Ask the Guru is a weekly feature that deals with questions about live performance, recording, and audio equipment. Also, wash your hands when you have finished your soldering project. Use rosin-core solder of a tin and lead mixture. Keep the tip or your soldering iron clean by periodically wiping it on a sponge that is wetted with distilled water.
Tap water can add unwanted mineral deposits.
Tin the tip, then wipe clean on the wet sponge. Tin all wire tips before soldering. When soldering your connections, heat the connection, not the solder, then apply solder to the connection. Strip only enough insulation to expose just enough wire to solder the wire to the connection. Heat the connection to melt the current solder and remove wire from connection.