Soldering Iron

[bassbora]

Could someone recommend a good soldering iron? I am going to start and put in pickups so need a small one but I would like it to be a decent one. I am not sure what to look for.

Thanks

[Rich]

Antex irons are pretty good, my old XS25 iron was reliable and consistent. I have a Weller soldering station that I, ahem, [i]borrowed[/i] from work and it's lovely. Worth looking for a similar setup on fleabay IMO if you're planning to do a lot of work in the future. I also have an Antex Gascat gas iron which is great for portability.

[bassbora]

Thanks I will have a look for these. I am hoping to do a bit so would like a decent one. I would like to start to experiment with pickups and preamps.

[mybass]

Just about to put up the same question myself Bassbora and Rich has answered some of it.....I am looking for a decent soldering station instead of replacing a solder iron every couple of years as I saw one from Stewmac (Solomon SL 30 @ £100 +). They seem to be around £45-60 for standard 'hobby' use and then up in the hundreds for pro workshops. Let's see what other models come in.

[LewisK1975]

Don't know what Bass your using but if you're wanting to experiment with different pickups, I'd recommend getting a wiring loom from Kiogon of this very parish...if you didn't already know this, he makes solderless looms with screw terminals for attaching the pickups, and it makes changing pickups an absolute breeze!

[stevie]

I agree that Antex are very good. Like Rich, I have a Weller soldering station that must be about 25-years old and still going strong. It's also still a current model. [url="http://uk.farnell.com/weller/wtcp-51-uk/soldering-station-50w-230v-uk/dp/1712854."]http://uk.farnell.co...-uk/dp/1712854.[/url] Support service is very good, and all spares are available.

They're very expensive but used ones come up on eBay all the time.

Edited December 5, 2016 by stevie

[BassTractor]

I'd get one with a temperature pot and interchangeable tips for different uses, rather than the type where you MUST change the tip to change the temperature. That said, I know some pro solderers swear by the latter.
My Weller station with temperature pot and interchangeable tip is roughly 30 years old and still like new despite heavy use in periods.

[deksawyer]

I have couple of Metcal soldering stations, and they're brilliant. I use a tiny tip and I've never needed to change it for anything else when doing any amp/guitar work. Instantly hot and will not burn out the tip if you inadvertently leave it switched on.

They can be found on eBay now and again, but I got mine from a mate at BAE Systems when they were being replaced.

D,

[bassbora]

Cheers guys for all the suggestions. I went with a Weller simple cheep stuff just to see how I get on with it. I might turn out to be rubbish and never touch it so I did not want to spend too much.

BC comes through again

[mentalextra]

OK, I think Dave might have had a few beers but some interesting points.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3piea3NOHV8

[Norris]

You can't really go wrong with a Weller. A fine tip is probably more useful than the masonry chisel sized ones that sometimes come with the budget ones

[Beer of the Bass]

I'm probably due a new one myself. I'm still using the 25W Antex that my dad bought 20 years ago, and the shaft on it has got bent so that the tip is slightly loose. And I'm building valve amps as a hobby, so it gets more use than most! I'm inclined to just get the current version of the same 25W Antex, as it's been fine for everything I've tried to do with it.

Edited December 8, 2016 by Beer of the Bass