How long should a decent cable last?

[Rush-2112]

I've had the same Whirlwind Leader instrument cable ever since I first started playing, so something like 8 years. It still looks and sounds just like the first day I bought it. And trust me, it's served me through many a band practice and gig.

Love my cable and hope it never dies on me. How long should a cable last if taken proper care of?

 

[BlackRiverBlues]

I havent had the same luck, of course ive never spent more than $25 on a cable either.

 

[Muttleybass]

I've had many a cable go on me. Amps being rolled over them many times, having them stepped on breaking the jacks... I finally got a Planet Waves with a lifetime guaranty. I had on go on me, took it back and they gave me a new one, no questions asked. I think Monster has the same deal.

 

[ahc]

A cable shouldn't deteriorate. Damage would be the only concern. I used a cable I made up from Belden cable and switchcraft jacks for 10 or 15 years. Maybe more.

 

[iamlowsound]

I still have the first one I ever bought, 10+ years on. Take good care of them and they should last forever.

lowsound

 

[Got2SadowskyNYC]

That's like asking how long should my car last. Depends on how well you take care of it.

 

[MarkMgibson]

I think cables will always deteriorate over time. I have very expensive jacks, and I buy very expensive cable - I make new ones up when required. I've seen many musicians use expensive instruments and amplifiers with crappy old cables, and they wonder why they can't get a good tone.

 

[jmclearnon]

^^^ It's far cheaper to build your own, that's what i do and if something breaks its easy to fix.

 

[Jerry Ziarko]

I've had the same Whirlwind Leader instrument cable ever since I first started playing, so something like 8 years. It still looks and sounds just like the first day I bought it. And trust me, it's served me through many a band practice and gig.

Love my cable and hope it never dies on me. How long should a cable last if taken proper care of?View attachment 309859

Whirlwind cables are pretty amazing, especially considering the price. I still have some that are more than 20 yrs old that still work fine. I put new ones in service every few years, but probably not really necessary.

 

[Lowactnsatsfctn]

I may be the only one, but I have cables that only get used for live playing. And a box of misc cables that get used at practices and for loaners. Never had a cable problem aside from stepping on it and pulling it out of my Bass once

 

[two fingers]

Exactly 12 1/2 years. Sometime in June of the 13th year it will surely break in two.

 

[Kmonk]

I've had the same Monster cable since 2001. I used to use it for rehearsals and gigs but over the lats 8 years I use a wireless at gigs and the cable at home practice and band rehearsals.

 

[pnchad]

the 'lifetime' guarantee makes a lot of sense if you think it through

the biggest cost of a cable is copper itself

so you make a good quality cable with slave labor & robots somewhere and sell it for say $60 and it costs you $5 (and that's being generous)

it gets returned in 3, 4, 5 yrs and you swap it out - bingo you got the raw material for another one = recycling & cost savings

another sale, another 1000% profit- nice

 

[JoeWPgh]

Even when they do fail, it's usually in or near one of the plugs. It's easy enough to cut them back and resolder the plugs.

 

[Josh Thatguy]

Depends on whether or not there are rodents at your practice space, as there was with mine recently. There's something about the jacket rubber that a mouse must have been getting high on, because he ate about 4 feet of it in a 48hour period.

It was a Monster Bass 21' given to me by a Monster-endorsed musician friend from my past a couple of years ago. Just got it replaced at GC under the lifetime warranty that Monster offers. I didn't ask if rodent teethmarks were covered, I just presented it to the GC rep as a "bad cable", and swapped out. $49.95 GC retail price!

I love the marketing aspect from the package details: "Multi-Gauge Time Correct Windings with Special Dielectrics and Ultra-Dense Shielding." In other words, mouse cocaine.

 

[MarkMgibson]

In other words, mouse cocaine.

LOL

 

[JTE]

I still have, and use the first George L (actually mine is the original Bill Lawrence brand) cable I made when my store started selling them. That was at least a year before I got my VS '62 P Bass, so I've had it since at least 1982, possibly longer.

So, 31+ years.

John

 

[Febs]

I had a cable go bad on me at a gig Saturday night for the first time in literally as long as I can remember. I'm pretty sure that particular cable was one I bought for a specific theater gig in September 2005, so it lasted 7.5 years. I know that there are others in my gig bag that I've had for much longer than that.

 

[lfmn16]

I still have the first one I ever bought, 10+ years on. Take good care of them and they should last forever.

lowsound

+1

I rarely have cables go bad. I can't remember the last cable that I had to replace.

 

[Winfred]

I had a monster cable for over 20 years. It died. Walked into Guitar Center, handed it to them, they gave me another one exactly like it. No charge.

Cables should last a lifetime. Buy a good one (or two), and never pay for another one.