GUITAR CABLE MICROPHONICS AND THE TRIBOELECTRIC EFFECT

From: Shootout Guitar Cables UK • Best Guitar Cables Explained

Not all extraneous noise from a guitar cable is due to outside electromagnetic interference, some can be made within the cable itself due to the microphonics caused by the triboelectric effect of electrical charging.

You will no doubt be aware already of one type of triboelectric effect causing static electrical build up on you around your home or office.

The effect is caused by dissimilar materials rubbing together to build up a static charge. Such charges are responsible for 'frying' fragile computer circuit boards if handled, giving you an electrical shock when you go to touch a metal object such as a door handle, giving you a 'bad hair day' with your hair standing up and going frizzy (great for the big hair 80s rock look though!), balloons 'sticking' to your clothes, and dust immediately migrating to your only just dusted and polished surfaces!

The same thing happens within a guitar cable between the different material surfaces that are combined, and so moving the cable or dropping it onto the floor can cause significant charges to be generated thus sending a highly undesirable additional signals to you amp.

Best quality well designed cables minimise this effect by having a conductor between the signal wire insulation and the shield such as in the world class cables we use in our product range:

Sommer Spirit XXL Guitar Cable • Sommer Spirit LLX Guitar Cable
Sommer Classique Guitar Cable • Sommer Tricone XXL Guitar Cable

Also in this guide:

Guitar Cable Capacitance and Resonant Frequency

Guitar Cable Capacitance Chart

Guitar Cable Length and Signal Loss

Guitar Cable Myths and The Cable Fairy

Guitar Cable Shielding and AC Hum

Braided vs Spiral vs Foil Guitar Cable Shielding

True Bypass Pedals vs Buffered Pedals

DIY vs Premade Guitar Cables

Silver Plated Copper Cables and 'Red Plague' Galvanic Corrosion

Copper vs Silver Signal Conductor Guitar Cables