lemmywinks Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 Been through a few stereo barrel jacks on my Cort C5 backup bass, branded (switchcraft) and generic (eBay UK/Chinese source) they just seem to be the proverbial chocolate teapot and fail for no real reason. Installed the last one just before packing my gigging stuff away at the start of lockdown and it was fine, seems to have self destructed just by sitting in the case. All soldering is fine and all my cables have Neutrik jacks. Am I just being unlucky with bad batches or has the overall build quality slipped over the years? Never had a problem with them before, is there any brand I've missed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigguy2017 Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 Similar experiences here; barrel jacks just don't last. Genuine Switchcraft seem the best of the bunch. Pure Tone do one BUT I don't think it's multi-contact like their fancy open jacks... One thing I have noticed is that the jack's rotational position relative to the pull on the cable makes a difference - a pull in one direction causes signal loss but the other three cardinal directions do not. If you're getting signal drops from cable wiggles try rotating the socket 180 degrees. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 29 minutes ago, Bigguy2017 said: One thing I have noticed is that the jack's rotational position relative to the pull on the cable makes a difference - a pull in one direction causes signal loss but the other three cardinal directions do not. If you're getting signal drops from cable wiggles try rotating the socket 180 degrees. Good call. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted November 13, 2021 Author Share Posted November 13, 2021 (edited) 3 hours ago, Bigguy2017 said: Similar experiences here; barrel jacks just don't last. Genuine Switchcraft seem the best of the bunch. Pure Tone do one BUT I don't think it's multi-contact like their fancy open jacks... One thing I have noticed is that the jack's rotational position relative to the pull on the cable makes a difference - a pull in one direction causes signal loss but the other three cardinal directions do not. If you're getting signal drops from cable wiggles try rotating the socket 180 degrees. The one on there at the moment only makes contact if quite a bit of pressure is applied on one direction, to get a signal I had to rest it on my knee and push down while playing. Literally broke while sat in the gigbag with nothing plugged into an it! Edited November 13, 2021 by lemmywinks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted November 13, 2021 Author Share Posted November 13, 2021 (edited) Would be good if someone made one that could be manually tightened, like if it had a screw operated internal collar or something. Edited November 14, 2021 by lemmywinks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBunny Posted November 14, 2021 Share Posted November 14, 2021 I've used Neutrik barrel jacks and they seem to last a reasonable time. Agreed, they don't last as long as a normal jack but the last one I replaced was over 5 years ago. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted November 14, 2021 Share Posted November 14, 2021 Can someone please explain the difference between a barrel jack and a normal jack? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mybass Posted November 14, 2021 Share Posted November 14, 2021 Barrell Jacks are literally a barrell length that encloses all of the Jack plug. Type in barrell jack to Google and pics will come up. Commonly used for instruments with active electronics to ‘un switch’ the battery when not in use…..or in instruments where the instrument cable jack plug is inserted on the edge of the instrument. Fender type instruments usually use the ‘normal’ jack. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted November 14, 2021 Author Share Posted November 14, 2021 36 minutes ago, Happy Jack said: Can someone please explain the difference between a barrel jack and a normal jack? For edge mounted outputs, look like this: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted November 14, 2021 Share Posted November 14, 2021 So for those of us of the non-luthier persuasion, it looks like any other jack once it's installed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted November 14, 2021 Author Share Posted November 14, 2021 1 hour ago, Happy Jack said: So for those of us of the non-luthier persuasion, it looks like any other jack once it's installed? Yeah the visible bit is the knurled part, the rest is internal. Everything is enclosed though so whereas on a regular front mounted jack you can bend the pins to fix them you're kinda screwed with these. Never been much of an issue on the past (gigged Warwicks, Corts and a Zoot for years with them in) but only seem to be getting a few months out of these. Just found one in my parts box and soldered it in, will order a switchcraft one in preparation for the inevitable crackles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.G.E.N.T.E. Posted November 15, 2021 Share Posted November 15, 2021 I have never had a problem with mine. I Only use Switchcraf and IME they last. I would double check the soldering conections making sure they all have a mechanical contact between wires and poles, not only solder joints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Cribbin Posted November 15, 2021 Share Posted November 15, 2021 Well, here's my Ibanez, originally it would have come with a nonsense barrel jack. The previous owner must have give up with the original ones and converted it to the jack's we know work for decades. The original hole was opened up so the new jack could drop in. Simple lasting solution. