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I just started working with soldering last week to do my own pickup replacements and basic electric guitar maintenance, so this is very timely! In my first two

I just started working with soldering last week to do my own pickup replacements and basic electric guitar maintenance, so this is very timely! In my first two attempts, I managed to swap pickups successfully, where "success" is measured as "it sounds the way I expect, all knobs and switches work, there is no unexpected buzzing." I worry about how much I don't know about it, so I'm curious: is it possible that I need to expand my concept of success? Should I be concerned that a joint that's fine today won't be OK tomorrow? Or is it enough to say that if it sounds right and doesn't look like trash, it is good enough?

toast0 4y ago
> Should I be concerned that a joint that's fine today won't be OK tomorrow? Or is it enough to say that if it sounds right and doesn't look like trash, it is good enough? It depends on the application. If you're not performing, the cost of a joint that fails later is just a bit of annoyance. If you're on stage and your equipment fails, that's a lot worse. I wouldn't think guitar solder joints are stressed out too much though, so if it lasts a week, it'll probably last longer. There's a little bit of vibration and motion, but not a lot of power or heat. And most people try to take it easy on their guitars --- it's not like car wiring or anything.
analog31 4y ago
>>> Should I be concerned that a joint that's fine today won't be OK tomorrow? Yes. Things can go wrong with solder connections over time, such as: 1. So called "cold" solder joint eventually becomes non-conducting or semiconducting (interesting properties of tin) over time, resulting in weird behaviors such as AM radio pickup. 2. Effects of vibration. The guitar is probably getting handled a lot. 3. Other stuff coming loose, such as the nuts holding pots and jacks in place, causing wiggling of the solder joints. 4. Not directly related to soldering, but poor stripping can "nick" the conductors of the wires, leading to premature breakage. I'm an electric bassist, and I'm responsible for my gear being 100% reliable on the bandstand. I don't bring a spare bass, except that my electric is sometimes a spare for my upright, especially for outdoor gigs. I do keep some spare cables and other odds and ends in a bag that stays in my car. I'm also quite experienced with electronic tech work. There are some things that can give you a better than 0% chance of your stuff staying in business over time: 1. A good wire stripper that has fixed blade settings and can't nick the wire, such as a "T Stripper" or an "Ideal Stripmaster." 2. A commercial quality iron with a tip in good condition. 3. Lead based solder is still easier for beginners, but a lead-free alloy called Kester K100 is a lot better than the early lead-free alloys. 4. Make sure both sides of the joint are "tinned" before joining them together and soldering. Then you can complete the joint with just a touch of the iron and a bit of solder. For weird / old components, tinning is a good chance to make sure that the solder will actually wet the component, as opposed to balling up. 5. Strain relief. Wire runs of more than a couple inches should be tied with with zip ties or whatever. 6. Be on constant lookout for deterioration of your instrument, something that's just got to be part of being a musician. If a jack or pot comes loose, tighten the nut. You can sneak under the knobs with a bicycle cone wrench if the knob is hard to remove. You'll need the cone wrenches for your bike too.

toast0 4y ago

> Should I be concerned that a joint that's fine today won't be OK tomorrow? Or is it enough to say that if it sounds right and doesn't look like trash, it is good enough? It depends on the application. If you're not performing, the cost of a joint that fails later is just a bit of annoyance. If you're on stage and your equipment fails, that's a lot worse. I wouldn't think guitar solder joints are stressed out too much though, so if it lasts a week, it'll probably last longer. There's a little bit of vibration and motion, but not a lot of power or heat. And most people try to take it easy on their guitars --- it's not like car wiring or anything.

analog31 4y ago

>>> Should I be concerned that a joint that's fine today won't be OK tomorrow? Yes. Things can go wrong with solder connections over time, such as: 1. So called "cold" solder joint eventually becomes non-conducting or semiconducting (interesting properties of tin) over time, resulting in weird behaviors such as AM radio pickup. 2. Effects of vibration. The guitar is probably getting handled a lot. 3. Other stuff coming loose, such as the nuts holding pots and jacks in place, causing wiggling of the solder joints. 4. Not directly related to soldering, but poor stripping can "nick" the conductors of the wires, leading to premature breakage. I'm an electric bassist, and I'm responsible for my gear being 100% reliable on the bandstand. I don't bring a spare bass, except that my electric is sometimes a spare for my upright, especially for outdoor gigs. I do keep some spare cables and other odds and ends in a bag that stays in my car. I'm also quite experienced with electronic tech work. There are some things that can give you a better than 0% chance of your stuff staying in business over time: 1. A good wire stripper that has fixed blade settings and can't nick the wire, such as a "T Stripper" or an "Ideal Stripmaster." 2. A commercial quality iron with a tip in good condition. 3. Lead based solder is still easier for beginners, but a lead-free alloy called Kester K100 is a lot better than the early lead-free alloys. 4. Make sure both sides of the joint are "tinned" before joining them together and soldering. Then you can complete the joint with just a touch of the iron and a bit of solder. For weird / old components, tinning is a good chance to make sure that the solder will actually wet the component, as opposed to balling up. 5. Strain relief. Wire runs of more than a couple inches should be tied with with zip ties or whatever. 6. Be on constant lookout for deterioration of your instrument, something that's just got to be part of being a musician. If a jack or pot comes loose, tighten the nut. You can sneak under the knobs with a bicycle cone wrench if the knob is hard to remove. You'll need the cone wrenches for your bike too.