Jump to content

First Time Changing Pickups: What Soldering Iron To Buy?


steve00

Recommended Posts

I'm going to be changing the pickups in my strat for the first time and I don't know what wattage of soldering iron to buy. I have limited soldering experience but feel comfortable enough to do this. Can anyone tell me what soldering iron to buy? I am buying one specifically for this job, but I would like to get something quality that I will be able to use for future projects. Thanks for your help,

-Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

if you want to be on the safe side, go with a variable one. Radio Shack i think hase one for a good price. weller is the best quality, but thats if you are willing to put down over 100 bucks for one, but yet again, its the best and will last the longest and give the most precise performance. Being a beginner, between 15-30 watt soldering iron would be good. Thats my suggestion, but maybe another person could reply. I think a mod should relocate this in Tools and Shop Talk as its a tool and this is where you go for tutorials. Next time, try to post a topic in the correct thread, it will help you out faster.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

if you want to be on the safe side, go with a variable one. Radio Shack i think hase one for a good price. weller is the best quality, but thats if you are willing to put down over 100 bucks for one, but yet again, its the best and will last the longest and give the most precise performance. Being a beginner, between 15-30 watt soldering iron would be good. Thats my suggestion, but maybe another person could reply. I think a mod should relocate this in Tools and Shop Talk as its a tool and this is where you go for tutorials. Next time, try to post a topic in the correct thread, it will help you out faster.

You can purchase a Weller soldering iron at Sears for less than $15 for a basic one. I bought a station with the iron, thermostat, and stand for $50. The Craftsman rosin-core solder is good stuff, too. The RadioShack irons aren't worth a crap--their tips are shaped totally wrong, thermal regulation is non-existent, and they last about five minutes. And don't get me started on Ratshack solder...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

One point to take note of though, at least with my Epiphone, the solder used on the factory electronics takes a LOT of heat to melt. I had to use a high wattage soldering gun over my soldering iron, and I still had a LOT of trouble.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

One point to take note of though, at least with my Epiphone, the solder used on the factory electronics takes a LOT of heat to melt. I had to use a high wattage soldering gun over my soldering iron, and I still had a LOT of trouble.

Yeah I noticed the same thing when I redid my godin.

Here's a tip: Apply some solder directly to the existing solder that doesn't want to melt. Let it sit for about 10 seconds, then try desoldering it again. The whole glob of solder should melt almost instantly. Cool, huh?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...