Noise problem solved: Stay Away From These Guitar Cables

loopie said:
Guitar Center + Monster Cable == Never Again.
.
Purchased some Monster Cables from my local Guitar Center with the "Guaranteed for Life, no matter what" warranty.
Two years later one dies after stepping on the end of the cable breaking off the tip. Stop by the local GC for a "free" replacement.
Was notified that I have to have the original purchase receipt for a replacement. Now I have to keep the original receipts for all the cables I purchased?
.
Cheated again by Guitar Center. Buyer Beware.
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never had to show a receipt or have had any issues returning Monsters to GC...
 
Sleestak said:
Here are some handy suppliers. I usually do some comparison shopping when I need supplies, as prices sometimes fluctuate among dealers.

Markertek
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I order Canare cable and Neutrik ends. Awesome cable and reasonable price. FWIW the last two failures in my rig were George L cable ends.
 
mwd said:
I order Canare cable and Neutrik ends. Awesome cable and reasonable price. FWIW the last two failures in my rig were George L cable ends.
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You mean the connectors broke or you had a connection issue?

I definitely had a few occasions over the years where I had to fix a connection by cutting a bit of cable and re-attaching the connector...

But I was running a GCX loop switcher fully loaded, so there were about 30+ patch cables in that [emoji2]


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Unix I had to do what you did. Cut cable and reconnect. However in my case they were not under stress and the connections were carefully made.
 
Whatever you do, just don't buy cables based on reviews telling you they sound better. They don't. Buy for build quality.

There have been quite a few tests where people will do things like ask audiophiles whether X or Y cable sounds better, X being some multi-thousand dollar super cable and Y being a coat hanger with shielding put on it to disguise that fact... and the audiophiles are never able to tell the difference. All cables sound the same to the human ear, provided that the cable is functional and not shorting out due to bad connections. Buy something that is durable and has great shielding and forget about it.
 
GreatGreen said:
Whatever you do, just don't buy cables based on reviews telling you they sound better. They don't. Buy for build quality.

There have been quite a few tests where people will do things like ask audiophiles whether X or Y cable sounds better, X being some multi-thousand dollar super cable and Y being a coat hanger with shielding put on it to disguise that fact... and the audiophiles are never able to tell the difference. All cables sound the same to the human ear, provided that the cable is functional and not shorting out due to bad connections. Buy something that is durable and has great shielding and forget about it.
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Ugh the "creationists" of the guitar world...

Cables make a difference.

Period.

It is understanding how/when that eludes guitarists which leads to many arguments on the issue.

Here is the straight dope:

All shielding issues aside, well assume the cable is shielded and not noisy.

Cables matter when the signal is high impedance traveling through it. The added capacitance of the cable will shift the resonant peak of the passive pickup around therefore CHANGING the sound.

IRREFUTEABLE SCIENCE.

Forget better or worse and say DIFFERENT. Different is fact, the former subjective opinion.

Many have tried to take advantage of the ignorance of guitarists with magic snake oil claims, yes they are liars trying to manipulate, in no way does that change the actual science involved.


The blanket statement "cables dont matter" is false and identifies you as uneducated on the subject. Fact.

"All cables sound the same" is completely false, unless you meant "in a circuit with a low impedance output."

No arrogance intended, just a healthy dose of exasperation after a decade as touring guitar tech/musician.
 
Admin M@ said:
Get your cables here. You won't regret it.
Best-Tronics Mfg., Inc.1
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I ordered a 75' 5-pin MIDI cable from them a month ago, and I was super impressed with how thick and robust the cable is. Should be much more durable than the rocktron 7-pin I had been using from Sweetwater.

I'm going to do another rack next year, and buy bulk components and do the cables myself, with a patch panel for the rack and my pedalboard.

Requested a quote today from them for the custom cable bundle to connect the rack to the pedal board, because I want it to be like a snake, with a thick outer insulation, with the metal loop things at each end so I can anchor it and keep the weight off the connectors, or prevent them from being damaged if someone trips over the cable and yanks on the connections. All that stuff is stuff I can't do professionally at home.
 
There's so much hype and marketing BS out there regarding cables of all kinds. You'll see Oxygen Free copper touted all over the cable market. Pure marketing hype. No expensive cable is going to make you sound better. Inside your guitar, amp, stompboxes, etc. is just regular old copper hookup wire (which is already 99.9% pure copper by the way).

Look for high quality connectors, low capacitance, high coverage shielding, low handling noise, low cross-talk if it has more than one conductor, good flexibility, and a durable outer jacket or wrap. Everything else is usually just marketing BS. Don't buy the cheapest crap nor the most expensive snake oil brand. Quality costs money, but a name can often cost more.
 
