Do I have to unsolder?

[Jon87]

Do you have to unsolder the wires to the pick-up u are taking out...or can u simply cut it at the connecting point with wire cutters and resolder the new wires next to it?

 

[jeremy]

Re: Do I have to unsolder?

you really should unsolder the wires

 

[HolyDirt]

Re: Do I have to unsolder?

you really should unsolder the wires

yup, much cleaner and more efficient

 

[Jon87]

Re: Do I have to unsolder?

what if other wires(from the original stock pick-ups) are also soldered in the same place....and those wires lead to the neck pick-ups that i want to keep in the guitar? If i unsolder the one wire,..will i have to re-solder the other wires for the neck pick-up?

 

[HolyDirt]

Re: Do I have to unsolder?

what if other wires(from the original stock pick-ups) are also soldered in the same place....and those wires lead to the neck pick-ups that i want to keep in the guitar? If i unsolder the one wire,..will i have to re-solder the other wires for the neck pick-up?

just unsolder all the wires that are connected to the pickup, and when you put the new one it, solder it back up

 

[texasguitarslinger]

Re: Do I have to unsolder?

Definately unsolder the leads. It's just more professional. :22:

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Do I have to unsolder?

Cutting & reconnecting is only acceptable for car stereos

 

[3 cent hero]

Re: Do I have to unsolder?

Cutting & reconnecting is only acceptable for car stereos

my friend did that and his truck had a serious electrical meltdown :saeek:

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Do I have to unsolder?

There had to be something done incorrectly, because if you do it the "right" way and use a wiring harness, it's basically the exact same thing, only you're connecting the harness rather than the stereo.

 

[cvansickle]

Re: Do I have to unsolder?

Unsolder, and use desoldering braid (also known as solder wick) to remove the old solder from the joint. Always use fresh new solder when installing new pickups.

 

[papersoul]

Re: Do I have to unsolder?

I've had problems getting desoldering braid to work for me but a solder sucker seems to work well. Solder suckers are cheap - try one.

Also, a lot of guys do re-use the solder in place so now I am confused! Do yo uhave to use new solder everytime?

I hope you don't have the problem I still have. I can not stop the solder from balling up on the pot!! I tried sanding.........flux.....no luck.....still balls up right away......like oil hitting water. :smack:

 

[HolyDirt]

Re: Do I have to unsolder?

I've had problems getting desoldering braid to work for me but a solder sucker seems to work well. Solder suckers are cheap - try one.

Also, a lot of guys do re-use the solder in place so now I am confused! Do yo uhave to use new solder everytime?

I hope you don't have the problem I still have. I can not stop the solder from balling up on the pot!! I tried sanding.........flux.....no luck.....still balls up right away......like oil hitting water. :smack:

yes, use new solder, the old solder will be dirty and filled with lots of inpurities(well, more than normal). Make sure your applying the solder to the JOINT and not to the IRON. I use a small 25 watt soldering pen and i just put the tip on the corner of the wire so it presses the wire down and touches the pot, wait about 1 second, then feed the solder in, every one in a while it'll ball up, but i just reheat it and feed a little more solder in and it corrects itself. Good luck, if you practive you'll get better, i remember my first soldering jobs were BUTCHERINGS, but i got better, now i'm better than the techs at my local guitar shop, every once and a while they have me wire a guitar for em when their tech is busy, i get paid 30 bucks to do it too

 

[papersoul]

Re: Do I have to unsolder?

yes, use new solder, the old solder will be dirty and filled with lots of inpurities(well, more than normal). Make sure your applying the solder to the JOINT and not to the IRON. I use a small 25 watt soldering pen and i just put the tip on the corner of the wire so it presses the wire down and touches the pot, wait about 1 second, then feed the solder in, every one in a while it'll ball up, but i just reheat it and feed a little more solder in and it corrects itself. Good luck, if you practive you'll get better, i remember my first soldering jobs were BUTCHERINGS, but i got better, now i'm better than the techs at my local guitar shop, every once and a while they have me wire a guitar for em when their tech is busy, i get paid 30 bucks to do it too

I have tried to not touch the tip to the solder but it never works so I always have to do it this way. I can't get the connection hot enough. My tech friend said he used the same Radio Shack 30 watter I have and he hated it because it never got the solder hot enough. He told me that is the main reason for solder balling up. He said he has no issues with his Weller 30 watt iron. I think I'll buy one. I have been taking my guitars to him after I do some soldering so he can look it over. Usually he'l make corrections or resolder by first removing the old.

Do you guys know if it matters whether or not you solder the pot terminal to ground directly as in to the back of the pot or can i just use a small wire which I do.

Thanks!

 

[HolyDirt]

Re: Do I have to unsolder?

I have tried to not touch the tip to the solder but it never works so I always have to do it this way. I can't get the connection hot enough. My tech friend said he used the same Radio Shack 30 watter I have and he hated it because it never got the solder hot enough. He told me that is the main reason for solder balling up. He said he has no issues with his Weller 30 watt iron. I think I'll buy one. I have been taking my guitars to him after I do some soldering so he can look it over. Usually he'l make corrections or resolder by first removing the old.

Do you guys know if it matters whether or not you solder the pot terminal to ground directly as in to the back of the pot or can i just use a small wire which I do.

Thanks!

It very well could be a crappy soldering weapon (i have scars to prove it's a weapon...). Try a new one, and see if it helps. It's fine if you use a little wire to connect a pot terminal to a ground (a.k.a. the pot chassis) i do that on push pull pots because they're small and the terminals seem really short... on normal sized pots you can do this, but it's not exactly standard. You will hear no difference, nor be able to sense one, but it's always best to make connections from one component or terminal to another as short as possible. So basically, if you can do it without the little wire, go for it, but if your uncomfortable with it, dont. The threat of breaking off a terminal or overheating a pot outweighs the almost unnoticable difference in using the little wire. Try and practice on dead pots, or 2 pieces of metal in general, you'll get it after a while

 

[papersoul]

Re: Do I have to unsolder?

It very well could be a crappy soldering weapon (i have scars to prove it's a weapon...). Try a new one, and see if it helps. It's fine if you use a little wire to connect a pot terminal to a ground (a.k.a. the pot chassis) i do that on push pull pots because they're small and the terminals seem really short... on normal sized pots you can do this, but it's not exactly standard. You will hear no difference, nor be able to sense one, but it's always best to make connections from one component or terminal to another as short as possible. So basically, if you can do it without the little wire, go for it, but if your uncomfortable with it, dont. The threat of breaking off a terminal or overheating a pot outweighs the almost unnoticable difference in using the little wire. Try and practice on dead pots, or 2 pieces of metal in general, you'll get it after a while

Thanks!

So I shouldn't go back and re-wire the pots/terminals since I used wire and didn't just connect the term to the chassis?
really...no difference in tone?? Thanks for the advice.

I am going to try to find a weller iron.

Thansk.