Joined: 21 Feb 2004 Posts: 243 Location: Rochester, MI
Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2004 6:23 pm Post subject: Daved (or anyone else): Any experience with Monster Cables
Does anyone have any experience or feedback on Monster Cables? I was looking to upgrade my cables to Monster Cables, but like everything else, it's more complicated. Monster has a "Rock" cable that's supposed to provide a bit of a "bite". They also have a "Jazz" cable that's supposed to be a better quality cable (semi-balanced) with more technology. However, it's supposed to be mellower sounding than the Rock cable.
With Robben's sound in mind (Jazz, Rock, Blues), does anyone have any comments on these or any other high quality cables?
Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2004 8:14 pm Post subject: Re: Daved (or anyone else): Any experience with Monster Cab
JackD wrote:
Does anyone have any experience or feedback on Monster Cables? I was looking to upgrade my cables to Monster Cables, but like everything else, it's more complicated. Monster has a "Rock" cable that's supposed to provide a bit of a "bite". They also have a "Jazz" cable that's supposed to be a better quality cable (semi-balanced) with more technology. However, it's supposed to be mellower sounding than the Rock cable.
With Robben's sound in mind (Jazz, Rock, Blues), does anyone have any comments on these or any other high quality cables?
Any help would be appreciated.
You're probably going to regret asking but here goes.
Cables are a touchy subject, and one on which everyone has an opinion. And opinions, like free advice, are often worth exactly what you pay for them. So take what you read here with many grains of salt.
I have a friend here in Japan who is in the cable business, and one day we decided to do some cable listening. So we took about 50 different cables from different makers into the studio and spent the entire afternoon comparing them. We used a very high quality A/B box to switch between two cables at a time, and worked our way through the entire pile. I won’t bore you with a lot of details, but suffice it to say that one of the worst sounding cables we tried, regardless of price, was the Monster jazz cable. It was so bad that after only a few seconds of comparing it to a “good” cable (don’t ask, I don’t remember what the other cable was), we ripped it out and threw it in the corner. By comparison, the Monster rock cable was considerably better. Still not up to snuff, but not bad.
Now I suppose everyone will ask what came out on top, and in fact, we found a few things that sounded very good. The expensive cables, like the Pete Cornish cable and the Two-Rock cable, of course sounded very good, but they’re not cheap. The old George-L (not the new skinny ones) also sounded pretty good. But, and I’m almost embarrassed to say this, the winners were the cables made by my friend’s company (the company is called Pacifix and the line of cables are called Providence cables). Before anyone asks, I have no stake in that company at all and derive no benefit from their sales. This is strictly an opinion based on sound quality and nothing else. Of the Providence cables, two in particular – the Shark and the 59er – are very good. The Shark has a very broad frequency response and a very open and airy top end. The 59er is rolled off a bit, and thus is warmer sounding (and is my favorite).
Of course I can’t speak for Daved or Robben, but I did talk to Daved about cables and he was, let’s say, less than enthusiastic about the Monster cables. But you best let him talk about that himself. I can say that Robben uses Planet Waves cables and a Providence cable called The Patch that he seems to like.
I hope this doesn’t come off as spam for Pacifix. It’s not meant to be, and in fact, at this time the Providence cables are not yet available outside of Japan. If anyone is interested in more info on them, please email me off line so we don’t raise any eyebrows or tempers.
Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 886 Location: SF Bay Area
Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2004 12:03 pm Post subject:
A buddy of mine had an endorement deal with Monster so I tried some of them. In the high end audio world, Monster is a bit of a joke, akin to Bose. What the public thinks of as the "good stuff" but not really.
They're okay, but not worth the money. I did have one of their propritary gold plugs come apart and replaced it with a Switchcraft.
I've also tried substituting George L cables someone brought in, during the middle of a gig, and found them to be strident and harsh to my ears. They may be more high fidelity, but on guitar that's not necessarily a good thing. Couple of songs and they were out of there.
