Power Conditioners, Monster cables, and other wastes of money

[fenderhutz]

This is not a thread to attack a brand you don't like but to make other musicians aware of KNOWN ways to waste money and better alternatives.

Not all players can recognize a salesman attempt to help you or make some extra cash.

We have discussed Monster cables and power conditioners in other threads.

What else?

[Fassa Albrecht]

Fretted instruments.....fretless FTW!

[chadds]

Strings.
They are just some metal.
They go out of tune.
They go dead in spots.
They go dead all over.
They cost some money.
They need replacement.
They just bite.
I suggest stop using strings.
You may get a little back bow but a truss rod adjustment will fix that.

[fenderhutz]

Originally Posted by chadds

Strings.
They are just some metal.
They go out of tune.
They go dead in spots.
They go dead all over.
They cost some money.
They need replacement.
They just bite.
I suggest stop using strings.
You may get a little back bow but a truss rod adjustment will fix that.

HA HA AHA HHAHAHAH........ No!

[chadds]

Oh I left out fret and finger board wear.
I can play faster than you can now that I've made the switch.
You just fail to realize that you are brainwashed by Corporate to believe you need these things.
Same old story. Like Rockefeller and the coal miners.
Just stringing you along.

[ulrich]

Shure SM58, decent, common, sturdy. Way over-rated.

[chadds]

Originally Posted by ulrich

Shure SM58, decent, common, sturdy. Way over-rated.

But sir the qualities you mentioned plus a reasonable price are why it's been famously in use for 40 years. Sure there are plenty of mics out there that sound even better. They cost three times as much and if you drop them they are dead. Like the P-Bass it is a known entity. Sound and recording engineers know exactly what it can and can't do. Vocalists from the 50's to now, know about it's bass proximity effect and know how to use it's cardiode pattern to great effect. Mic technique. So many albums were made with it on vocals drums and cabs that are truly musical gems that have stood the test of time.
Dude, let's go back to something useless or overly expensive or hyped.

[BassChuck]

Originally Posted by chadds

Dude, let's go back to something useless or overly expensive or hyped.

How about large drum kits?

[Visirale]

Monster Cables are absolutely not a waste of money. I don't buy that they are sonically superior or anything. BUT, the no questions asked lifetime warranty is amazing. If one goes bad, I take it into GC and get a new one without any hassles. I can do that as many times as I want for the rest of my life. That means one cable purchase will last me forever. That's simple economics... it's better than anything else, IMO.

[ulrich]

Originally Posted by chadds

But sir the qualities you mentioned plus a reasonable price are why it's been famously in use for 40 years. Sure there are plenty of mics out there that sound even better. They cost three times as much and if you drop them they are dead. Like the P-Bass it is a known entity. Sound and recording engineers know exactly what it can and can't do. Vocalists from the 50's to now, know about it's bass proximity effect and know how to use it's cardiode pattern to great effect. Mic technique. So many albums were made with it on vocals drums and cabs that are truly musical gems that have stood the test of time.
Dude, let's go back to something useless or overly expensive or hyped.

Thanks for the excellent example of the hype. OK the difference between hype, and reality is orders of magnitude smaller than it is for Monster, but the gap remains.

P-Bass? Feh! Again better than deserved reputation.

It's the standard, everybody loves them. What-evs everybody loves Budweiser, and WWE, and they still suck.

Originally Posted by Visirale

BUT, the no questions asked lifetime warranty is amazing.

Big whup. I can afford a new cable. If a cable fails, and I'm closer to a music store than my soldering iron, I'll just buy another. I don't need a warranty, AKA insurance, AKA gambling, to cover the cost. Insurance is for stuff I can't afford to cover, like car crashes, and broken legs.

[The Golden Boy]

Originally Posted by Visirale

Monster Cables are absolutely not a waste of money. I don't buy that they are sonically superior or anything. BUT, the no questions asked lifetime warranty is amazing. If one goes bad, I take it into GC and get a new one without any hassles. I can do that as many times as I want for the rest of my life. That means one cable purchase will last me forever. That's simple economics... it's better than anything else, IMO.

There's other cables that have lifetime or 10 year warranties, without the mindnumbingly exorbitant price hike.

For as noisy and 'less superior' that Monsters have been in my experience, I can't wait for them to break.

Besides, if a Monster decides to crap out on you (or be too noisy to use) you're usually in a position that you need a dependable cable right away, and not able to run off to a music store to trade it in. On top of that, how long is the longest you've hung onto a cable?

I've got 3 Conquest Audio cables, that I think have a lifetime warranty, that I've had for the past 12 years or so. I've used them for rehearsals and gigging and everything in between. They're just now starting to get a little noisy, and I found a place that sells them. I'm probably just going to replace them.

So, I've got 3 cables that I paid somewhere under $20 a piece for. I've had them for 10+ years and used them all the time for every situation they've been called for. Never been repaired or replaced, but have been coiled up, uncoiled, tied up, stepped on, rolled on, sat in beer puddles- generally used and abused. And they still work.

