Speaker cables

[Firebeard]

Since I'm in the hunt for a Mesa 4x12, I need speaker cables! I've been looking into Monster Performer 500s but is there a better alternative? I seen a thread in which Noodles suggested Plant wave's. I'm just wanting to best quality for the lowest price. (Aren't we all? ) Does length factor into overall sound quality? I'm seriously debating the Monster P500s @ Bananas.com for $19.98 each!









<- See that amp, don't worry about it. I'll get a better one soon!

 

[Rick]

Go with Planet Waves.

 

[Firebeard]

Any specific Planet Wave model better than another?

 

[noodles]

You want the ones I posted a picture of in the thread you posted. It is just their normal speaker cable, I don't think they offer another kind for guitar.

 

[Kagami]

cable length doesn't factor into sound quality, but as speaker cables aren't shielded you're more likely to have noise/interference with long cable runs.

 

[Regor]

I have 2 10' monster p500 speaker cables for my rig. Can't complain.

 

[LordOVchaoS]

I now swear by CoreX2 cables from musicians friend. I think they are above Monster in quality and much, much cheaper. Haven't touched any of my Monsters since I got them.

 

[Regor]

I now swear by CoreX2 cables from musicians friend. I think they are above Monster in quality and much, much cheaper. Haven't touched any of my Monsters since I got them.

The only reason why I went with Monster cables is because of their return policy and that they're readily available at any GC. Since there's GCs just about anywhere, I can get a new one in a pinch.

 

[Firebeard]

The only reason why I went with Monster cables is because of their return policy and that they're readily available at any GC. Since there's GCs just about anywhere, I can get a new one in a pinch.

Thats a huge factor for why I want Monsters. I read somewhere, someone had slammed one into their van door and drug it to the next gig and Guitar Center replaced it without question.

 

[7 Strings of Hate]

ya know, i could have swore in the past i saw some cables that had and actual metal surface, armoured cables or something like that, anyone seen what i'm talking about?

 

[Cringles]

Made by Samson!
i had a lend of one at one stage, awesome cables, hard to get i think.

 

[darren]

Those were called "Armored Cable" and i think they were discontinued a few years ago. I remember Sam Ash blowing them out for like $10. My bandmate has one, and it's a nice cable, but you need to be cautious if you loop your cable through your strap... it can be a little harsh on the guitar's finish.

I didn't know they made speaker cables as well.

You absolutely MUST get speaker cable and not instrument cable. Speaker cables have two heavy-duty conductors and no shielding. If you use an instrument cable, you'll be sending half of your amp's output to the speaker cab along the cable's shielding, which is likely a thin copper braid or foil, which is not designed to handle the high output voltage from an amp, and you risk frying your amp.

I have a pair of Planet Waves speaker cables in my rig... no complaints.

 

[TomAwesome]

If you've got the cash to spare, go with Evidence. It's kind of expensive, but it's not much worse than Monster, and it sounds better. For the best bang/buck I'd probably go with Planet Waves or DiMarzio. Monster's return policy might make it worth a bit more than the sticker price, though, depending on how much punishment your cables get.

Any additional length on any cable will make a difference in your tone since all cable degrades your signal. If you're comparing a 3 foot speaker cable to a 6 foot speaker cable, though, it's not likely that you'll actually notice any difference, so I wouldn't worry about it unless you're getting into the 15'+ range.

 

[Leon]

length doesn't matter as much as width. get a thick cable for the best performace.

 

[Benzesp]

You guys and your Monster cables.... What a waste of money, I dont care what they say, I can hear no diffrence between a Good heavy gauge speaker cable and a monster cable. Its all placebo if you ask me. I've seen the little Monster cable demos.. Maybe there is a diffrence but not enough for me to pay 50 dollars for a cable. I bought into that George L's stuff too. I did my whole rack up with that, spent like $250 Yea I was a little OCD. Make a diffrence, well it looked nice.

I make my own with Neutrik or Switchcraft tips an Mogami cable. Tis the way.... But it's your money

 

[TomAwesome]

^

Monster really is pretty good, but I think it's a bit overrated (and overpriced), and it's definitely not the best out there. George L's are pretty good, but they're even more overrated than Monster by far. I got some for my rack and pedal board because my pedal board is kind of packed, and the way it's set up I needed some cables that were a little longer and a lot more flexible. I was hoping to hear a boost in clarity, but it turned out that the DiMarzio cables I was using sounded better. For $20 or so, though, I was able to get the more flexible cables I needed for my pedal board and rack, so I guess I can't complain too much about it.

 

[garcia3441]

http://www.coreoneproduct.com/pages/cableweb/cablehome.html

 

[7 Strings of Hate]

yea, monster cables are unjustified in charging that much, i was looking at a 1/4 in jack to a speakon end , and a 20 footer was like a hundred bucks or some shit

 

[darren]

Guys, we should probably keep the discussion here to speaker cables so as not to confuse things.

George L's are instrument cables and are great for guitar and rack applications, but you must not under any circumstances use them as speaker cables!

Considering most speaker cable runs for our applications are only a couple of feet, i think Monster cable is probably overkill. However, i strongly recommend that you invest in a quality cable from a reputable manufacturer that uses good quality wire and has its plugs soldered on properly. You do not want a speaker cable to fail.

Or if you know how to do a good solder joint, you can buy the parts yourself and make one for a fraction of the price. However, some of the higher-end ones like DiMarzio, i think they use ultrasonic welding rather than solder to make a stronger joint.

 

[7 Strings of Hate]

just curious, whats the differance between a instrument and speaker cable, just the wire gauge?