I'd avoided tracking down a Planet Wave cable cause of the Robben connection. When folks accuse you of being really into someone else's style, I don't want to add to that by using the same gear. Especially something as obscure as a cable that isn't easy to find around here. But when I picked up my Fuchs from the local dealer, he pulled one out to test the amp. I found it to be very balanced sounding so I bought one. The next gig I found out that unlike the Monster, it makes no noise when slapped on the stage. So I bought more. If folks think I'm copying Robben, so what. In my opinion, they are the best guitar cables around. Not that I've done a lot of trying really obscure brands. But compared to Monster, George L, various ProCo, Belden and Carol cable cords I've tried, I'm sticking with the Planet Waves for now. _________________ There are no such things as wrong notes, there's only the look on your face.
My Stuff: www.stevekirbymusic.com
I have used Monsters for quite a while and still do, they sound good but have many disadvantages like they are not flexible enough and soldering spots break and so on. So I use a Monster from pedals to amp while from amp to pedals I use something else. Many things work.
I have used Monsters for quite a while and still do, they sound good but have many disadvantages like they are not flexible enough and soldering spots break and so on. So I use a Monster from pedals to amp while from amp to pedals I use something else. Many things work.
I have one of the Monster Jazz cables, but I hardly ever use it because it's too long. (25 feet. Don't ask) I usually use a 10' Planet Waves and have no trouble with either of the two I carry around. _________________ Ham Fisted Bloozer
Joined: 19 Sep 2003 Posts: 646 Location: City of Trees, USA
Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2004 5:48 pm Post subject:
I'm no expert on sound, but from my ham radio days I recall that the no. 1 factor with a shielded cable (provided that the shielding is moderately good) is simply the length of the cable. The shorter the better. Once it's short, the differences between different quality shielding, conductivity and impedence get to be less and less. Maybe that's why in that classic photo of B.B. King and Eric Clapton, they're both sitting on their amps. Probably using 2-foot-long cables. _________________ - BlueRunner
Joined: 14 Nov 2003 Posts: 142 Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2004 11:26 pm Post subject:
It's interesting (and good!) that everyone has basically compared cables on how they actually sound, or the reliability factors, rather than a whole barrage of technical specs. Excellent!
For companies like Monster Cable (and, as Aeolian mentioned, Bose), half the battle is in the marketing and the technical hype, most of which is debatable. Many people go with the marketing rather than spend the time to try things out, A/B test, and actually listen and decide whether it sounds goods to their ears. Some people (like me!) end up going with overhyped products like Bose because they actually liked them (I got a good second hand deal on my Bose 802's so they also came at a good price... wouldn't buy them new though).
That's why it's always funny to read reviews on Harmony Central from people that spend megabucks on equipment blindly, only to find out it just didn't work for them. Use your ears!
Anyway, I use Planet Waves cables, (a) because they sound good to me and (b) because they were the only good commercially available stereo cable I could get here (my guitars are all piezo equipped so I need stereo cables). The only problem I've had is that one cable has developed an intermittent fault at the point where I've stepped on it (in exactly the same spot) a couple of thousand times . I think internally some of the stereo ones are twisted pair, so maybe not as robust. Despite the moulded plugs - usually a bad sign in most leads - they actually hold up pretty well though. I just need to find a better overseas source, as they're not cheap to purchase locally.
Chris _________________ because I rock, and that's important.
Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 886 Location: SF Bay Area
Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 9:30 am Post subject:
Chris,
I know that Musicians Friend sells Planet Wave cables.
FWIW, I think that all the Planet Wave cables are a twisted pair with a single ended shield. This is why the end with the shield connection is supposed to be plugged into the amp.
At the last Robben clinic I went to, I was the first one to go up and play together with Robben. He didn't have a cord handy so I grabbed the 10 PW cord out of my gig bag. The next guy after me had a Strat, so probably out of habit, he pulled the straight end out of the amp and flipped the cord around. I didn't know if it would work and started to tell him that the cord was supposed to go a certain way but it worked fine. Everyone else who played together with Robben after that used it backwards too. Maybe in a high EMI environment it might have made a difference, but in downtown Ojai, no worries. _________________ There are no such things as wrong notes, there's only the look on your face.
My Stuff: www.stevekirbymusic.com
I'm not a terible political or "cause" oriented guy typically......BUT......
I'll NEVER buy or support MONSTER CABLE PRODUCTS after the legal nightmares they caused for a small business owner (case link below). Monster Cable Products was attempting to legally strong arm his web site address from him.
