A Tale of Two Jacks

[Mandobart]

Originally Posted by David Eastwood

Correct - as it turns out, using any other cable I own works just fine. It’s just this one older Planet Waves cable that shows the issue, and it’s only with this guitar - a perfect storm, indeed.

I actually had a Pure Tone jack in my Amazon cart ready to go, before I figured it was actually a plug problem

If the cable itself is otherwise ok, you can replace the plugs with better ones. I've done this a lot with my late duo partner's gear. He was a ham fisted, hard living musician who died at 49 (but looked decades older). I often repaired his 1/4" and XLR cables and jacks, power cords, etc.

But I was trained as an electronics technician in the USN so I have the tools, skills, etc. I prefer reusing what I can and reducing what I throw out.

[Brent Hahn]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

It needs to mate appropriately with the JACK it plugs into. What you are picturing is a PLUG.

That's a Brit thing. They call plugs "jacks."

[Brent Hahn]

Originally Posted by Dave Hicks

I've got a silent-connect cable - it works fine in everything except one guitar and a mandolin where it doesn't connect.

This happens because the long springy metal piece of the jack (female, inside the instrument) that latches to the tip of the plug (male, from outside the instrument) is slightly shorter than the Switchcraft spec, which I believe was derived from a US military spec. So the little pin at the base of the plug doesn't bottom out and open the (silencing) short circuit when the plug is fully seated in the jack. Clear as mud, I realize, but that's what's going on.

[Dave Hicks]

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

This happens because the long springy metal piece of the jack (female, inside the instrument) that latches to the tip of the plug (male, from outside the instrument) is slightly shorter than the Switchcraft spec, which I believe was derived from a US military spec. So the little pin at the base of the plug doesn't bottom out and open the (silencing) short circuit when the plug is fully seated in the jack. Clear as mud, I realize, but that's what's going on.

Right, both the ones I have problems with are after-market pickups with Switchcraft jacks. All the other cables seem to work, and I can always reverse the silent ones and get the end that connects.

D.H.

[David Eastwood]

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

That's a Brit thing. They call plugs "jacks."

Thank you. As an ex-pat Brit, I knew I had to be getting it from somewhere, but I didn’t want to cause any more trouble