Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Shawn on January 16, 2011 at 6:27pm

Solder !!! Tape will come loose after time.

Permalink Reply by alectron on January 16, 2011 at 7:55pm

Are you saying that from experience?

Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on January 16, 2011 at 9:10pm

Ye,s you are being naïve...tape is for wrapping wires, not making connections, you need to solder it!!! A soldering iron and some solder will probably cost you $10.00, and it's easy to use.

Permalink Reply by Roadkill a.k.a. John Maw on January 16, 2011 at 10:51pm

Hi. Just a personal observation, but one thing that made a big difference to my soldering was using flux paste and not just depending on the flux core in the solder. Anywhere that does plumbing supplies will normally have flux.

Permalink Reply by Skeesix on January 17, 2011 at 2:29am

Solder will make a much more solid and permanent connection. If you twist the wires together and then put some tape on them, you will be cussing because of the loose connection.

I suggest buying a 30 watt soldering iron for these guitar type circuits. The 20 watt soldering irons are more for the delicate connection and components on PC boards.

A 30 watt iron will also help you make the ground connection on the back of the volume pot. You need a bigger, hotter iron to deal with heating the larger metal surface.

If you go with 30 watts, you may also find that you don't need soldering flux paste.

If you choose to use unleaded solder instead of the usual leaded kind, you will also need a 30 watt iron, because it takes more heat to melt it.

Permalink Reply by MichaelS Country Boy Guitars on January 17, 2011 at 3:24am

You could use tape if you are just testing something out and want to undo it in a few minutes, but for a permanent connection as everyone has already said, Solder it!  It really is easy.

Permalink Reply by alectron on January 17, 2011 at 9:44am

I have a 45 watt electrical iron and a butane torch with a soldering tip, so I don't know how hot it gets. Would 45 watts fry everything?

Permalink Reply by alectron on January 17, 2011 at 12:55pm

Never mind about the 45 watt thing. I just bought a 15 and 30 watt soldering iron. Also, what does flux do exactly and does it matter if I have pretty thick ( I think) solder?