GreatGreen said:
Whatever you do, just don't buy cables based on reviews telling you they sound better. They don't. Buy for build quality.

There have been quite a few tests where people will do things like ask audiophiles whether X or Y cable sounds better, X being some multi-thousand dollar super cable and Y being a coat hanger with shielding put on it to disguise that fact... and the audiophiles are never able to tell the difference. All cables sound the same to the human ear, provided that the cable is functional and not shorting out due to bad connections. Buy something that is durable and has great shielding and forget about it.
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The kinds of tests you're talking about there are for speaker cables. Not all cable applications are the same.


That said, I don't go for the crazy high end guitar cables. I make my own from Canare cable and Neutrik plugs, and I have a few shorter off-the-shelf cables that I've had around for years. Don't remember what brand, but they have Switchcraft plugs on 'em and have never given me any problems. If the cable and plugs are good, and the shielding is good... that's about as far as my cable quest goes. Could I spend a small fortune on cables that maybe let a little more high-end through or whatever? Sure? I could also do countless other things at no cost that'd have a far bigger effect on my tone. :|
 
I've always been a good guitar-modder, from circuits to routings. And this year I made my instrument cable myself; best quality cable (swiss made I think) and two neutrik silent plugs (one angled, one straight). Nothing different from my Mogamis. Good components make good cables.


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cable capacitance specifications are very important to tone. Many cable manufacturers hide this data and emphasize less important data. Low capacitance means the cable won't modify or impact your tone (transparency). Then the other parts of the tonal signature (hands, guitar, amp and cab, etc..) can make their statement.
I am not an employee of or have any economic relationship with Bettercables.com, then than a customer. This is where I go for my supply of quality audio cables.
regards
 
mrstrat said:
I was getting frustrated with the amount of noise in my presets which started a few firmware revisions back. I chalked it up to new firmware, maybe the new amp models had higher sensitivity or something. High frequency buzzing like when your guitar is too close to your monitor but all the time, no matter where I stood. So I tweaked all my presets to bring the noise gate up to compensate.

Anyway, had nothing to do with the Axe Fx.

Guitar Center was having a sale on their "Musican's Gear" cables a few months back...$5.00 a piece (Normally $15.99, 18.5ft.) So I bought a few.

Musician's Gear Instrument Cable | GuitarCenter

So tonight I thought, what the hell, let me try my trusty old George L's cable...:shock

No more noise...pure quiet...

Never for a minute thought it could be my guitar cables. :)

Anyway, thought I'd pass along my frustrating lesson in buying cheap a$$ cables. Just say no...
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I use cables made up upon request from Pro Audio LA.....check out their website....it's always top shelf quailty....not cheap.....but you can have them make any cable you need with any different plug combination....different color cable if needed....different color end jack rings if needed. ....any length cable.....made to order....usually about 3 days between order submission and shipment......I use nothing but Mogami cable and Neutrik ends.....sold off all my cheaper cables......it's worth the investment if you are in the Fractal level of quality equipment......
 
Another vote for Best-tronics. I made a bunch of cables about 7 years ago with parts bought from them and they are all still going strong and no noise. Great quality and won't break the bank. George L's wire is good stuff too, but I prefer to solder them. I do not trust solder-less connections.
 
There is something to be said for better cables. Not insanely expensive, but if I can tell the difference between $14.99 GC specials and $50 'other guys', then it's worth a few extra doubloon's for better signal. Also, it didn't make sense to have my $4500 tone rig at the mercy of that $15 cable.

I play the Monster's. (I know, I know, this is before I found out about all the craziness in the company...so I make it my life's mission to use my 'Lifetime Guarantee' every 6 months or so.) They work great.
 
jlynnb1 said:
never had to show a receipt or have had any issues returning Monsters to GC...
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I have a few monsters.
One time our cat decided to have a snack with one of my cables. I sent it back to Monster and they sent me a new no problem.
I also had a 20ft DIMARZIO guitar cord from probably 1989 again that stupid cat chewed up and down for awhile. I said what the hell let me try and see if they will stand by there cord after all theses years. Sure enough they said they would replace it. I asked for 2 10ft instead of 1-20ft. No problem they said. When they mean life time they mean life time. Big props to Dimarzio Company!
 
mrstrat said:
That is sooo messed up. They have every purchase you've ever made in their database, so they should be able to see that you purchased them. F'ers!! :evil
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I have the exact opposite experience...
When I was like 20 I booked bands and did live sound for a club/venue...
I'd pick up all the broken monster cables people would leave behind- take 'em to guitar center and no questions asked get store credit- an average of $50 each time.
 
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