Cables

For years I was using regular cables, whatever the local music store had, Guitar center "free with purchase of $10" ones, you name it. Nothing to write home about, but always a problem, they'd last about a year if I was lucky, and the tone loss and noise were really a bummer, needless to say they seemed to get more tangled up than a pile of spaghetti.

Back in 2004 I finally had enough. I had retired my pedalboard, all of my old amps, and got a Pod Pro, and a Tubeworks power amp. I wired everything up with monster cables. I picked up (3) 20’ cables for my guitars, and I was using monster speaker cables.

With the Pod I was able to get almost any tone I needed with ease, and it was simple. At the end of the gig, I rolled up all the cables in the back of the rack case, and I was done. I marveled at how solid those cables were. They also seemed less prone to tangle, due to their thicker diameter. Yes they were expensive, at the time they were $45 a piece. But they have a lifetime warranty. It took about 3 years for one to get tired enough to have some noise issues, so I walked into guitar center, and I gave them all of my old ones, and they gave me new ones.

The only other time I had to replace them was when the other guitar player in the band I was in, forgot his cables at a previous gig, and the next week we were recording in New York. I lent him 2 of mine for the session. When the next practice session came up I asked "hey man, can I grab those cables back?" He looked in his bag, could not find them, and surmised that he must have lost them. He kind of shrugged and said "oh well". I was kind of bummed at the lack of respect he gave to someone else’s property, but I was like ok, no biggie, they're not priceless heirlooms, they can be replaced. So here are your options to make the situation right:

A: Find them, as I'm guessing they're in the studio in New York. Call the Studio and ask them to ship them up to me, at your cost. (Probably his cheapest option)
B: Replace them; almost any good music store has them. And I’ll need them by next week, as we have a gig.
C: Give me the cash and I'll go out and buy a new set.

He was kind of bummed I wasn't gonna let him slide on this, and was kind of surprised I was making a big deal about guitar cables. When he found out how much they cost, he kind of flipped out, and didn't believe me. My bass player chimed in, and assured him that the cost was correct.

"Why do you buy such expensive cables?" he asked.

Well let’s see, your cables probably cost $10-20 a piece, and you forgot yours at a gig, which is why you needed to borrow mine. They're not worth that much in your mind, what's another 10-20 bucks if your forget them? Also you have a bag that you bring to practice that has your extra gear, Ebow, capo, cables, etc, and all the cables you have in there have some sort of issue, either too short, or have some sound problem. So in my opinion, you've probably spent the same amount as me on cables, except that mine work, and I'm not hauling around a bag of junky cables for some reason. If you spend that much on cables, you take care of them, keep track of them and you won't forget them at a gig.

I don't skimp on, booze, coffee, or my guitar gear. You go big, or go home.

Needless to say he was bummed to have to write me a check for $100. I promptly cashed it, and went right out and bought another set. Funny thing is though, at our next gig he was pulling whatever cables he could find in his bag to wire up his rig.

Since then I've changed rigs several times and not only am I still using monster but my pedalboard is now wired up with monster, with the exception of 2 cables I custom made because of odd lengths. I have to say it's worth it. I used all sorts of cables back in the day, but I've been using these in the studio and live, and have had no issues with them for years!

I know there are other manufacturers that make "better" cables, and in alot of cases they cost more, and have all sorts of features like cryogenically dipped ends and what not. I won't bother arguing with anyone on this. Lava, Mogami, Bullet, George l's all make a good product. But for what I'm doing, Monster fits my Budget, and I get more than my money's worth.

The point I'm trying to make here, is "You're only as strong as your weakest link" if you have a good guitar, and nice amp, get some good cables to go along with it. When you buy good stuff that costs more, it lasts longer, and you'll be happier in the long run.