Anyone Use A Vintage Jack?

[kydave]

Originally Posted by themissal

Sadly Dave, I am a non handy white collar dork. The K&k came plug and play... It connect to the vintage jack via 1/8 inside the guitar sound hole. I can't wire myself let alone wire a pickup...

Ask Maury for recommendations. He's great people!

And another recommendation for those who choose to use the VJ: Have a dedicated strap for that guitar with the right angle adapter and fasten the adapter to the strap.

This is obviously on a mandolin strap, but the idea is the same.

[35fingerpicker]

I've got one in my 1976 HD-28. If I used it more for playing out, I'd put a regular jack in it.

[AusSi]

Thanks a lot guys, appreciate all the responses.

Is looks like it will be ok for me I just twiddle away in my living room cos I like the amplified sound. I will work up the courage to cut a bigger hole when I need to use it more.

Seems like a lot of people mention Maury, he certainly sounds like the man, I will definitely get in touch.

Thanks again.

[rogthefrog]

Originally Posted by Howard Emerson

All the comments regarding the questionable reliability of 1/8" jacks are spot on, but there is no better teacher than experience, so maybe you'll be the exception to the reality....

Bob Taylor & George Lowden really got it right a long time ago when they nipped this in bud by making the guitars with 1/2" holes to begin with.

HE

Surely you jest. Don't you know Bob Taylor is the devil?

[roylor4]

Perhaps something like this would be a good solution for you - especially if you only play plugged in occasionally. Just discovered them myself.

Myers pickup

Seem like a simple, non-invasive and good sounding option.

Roy

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by AusSi

Just got a Bourgeois guitar and am looking into the best pick up solution and came across these on the K & K Site:
http://kksound.com/products/vintagejack.php

Anyone have experience with these? Advantages/Disadvantages?

I really like the idea of not having to cut the end hole.

Hi AusSi...

Way back in the day (late 1970s) when Barcus Berry came out with pickups (the outside mounted Dentyne stick of gum type), they and all their competitors were using ⅛" (mini) jacks. I jumped in and soon discovered they were fragile, frizzy, easily damaged, and a handicap not a blessing. In fact if you step on one (or someone else does) and breaks the tip off in the jack, you can dig it out easily later, but you are dead in the water for the rest of that gig.

Poor electrical connections, Light/weak cable tips which snap off easily is someone steps on your cable while you are on stage (or you step on it yourself), expensive cables...etc I took to wiring my own, but metal ends were hard to find at that time, and the cables were still prone to crapping out in the middle of a gig...so you had to baby them and have backups around (which you had to build and repair frequently).

I was never so happy as I was the day Fishman used a ¼" connector on their pickups and invented a way to incorporate it into the endpin/strap.

I suppose if I had a 1940s D-28 which was worth half a million bucks, I'd perhaps put in something more reversible. But only collectors of rare instruments devalue guitars these days because of an endpin jack. Naw…I just thought about it.

If I had one of those I'd sell it and buy a custom built guitar I could alter any way I want, go on a cruise with the extra bucks.

You would have to pay me, and pay me well, to go back to ⅛" end jacks.

[AusSi]

Thanks LJ, they do sound pretty terrible and getting stuck at a gig with a broken off jack in the thing would suck bad.

I went and had a look at some nice pickups today i think your right i am going to go the extra width and just have done with it.

[kmgreensman]

I tried it too and won't install it again. It doesnt stay plugged in if you move. It is an option if you just can't drill into a particular guitar, but expect some draw backs. Its just my two cents..

Curt

[JLS]

Quite simply: they suck