Solderless pots, selector etc

Hello here, I didn’t find another thread talking about this aubject so I create a ew one, I hope I’m not wrong.

I have nothing to realize soldering and I’m not really at my ease with the idea to do it. So I find some prewired solderless post kit. I find this one in Europe (which is the less expensive regarding the border taxes for external stuffs):

As you can see in the link eveythink looks so easy I don’t understand why there si no more of this kind of gear? So heres my questions:

  • is there anything bad with this kind of solderless things?
  • as you can see there is multiple option before adding to the basket, with some different valor. I have absolutely no idea what are those valor, I don’t know the difference between a 250k or a 500k pots, same for the “nF”.

Can anyone of you explain me how it will impact the song and the playability? I’m really curious :slight_smile:

Thank you!

Dani

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I can only tell what I know from solderless patch cables: The solder-crowd will tell you that solderless cables are inferior to soldered cables, the connections are not as “direct” and introduce more electrical resistance.

An ideal cable would have zero resistance. With solder, it is easier to keep the resistance at the connections at a minimum. Basically it is just that with solder, there is more stuff that electricity can flow through, so it should be able to have less resistance.

So there is merit to what the solder-crowd says. If it really matters, would be another thing.

I can’t tell you how much this is even an issue, how much resistance that solderless wiring harness might introduce and if it even matters.

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Those kits look pretty decent as compared to the cheap junk in the rainforest. 250 or 500 is resistance value. Uf is the microfarad measurement of magnetism.

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I used a solderless kit in my P bass and it was great. No issues at all and so easy to install.

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There is absolutely nothing wrong with solderless or prewired kits.
In fact, all EMG pickups come with solderless pots etc.
The difference is - cost.
What you posted here is a prewired kit that uses solderless connections for the pickups.
They are great for folks who don’t solder.
But you are paying a premium for the labor to assemble it for you.
Example - In the beginning of my bass journey, I bought a prewired kit for $80 for a J bass. Once I knew what I was doing (I actually did but was cautious at first, I can solder) instead I bought the bits and did it myself. The same materials cost me less than $20, for CTS (good) pots and capacitor.

For bass, you generally want 250K pots. 500K pots let more high end though, and will give you more string noise etc you don’t want. People do experiment with 500K, but you won’t most likely need them unless you know you do. The pots are specified in resistance values K-ohms.
uF is the capacitance value for the capacitor. Again, for most bass applications, .047 micro Farads is the ticket. .022 is again an option for some specialized things. Pots and capacitor experimentation is more prevelant in guitar than bass, but it does exist in bass, just not something you are likely to need to worry about.

The comment about cables is true for cables, as they have to endure flexing and abuse. Bass electronics stay put, and not an issue really for solderless vs. soldered. Sure, a screw can loosen over time, but so can a solder joint if not done well.

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Thanks for all the answer, and especually @John_E for the specifict explaination!
I habe absolutely no knowledge in electronic maybee should I start to read more about this topic :slight_smile:

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@Dani Single coil pickups (like your split single coil p-bass) need 250k pots, humbucker pickups (double coils like a MusicMan) need 500k pots.

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I would check the manufacturers wiring diagram and recommendations for specifications. The new pickup I have on order recommends a 250k tone pot, 500k volume, and .033 microfarrads capaciter. Might be good to check first

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