I hope none of you waste your money on Monster Rock cables...

Re: I hope none of you waste your money on Monster Rock cables...

Jolly_Rancher said:
But they're NOT quality. They're cheap even if you got them for free. Until you compare a cable that costs as much or more than a Monster and is priced with very little markup (like making your own), you don't even know... :D
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I have been playing for years I have played with every type of cable you could imagine. My dad was an engineer so all of my first cables were all hand built. As a blogger I get cables sent to me all of the time to review of various qualities. If you can find me a better cable for $10 let me know and I will buy them.
 
Re: I hope none of you waste your money on Monster Rock cables...

Fair enough... I think they sound fine with certain rigs (I've seen 3eB's Tony use them throughout his rig), and after 19 years of playing I just found them to be unsavory after a couple of years. I'd rather be happy and spend more money.
 
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Re: I hope none of you waste your money on Monster Rock cables...

I don't think I've ever had a Monster guitar cable. I have a mic cable that I bought because it just seemed like the sweet spot of price and perceived exterior quality from among the offerings of a small store that didn't have a whole lot. It's held up well and seems to sound fine. Other than than, I've had budget audio cables and a variety of video cables, the latter of which were quite good in the days of analog video. But I've had way too much MIT over the years and tried too many other good cables to take Monster seriously for audio.
 
Re: I hope none of you waste your money on Monster Rock cables...

I have some Peavey cables I bought close to 10 years ago. They're woven on the outside instead of rubber. They don't twist up or anything like normal cables. They also sound fantastic and I've never had to open the sleeves and resolder. I don't remember how much I paid for them but they're worth every penny of it.
 
Re: I hope none of you waste your money on Monster Rock cables...

Well Monster Cables could be wound from strands of unicorn hair, and I still would not use them. Not only do they promote the many fallacies of audio cables, but their horrid business practices turned me off years ago.

Mogami and Switchcraft for me.
 
Re: I hope none of you waste your money on Monster Rock cables...

Ayrton said:
Well Monster Cables could be wound from strands of unicorn hair, and I still would not use them. Not only do they promote the many fallacies of audio cables, but their horrid business practices turned me off years ago.

Mogami and Switchcraft for me.
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I completely agree.

I had one business professor who I believe was into hi-fi audio and he hates Monster.

I also like Neutrik's high-end plugs. I originally bought my Monster Rocks thinking they were decent, had a warranty I could utilize anywhere, and I ignored their abuse of legal action against anything with the word Monster in it. This was before Lava cable even existed and all that existed were boutique cables that cost $100+ for 10'... Not sure why I didn't just build them myself, since I had experience in manufacturing cables.
 
Re: I hope none of you waste your money on Monster Rock cables...

Ayrton said:
Well Monster Cables could be wound from strands of unicorn hair, and I still would not use them. Not only do they promote the many fallacies of audio cables…
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Not only that, but their deputy sales people (employees in retail stores) tend to sound spectacularly dumb giving Monster's particular pitch. At least booteaque cables have like… um… science or something… and cooler-looking jackets and connectors.
 
Re: I hope none of you waste your money on Monster Rock cables...

Little Pigbacon said:
Not only that, but their deputy sales people (employees in retail stores) tend to sound spectacularly dumb giving Monster's particular pitch. At least booteaque cables have like… um… science or something… and cooler-looking jackets and connectors.
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I know that sales people get a huge commision on those cables. Best Buy doesn't pay their sales people on big box items but the get a spif on accessories like Monster Cable.

YJM_Rocks said:
I have some Peavey cables I bought close to 10 years ago. They're woven on the outside instead of rubber. They don't twist up or anything like normal cables. They also sound fantastic and I've never had to open the sleeves and resolder. I don't remember how much I paid for them but they're worth every penny of it.
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All of my midi-cables are Peavey. I have had them for years and have never had a problem. Obviously they are sending data not a signal but the quality is outstanding for the price.
 
Re: I hope none of you waste your money on Monster Rock cables...

Never bought Monster cables, if they are sounding muddy/middy then they probably are high capacitance cables. I'm using planet waves stage cables,not too expensive, balanced & clear sounding, have been reliable for 8 months or so now.
 
Re: I hope none of you waste your money on Monster Rock cables...

Securb said:
I know that sales people get a huge commision on those cables. Best Buy doesn't pay their sales people on big box items but the get a spif on accessories like Monster Cable.
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That's because big box items are wickedly competitive and the margins in them are crap. It's quite the opposite with step-up cables. Selling those cables is very much seen as bringing home the bacon to daddy.
 
Re: I hope none of you waste your money on Monster Rock cables...

TBH, I've never had any real complaints about the Monster cables I use. I had one start to crackle (connection broke at one end from strain) after fifteen years of abuse.

I would think the markup is partly to cover the lifetime warranty. Walk into any Monster retailer with a bad cable and walk out with a brand new good one. They are going to price at least one replacement into the initial sale price.

But at least now I have an excuse for my sucky tone.
 
Re: I hope none of you waste your money on Monster Rock cables...

You can find a Monster Cable in a dumpster and take it to Guitar Center and they'll replace it with a new one. That seriously rocks. :beerchug:

I am a firm believer in high quality cables, because unlike some "musicians" with tin ears, I can hear a difference, although the difference is far less once you get close to the premium level. I don't think there is much to be gained above the the Monster to Mogami price level (such as the wacko expensive Lava cables, etc), but some cheapo generic POS is definitely not delivering the same clarity. My observations on pricey cables I've tried:

Monster Rock (old equivalent 500) - Spikes your tone slightly in a good way, unbeatable warranty. Lots of E-Haterade for them, but who cares....
Mogami - Top notch natural tone, but pricey
George Ls Reds - A bit too bright for my taste and not as full as Monster, but if your rig needs clarity, these can help
Planet Waves American Stage w/Neutrik Plugs - Up there with the best and only 1/2 the price of Monster Cable

I must have a small fortune in cables in my studio, but it's worth it to me. Going forward, if I need more cables, I'll probably lean toward PW American Stage.
 
