I have a MIM Strat. A while ago I noticed that my cable was coming loose and would fall out of my input jack way too easily. It would also make loud static noises when I would move it. I figured it was the cable and I went out and bought a new one. When I tried the new one I had the same problem! The cable was very noisy and it wouldn't stay in for the life of me! I tightened the jack with a socket and it barely solved anything. Still the same problems.

Does anybody know what's wrong here? Any help would be much appreciated.

Replace the jack...it's a cheap and easy fix.

Bent or broken tip part of the jack, replace with switchcraft jack. You can bend it back to where it belongs, but problem will return.

_________________
The design of each element should be thought out in order to be easy to make and easy to repair.
Leo Fender

Well I tried bending the swtichjack a little bit and it broke right off! I'll guess be ordering a new jack! Still, thanks for the help

Tighten the nut on both sides and adjust the prong. Also, check the solder joints, damaged joints could have some effect on connectivity.

_________________
1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

I had a similar problem years ago with my new '99 Classic '50s Strat when I first bought it. It turned out, the jack was too close to the edge of the body rout and the plug tip wouldn't seat all the way when inserted. To correct, I used my Dremel tool with a router bit to carve a small concave "dimple" at the offending area in the body rout. The added clearance completely solved the problem and the "mod" is totally concealed beneath the jack boat.

HTH

Arjay

_________________
"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 all of my guitars:

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

They are Mil-Spec, better built than what Fender uses with much sturdier components. Retroverbial has a good point as I have had that problem also.

_________________
Bill

It must be relatively common among the MIM instruments, Bill. I've had several Ensenada-made Strats from different clients cross my bench with the exact same issue. Once identified though, it's easy enough to remedy. About five minutes with a Dremel tool is all it takes.

Arjay

_________________
"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

Happened to me too. Input jack is going bad. Get a new switch craft one installed. Easy to do. Also, do the loop through the guitar strap. I found a picture on line, looks something like what this guy is doing.

_________________
"Epitaph on a blues musician’s tombstone: “I didn’t wake up this morning”" Davy Knowles


facebook.com/313DBC

Actually, it wasn't my MIM Strat. It was my Ibanez. All I had to do was rotate the jack in the hole as the hole wasn't quite cut round. I didn't have to trim anything.

The Mil-Spec jacks are rated for thousands of plug/unplug operations. They will never go bad in your lifetime.

_________________
Bill

This is a real common problem with many electric guitars. It is usually caused by lack of tension on the little spring steel piece that contacts the end of the cable jack. I simply remove the female jack plate from the guitar (held in place by two screws on the strat) and use my finger to bend the contact slightly to increase pressure on the male end of the cable jack.

_________________
OK, I'll hum a little bit, got it now?

Ummm, did you read the OP's post up above? He did that and broke the contact off.

_________________
Bill