Service manual

Sinclair Community College | ETD 110 Guitar Service Manual
40
How to Solder:
Being able to solder your own electronics is something every
guitarist should know how to do. You never know when you may have
to repair a broken wire, replace your pickups, pots, or whatever else
may break or wear out over the life of your guitar. Soldering is very
easy and only requires a little practice to become good at.
Soldering is the joining of two metals by using a third metal, such as
attaching a wire to a pot using the third metal which is the solder.
The solder itself is a metal alloy with a very low melting point, when
melted it will flow quickly over the piece you are working on and
solidify quickly once the soldering iron is removed, and will fuse the
two pieces together.
1. Soldering Iron
Soldering irons are fairly simple devices and relatively inexpensive.
Basically it’s just a device that uses electric current to heat a metal
tip. They come in a wide variety of
wattage levels, some being
adjustable. For a basic soldering
iron, I recommend getting one
between 30 and 60 watts so that it
will have enough to melt the solder
quickly, but not too hot to damage
the components you’re working
with. Some will come with interchangeable tips, which is nice for
different types of soldering.