From busted circuits to custom builds: Embracing the solder-first mindset

Back in the late ’90s and early 2000s, I played guitar in a couple of screamo bands (apparently, that genre’s called Skramz now). We played high-energy shows all over New England—sometimes a few times a week—and with all the chaos on stage, breaking cables and jacks was just part of the deal. I picked up a soldering iron out of necessity, patching up the endless stream of broken guitar jacks and instrument cables. For nearly a decade, that’s where my soldering skills stalled.