Wire nuts?

[JimmyM]

Take it from me...practice on junk and don't ruin good stuff

 

[ishouldbeking]

i'm gonna pick up a spool of wire to do a few test runs. i figure if i could learn brazing as well as arc & mig welding in high school I can probably solder a wire after a few practice runs.

 

[Earwaxsculptor]

Solder...solder...SOLDER!!! PERIOD!

Guitar wiring is NOT house wiring. When resistance builds up in contact connections carrying any appreciable current due to galvanic reaction between the two mating surfaces, heat is generated, which further increases resistance in a vicious cycle of breakdown, to the point where so much heat can be generated that the mating conductors can weld themselves together, and the surrounding oxygen in the air or even in the copper, supports the process of oxidation. With low-level audio signals, it is slow degradation of signal, sometimes so slow that you might not notice problems until things are really suckin'!

Solder creates an intermediate alloy bond that prevents this from happening.

Galvanic reaction is a process whereas minute electrical currents are generated when the surfaces of two different metals touch. Even if both mating conductors are copper, unless the copper is 100% pure (almost impossible to guarantee), there will be problems, unless the impurities (trace metals) in both conductors are also exactly the same. You have a better chance of finding a snowball in hell!

I work on TONS of musical and electronic gear, and the #1 problem is, by far, any form of solderless connectors.

Do it right, and learn soldering. It really isn't difficult. C'mon, they have old ladies doing it in factories!

Solderless connectors are used for convenience in assembly...period. Things just snap together.

You heard from "Johnny Crab" about the soldering of snake cable. I did that with patch bays back in the 70's. Now, telephone company techniques are employed with ID (Insulation-Displacement) connectors, also called "punchdowns". BIG problems!!! Do you know how many problems this has caused for recording studios AND Ma Bell alike???

As much as I like soldered connections, even I am realistic and know that solderless connectors have their place. However, being a service tech and engineer, I know better, and my gear gets soldered.

Here's a hint: if you ARE going to use solderless connectors, coat the mating surfaces of them with DeOxIt 100 or another Caig product called "R5 Power Booster". It protects the metals from oxidation.

+1

Listen to this man, he speaks the truth.

 

[Searcy]

Any one ever had one of those plug in EMGs fail? How about the ACG preamp we see advertised all over Talk Bass that uses screw terminals blocks? These connections are no more vibration or oxidation free than a wire nut. I would be super surprised if the rate of failure for wire nuts used to connect pickups is more that 1/2 of one percent.

If you know how to solder and have the gear then I say solder it because soldering it's better. I think anyone who plans to play electric instruments should learn to solder. It's a good maintenance skill to have for your profession. But let's not over simplify things. Soldering is only easy if you know how to solder. If you don't know how to solder it's not too hard to fry your pots or caps or other little parts that don't like to be over heated. Chances of the first time solderer destroying all their capacitors and pots while learning to solder is MUCH higher than a wire nut falling off during a gig.

Soldering is better but wire nuts are a good option if you can't solder. Butch at Bayou Cables is giving those who can't solder a safe way to work on their own basses. Let's not beat him up over a problem that in reality never much happens.

 

[GlennW]

I don't buy it either - there's probably a about gallon of wire nuts in most houses.

 

[A9X]

I don't buy it either - there's probably a about gallon of wire nuts in most houses.

But they don't move and they're installed by qualified people. I'm qualified as both an engineer and for the electical wiring code and I have NONE of your confidence.

 

[GlennW]

But they don't move and they're installed by qualified people. I'm qualified as both an engineer and for the electical wiring code and I have NONE of your confidence.

Movement is a good point. They'd be ok in Bill Wyman's bass.

Then again, I have a few under the hood of a car that have been ok for many years. I need to fix that.

 

[Searcy]

But they don't move and they're installed by qualified people. I'm qualified as both an engineer and for the electical wiring code and I have NONE of your confidence.

The wiring in your bass isn't going to move any more than the wiring in the few thousand factory machines I have seen them installed in. And folks that are too simple to figure out how to install a wire nut properly should never be allowed any where near a soldering iron. They might kill someone.

 

[A9X]

And folks that are too simple to figure out how to install a wire nut properly should never be allowed any where near a soldering iron. They might kill someone.

Most inane comment I've read in ages.

 

[Searcy]

Don't lower your self to name calling. Reinforce your argument. Do you really believe soldering is easier than installing a wire nut?

 

[A9X]

Don't lower your self to name calling. Reinforce your argument. Do you really believe soldering is easier than installing a wire nut?

Yes.

I said your comment was inane, not you. Should I call a therapist for you?

And saying that someone might kill themselves by using a soldering iron is ridiculous. In 25 years of using one daily, I've probably gotten a mild burn twice, but only because I was careless.

 

[v-12]

Any one ever had one of those plug in EMGs fail? How about the ACG preamp we see advertised all over Talk Bass that uses screw terminals blocks? These connections are no more vibration or oxidation free than a wire nut. I would be super surprised if the rate of failure for wire nuts used to connect pickups is more that 1/2 of one percent.

If you know how to solder and have the gear then I say solder it because soldering it's better. I think anyone who plans to play electric instruments should learn to solder. It's a good maintenance skill to have for your profession. But let's not over simplify things. Soldering is only easy if you know how to solder. If you don't know how to solder it's not too hard to fry your pots or caps or other little parts that don't like to be over heated. Chances of the first time solderer destroying all their capacitors and pots while learning to solder is MUCH higher than a wire nut falling off during a gig.

Soldering is better but wire nuts are a good option if you can't solder. Butch at Bayou Cables is giving those who can't solder a safe way to work on their own basses. Let's not beat him up over a problem that in reality never much happens.

+1
i would have no problem using wire nuts to join wires in my bass, although i agree soldering would be better.
although we didn't use wire nuts, we used MANY solder-less connectors while i worked on fighters (f-15's and f-16's), and you can bet that they vibrate more in one day than all the basses on TB put together. wire nuts are a VERY secure method to connect wires if done right, and are not deserving all the paranoia here.......imho.

 

[Searcy]

Well, I just can't agree that installing a wire nut takes more skill and understanding than using a soldering iron. And I have been using both for 30 years, as if that some how mattered.

Now back to my original point. If a person is so confused by a wire nut that they can't make them work properly then they are very technically challenged and should not be trusted with a soldering iron.