[B Lopez]

I just went with "Trussrod Adjustments" purely because it takes so fucking long, and you don't know if you went to far until like 45 minutes later.

Everything else is just a minor inconvinience.

[7 Dying Trees]

Originally Posted by turmoil

what is this magical item you speak of???? i think i may need to get one.

IBANEZ RULES parts

look for:

LPE Adjust Intonation Tool Lo Pro 42 $25.00

And yes, it makes life a LOT easier!

[Drew]

Originally Posted by msherman

I`m not suprised that wiring is in the lead.
Keep in mind that you get what you pay for with solering irons.
You would be amazed how much easier it is when you have a pro soldering iron.
You definately need a good iron/station, with a minimum of 40 watts, and the proper tip. The key with soldering is to have enough wattage to heat the connection as quickly as possible. Pre-tin your leads before offering them up to the connection as well.

back to the poll

Continuing the tangent, is there any particular iron you'd recommend? Soldering is something I really need to work on, and part of the issue, I suspect, is my iron, an el cheapo Radio Shack 20/40 watter.

Also, what do you mean "pre-tin"?

[Edroz]

i voted for cleaning.


i actually really enjoy soldering/ rewiring and basic set-up stuff, but cleaning is just a pain in the ass as i tend to let my guitars go in that department until a string change (i use Elixirs, so it's a while...).

[ibznorange]

Originally Posted by Drew

Continuing the tangent, is there any particular iron you'd recommend? Soldering is something I really need to work on, and part of the issue, I suspect, is my iron, an el cheapo Radio Shack 20/40 watter.

Also, what do you mean "pre-tin"?

James will speak tons, as will i, of the virtues of gas powered irons.

you should always coat your leads in solder, aka Tin them, before trying to solder them to a joint

[ibznorange]

emg cables suck. the coating is fucking impossible to strip. its all plasticy and hard and shit, doesnt come off with a stripper, and doesnt burn off. its awful

[bostjan]

Dressing Frets has never been my favourite.

Anything that requires removal or modification of the wood makes me squeamish.

I also dislike replacing nuts. Intonation on a FR sucks, but on any normal guitar it's a breeze.

[TemjinStrife]

Anything fret-related is obnoxious.

Anything on a Floyd or floating bridge is a pain in the ass... especially if you're trying to balance out the action by adjusting the truss and raising/lowering the bridge in the same session, or putting in a new string gauge.

On a hardtail, my least favorite operation is intonation cause it's time-consuming. However, it's damn easy compared to anything on a Floyd.

Drew, I use a 20/40 watt Radio Shack iron without any issues. However, for pots, I like to borrow my dad's 100- and 200-watt industrial irons... those will heat up casings quite quickly, although don't use them on fragile wiring cause they can do quite a number on unfortunate braided cable.

[msherman]

Originally Posted by Drew

Continuing the tangent, is there any particular iron you'd recommend? Soldering is something I really need to work on, and part of the issue, I suspect, is my iron, an el cheapo Radio Shack 20/40 watter.

Also, what do you mean "pre-tin"?

Drew, I recently bought a new Weller WES51 60 watt with variable heat control, and I use a 3mm tips (the one I used to remove Chris`s nuggets of tone).
They are discontinuing these so they can be had for around $100.
Real good irons without breaking the bank

[dpm]

You need a transformer based soldering station (like the Weller) to get real quick heat, and quick heat recovery. As Mike said you need to get on and off the part ASAP, and ensure nothing moves while the solder cools. A few little extras like hemostats, contact files, needle nose pliers and alligator clips make things a whole lot easier. Approach things methodically and plan ahead.

FWIW resetting dovetailed acoustic necks probably tops the list of shitty guitar repair jobs