingdrummer]

thanks for all of the advice, our lead guitarist does pull the cord through his strap before plugging in, but our rythem guitarist doesent like doing that, and he is the main one that destroys the cords. The cords that plug into the loops and petals they have never had a problem with, and the one that connects from the amp head to the cab i think went bad because it was constantly being mashed up against a wall, but they do destroy the cords that plug into their guitars a lot. They do a lot of jumping around and guitar slinging while playing too so that probably doesnt help with the cords. Thanks for all of the help so far.

 

[leroyleroux]

Look on the bright side, you could have my lead singer...plugs his accoustic in and holds it as a prop. It's a $500 guitar (I can't remember the brand)...he has kicked it over on stage twice by setting it on a stand and tripping on the wire. He also dropped it on the plug while it was plugged in, so the plug was jammed about an inch inside the guitar. But since his volume is always off, we have no idea if he is hard on cords or not...he is hard on chords, however, he knows three and plays them no matter what key the song is in.

 

[Zed10R]

Monster cable = snake oil. Don't waste your money.QUOTE]

I have never had a problem with them. I've used them for 15 years and only EVER had ONE go bad. Then after I moved to Ca Guitar Center replaced it on the spot no questions asked for free. No reciept needed or anything. So what was wasted? Where's the snake oil?

 

[ez_willis]

thanks for all of the advice, our lead guitarist does pull the cord through his strap before plugging in, but our rythem guitarist doesent like doing that, and he is the main one that destroys the cords

Then let the dummy keep buying new cables. Ever ask him his reasoning for not wanting to pull the cable around the strap?

 

[Dani Pace]

There are some pretty small wires in cables, cheap cables have really small wires in them. To get the most use from a cable, 1 always pull them out by the plug, not by grabbing the cable, 2 avoid rolling things over them, stepping on them and setting things on them, 3 aviod sharp bends, 4 do not coil them tightly for transport, 5 never use them to tie anything, 6 do not use the same cable for speakers that you use for guitar, 7 do not loan your cables to others, follow these simple steps and good cables will last for years.

 

[SteveK]

I'd have to agree. I personally can't remember the last time I had a cord go bad. A little care goes a long way.

+1! Even my solderless George L's haven't had a single problem.

 

[ggunn]

Monster cable = snake oil. Don't waste your money.QUOTE]

I have never had a problem with them. I've used them for 15 years and only EVER had ONE go bad. Then after I moved to Ca Guitar Center replaced it on the spot no questions asked for free. No reciept needed or anything. So what was wasted? Where's the snake oil?

Their stuff is way overpriced and the claims they make are unsubstantiated. Then there's how they google the word "monster" and file lawsuits against anyone in ANY line of business that they find using the word "monster". I've got no use for them, but of course YMMV.

I've got lots of cables that have lasted 25 years that either cost a fraction of what MC cost or that I made myself even cheaper.

 

[Zed10R]

Their stuff is way overpriced and the claims they make are unsubstantiated. Then there's how they google the word "monster" and file lawsuits against anyone in ANY line of business that they find using the word "monster". I've got no use for them, but of course YMMV.

I've got lots of cables that have lasted 25 years that either cost a fraction of what MC cost or that I made myself even cheaper.

OOhhh...their buisiness practice.....Yeah, there are companies that do buisiness in a way that makes me never want to buy anything from them even if it is the best. But monster cable claims, at leat the ones I know of, make perfect sense. "unsubstantiated"......well to me that means that they have not provided clear definitive proof that their cables do what they say thay do - but in my personal experience, they do transmit the signal better than cheaper cables and if you only even need to buy a cable one time, then IMO Monster cable is not overpriced. But as you say, YMMV.

 

[boingoman]

But monster cable claims, at leat the ones I know of, make perfect sense. "unsubstantiated"......well to me that means that they have not provided clear definitive proof that their cables do what they say thay do -

That is exactly what it means, and Monster indeed offers no proof. Their replacement policy is excellent, though, and their cable build is pretty decent.

but in my personal experience, they do transmit the signal better than cheaper cables and if you only even need to buy a cable one time, then IMO Monster cable is not overpriced. But as you say, YMMV.

Most of that is due to low capacitance, which absolutely makes a difference. George L., one of the current faves among guitar nuts, only touts the low capacitance of their cables, and the addition of an anti-static layer to reduce noise.

Things like skin effect, time/phase correction, are pretty much bunk for audio, for various reasons, and (IMO) are lame things to use to market cables.

 

[ggunn]

That is exactly what it means, and Monster indeed offers no proof. Their replacement policy is excellent, though, and their cable build is pretty decent. Most of that is due to low capacitance, which absolutely makes a difference. George L., one of the current faves among guitar nuts, only touts the low capacitance of their cables, and the addition of an anti-static layer to reduce noise.

Yes, capacitance makes a diff - up to a point. If the diff in capacitance moves the hi freq rolloff point from one value in the Megahertz range to another, it's pretty much a don't-care as far as audio is concerned.