Famous electric guitarists seldom fall prey to a failed cord. On the rare occasions when that happens to them, someone runs out from the wings with a brand-new one. The old one then gets thrown in a road case, where it might get repaired later by a roadie or just thrown out.
Those of you who perform once in a while or simply play at home probably don't have a suitcase full of spare guitar cords. When your guitar can't be heard through an amplifier, it could be something in the guitar or the amp that's at fault. More likely, it's a bad cable. You could run out to the store and buy another one, but the more frugal among us will simply repair the broken cord. It's not difficult, though a little familiarity with the tools involved will make things go quicker.
Instructions
Diagnose the Problem
1. Examine the cord. Check if the exterior of the cord is distressed, which suggests the cable has been cut or pinched. More likely, the connection is bad at one of the 1/4-inch plugs at either end of the cable.
2. Unscrew the protective shield at the top of a plug and look at the connections. If one of them looks weak or is actually detached from the plug, you've found your problem.
3. Also examine the plug itself. If the tip of the shaft can be rotated with your fingers, the plug is broken and should be replaced, not reattached.
4. Gather your tools. There are two kinds of guitar cable plugs. One connects the plug to the wire with screw terminals. The other requires the wire to be soldered to the plug. For the screw-type terminal, you need a small screwdriver, usually a Phillips head, plus wire cutters and wire strippers. For the solder type, use a soldering gun or pencil and a length of solder instead of a screwdriver. A set of vise grips or a worktable vise lets you hold the plug still while you are working on it, particularly when you are using solder, since the plug will heat up during the repair.
5. Consider your needs. Screw-type terminals are easier to replace and repair, but repeated stress makes them more likely to come apart. If you're not hard on guitar cables--if you mainly play at home or for friends, don't worry about it. If you play in public, say at church or in coffee houses, you're more likely to put stress on your cables. Soldered terminals tend to last longer in these situations. If you find yourself frequently repairing screw-type plugs, consider switching to soldered plugs.
Repair a Screw-Type Terminal
6. Examine the wire. Sometimes a loose or detached wire can be easily reattached to its prong at the top of the plug.
7. If the wire ends are distressed, trim the bad ends off with wire cutters and use wire strippers to remove about 1/4 inch of insulation from the wire. Note that the two prongs of the plug are of unequal length, so you trim the wire leads to match, or the protective sleeve will be difficult to replace.
8. Reattach the wires, making sure the center strand of cable is attached to the shorter prong and the braided wire surrounding it is attached to the longer prong. Otherwise, you'll have a crossed signal and a useless cable.
Repair a Solder-Type Terminal
9. Follow similar steps as for the screw-type terminal, except use a soldering tool. When repairing a solder-type terminal, you may have to de-solder the old broken connection to remove the remnants of the wire. This allows you to make a better connection.
10. Hold a length of solder against the wire and prong and apply the soldering tool, melting the solder to the wire where it meets the prong. Do not use too much solder, and be sure the wire doesn't come loose while you are working.
11. Let the fresh solder joint cool, then repeat with the second prong.
12. Check your work. Your connections should be solid, and the plug, when laid on the table, should not point sharply to the left or right. If it does, this means you've extended too much of one lead or not enough of the other. This means that one lead will bear more stress than the other, making it more likely that the wire will break again soon. If the protective sleeve slides right into place to be screwed back onto the plug, you're in business. Plug in and play your guitar.
Tags: cutters wire, cutters wire strippers, length solder, more likely, play home, plug wire, protective sleeve