I've had 3 Monster cables that I paid more than $50 a piece for. All 3 were noisy (with the least expensive of the 3 being the least noisy), all 3 have been stolen from a communal practice studio (and 2 returned... Hmmm...) the two more expensive ones have been replaced numerous times (one twice, the right angle plug one 3 times). The expensive Monsters have been too noisy to record with. While they don't have "coil memory" exactly, the harder rubber makes them more "tangleable" as I recalled last weekend and almost tripped on stage.

So just how much does it say that someone stole my fancy pants expensive Monster cables and returned them to me...

While I wouldn't exactly say Monster cables aren't a total waste of money, anything that you pay above the price of a similar length of Guitar Center Live Wires cable is wasted. So for a 20' length, you're wasting only $40.

[Pilgrim]

Originally Posted by Visirale

Monster Cables...(snip) BUT, the no questions asked lifetime warranty is amazing. If one goes bad, I take it into GC and get a new one without any hassles. I can do that as many times as I want for the rest of my life. That means one cable purchase will last me forever. That's simple economics... it's better than anything else, IMO.

Nothing amazing about it.

If it cost you $5 to make a cable that you could charge a retailer $25 for and he could sell for $50, you'd be delighted to give a lifetime warranty on it. (I'm guessing at the costs, but you get the idea...Sweetwater.com sells a 12' Monster guitar cable for $49.95!) The user would have to come back for four replacement cables before you lost your profit - not one person in 1000 will do that - and even then, you wouldn't be in the hole, just breaking even. THAT is a great profit level at which to do business!!!!

The same deal is available on good quality hand tools and other items - and for the same economic reasons.

I'd rather have three very serviceable $10 cables with Switchcraft connectors...and which I can solder a new end onto if it gets pulled loose. That leaves me $20 for beer & pizza.

[bluestarbass]

Something that is overhyped is something that will not perform in a given situation, or live up to its reputation. Both a P-bass and an sm58 live up to their reputation. Have u ever stepped foot in a recording studio? Look all over the amps or drum kits, sm57's (mostly) and 58s. Heck, while your there see what kind of basses they have their, or recorded. Theres a reason the pbass is the most recorded bass of all time, 50ish years of constant use is not hype, its a tried and true product.

[ulrich]

Originally Posted by bluestarbass

Something that is overhyped is something that will not perform in a given situation, or live up to its reputation. Both a P-bass and an sm58 live up to their reputation. Have u ever stepped foot in a recording studio? Look all over the amps or drum kits, sm57's (mostly) and 58s. Heck, while your there see what kind of basses they have their, or recorded. Theres a reason the pbass is the most recorded bass of all time, 50ish years of constant use is not hype, its a tried and true product.

OK now you get to define "over hyped." Well I guess it depends on what you're definition of over-hyped is. Ps, and SM58s are good, perhaps quite good, but the hype has them much better than that.

Yeah, I've been in recording studios. Saw some NS-10s, and MDR 7506s there. So, I'm not gonna assume that an item's presence means it's good.

Good engineers may keep gear around that they don't like, just to please musos, and riders.

Sometimes that SM58 you love, is just a shell of an SM58 with a better capsule in it. That way the engineer gets a great mic, and the musos, and riders are happy.

Anyway we disagree, and that's not gonna change. NBD

[chadds]

I just haven't heard anyone remotely hype the Shure 57/58. I have been playing bass since 1965. Hype was Markbass. Shures came before folks were hyping. Earned reputation I'd say. P-Bass. I have a couple. I play them in only certain genre's of music. They are extremely limited and therein lies their charm. Try to draw out of that simple piece of wood and a little metal some beautiful music. Yep, takes talent and dedication.
You have a right to your opinion but it seems really limited to your own experience. Tara Labs cables. Okay hype.

Arguing on the internet is like the special.........

[MoD_Scotty]

As far as power conditioners...I agree they're a little ridiculous, especially if you're buying them new. But I traded a $60 pedal for a Furman PL-8 and a 6-space rack case. I normally would have just used a cheap power strip, but this was an offer I couldn't refuse...and I'm really digging the Furman. In all fairness though, it's just a rack-mounted power strip with some lights on it. I have no illusions of it improving my sound in any way.

[LKdubby]

Lol! I wish I had seen this thread back before I started buying all my equipment last December!

I purchased a right angle monster cable, $50'ish bucks with tax, and the "right angle" end of it has already gone bad.. I did just return/replace it at GC only a few days ago which I thought was cool to be able to do.. But now that I've read through this I can see that I'm going to be making trips to GC quite frequently with that stupid cable..

And I'm pretty caring with my equipment.. I've not done anything too stressful on the cable where it should have ended up with a loose end like that.. I haven't even opened the package for the new one yet.. Just been using my cheaper Fender cable for the time being..

Maybe I can sell the Monster on CL for $40 since it's brand new and never opened, and then go buy two cheaper cables!

[ADbassman]

Theres a reason I have practice cables and performance cables.

[PasdaBeer]

i hate to say, but im a firm beliver in power conditioners : /

saved my rig a couple times. Granted that just the surge protection section, but just wait till you see your guitar players rig blow up, even after a surge strip.


and yes, its a monster power conditioner, the only pro audio gear from them i would ever own.

[Dave Muscato]