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why is it important?

I have really tried to find a difference between my two remaining Monster cables and the $19 replacements I have bought, and . . . . aside from not having that slightly-too-large jack to fight with, I can't tell any difference.

Yeah, I used my ears. Heard nothing. I do not know what the big deal is but I do know that paying more than about $1/ft for a guitar cable is stupid. It's still just a length of wire that can and will get lost/stolen sooner or later. Why spend $50 for it?

Obviously your ears aren't good enough.
 
I might soon A/B a monster cable against one of my many bargain-bin cables.

In terms of reliablity and warranty, just learn how to weild a soldering iron.

My bargain-bin cables sound great, and have endured more than 7 years of being ran over with my bedroom swivel chair, careless school orchestra resting their chairlegs directly on the cable, getting trapped in doors, being tripped over, having my stack rested on them, spent a few nights in the rain etc.

Stop dramatising and play whatever cable you have.
 
I buy my supplies from Redco.com in bulk (cheaper when you buy in quantity). Usually Canare (sometimes Redco's generic too) and always Neutrik ends. Then I take orders from the guys in the band...at close to cost. For 1' effects cables I charge 3 bucks. For 20' cables, its 20 bucks.

Everyone's happy, I make them well and can fix them if needed (never needed yet). I keep spares for live shows, and I color code the shrink on the ends so everyone can tell their cables from another.
 
Marko5657 said:
Psychoacoustics is an amazing phenomenon.

Just go into into a music store and buy a well-known brand of instrument cable with a lifetime guarantee. Buy extras of course, so you have a spare if/when one goes bad.

Psychoacoustics is an amazing phenomena.:)
It has people choosing Rics over Fenders, Jazzes over Ps, Ampegs over GKs. It's the height of delusion.:)
 
Psychoacoustics is an amazing phenomena.:)
It has people choosing Rics over Fenders, Jazzes over Ps, Ampegs over GKs. It's the height of delusion.:)

There are obvious measurable differences between the sound produced by different instruments. Between cables using the same gauge wire with the same capacitance there is not. If you are unable to make the distinction between the two scenarios you really should leave the discussion to those who can. You can't render an expert option if you're not an expert.
 
billfitzmaurice said:
There are obvious measurable differences between the sound produced by different instruments. Between cables using the same gauge wire with the same capacitance there is not. If you are unable to make the distinction between the two scenarios you really should leave the discussion to those who can. You can't render an expert option if you're not an expert.

Exactly! There is a distinction between the capacitance of those brands.
 
A Monster bass cable is about 50 bucks, a Monster standard instrument cable is about 20 bucks. I have heard, not by playing but word of mouth, that there is no audible difference between these two cables in terms of performance as the package indicates. Therefore, using a Monster instrument cable would be a very good investment because we all know that these have the life time warranty, and (which is the clincher) they are sold in most music stores. So its pretty neat to spend an extra ten bucks from a standard cable of another company and have the insurance that you can easily can your piece replaced, if need be.
 
Exactly! There is a distinction between the capacitance of those brands.
Now compare capacitance versus price. There is no correlation. Monster Bass has capacitance so high that it would be deemed defective by most.
So its pretty neat to spend an extra ten bucks from a standard cable of another company and have the insurance that you can easily can your piece replaced, if need be.
You're betting that ten bucks that the cable will fail, Monster is betting that it won't. Rule #1 of gambling: The house always wins. All 'extended warranties' are simply ploys to separate the consumer from as much $ as possible. Extended warranties are the highest single profit item sold by electronics retailers. Care to guess what #2 is? Over-priced cables. Monster has both areas covered.
 
Now compare capacitance versus price. There is no correlation. Monster Bass has capacitance so high that it would be deemed defective by most.
You're betting that ten bucks that the cable will fail, Monster is betting that it won't. Rule #1 of gambling: The house always wins. All 'extended warranties' are simply ploys to separate the consumer from as much $ as possible. Extended warranties are the highest single profit item sold by electronics retailers. Care to guess what #2 is? Over-priced cables. Monster has both areas covered.

I said if the cable need to replace, as in.. this is life... crap happens lol

As a musician and frequently in music stores.. I can certainly tell you that instruments are very costly and I am sure everyone knows this. Ten extra bucks on a cable that will be guaranteed to last a life time is not that serious. If you are will to drop a thousand on a certain bass, I am sure you can handle an another ten on a standard cable.

I do understand the principle of what you are saying though. Money is money and that ten bucks can feed you and someone else one day.. Having to spend ten bucks extra for cable that is the similar to an other for a warranty... well that does speak in volumes. Its bad and good. According to what you wrote, that electronic retailers make a huge profit on warranties. Did you know how much merchandise a company has to replace because of there warranties? (I personally do not know, but it is worth thinking about.. its not like they sell a warranty and it was completely in vain and is never used)

Besides, I think paying the ten bucks for the ability to get a new cable when I want is pretty good. I can just want a new cable cause my old one is gritty. Give it a few hard tugs, bend it, and use it as a jump rope... and I can just get a new one. Who knows, many times you just go in and they won't even check the cable. You can get a new cable just by asking for one.
 
Monster bass cables are nice.

Nice is one thing monster cables are not IMHO.:)

I think that there is a difference from cable to cable-much more so if you use passive instruments than if you're going active- and I seems to have landed with Vovox "sonorus",as a happy medium between very open like the Analysis Plus "pro oval studio"( which I do use quite often too) and the muddy,no treble Monster bass cable( which I strongly dislike).
If you like "bass "specific cables...MIT used to make one too...and I think that Analysis Plus do as well.
 
I'm sold on Mogami cables based on their warranty alone. I busted a cable through my own fault, told Guitar Center that I did it and still had it replaced with a new cable. Even the Mogami silver cables have a lifetime warranty.
 
Bill I've paid you great respect here as a business owner and expert on some things. I asked those questions about damping factor and received an intelligent scientific answer to a myth that I'd accepted. I use emoticons here. I am your contemporary, I've played bass since 1965. I get paid for live and studio work because of my ear. I have never been corrected for playing out of tune or being rhythmically aberrant. I have been corrected for not knowing the tune:)! I can hear the difference between a Canare cable and a Monster easily. As well we just did an A/B with Lava which is Canare and a Whirlwind. The differences where obvious.
So keep it light this isn't so serious.:) The false beliefs will fall by the way side only for those who want to know. Remember science practicioners can have their own bigotry and lack of openness to new concepts.