guitar strings = electrical component?

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R. Alcatraz
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guitar strings = electrical component?

Post by R. Alcatraz » Thu Dec 09, 2004 9:29 am

Is there a significant difference between a low gauge (non wound) guitar string and the bare wire that came with my paia preamp kit? I ran out of the bare wire that they gave me, and I only need a couple of inches more. It seems a little more rigid, but it's all metal right? (guess who wasn't paying attention in chemistry class).
anyone know of any other household substitute possibilites?
I know this sounds pretty lazy -- I just don't want to have to go to Radio Shack for the fourth time in two days.
thoughts?

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ubertar
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Re: guitar strings = electrical component?

Post by ubertar » Thu Dec 09, 2004 9:42 am

Guitar strings are high-carbon steel. Some are a stainless steel alloy, and there are alloys with greater or lesser amounts of nickel added. At any rate, they should all be decent conductors, but not as good as copper or aluminum.
I would use the guitar string in a McGyver moment at a gig or session when there's no better choice available, but not when there's time and only the frustration of having to go back to RS holding me back. At least you'll have more wire for future projects.

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Milkmansound
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Re: guitar strings = electrical component?

Post by Milkmansound » Thu Dec 09, 2004 10:28 am

guitar strings are decidedly more expensive than the hookup wire that you can get at radio shack - and the hookup wire will do a better job, is insulated, and you get 3 color coded rolls which last forever.

Please don't use a guitar string in there, for me.
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blunderfonics
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Re: guitar strings = electrical component?

Post by blunderfonics » Thu Dec 09, 2004 11:11 am

If a small jumper for the circuitboard is all you need, use the excess leads you clipped off of the resistors after you installed them in the PCB or sacrifice a spare resistor.

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nlmd311
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Re: guitar strings = electrical component?

Post by nlmd311 » Thu Dec 09, 2004 1:39 pm

blunderfonics wrote:If a small jumper for the circuitboard is all you need, use the excess leads you clipped off of the resistors after you installed them in the PCB or sacrifice a spare resistor.
Or just take apart something else in your house, or studio, or wherever you might be working on this (plus you get to take something else apart!!!), and use some wire from there. Then, when you have then time to go to Radio Shack or another fine supplier of electrical goods and buy some other wire, you can replace this connection or both of the connections with better wire.
?
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R. Alcatraz
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Joined: Thu Nov 18, 2004 12:16 am
Location: Los Angeles

Re: guitar strings = electrical component?

Post by R. Alcatraz » Thu Dec 09, 2004 8:51 pm

Yeah, thanks guys.
I wasn't gonna put a fresh guitar string or anything, just an old broken .11. I tried using cut off resistor leads soldered end to end, but I need to put an insulating sleeve on and what with my rat's nest soldering joints, it wasn't working.
So I went to RadioShack (again), where the saleswoman claimed to not have any contact cleaner, or multimeters(?!), or plain 'ol bare wire. She was right about the wire.
I ended up geting the only non braided "hook-up wire" they had. Sounds like this should work. Awesome.
Back to soldering while singing made-up lyrics to McCarteny songs...

Flava Flav
Let's get krunked and buy a microwave
we'll test it out with a standing wave
at 60 Hz
the beer was saved...


-to the tune of "Yesterday"


Thanks again guys.

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