Hey Folks,

Over the past few days I had some trouble with my highway one stratocasters input jack, the thing never seemed to lock into place properly and chords would always just fall out. I decided to open it up and bend the contact piece, since it looked like it was bent out of place. As I bent the piece it snapped right off after I barely applied any pressure. I thought this was super strange, and the piece felt very brittle.

So now I am loking for a replacement input jack for my highway one strat. Is there anything I should look for inparticular? Do input jacks even vary in quality? If so what are some worth looking into?

Thanks.

Genuine :

http://www.ecrater.com/p/7234503/099194 ... input-jack

..or is it just the socket?

http://pickersparts.auctivacommerce.com ... 76104.aspx

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

Yeah it is just the socket I need. Thank for the fast reply.

I tried a fender precision bass socket as a replacement and my strats hum and buzz seems ways louder than normal, is this just me?

have a look for a sterio quater inch jack ( the same at whats in the strat just with a extra piece...) i find with standard mono jaks after a while they start to cuase unwanted crackle as you move around with your cabel, i use a sterio jack and bridge the one leg... sorts out the crackle as there is always a piece in contact with the main part of the plug which normaly loses contact with the tube of the jack... and they last a lot longer...

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blues - its a religion...

Switchcraft Jacks are good. But check your cable plug to see if it is tight in other jacks. You can replace the plug with Nutrix plugs if that is the problem (they fit well).

My MIM 50's Classic had a similar issue when I first bought it (new) in '99. The jack's tip contact was butted up against the wall of the rout for the jack boat and periodically the cable would slip completely out of the jack or sometimes make only a sporadic connection. The jack boat couldn't be relocated for obvious reasons so I chose the next best solution by using my Dremel tool to grind out a 2.0 mm concave relief inside the rout for the jack boat at the extreme end where the jack tip contact was located. Problem solved and the mod is totally concealed within the body.

For hum suppression, loosely twisting together the output wires from the controls to the jack will help. I also recommend Fender's full-size aluminum pickguard shield and a mil-spec Switchcraft jack.

HTH

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Thanks alot for the help guys!

Retroverbial, when I opened up my guitar the contact piece snapped off as a result from me lightly bending it back into place. Im thinking the problem was because of the contact piece?

What difference to different components of jacks yield? Does it just hold it in better, or are there certain components that reduce hum, presserve signal better etc?

I'm thinking the steel used in that jack's construction was too brittle to accommodate the periodic flexing that's involved whenever a plug is inserted into it. Your slight force on the tip contact merely pushed it beyond the point of its elasticity. It happens......no biggee.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

http://www.guitar-parts.com/products/92 ... e-Mono.htm

Does the mono jack look like the right one for me?

Yes. Perfect. It's OEM on most US-built guitars.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

I think I am actually going to upgrade to this one

http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/imag ... 55-002.jpg

SWITCHCRAFT USA
1/4" GOLD
MONO JACK

Should be a bit better for the stat hum

The gold-plating has absolutely nothing to do with hum suppression.

(but they are pretty if your guitar has gold bling everywhere else)

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

I use these in my guitars:

http://www.newark.com/jsp/search/produc ... KU=33M7158

They are the Mil-Spec version of the standard Switchcraft phone jack and made of heavier material for hard use. The description is not exactly correct (there are only two contacts, not three). There is a locator tab that needs to be bent out of the way or trimmed off but otherwise they drop right in. Your plug will never come off with these, at least not in your lifetime.

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Bill