Guitar solder what kind

These amps are created by a transformer which takes mains, outlet voltage and turns that into high amps via the transformer. Those high amps are then sent to the soldering tip to quickly heat up the tip element.

Transformers, which are used extensively in musical gear like guitar amplifiers, generate an electromagnetic field when voltage is applied to the primary coil. I know it may be tempting to use what you have lying around the house, but whatever you do, do not use a soldering gun close to your guitar pickups. While there are solderless systems out there, the vast majority of pickups and components require solder work to install.

One incredibly common repair is replacing, or resoldering the output jack. Often these come loose and start to wiggle around. If this movement continues it will typically spin the wires around enough to break them off their solder joints, or compromise the solder joints enough to lose a good electrical connection.

Replacing pots is also fairly common as they can suffer the same fate as in the output jack. Pots can also go bad over time and old pots are generally plagued by dirty resistive elements that crackle and pop even after a good cleaning.

As the aftermarket boutique pickup market has sprung up, so has the number of pickup swap requests. This is an easy cost to cut down on if you can do it yourself.

While some hum in a guitar can be attributed to the pickups grabbing electrical interference from their surroundings, other hum can be attributed to poor grounding, or bad shielding. These grounding problems can be difficult to find, but close inspection of all ground wires and connections should unearth bad solder joints or poor quality wire.

If you have your own soldering station, you can dive right in and fix these problems yourself. For electronics work, I recommend the Kester Solder comes in different diameters, but I find that the. It comes in a roll which is 1 pound, and will last for a long time. Because there is lead in solder, you want to be careful not to inhale the fumes coming off the soldering iron tip. Have a window open close by and a small fan to blow the fumes away from your face.

You need a way to wick away old solder and clean up parts before resoldering components together. There are a couple ways to do this, but my favorite is by using a soldering pump. A soldering pump works by first heating the old solder up to its melting point.

This button releases a spring which pulls an airtight plunger back, sucking the liquid solder into the pump. There are a bunch of different styles of pumps out there, but this is the one I recommend.

This package also comes with desoldering wick, which is a material that pulls old solder into it, and can be very effective if trying to get into small or tight spaces. This is a pretty cool one that helps tremendously when trying to solder two things together, especially with holding ground wires to the back of pots. I find that these work great for all gauges of wire found a guitar, amp, or instrument cable. Your soldering iron is running at hundreds of degrees, and the liquid solder is just as hot.

Test your new-found soldering skills by making your own guitar cable. Unheard song featuring George Harrison and Ringo Starr played for the first time. Greuter Audio Fokus review: A boost to cut through the mix and the competition. Essential Guides. Jargonbuster: Overdrive — how to understand your overdrive pedal. Buyer's Guides. The best guitar pedals to buy in 10 best pedals for praise and worship music. All Advanced Beginner Intermediate.

Learn to play guitar like David Gilmour in five minutes. Chord Clinic: Learn to play 10 interesting E major chord variations. Learn to play guitar like Chuck Berry in five minutes. Guides DIY Workshop. The complete guide to soldering for guitar players. By Huw Price. Image Credit: Shutterstock. The December issue of Guitar Magazine is out now! Read More. The November issue of Guitar Magazine is out now!

The October issue of Guitar Magazine is out now! The September issue of Guitar Magazine is out now! The August issue of Guitar Magazine is out now! Posts: 2, Low melting point and rapid solidification. Jan 10, 4. Posts: 9, Kester "44". SnidelyWhiplash and Andy B like this. Jan 10, 5. Age: 71 Posts: Soldering is an art. Certain conditions must be met for it to work. If the necessary conditions are met it is easy as pie.

If not, it is impossible. In a proper solder joint , the solder combines chemically at the molecular level with the parts being joined, forming an alloy at the point of contact. In addition, the part must be at or slightly above the melting point of the solder. Touching the solder to the part should cause the solder to flow across the connection like water, wetting the surface, filling all the cracks and crevices, and leaving a smooth surface.

In my experience, solder does not go bad with age, as some things do. I concur with mtjo62 on leaded. The large diameter solder used in plumbing work doesn't work well with the smaller soldering irons used for electronic work, and of course rosin core as the rosin serves to clean and prepare the metal surface to properly combine with the solder. The proper size iron is important as the ideal situation is to be able to quickly bring the work to the proper temp to instantaneously melt the solder, get a good flow and get off so as not to damage anything from the heat.

Iago and davenumber2 like this. Jan 10, 6.