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted November 15, 2021 Author Share Posted November 15, 2021 2 hours ago, A.G.E.N.T.E. said: I have never had a problem with mine. I Only use Switchcraf and IME they last. I would double check the soldering conections making sure they all have a mechanical contact between wires and poles, not only solder joints. Me neither up until the last 3 years, had a switchcraft one fail. Just wondering if I'd been unlucky Was definitely the jack as I put a different one in and it's fine (for now). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.G.E.N.T.E. Posted November 15, 2021 Share Posted November 15, 2021 On 14/11/2021 at 11:08, mybass said: Barrell Jacks are literally a barrell length that encloses all of the Jack plug. Type in barrell jack to Google and pics will come up. Commonly used for instruments with active electronics to ‘un switch’ the battery when not in use…..or in instruments where the instrument cable jack plug is inserted on the edge of the instrument. Fender type instruments usually use the ‘normal’ jack. They are usually seen in active instruments but in order to 'un switch' they must be stereo output Jacks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acidbass Posted November 15, 2021 Share Posted November 15, 2021 I replaced the output jack on my P Bass with a Switchcraft Stereo 1/4" jack - got the tip from Ben Shepherd (Soundgarden). Basically, the jack clicks twice and is extra sturdy, even tho you'll obviously be running in mono. Working a treat so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted November 15, 2021 Share Posted November 15, 2021 46 minutes ago, acidbass said: I replaced the output jack on my P Bass with a Switchcraft Stereo 1/4" jack - got the tip from Ben Shepherd (Soundgarden). Basically, the jack clicks twice and is extra sturdy, even tho you'll obviously be running in mono. Working a treat so far! Unfortunately it only clicks twice if you use a TRS jack plug. Otherwise it's no more secure than a normal socket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basstone Posted November 17, 2021 Share Posted November 17, 2021 I've replaced loads of these barrel jacks, particularly on Warwick basses, which are otherwise very well made instruments. It's a neat and clean design feature but they do seem to fail fairly regularly (2 to 5 years) regardless of which make is used. It's also impossible to open one up to see what's going on, but peering inside with a good light it looks like the contacts are very small, narrow strips so I suspect over time they loose some of the required springiness needed to maintain a good connection. An intermittent connection is a real pain, especially on an active bass that's inclined to pop loudly as the power is applied when the jack is inserted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goingdownslow Posted November 17, 2021 Share Posted November 17, 2021 My '90 and '91 Thumb basses are still on their original sockets. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted November 17, 2021 Author Share Posted November 17, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, goingdownslow said: My '90 and '91 Thumb basses are still on their original sockets. That was my experience with Warwicks, never had a socket fail on me and I was doing at least 4 full shows a month with Warwicks as my main basses for years. Had a push/pull volume pot fail and the usual plastic Just-a-Nut disintegration but no jack sockets. Maybe just luck of the draw. Edited November 17, 2021 by lemmywinks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorris Posted November 17, 2021 Share Posted November 17, 2021 On 14/11/2021 at 11:08, mybass said: Commonly used for instruments with active electronics to ‘un switch’ the battery when not in use….. Yes, but the battery switching function is not intrinsically associated with the barrel form. Any TRS socket has the same switching functionality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.G.E.N.T.E. Posted November 18, 2021 Share Posted November 18, 2021 17 hours ago, goingdownslow said: My '90 and '91 Thumb basses are still on their original sockets. Same here with my 93 and 96 W' s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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