Gold versus nickel plating: Which is the best for guitar cable plugs?
The short answer: Under normal conditions, there is no difference in sound between gold-plated plugs and nickel-plated plugs on a guitar cable. However there are significant differences between plating types … Read on. Over the long run, gold is a slightly better at preventing corrosion. But it’s a softer metal than nickel, so it wears off slightly faster than nickel plating. HOWEVER, gold is plated over nickel for better adhesion on our plugs, so if the gold wears off, you have a nice nickel-plated plug underneath. All things considered, if nickel (silver) looks better with your guitar, order nickel-plated plugs. The long answer: Plug plating is there to simply prevent corrosion of the plug surface. Corrosion will affect signal transmission if the plug surface starts to corrode because corrosion will adversely affect electrical contact between the cable plug and your amp or effect. Is there any audible difference between the sound of chrome (nickel really) and gold if both are corro