Joined: 13 Jul 2003 Posts: 1043 Location: Boulder, CO
Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 9:52 am Post subject:
Hey guys... I use George L's and I have one Two Rock cable. The TR cable has a fuller freq response for sure, but, I don't always like that.
I am using Lamp wire for my speaker cable. Works great and you can make 20 cables for the price of any commercially produced speaker cable. There was a ToneQuest article a few years back that talked about the lamp wire idea. That's where I got it from. I think it's (the story) on the site for free......... _________________ www.hendersounds.com http://soundcloud.com/davidhenderson Please Donate - Keep These Forums Alive
Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 886 Location: SF Bay Area
Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 11:24 am Post subject:
Sonarguitar wrote:
I'm not a terible political or "cause" oriented guy typically......BUT......
I'll NEVER buy or support MONSTER CABLE PRODUCTS after the legal nightmares they caused for a small business owner (case link below). Monster Cable Products was attempting to legally strong arm his web site address from him.
Incredible. I used to just dismiss them as marketing hype and overpriced midrange products. But this is scary. I understand trademark protection. I used to work for Dolby and they are very careful about folks putting their symbol on inferior products. But the symbol is unique, and the name is fairly uncommon. Ray even reached an agreement with Thomas Dolby (that is a nickname he gained from being an audio geek) to allow him to keep using that stage name as it was kind of a compliment and didn't affect the company in any adverse way.
But to usurp a word as common as Monster and go around threatening folks whose business has more to do with monsters than theirs does, is unconsionable.
This is almost as bad as Bose who apparently feels they have the divine right to the decimal product naming system (3.2, 5.1, ect) and have sued other audio companies for using this convention, even though those smaller companies were doing this long before Bose did. And even further ignoring the common public perception that this started with BMW cars, although I think Bose was trading on that similarity as most of their early uses of decimal names exactly mimiced exsisting popular BMW's. _________________ There are no such things as wrong notes, there's only the look on your face.
My Stuff: www.stevekirbymusic.com
Joined: 19 Sep 2003 Posts: 646 Location: City of Trees, USA
Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 12:55 pm Post subject:
Re Monster v. Monster: Hey, sombody get me a kleenex to wipe this jello off of my xerox copy of the court papers, so that I can scotch tape them together and put the info in my rolodex. _________________ - BlueRunner
Joined: 26 Nov 2003 Posts: 916 Location: Fairhope, AL
Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 12:56 pm Post subject: cables
I use George L's. I had seen the ads for years. Two friends with loads of gig experience said it was all marketing. I bought one and tried it against my other cables. The sound was brighter and the tones sounded clearer. I rewired my pedal board, and bought the bulk cable and ends and made up the ones I needed. I keep them as short as possible. I like the fact that they are easily repairable on breaks-or even between songs in a tight. I did find that you need dog nail clippers to cut the cable cleanly. Scissors and pliers often leave a ragged edge that makes them short out. Turn your amp down low, plug in the cable and turn the screw until the buzzing stops and you're ready to go again. The only problem I've had is corrosion inside the plug from outdoor gigs on the gulf coast. I hope that helps.
Frank
I have used Monsters for quite a while and still do, they sound good but have many disadvantages like they are not flexible enough and soldering spots break and so on. So I use a Monster from pedals to amp while from amp to pedals I use something else. Many things work.
Ed, we need to talk.
Bill
Did you try it in the right direction (those little arrows)? To me the Monster Jazz is a very good sounding cable, I disliked the Rock when I tried it. But it's noisy when you step on it, another disadvantage.
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I'm no expert on sound, but from my ham radio days I recall that the no. 1 factor with a shielded cable (provided that the shielding is moderately good) is simply the length of the cable. The shorter the better. Once it's short, the differences between different quality shielding, conductivity and impedence get to be less and less. Maybe that's why in that classic photo of B.B. King and Eric Clapton, they're both sitting on their amps. Probably using 2-foot-long cables.
. I think internally some of the stereo ones are twisted pair, so maybe not as robust. Despite the moulded plugs - usually a bad sign in most leads - they actually hold up pretty well though. I just need to find a better overseas source, as they're not cheap to purchase locally.