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Re: I hope none of you waste your money on Monster Rock cables...

I believe both Mogami and Planet Waves have the same no hassles warranty as Monster.
 
Re: I hope none of you waste your money on Monster Rock cables...

MkIII Renegade said:
You can find a Monster Cable in a dumpster and take it to Guitar Center and they'll replace it with a new one. That seriously rocks. :beerchug:

I am a firm believer in high quality cables, because unlike some "musicians" with tin ears, I can hear a difference, although the difference is far less once you get close to the premium level. I don't think there is much to be gained above the the Monster to Mogami price level (such as the wacko expensive Lava cables, etc), but some cheapo generic POS is definitely not delivering the same clarity. My observations on pricey cables I've tried:

Monster Rock (old equivalent 500) - Spikes your tone slightly in a good way, unbeatable warranty. Lots of E-Haterade for them, but who cares....
Mogami - Top notch natural tone, but pricey
George Ls Reds - A bit too bright for my taste and not as full as Monster, but if your rig needs clarity, these can help
Planet Waves American Stage w/Neutrik Plugs - Up there with the best and only 1/2 the price of Monster Cable

I must have a small fortune in cables in my studio, but it's worth it to me. Going forward, if I need more cables, I'll probably lean toward PW American Stage.
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You're a little bit off there, buddy :) Lava cable isn't marked up very much, dude! Paying Americans to build cables is not cheap, and check out Colossal or Alessandro, for example. Much more expensive than Lava... And "spikes your tone slightly in a good way" is completely your opinion. I hate the way they sound. Even further, their warranty is fishy and comparable to many others. While Mogami isn't giving away free new cables, they are still wildly overpriced. In any case, here's their warranty verbiage from the Mogami site:

Lifetime Warranty
All Mogami cable assemblies are made with the finest cable, connectors, and assembly practices in the industry. We are extremely proud of our reliability, and problems are quite rare. However, should you experience trouble with our product, our Lifetime ("No Excuses") warranty to the original purchaser assures you are completely protected should something unfortunate occur.

If you have trouble with your cable you can either:
1)Go to a participating Mogami dealer for an exchange. If they have the cable in stock, this should be a quick and simple process. Please be sure to verify stock with your dealer to ensure product availability.
OR
2)You are welcome to contact us directly for a replacement.

I'm assuming you're referring to Mogami Gold pre-built cables... but, you can order Mogami bulk cable from several places and make your own high quality cable, for example I'm making a 16 footer today with Neutrik ends. It's about $4 per end and $22 for 16 feet (including shipping) of Mogami instrument cable.
 
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Re: I hope none of you waste your money on Monster Rock cables...

Jolly_Rancher said:
You're a little bit off there, buddy :) Lava cable isn't marked up very much, dude! Paying Americans to build cables is not cheap, and check out Colossal or Alessandro, for example. Much more expensive than Lava... And "spikes your tone slightly in a good way" is completely your opinion. I hate the way they sound. Even further, their warranty is fishy and comparable to many others. While Mogami isn't giving away free new cables, they are still wildly overpriced. In any case, here's their warranty verbiage from the Mogami site:

Lifetime Warranty
All Mogami cable assemblies are made with the finest cable, connectors, and assembly practices in the industry. We are extremely proud of our reliability, and problems are quite rare. However, should you experience trouble with our product, our Lifetime ("No Excuses") warranty to the original purchaser assures you are completely protected should something unfortunate occur.

If you have trouble with your cable you can either:
1)Go to a participating Mogami dealer for an exchange. If they have the cable in stock, this should be a quick and simple process. Please be sure to verify stock with your dealer to ensure product availability.
OR
2)You are welcome to contact us directly for a replacement.

I'm assuming you're referring to Mogami Gold pre-built cables... but, you can order Mogami bulk cable from several places and make your own high quality cable, for example I'm making a 16 footer today with Neutrik ends. It's about $4 per end and $22 for 16 feet (including shipping) of Mogami instrument cable.
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"Off" according to the rules set by whom? Not to my ears, buddy. That's the beautiful thing about opinions. :cool:

Tell me what part of pick up any defective Monster Cable, even if you found it on the ground, take it to GC and get a new one is "fishy". I've only used the warranty twice in my life and the experience was awesome.

It doesn't matter if Lava isn't marked up very much, the end result is that the price you pay is very high. And anything above that is getting into serious cork sniffer territory where diminishing returns are the rule. I know there are people today who are willing to pay over $400 for boutique effects pedals.....they can have those and all the $100+ cables they want. It's their money.
 
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Re: I hope none of you waste your money on Monster Rock cables...

I was never a fan of Monster cables. But my issue with them is not necessarily the product quality, but the egregious business practices, like suing any and everyoner that has "monster" anywhere in their product name or description. I cannot in good fait give money to a company that operates that way.

I used to use Spectraflex cables, but at some point in `96 or vocalist reeled in a Samson endorsement, and they sent him a 25 foot "Armored Cable" for ****s and giggles.

Sounds awesome, has a 25 year warranty, and is practically indestructible, I still use that exact cable to this day. Unfortunately, they don`t appear to make them anymore. :(
 
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