Guitar Gear Forum

I was installing some Celestions in a Mojotone cabinet and the wiring that was sent with the cabinet had your everyday .250" quick disconnects. The connectors just didn't fit snuggly or securely on the speaker's tabs. So, I went down to the shop and picked up some other quick disconnects and the .187" fit like a glove.

When working on stuff like this remember that the quick disconnects come in a few different widths and also, they are designed for a couple of different male tabs thicknesses .02" and .032".

Hopefully this will help someone out.

I always end up cutting these off and soldering. Same with the stupid emg quick connect nonsense. Solder mo betta.

Soldering can have its advantages and disadvantages.

Its advantages are:
better connection

Its disadvantages are:
Hard to change speakers. Especially if you wrap the wire like you should when you solder.
Skill is required to not damage anything and make good connections.
Wire can become inflexible and easily break if you let too much solder wick up the wire.
Solder equipment can be expensive.
Fumes are dangerous.
Lead is dangerous.
Heat management is critical.

Yeah obviously you have to know how to solder properly if you go that way. But I tend to prefer soldering myself.

Although my Marshall cab has the stock connectors and I never had an issue. If the connectors are the correct size and a tight fit, they work well.

I didn't solder because I am not sure if speakers will stay in this cab or not. I know two are going to change in the near future.

Guitarists tend to chase gear so quick connects are a good way to go. But if you are going to drag your equipment all over hells half acre I would solder.

wlshephard wrote:I didn't solder because I am not sure if speakers will stay in this cab or not. I know two are going to change in the near future.

Guitarists tend to chase gear so quick connects are a good way to go. But if you are going to drag your equipment all over hells half acre I would solder.

I think solder can be more of a psychological thing, really. Because the connectors do work really well when properly fit. Like I mentioned, my Marshall cab has them and that's by far my most gigged cab. I've played shows in 10+ different states and traveled cross country with it in a trailer. The connectors were never sn issue. But you're correct that they have to be the right size. No wiggle room whatsoever. I always do an extra squeeze with a set of pliers just to make sure they're really tight.

Good to know.

You would think Marshal would use the locking type just for good measure.

I solder all my speaker wiring, and I never wrap the wire. If you know how to solder correctly, then wrapping is completely unnecessary and causes a massive pain in the dick when unsoldering. I've been soldering since my Dad (an electronic engineer) taught me at 10 years old. I have never had a solder joint fail in 42 years.

As for the spade connectors, they work fine, but quite often I've found loose ones that need to be squeezed with a pair of pliers to tighten them. So I just prefer a more positive connection with more surface area, and less resistance.