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Monster + Patch Cables... does one cancel out the other?

GroovinOnFunk

GroovinOnFunk

Supporting Member
Apr 30, 2008
2,149
2,326
40
Nashville, TN
#1
Ok... so to start with, I understand that many people say that all cables sound the same. I am in no way trying to argue that a monster cable sounds any better than any other cable! PHEW... ok, with that said:

I am considering buying a Monster Bass Cable (for the warranty, if nothing else).
If I have one monster bass cable going into my pedal board, then some much cheaper (compared to monster) patch cables, then a monster bass cable going from the pedals to my amp, will the patch cables in between nullify any of the benefits of having the monster bass cables? :hiding:

:help:
 
#2
I have the same setup, albeit with Live Wire patch cables or direct 1/4" male-male plugs between pedals. I wouldn't use any of those cheapy cables that might come with a pedal board. Normally I would say your signal is only as good as the weakest link though. I'd like to hear someone weigh in from an EE point of view.
 
#6
Make sure you try the Monster bass cable out if you can. I have read in reviews that they darken the sound somewhat because they have relatively high capacitance. Their instrument cables are not like that.

Patch cables are short, so they don't do much harm unless they are very poor quality. If you are plugged into a pedal first that has buffered switching, i.e., not true bypass, that will help preserve your tone going through patch cables. If all your pedals are true bypass, and your bass is passive, you will likely hear some high end loss as a result. Because even when bypassed your signal is going through all that wire with no buffering.

An interesting thing about the molded plug multi color patch cables. Years ago, Craig Anderton measured a bunch of cables' capacitance, and found the cheaper molded plugs were lower, so they would theoretically sound better than cables with metal plugs. I've used both kinds. The molded ones lasted a good ten years, and then crapped out. Now I have metal ones.
 
#7
bongomania said:
I happen to have an article about this: Effects of multiple cables in series?

Unrelatedly, Monster cables are a ####### joke. Do not buy their hype. There really can be a difference in quality between different cables, but Monster is NOT the high quality that they claim.
Click to expand...

That's an informative website you have there. :D
 
#11
none.

plenty of other cables (like the much more "normal" spectraflex, with its superior switchcraft ends, more durable covering, and non-hyped price) have the same kind of warranty, where you can just swap it out at the store for another one. the spectras also sound really good, decently low capacitance with little handling noise, even with high-gain guitar.

i once tried a monster bass cable on guitar by accident; it sounded so bad i thought the amp was broken!
 
#12
i actually like my monster bass cables, i got a 6ft and a 12ft and they rock. not only is the lifetime warrenty amazing, but i actually love the dark tone. a musicians gear is all about preference. if you like something, then use it, if not, dont get it. i say try the cable out and see if you like it
 
#13
I find it odd that someone would buy a cable because it has a good warranty because it is expected to break.

Why not just buy a better cable in the first place that won't fall apart?

I use Planet Waves cables which are better than Monster in every way. The silent plug is a great feature if you have active pickups. Oh....they the same warranty as Monster. I've never had one fall apart though.
 
#14
Ok, fair enough... I won't get Monster. I wasn't really hell-bent on monster to begin with. The bottom line is basically I'm looking for 2 cables, approx 10' each, no more than $30 each.

Right now I only have 3 pedals... When I acquire a few more, I'll switch to higher grade patch cables I suppose.

FWIW, I play an active/passive bass but it's a G&L so even in passive mode, the output is very very hot. I play 99% of the time in passive mode. As it stands now, all of my pedals are true bypass (I thought I was doing a good thing by just getting true bypass stuff). Should I purposefully get a non-true-bypass pedal?

I was looking into the Hartke Bass Attack actually, but it would probably come at the end of my pedal chain. If I should get some sort of a buffered pedal, should it go at the beginning of the pedal chain?


I've used nothing but multi-effects boards up until a couple of weeks ago. I sold my Boss GT-6B and have been building up a pedal collection.
 
#16
mmbongo said:
I use Planet Waves cables which are better than Monster in every way. The silent plug is a great feature if you have active pickups. Oh....they the same warranty as Monster.
Click to expand...

Ditto. Great cables at a very decent price (I believe Planet Waves is a sub-brand of DAddario). I use their Custom Series (their entry-level line) which goes for some US$30 for a 15ft cable (last time I paid 20 bucks in eBay). They come with a built-in cable-tie, to keep them neatly coiled.
 
#17
GroovinOnFunk said:
Ok, fair enough... I won't get Monster. I wasn't really hell-bent on monster to begin with. The bottom line is basically I'm looking for 2 cables, approx 10' each, no more than $30 each.
Click to expand...

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Register as a TB user (just tell him your TB user name) and you'll get VIP pricing = even cheaper. This is the best place to get strings as well.
 
#19
Canare comes in "red"

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IMO making my own cables saves me money. I get to choose how long they are and what connectors are on the end (I use neutrik connectors because of their awesome strain relief). If anything ever goes wrong with one I just fix it myself.
 

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