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  • Gold plated vs standard??

I was wondering, what is the difference between the R70 - R100 chrome leads for guitar vs the R130 gold plated vs the super excensive R350 guitar leads? Is there really such a big difference in sound? I bought the gold plated R130, heard that it was better - was just wondering what the difference in sound was,and is it worth the extra money?
    I useally have leads made up out of Neutrik connectors and high quality cable like "sommer cable" or something else, costs me about R100 for a 4m lead.
      Manfred Klose wrote: I useally have leads made up out of Neutrik connectors and high quality cable like "sommer cable" or something else, costs me about R100 for a 4m lead.
      +1. Neutrik connectors with Canare or Belden cable for me. You'll find the same kind of thing in pro studios and on stage around the world. Great balance between quality (sound and durability) and cost.

      Gold connectors are more of a marketing thing - chrome works just as well and is a thousand times more durable for a working cable that's plugged and unplugged regularly. There is a huge amount of snake oil in the cable industry - mostly in the hi-fi world, but some of it naturally spills over into the music industry. But at the end of the day, working musos know that cables are consumables. And, after all, it doesn't make sense to use Van den Hul interconnect at over R1,000 per foot for a nearly insignificant gain in quality, when the cable will be just as stuffed as the good, but (relatively) inexpensive cable after a rack of amplifiers is rolled over it or the bassist stomps on it with his hobnail daisy roots for the thousandth time.
        Yep Ferraris dent as easily as VWs. A snake cable or even laying cables in narrow ducting recessed into the stage could help with all the boots and racks ?
          Sorry to jack this thread.
          I was wondering if there are any differences, besides aesthetic, between gold plated vs chrome plated hardware like bridges, stop pieces and tuning machines. I have to buy a new tune-o-matic style bridge for the refinishing of my SG. I was thinking of going for gold hardware on airbrushed cherry burst wood.
            It oxidizes a little but besides that nope.
              Graeme Parfett wrote: A snake cable or even laying cables in narrow ducting recessed into the stage could help with all the boots and racks ?
              They do, but it's horses for courses (as always with cabling). Instrument cables need to be flexible.
              Graeme Parfett wrote: I was wondering if there are any differences, besides aesthetic, between gold plated vs chrome plated hardware like bridges, stop pieces and tuning machines.
              Tonally, no diffs, but there are differences in durability. Gold looks nice ('specially with white or red guitars, IMO) and doesn't oxidise, but doesn't last very well because it's soft. Nickel also wears fairly quickly, black chrome is a bit better (generally - there are different types), but chrome lasts for decades if it's looked after.
                Alan then what is it that ages so terribly on gold hardware? I am certain that it shows some corrosion or something earlier than chrome?
                  I'm not 100% sure, as it doesn't oxidise and will usually only dissolve in complex dual acids like Aqua regia or in free chlorine gas, so it should be incredibly resistant to sweat (the usual culprit for guitar hardware corrosion). The only explanation I have is that the gold is physically worn away because of it's softness and then the base metal substrate starts oxidising, accelerating the wear from underneath.

                  Maybe we have a metallurgist in the house? ?
                    I mention this cause some of my gold playing has worn off, and it corroded ever so slightly (Could be lightly buffed out) And I once played a 67 SG custom that had very very aged hardware (Hadn't been played in 10 or so years)...
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