Boss Solderless kit

Boss/Roland gear such as Keys, Synth, Racks, Drum Machines, etc
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Gasgano
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Boss Solderless kit

Post by Gasgano » Mon Aug 20, 2018 11:29 am

As this is a topic I have a hard time finding anything about, I will make sure we salvage this post from SBZ. I bought the Boss solderless kit and tried it myself.

The board is super clean (it shows especially in the back, as all the excess patch cable was hidden under), to the point I actually won an extra space on the Pedaltrain nano+.

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To be perfectly honest, it takes a little practice to get it right. I nailed the first one and then failed the next 3. You need to get a feel for when the contact is good and the wire is pushed far enough. This video helped tremendously. I can see myself being as pissed as he is trying to make this work. All credits to the maker of this video because it saved me a lot of frustration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQhcpMB8inY&t=469s

After using his tricks correctly (pulling the slack in the jacket on one side, cutting straight with an exacto knife, slicing the jacket a little, push into the connector and repeat on the other side) and getting the feel for what was a solid contact, I went a perfect 5 in a row (built a few spares just in case). Pretty sure I got the hang of it now and will not fail in the future. I have seen a lot of people mad at the system, saying it's crap and they have a noticeable volume drop. I have not felt that. Even better: I don't think my signal was ever this good. I'm pretty sure a solderless system's quality is very reliant on who builds the cable, much like a soldered kit.

It's no magical system (it need to be used with attention and care), but it works as advertized and The Musicman Sterling 5 likes the setup.

I did buy another kit for the guitar board, will keep you updated on it.
"People who are late are usually in a better mood than the people waiting for them to show up."

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BearBoy
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Re: Boss Solderless kit

Post by BearBoy » Wed Aug 22, 2018 1:12 pm

Does your board stay permanently wired? Just wondered if you did much plugging/unplugging and, if so, how the cables held up to that.

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Gasgano
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Joined: Fri Aug 17, 2018 12:27 am
Location: Montreal, QC
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Re: Boss Solderless kit

Post by Gasgano » Wed Aug 22, 2018 2:22 pm

Both bass and guitar boards are permanently wired, but I changed the configuration a lot before I settled for what it is now. No loss until now.

I did build a few spare patches just in case, but the real test is when "jam season" opens for me (which is in a few weeks for the whole winter) and I start carrying it around. Will keep you guys posted on how reliable it is.
"People who are late are usually in a better mood than the people waiting for them to show up."

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