What can go wrong...................

[Trev]

.....................if you solder something the wrong way way round or to the wrong pick-up or switch connection?????
Many things are written about don't mess with electricity, if you don't know
what you are doing, leave it a professional. But when it comes to guitars
we can all change pick-ups, switches add other pots etc with no knowledge
what so ever, apart from diagrams that we can get off the internet!!! Some
people are picking up soldering irons who have never soldered before, and going into the depths of guitar electronics, can this be dangerous.
If a tube blows in a TV, would we all reach for our soldering irons, rip out a tube from another TV and reinstall it into the one that was broke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No, we would leave it to a TV repairman cause your messing with electricity and that is dangerous!!!!!
I'm not knocking anyone doing this, i have done it loads of times, and i am in the process of installing a custom and 59 into my Washburn 7 string, my real concern/question is to any professional guitar techs out there, is it dangerous??? What is the worst thing that can happen? Can we destroy our brand new pick-ups!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Any feedback will be appricated

 

[Kent S.]

Re: What can go wrong...................

.....................if you solder something the wrong way way round or to the wrong pick-up or switch connection?????
Many things are written about don't mess with electricity, if you don't know
what you are doing, leave it a professional. But when it comes to guitars
we can all change pick-ups, switches add other pots etc with no knowledge
what so ever, apart from diagrams that we can get off the internet!!! Some
people are picking up soldering irons who have never soldered before, and going into the depths of guitar electronics, can this be dangerous.
If a tube blows in a TV, would we all reach for our soldering irons, rip out a tube from another TV and reinstall it into the one that was broke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No, we would leave it to a TV repairman cause your messing with electricity and that is dangerous!!!!!
I'm not knocking anyone doing this, i have done it loads of times, and i am in the process of installing a custom and 59 into my Washburn 7 string, my real concern/question is to any professional guitar techs out there, is it dangerous??? What is the worst thing that can happen? Can we destroy our brand new pick-ups!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Any feedback will be appricated

You are familiar with the saying ...apples and oranges? AC wiring is totally different than a guitars. Polarity and phase issues in a guitar are time related (don't ask ...). Wiring an amp, yeah you can majorily screw up stuff, and harm/kill yourself or someone else. True if the right type of fault occurs within an amp you can die also, very rare thing these days. About the worst you could do is reverse the signal and common (hot and ground) on the output jack, everytime you touch something *grounded* on the guitar you'll get a big hum/buzz because you are touching the signal line and not the common line. True you can overheat a pot, you can cook a capacitor, you can demagnetize a pups magnets (using a big transformer based soldering *gun* not iron, and in *real* close proximity to the pup), and you can burn yourself, drop solder on the finish, ruin a switch,etc. Generally though you can't totally destroy anything unless you really try.

Working on amps, ... that's another story, only a numbnuts goes poking around inside of one without an electronics background of some type, and a firm adherence to safety proceedures!
You case is a bit different though Trev, as in your case the soldering iron could sweep your legs, armlock you, and pummel you while the ref isn't looking ... :laugh2:
Safety first and always!

 

[Artie]

Re: What can go wrong...................

I just wanted to add a little to the safety aspect. One of the worst things you can do, is to unsolder a wire or component that has a little spring tension on it. As soon as the solder melts, it can flip up, spraying your eyes with little solder balls.

Its not common in a guitar, but it can happen. Wear eye protection when soldering.

 

[flank]

Re: What can go wrong...................

artie, ive had the solder spray up on my arms a few times he he...... its not fun, it like instantly kills your skin cells lol

 

[Thames]

Re: What can go wrong...................

Ah yes wear protection! I received solder blobs on my chest fur and damn! it burns!! (and stinks!)

Last week I was drilling/buffing some holes in a chassis and I had chips of metal in the chest, damn it hurts! ... I never learn ....

 

[seafoamer]

Re: What can go wrong...................

I have a very small case of asthma related to my allergies. Soldering is one of the things that really bothers my asthma. It can leave me totally lathargic, sometimes for over 24 hours. I solder w/ a gas mask on, by a window or outside.

Make sure u gots lots of ventalation. Even if u don't have asthma, solder fumes are no good for you.

 

[korinastratkyle]

Re: What can go wrong...................

Make sure u gots lots of ventalation. Even if u don't have asthma, solder fumes are no good for you.

Basically think of unventilated\unprotected soldering as chain smoking as long as you're soldering! At work we use these smoke absorbing fan\filter things in front of the board we're soldering so most of the fumes don't get inhaled. Trust me! 8 hours a day doing soldering and not having one of those will kill you! The others that won't use one keep getting a smoker's cough!

The worst thing you could possibly do that's a tough fix or harmful is either burn yourself or get solder or resin on the finish possibly damaging it. If you're worried you might hurt the paint job, put some masking tape (I wouldn't use duct tape or scotch tape...) on the finish part of the body so any loose stuff lands on the masking tape. It'll cool like immediately so it won't burn through even one layer. Good luck! Oh! Don't use Acid Core solder! That was my first mistake back when I was 12 or 13! It corroded the whole thing after a few months! :laugh2: :smack: That's alright, you should have seen the paint job I gave it... With that said, use Resin Core or No-Clean Organic.


BTW, if you guys got any questions about electronic\electrical theory, I might be able to help!

 

[Kent S.]

Re: What can go wrong...................

I just wanted to add a little to the safety aspect. One of the worst things you can do, is to unsolder a wire or component that has a little spring tension on it. As soon as the solder melts, it can flip up, spraying your eyes with little solder balls.

Its not common in a guitar, but it can happen. Wear eye protection when soldering.

Good point, I thought I inferred it, but not clear enough, also don't ever jerk a wire free, same type action.

 

[Kent S.]

Re: What can go wrong...................

I have a very small case of asthma related to my allergies. Soldering is one of the things that really bothers my asthma. It can leave me totally lathargic, sometimes for over 24 hours. I solder w/ a gas mask on, by a window or outside.

Make sure u gots lots of ventalation. Even if u don't have asthma, solder fumes are no good for you.

Another reason I like the lead-free solders, also you can get a little fan forced filter that sits in front of you work to such away the fumes and trap them ... not very expensive and well worth it, look into it, you don't even have to have the window open.

 

[Kent S.]

Re: What can go wrong...................

Basically think of unventilated\unprotected soldering as chain smoking as long as you're soldering! At work we use these smoke absorbing fan\filter things in front of the board we're soldering so most of the fumes don't get inhaled. Trust me! 8 hours a day doing soldering and not having one of those will kill you! The others that won't use one keep getting a smoker's cough!

The worst thing you could possibly do that's a tough fix or harmful is either burn yourself or get solder or resin on the finish possibly damaging it. If you're worried you might hurt the paint job, put some masking tape (I wouldn't use duct tape or scotch tape...) on the finish part of the body so any loose stuff lands on the masking tape. It'll cool like immediately so it won't burn through even one layer. Good luck! Oh! Don't use Acid Core solder! That was my first mistake back when I was 12 or 13! It corroded the whole thing after a few months! :laugh2: :smack: That's alright, you should have seen the paint job I gave it... With that said, use Resin Core or No-Clean Organic.


BTW, if you guys got any questions about electronic\electrical theory, I might be able to help!

Like I said, one day I'm going to read all the replies before I post a response .. :smack: