I Hate Switchcraft Jacks

[Songman68]

I hate the 1/4" switchcraft jacks. does anyone else hate them? Have you ever put a new one in and when you went to plug in your guitar you can't push the connector in all the way? This has happened to me many times and no matter how I try fix the jack with bending the piece that make contact on the tip I never have much luck fixing the thing. I am going to go back to the cheaper jacks that they use on imports. The ones that don't have that switchcraft thing that hooks over on the tip.

[the_bleeding]

I love them. I use them on everything, and my jacks always go in all the way.

 

Though... monster cables {censored} them up.

 

And i dont use the {censored}ty plastic ones. I use these

 

 

unless you're talking about the 1/4" switchcraft plugs (as in the things that are on the cable).

 

Jack :

plug:

 

for plugs i use neutrik. Theyre just kinda... standard.

[caveman]

In my experience, problems like that are usually caused by the jack not being oriented correctly in the hole.

[Songman68]

In my experience, problems like that are usually caused by the jack not being oriented correctly in the hole.

 

 

I didn't know there was a proper way to position a switch in the hole. I thought a hole is a hole and as long as it fits it should work?

[the_bleeding]

I didn't know there was a proper way to position a switch in the hole. I thought a hole is a hole and as long as it fits it should work?

 

there isnt a proper way to position it

 

you stick it in and it goes in. Thats why the lip is rather wide- so your plug doesnt go into the jack at an angle. Its designed to prevent that sort of damage.

[caveman]

I didn't know there was a proper way to position a switch in the hole. I thought a hole is a hole and as long as it fits it should work?

When you put the plug in the jack, the long contact has to bend out of the way of the tip. On some guitars it can contact wood before it can move far enough. Loosen the jack and turn it till you have clearance.

[TomCray]

In my experience, problems like that are usually caused by the jack not being oriented correctly in the hole.

 

 

My Tele had the same problem, it turned out that the hot and ground wires were in the way, so I had to pull them through the control cavity, problem solved!

[roycew93]

there isnt a proper way to position it you stick it in and it goes in. Thats why the lip is rather wide- so your plug doesnt go into the jack at an angle. Its designed to prevent that sort of damage.

:poke: You

[Furtive]

When you put the plug in the jack, the long contact has to bend out of the way of the tip. On some guitars it can contact wood before it can move far enough. Loosen the jack and turn it till you have clearance.

Man, you've only been guitarring for 40+ years. What the hell do you know?




I know exactly what you're talking about. Learned that the first time I replaced the jack on a Strat.

[caveman]

Man, you've only been guitarring for 40+ years. What the hell do you know? I know exactly what you're talking about. Learned that the first time I replaced the jack on a Strat.

LOL, I think it's 55+ and I learned the lesson on a Strat as well.

[headless]

In my experience, problems like that are usually caused by the jack not being oriented correctly in the hole.

 

 

I assume that the OP was talking about a problem on a Strat. This is common with not having the jack mounted (oriented) correctly inside of the body-route.

 

In my experience, Switchcraft is good stuff.

[Belva]

As far as jacks go I've found the Rat Shack jacks are as good as any. I know a lot of their stuff is crap, but it's the same crap packaged differently by allparts, cts, small bear and a bunch of others. Get over it! We live in a world manufactured mostly by Asian countries.

[superdistortion]

In my experience, Switchcraft is good stuff.

 

I agree. They're the only ones I buy.

[the_bleeding]

:poke: You

[EJD]

When you put the plug in the jack, the long contact has to bend out of the way of the tip. On some guitars it can contact wood before it can move far enough. Loosen the jack and turn it till you have clearance.

Yep. I learned that with the very first Strat jack I replaced. Good advice.

[Surfdude]

I just installed a Switchcraft "military grade" output jack on a guitar. $6.99 each. Not exactly sure what military grade means but this was a solid little unit and the metal didn't bend as easily as a normal one.

Everyone has their opinion but these are the only ones that I will be using from now on.

Surfy

[RaVenCAD]

I didn't know there was a proper way to position a switch in the hole. I thought a hole is a hole and as long as it fits it should work?

I've been trying that line for YEARS!

[Funderbunk]

well obviously you have to angle it in relation to the guitar, but its still going straight in, in relation to the jack. And yeah, if the plug sleeve is too big (monster, planet waves), the sleeve hits the sides of the jack surroundings and doesnt let it in. Damn angled jacks makin live complicated.

I think you're missing what they're talking about. They don't mean the plug is going into the jack at an incorrect angle, they're talking about the jack being installed on the guitar at an incorrect orientation.

When you put a plug into a jack, this part:

has to flex outwards some, to clear the tip of the plug. If the jack isn't in the right orientation, that part can hit something (wiring, body wood, etc.) that prevents it from flexing outwards so you can't get the plug in.