How much are you willing to spend on a cable

[Promit]

Up to the $2/foot range, maybe a bit higher, there are real quality gains to be had in the cabling. These gains usually show up in longer runs, think 30+ feet. Not so much for short patches. If someone is telling you that a stupidly expensive cable - especially a short one - is sounding way better, they are lying to you. They may be lying to themselves, as well.

However, the higher end cables are often built more robustly. That's what many are paying for. It's not so much that they have some magical sound quality, but that they can withstand months of torture on the road.

 

[Vrollin]

$30 is pushing it.....

Also dont know if it was mentioned previously, but there was a test where they used a coat hanger vs monster cables, for eg sake, and the audiohiles couldnt tell the difference...
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2008/03/audiophile_deathmatch_monster_cables_vs_a_coat_hanger-2/

 

[Slunk Dragon]

I bought a Bullet Cable for $60, because it's a red curly cable.

IMHO it's given me a much clearer sound, and plus it just looks sweet. I'll be buying a purple one, next.

This thread will be incredibly vital to helping me save buckets of money, but I still love my pimpin' 70's cables. Haters gonna hate.

 

[Ibzzus]

Planet Waves PW-GS-25 - 25' | Sweetwater.com

That is the most I've spent on any cable in my life.

 

[stevexc]

$20-30. I'll pay more for build quality and durability than I will for tonal differences. I've got a nice heavy-duty feeling Peavey one I like.

I miss the days of getting staff discount on cables... cost + 10% was amazing when markup was ~80%.

 

[Pat_tct]

Our guitarist usually makes all our cable from high quality components.
they are sturdy, sound good and are super cheap.

if i have to buy a cable from the store i go with these:
Klotz - Instrument Cable, 6m, straight Jabs RockMASTER, MJPP06 : Cables

they are about 30€ in Germany and i really like them. i have 3 of those right now (2 Rockmaster and 1 Funkmaster) and they just last super long no matter how hard you abuse them.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

I bought a Bullet Cable for $60, because it's a red curly cable.

IMHO it's given me a much clearer sound, and plus it just looks sweet. I'll be buying a purple one, next.

Yup, that's the main reason I bought my Lavas: vanity, pure and simple.

 

[pushpull7]

If you are going to be building a lot (either for yourself or buddies) and/or making for PB's and the studio.....etc......then rolling your own is the way to go. The initial cost for the tools (I'm assuming you still need some for making them) is a pain up front but will pay for themselves in the long run.

However, if you are like me and play mainly into a soundcard/amp sims (or just into your kemper/axe fx/pod) then you owe it to yourself to get a decent cable. Like many have said, not because of tone as much as longevity. I'm using the same mogami cable I've had now about 10 years and it's pretty well loved, but works like a charm. I didn't pay that much for it. about 35 bucks if I remember at GC?

I'm also a fan of dimarzio cables for many of the reasons already mentioned. They don't bunch as easily, they are fairly durable and don't break the bank.

Bin cables are a bad idea because they don't last. You can frak any cable up, but unless you are really broke it's a good idea to have a nice cable.

The sound quality debate is grueling, but longevity matters.

 

[Henry Terry]

I have found that there IS a difference in the sound of "expensive" and "cheap" cables. In the late 1980s, I started using a 20-foot monster cable for my guitar, and it sounded smoother than the sub-$10 cable that I had been using. A couple of years later, my son's friend took my monster cable home with him, leaving his "brand X" behind, and I immediately noticed the difference and had him return it. A couple of years after that, I was pursuaded by a guitar store clerk to try "oxygen free" guitar cables, so I bought a couple of those and used them for three or four years. One day, I took out my old Monster cable and noticed that it sounded much better to me than the "oxygen free" ones, which cost as much as the Monster cable. In summary, I have found that the expensive cables sound different from the cheap ones. Better? It depends upon the sound you want.

 

[xxx128]

Don't listen to other people. Listen to the bloody cable instead. And if you got tin ears a 1$ cable will do.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

I have found that there IS a difference in the sound of "expensive" and "cheap" cables. In the late 1980s, I started using a 20-foot monster cable for my guitar, and it sounded smoother than the sub-$10 cable that I had been using. A couple of years later, my son's friend took my monster cable home with him, leaving his "brand X" behind, and I immediately noticed the difference and had him return it. A couple of years after that, I was pursuaded by a guitar store clerk to try "oxygen free" guitar cables, so I bought a couple of those and used them for three or four years. One day, I took out my old Monster cable and noticed that it sounded much better to me than the "oxygen free" ones, which cost as much as the Monster cable. In summary, I have found that the expensive cables sound different from the cheap ones. Better? It depends upon the sound you want.

Yeah, except I ....in' HATE how litiginous Monster Cable is, so can't buy anything by them. (Boycott)

And also -- WHICH Monster cable? There's like a brazillion of them.

 

[glpg80]

No more than I have to in order to buy in bulk and make my own with neutrik ends.

 

[Shask]

I make my own also. I bought a bunch of Canare cable and Neutrik ends about 5 years ago and made enough to last me for years.

Only change I am making, is I just ordered a few right angle plugs to modify a few of them.

 

[TRENCHLORD]

These are my favorite for guitar to first pedal. (mogami)



I actually prefer these ends over the Neutrik for the guitar-chord because they make the cable more end-flexible, but it looks like they're now making the Neutrik ends only.
That's alright I still have two of these older 18ft angled/straights brand-new and two more that I've been using for years that are still like new. (I play alone).

Learned my lesson long ago; If you find a specific model of something that you're totally satisfied with, then buy several of them because the company will undoubtedly stop making the model as soon as you decide to like it