Jump to content

Cold Solder Join On Bass Bridge


Workingman

Recommended Posts

The ground wire on my Electra bass is not soldered to the bridge, it just rest under it giving a less than good ground. When I try to solder it on, the best I can get is an obviously cold solder joint (lumpy and dull looking). Is there any trick so that I can get a good joint when attaching a wire to such a big piece of metal or do I have to get a better soldering iron? Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The ground wire on my Electra bass is not soldered to the bridge, it just rest under it giving a less than good ground. When I try to solder it on, the best I can get is an obviously cold solder joint (lumpy and dull looking). Is there any trick so that I can get a good joint when attaching a wire to such a big piece of metal or do I have to get a better soldering iron? Thanks

I never solder on the ground wire. The screw and pressure of the bridge keeps the wire in contact. Bass bridge I am talking about. Soldering it could discolor the bridge due to the heat necessary to melt the solder.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The screw and pressure of the bridge keeps the wire in contact. Bass bridge I am talking about. Soldering it could discolor the bridge due to the heat necessary to melt the solder.

You could use a solder formulation that melts at a lower temperature. Most of these contain Indium to bring the melting temperature down, up to 100C lower than standard SN63PB37 solder. So long as it does not contain Bismuth, which adds a negative brittl factor. Another solution better than pressure would be to use electrically conductive adhesive or grease. The problem with relying on pressure is that any exposed metals will oxidize over time and any 2 differing metals in contact with each other exhibit galvanic corrosion, especially in any environment with high humidity and/or heat and this will increase the rate of oxidation.

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...