Shorting

[tehfunk]

If something shorts like two exposed wires touch each other, does that necessarily mean that those components won't work anymore, or is that only in some cases? Like for instance, I forgot to put electrical tape over the exposed wires I soldered together in my guitar for my pickups so two of them I think shorted out and so I haven't gone back to do anything yet. If I simply insulate them from shorting again will they be fine? And, what about with electronic components in general?

[gez]

The max current that a pickup can produce is relatively minuscule.  Definitely not enough to exceed the power rating of the copper wire used.  And there's your answer: whether something is damaged depends on how much current flows and whether the component/whatever can take the heat (literally).

Edit for typo (and clarity!)

[aron]

It should be fine. You just insulate those guitar wires inside the guitar from shorting out again.

The problems usually happen when there's current going across a circuit and then you have a short circuit. In a passive guitar, there's no problem most of the time.

[aron]

Yeah, what Gez said. :-)

[GibsonGM]

I'd use heat shrink tubing rather than tape, though...tape dries out and fails over time, and then you're back to zzzzt zzzzt no signal...if you have any doubts about the pickup(s), measure the coil resistance with a DMM.  If it's blown, there will be infinite resistance.  Somewhere in the few K's is generally the norm (~5K for single coil, higher for humbuckers).
But yeah, what Gez said, it would be SO unlikely you could have "blown" a pickup!  Only if you'd somehow put voltage back into the thing, which would mean bigger issues (blue smoke, ha ha).

[tehfunk]

Thanks for the help. But, I am still confused that if it shorts and doesn't actually hurt the components, does something need to be done to make it work again. And, as I asked about general components as well, what stuff on your typical effect pedal circuit board can get damaged with a short.

[gez]

And, as I asked about general components as well, what stuff on your typical effect pedal circuit board can get damaged with a short.

When current flows through a conductor, heat is generated.  As a rule of thumb, insignificant current produces insignificant heat.  As current increases, more heat can be generated; and if current is modest-to-large, then you have to start paying attention to power ratings of components/actives.  Exceed these ratings and you can damage said component/active by overheating and burning it.

Power = Voltage X Current.  Using this formula you can calculate how much current a component can take, given its power rating (available in suppliers' catalogues/data sheets). 

So, as to what gets damaged when things are shorted, it depends on how much current flowed during the short, for how long, and what the ratings of components were.  Sometimes, it doesn't matter one bit - if a large value resistor prevented excessive current from flowing between two accidentally connected points, for example - and other times it matters a lot: accidental shorting of a current limiting resistor for a LED, for example.

Apologies if this isn't the answer you wanted, but there are too many variables involved.

As to getting you PU to work again, 'un-short' it!  If it still doesn't work, then perhaps you damaged the windings with excesive heat when soldering (check resistance of PU with a meter).