15' cable recommendations

[PDN]

Hi, this is my first thread on this forum. I'd like to ask the forum to recommend a quality 15' cable for my 5 string Ibanez bass guitar with perhaps a cut-off switch. Don't recommend the Planet Waves 15' Instrument Cable. I've gone through two of them since 2009. They are total garbage. The connection plugs short out because they are of extremely low quality manufacture. The store replaced the first cable in 2010 and now the second one is shorting out. I'm totally and entirely disgusted with this junk. I'm not even going to bother taking the second one back. In the trash it goes where it belongs. Thanks.

[JxBass]

I use ProCo. Many like Monster. You'll likely get a lot more faves coming your way.

[saustindavis]

I like the instrument cables from audiopile.net. good quality and great prices. Bought some mic cables from them too and they are nice.

[SoonerMatt]

I buy my cables from a local music shop that makes them from scratch. They use Mogami cables and Switchcraft jacks plugs. Bayou Cables also makes awesome cables but they're backordered and not taking new orders, but my favorite store-bought cables are the gold-plated Planet Waves cables. I haven't had any problems with them, but I don't buy the ones with the kill switch, since I'd rather use my pedal tuner as a kill instead of the cable. One of my Monsters is 10 years old and still sounds amazing.

[darkstorm]

Livewire elite. No switch on them but much better detailed sound then most others with exception of perhaps equalled by mogami's equivalent.

[PhiDeck]

Originally Posted by SoonerMatt

I buy my cables from a local music shop that makes them from scratch. They use Mogami cables and Switchcraft jacks.

Cables have plugs. Basses, pedals and amps have jacks.

[SoonerMatt]

Originally Posted by PhiDeck

Cables have plugs. Basses, pedals and amps have jacks.

I don't know what you're talking about

[Coop Soup]

Originally Posted by JxBass

I use ProCo. Many like Monster. You'll likely get a lot more faves coming your way.

I only like Monster for the convenience of being able to walk into a GC for an immediate replacement. I found 2 Monster cables in the trash in a commons area of my former practice space. Took them in and got brand new replacements.

[Ubersheist]

Planet Waves tends to make decent quality cables, so I wonder if it's something that you're doing.

How is your bass's jack set up? are you using a straight plug on your cable, when you might be better served by a 90 degree plug? It's common for players to rest their bass on their leg without them ever realizing it, and that will sometimes hit your plug and mess it up over time. A 90 degree plug can fix it fast. For example:


Good


Sorta bad. This kid will probably screw up his cord and/or jack pretty soon if he's not careful.


Bad. That cord is primed to get messed up, as is his jack.

A slanted guitar jack on the face of the guitar should use a straight plug:

Good.

As a rule of thumb, you should always run your guitar cable through your strap so you mess it up less when you step on it accidently, and unless you have a Strat-style jack on the face of your guitar, you probably want a 90 degree jack, as they reduce the chances of you messing up the cable and the jack a whole lot.

Also, how are you storing your cables? Are you wrapping them properly when you put them away? If you're not sure, then you probably are, and that's an excellent and almost surefire way to destroy your cables.

If you're not familiar with it, find out how to wrap cables using the "over/under" method. That way, you're not twisting your cables at all while putting them away, and they'll last forever.

Other then that, yes, there are cheap ones out there. You get what you pay for, and the cheap ones will break quickly. I always get coaxial to reduce noise from other electronic stuff (power supplies are the worst, usually). Monster Cables are really good quality, but you'll pay for it (especially with the higher end stuff). I also buy alot of Rapco ones because they're on cheaper side, but I keep good care of them and they're very easy to fix with a soldering gun. Between the two, they last forever, also.

Don't worry about the 'gold-plated' crap and the sonic qualities of certain expensive materials over others. It might be testable in the lab or with equipment, but no mortal will ever hear the difference. That junk is just designed to get more money to part with you.

Bottom line is that if the cable feels solidly built, then it probably is. Take care and properly store your cables, and they'll last a long time. Also, make sure that you have the right plug for your instrument and that you're not unknowingly putting strain on it while playing normally with your instrument.

[Marton]

I use some Road Hog cables (made by Rapco IIRC) and they're really my favorite cables ever. Almost indestructible, easy to repair (if you finally manage to break them), easy to wrap, and pretty cheap. Also, the plugs are pretty small, I hate cables with huge connectors, they just look wrong to me (looks doesn't really matters but...)

[Floyd Eye]

Mogami Gold.

p.s. you can also walk into GC with these and get a direct replacement.

[ZachM]

I would also tell you to go with Mogami cables, for a few reasons:

1. Direct unconditional replacement from any guitar center, for life.
2. They're thinner and more flexible than some other cables, which I like because they don't tend to get tangled as easily and they lay on the ground better.
3. Build quality is very good, using quality parts and no gimmicks.
4. Monster is a horrible company that frivolously sues nearly any company (especially smaller businesses & companies that sell completely unrelated products) for "trademark infringement" and sells extremely overpriced products using flat-out lies. Their business model is, ethically speaking, absolutely awful.

So in short, mogami cables are better build quality, same warranty, smaller and more flexible, and not ethically questionable.

[mmbongo]

I'd also like to know how you managed to break a Planet Waves cable...much less TWO of them!?!? If you destroyed those, don't expect much different from another brand.