Crimping vs. Soldering

So I know that this is a big area of debate in many other fields (outside of guitar electronics)... that is, making electrical connection via crimping or via soldering.

So why is soldering so predominant in the guitar world? It seems like there's not even a debate about it.

To me, it seem like if some company made a simple, relatively inexpensive wiring system for guitars where you could just crimp every electrical connection, they would just kill the competition.

Am I missing something here? I've only seen a few solderless wiring harnesses where you make the connections by simply crimping the wires to their respective slots on their respective receptacles.

Thanks for any info!

The simple way to explian the difference is crimping is a mechanical connection and a solder joint done correctly is a molecular connection. Not saying crimp joints won't work well but in the long run over time due to use the inherant problem of corrosion and oxidation will happen which means more resistance. Hope this helps you understand why solder is the prefered choice.

Money and speed. Correct industrial crimping requires tools, connectors, training and time. Guitar connections require a $10 soldering iron and a half hour of training for the "tech" that assembles it.

Most electric guitars are the last bastion of low tech assembly - desk lamps are wired better than guitars but the guitar never sees more than millivolts and doesn't have to conform to any electrical code.

Learn to wire your guitar. It's not hard and will benefit you for the rest of your life.



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I don't think the durability of the joint is an issue. I think it's more that crimping is a solution to a problem that only affects a small part of the market for the parts involved.

Acme is the only vendor I know of that offers solderless connectors. They've been doing it for a while, so I guess it's worth it for them. I assume that if they get a notable chunk of market share because of this option, their competitors will make some version of it available.

The weakness to crimping is that it is a weaker connection that is more prone to movement due to temperature variations. With movement there is a greater potential for carbon build-up on the surface of the contacting metals and over time could begin to reduce conductivity resulting in crackling sounds and such.

Would installing quick connects (via soldering points) to your wiring assembly suffer the same drawbacks (e.g. carbon build-up) as a straight-up crimp connection? I'm talking about a 1-pin connection like these:
67301

Also, are there any advantages of using a crimp connection versus a soldered connection in guitar circuitry (aside from not having to solder), or are there only disadvantages to this approach?

It would make changing/trying new pickups/pots a lot easier.
I would think a reliable standard could be agreed on. They work fine in computers,tvs,
other electronics.
Solder joints can go bad too....
Plus, there is always resistance to change - "Leo used solder in 1951....."

Would installing quick connects (via soldering points) to your wiring assembly suffer the same drawbacks (e.g. carbon build-up) as a straight-up crimp connection? I'm talking about a 1-pin connection like these:
67301

Also, are there any advantages of using a crimp connection versus a soldered connection in guitar circuitry (aside from not having to solder), or are there only disadvantages to this approach?

Regarding your first question, if I understand what you asked, no it would probably not suffer the same drawback if properly soldered.

As to the second question, the only advantage I see to crimping is that it takes less skill and is quicker. That said, the carbon build-up, since it takes time may be a minimal concern for awhile if you have a good solid crimp job.

I personally would not use a crimp for such a connection, but I tend to over engineer.

In computers where there are critical connections that aren't soldered, they usually use gold which is far less likely to develop a carbon build-up on the terminals, and the currents involved tend to be very low amperage.