So I was in Tokyo for vacation a little over two weeks ago.  As a guitarist, I had to go check out their music stores.  I'd never seen a better selection of really nice guitars in one place than at Ishibashi in Shibuya.  I also came across these while browsing...






I just had to take pictures of these, lol.  

Steep prices for 3M/10FT instrument cable though...

Well, they never seem to turn down the chance to make a little money, it seems...

To be honest, for the most part a cable's a cable when it comes to guitars. So they probably just went with whoever offered them some cash in exchange for exclusive use of their cables.

But maybe that's why the prices are so steep...

Is there anything Scandal dont advertise 

spacecadet wrote:Well, they never seem to turn down the chance to make a little money, it seems...

To be honest, for the most part a cable's a cable when it comes to guitars. So they probably just went with whoever offered them some cash in exchange for exclusive use of their cables.

But maybe that's why the prices are so steep...

With regards to your first statement...it's a smart business decision.  I could go into a tirade about musicians and sponsorships, but I might just anger myself and everyone else.

Regarding your second statement, I'm not sure I would agree that a cable is a cable.  Conductor, amount of shielding, and quality of plug connections, among a handful of other specs, all contribute to how well a cable transmits signal.  Conductor jacket is also important for gigging artists since you want one that is flexible enough if you move around a lot, but tough enough to handle moving around, being stepped on, and whatever other abuse it experiences.

On a more personal/anecdotal note, I used to use cheap pre-made cables that I could get from Guitar Center or the like.  More recently I started upgraded to a little better cables from Monster, Fender, and Lava, which have performed better.  Craftsmanship for those brands is much better than the cheap stuff I used to buy that had terrible soldering and would often short or produce unwanted noise.

When I said the prices were steep, I meant steep for someone like me who plays the guitar as a hobby not a career.  I've actually seen some quality 1M/3FT patch cables sold for 30 USD plus tax, which isn't far off from 4200 JPY.

In any case, I have no idea if Vital Audio instrument cables are worth the money or not.  What I do know though is that buying/using the same gear as your favorite artists doesn't guarantee the same sound, or that you'll even like the sound you get from it.  For example, I picked up an EHX Little Big Muff Pi because Mami has one on her pedalboard.  After 6 months of trying to get a sound that I liked out of it, I'm ready to sell it on Craigslist.  So I wouldn't buy the Vital Audio cable just because it's got Scandal pictures all over it.  If I found out that it was a really high quality cable and I was in need of one, then I might consider it.

wow thats expensive. I use a planet waves cable because they have a lifetime warranty, so basically you only buy the cable once, and replace it when it breaks.

Don't like the VA plug connectors* (screw on type), so I'm with bchoun when it comes to Planet Waves cables.

[*]- yup, I was in Ochanomizu, and a sucker for anything that has a photo of MAMI on it.

kudo_maharizu wrote:Don't like the VA plug connectors* (screw on type), so I'm with bchoun when it comes to Planet Waves cables.

[*]- yup, I was in Ochanomizu, and a sucker for anything that has a photo of MAMI on it.

[*]

That's a surprise.  You would think that for that high a price, the connectors would be soldered.  The only time I use solderless cables/plugs is for patch cables between pedals on my pedalboard.  They aren't moving at all, so they don't need a solder connection.  But an instrument cable?  Those need to be able to take abuse and screw terminals don't really meet the need.

Any shielded guitar cable (and they are all shielded) has both more than enough shielding *and* more than enough capacitance to allow a guitar signal to pass through without significant loss over the length of its run... by several orders of magnitude. You'd have to be using cables that are really basically defective, or falsified to be a much thinner gauge than advertised, in order to see any difference when switching to Monster Cable or something like that.

Here's proof: http://sfguitarworks.com/the-great-cable-myth/

Note the graph that shows the exact same waveform for cables ranging from $9 to $160.

Workmanship can vary, but there's still nothing about making a 10' guitar cable (the ones in those packages look shorter, if anything) that should jack its price up higher than $15... I mean I can make a guitar cable in 5 minutes from parts that cost $4 total and it'll sound and feel as good as any Monster Cable. Plenty of guitarists make their own cheap cables; most of the rest just buy cheap cables (including pros).

You're probably paying 1,000 yen for the names and pictures on those cables up there...

You should see this one cheap cable I got back in the early 2000s at Guitar Center (I guess it would be comparable to the Livewire Advantage brand being sold there now).  Worksmanship on it WAS so terrible that even a low end Monster cable was infinitely better better.  The soldering job at one end was bad, along with it being a poorly designed plug that easily shorted tip and sleeve via lack insulation and use of a metal spring (instead of thick heat shrink like lots of companies use) for strain relief.  I would randomly get crazy buzzing and wild noises and traced it back to that cable.  So for me, craftsmanship (and the reliability that comes from good craftsmanship) is part of a product's performance and worth a little extra investment.  If I was a little more confident in my soldering skills and had an appropriate workspace, I'd make my own cables.

Still, I wouldn't buy a 10FT cable for 4200JPY.

BUT, the Vital Audio marketing department is smart and knows that there are people out there who will buy stuff with an artist's name/face/quote slapped on it.  That's exactly why Nike can sell shoes with Kobe's name for several hundred dollars, even though those shoes doesn't make you better at basketball.

Endorsements are really good business decisions for musicians, celebrities, athletes, etc. Realistically, nobody knows how long they will be in the lime light or remain relevant.  Securing as many sponsorship or endorsement opportunities while they can just makes sense.

I may be biased because I'm a marketer by profession, but I'm glad the girls are "grabbing" every opportunity (even though I'm sure it's really their management team making those kind of decisions).  It gets them more exposure, ultimately leading to more demand for their brand and keeping them relevant (and making music) for as long as possible.

I've got to agree with fishmcdippers. You're really paying for the craftsmanship. I've been through hundreds of cables and after I switched to more premium brands, I've gone through much, much less cables than I used to. 

Sure they all sound the same, but its durability that I'm looking for!

Saw this on their Twitter feed. http://hookup.co.jp/products/vital-audio/scandal-sig
" />

mbowie4321 wrote:Saw this on their Twitter feed. http://hookup.co.jp/products/vital-audio/scandal-sig
" />

It was announce a while back on May the 12th and available on pre-order now, it will be a limited production run. Available from June 1st. Screenshot from ikebe-gakki.com