Soldered or Solderless - Which One Works for You?

Written by Kenny Prochazka

Many guitar players reach the point where they need to upgrade or flat-out replace their electronic components. The pros, of course, have technicians on call for this kind of work, but what is a normal person to do when their pots, switches or jack are holding them back?

If reading wiring diagrams and soldering a dozen or more connections seem like daunting tasks, or if you simply do not have the time to do the work yourself, then you should definitely explore the world of pre-wired premium guitar harnesses.

Sorting through that sea of options, there is a major dividing line with standard soldered harnesses on one side, and modern solderless harnesses on the other.

At Mojotone, we offer a variety of soldered and solderless harnesses for everything from Les Paul Juniors to Stratocasters. These are both built to vintage specifications with premium components, and both can help your guitar sound and respond as amazingly as possible.

Let’s explore the real differences between the two:

Soldered Harnesses

Starting from the earliest versions, electric guitars have traditionally been built with hand-soldered wiring harnesses. There is a simplicity to having some wire, some potentiometers, a capacitor or two, a switch and a jack, and putting those together with a soldering iron - if you understand the wiring scheme and are comfortable with your soldering skills.

Installation of a pre-wired soldered harness is much simpler, with just a little bit of your own effort. For most Strats and Teles, you only need to solder the connections for the pickups, the grounds and the output jack - the rest is already taken care of. Les Pauls and similar guitars are much the same, but you may also need to solder the leads from the toggle switch.

Solderless Harnesses

In the 2010s, Mojotone was among the companies pioneering a new concept in guitar wiring: solderless harnesses. Gone was the fear of using a soldering iron, damaging something or messing up the wiring, and now any player could upgrade their components, pickups or both with ease and confidence. These solderless harnesses still use top-notch components and maintain the same functionality as soldered harnesses, but installation requires little more than a screwdriver (and maybe a basic wrench to loosen/tighten nuts on pots and jacks).

Installing a solderless harness is simple, because all of the connections are pre-labeled and you simply need to put the correct wire into the correct terminal - this includes the jack, switch and any extra ground wires your guitar may have. Some solderless terminals use press-down clamps, and some screw down, but the basic concept is exactly the same.

What are their benefits and drawbacks?

Let’s explore the pros and cons of both types of pre-wired guitar harnesses.

Pros of Soldered Harnesses:

1.) Exactly like traditional guitar wiring, using standard potentiometers, switches and even wire. There is some soldering to do for installation, but it is much less than building the entire circuit yourself.

2.) Soldered joints are often regarded as more “permanent”, and done correctly they very much can be. Proper soldering requires starting with a good mechanical connection anyhow, and appropriately created joints can last for many years.

3.) Traditional guitar wiring takes up as little room as the components themselves. Solderless harnesses usually have some sort of connection terminals which occasionally makes the harness tough to fit into smaller vintage guitar routes.

Pros of Solderless Harnesses:

1.) Pickups are a breeze to swap, since it is a matter of unplugging one wire and plugging in another, and replacing the wiring is just as easy.

2.) Soldered connections can make the wire rigid and brittle, and more susceptible to breakage. A solid mechanical connection transmits signal just as effectively as a soldered one, and sometimes better depending on the solder job. Modern solderless connections are designed to be just as “permanent” as soldered ones.

3.) Many solderless harnesses, like our Convertible series, provide switchable options for impedance, treble bleeds and other modifications. Standard soldered harnesses typically require additional switches and extra wiring to achieve the same results.

Which of these is right for me?

This is a personal question that mostly depends on what features you want and how comfortable you are with your soldering skills. Both are designed to perform reliably, and both will get you the sound and response that you need. The only real difference is your preference, and the only way to discover that is to get out there, find your sound and love your tone.