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Hey guys, my Marhshall mg 100hdfx's input jack has recently gone out and as many of you know times are tough and dishing out the cash for a tech to hassle me and fix it doesn't really com into play at this point, so when I called asking for advice or tips to repair the jack the local music tech basically told me to shove off. its unfortunate we as musicians cant help one another out in the time of need.but I'm hoping the internet can be of a bigger help to me than the tech. anyway I'm curious as to exactly what is involved with the input jack procedure and how and where I should begin. I really do appreciate all input so please anything you have can only help!! thanks
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How much experience do you have with a solder gun? Also, do you have a local source where you can get the replacement jack? Sometimes the plastic jacks can be a bit tricky when picking out a replacement because 3 or 4 jacks from the same company may look almost exactly alike, but the little solder contacts will be different. That's not a difficult jack to replace, however, if you can find the right jack, just don't get the board too hot when you solder it, as you can make the trace lift if you get those boards too hot....
EDIT: I should have said soldering IRON, not gun, although I guess you could use a gun.... iron is much handier, though.Last edited by cowabungamusic; 06-24-2010, 07:47 PM. -
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Sorry for your bad experience with techs. Not all techs are bad or uncaring people and not all musicians are saints either. Maybe the one you talked to was a jerk, or maybe it was your approach. I don't know.Originally posted by cbroussard View Post
You will get some good advice here and you will probably be able to fix your own amp, saving you all that hassle and expense. I'm sure that you didn't mean it to sound like your don't have much respect for techs, but seeing that there a number of techs here giving free advice you would probably do better by just asking your questions and not alienating the guys that can and will help you out here.Comment
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appreciate the input everyone especially bill's,i have found the jack that is needed for the amp,but i cant find any websites that sell them anymore. The website listed in the thread posted above no longer sells those marshall products. I called around town and not one store carried them or knew where to find them sim kind of at a stand still. and no i dont have nay experience with a solder,but i do have a bass player who is skilled in that area.once again thanks for all of your tips and comments i do appreciate your help.Comment
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Most of those jacks are almost generic in nature. At the tubes and more site, look at the Cliff jacks part #'s S-H504 or the S-H504L and see if they look like they will fit. Our shop uses these jacks for most of these repairs.
Also check the Parts Is Parts site for Marshall jacks. Even if they don't show it on the website, they have a large stock of parts. You may need to call them or email them.Comment
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In a pinch you can steal one of the in/out jacks on the back of the chassis if you don't use them much. I've done it.Originally posted by 52 Bill View PostComment
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Hi cbroussard, welcome to the forum. As a professional audio tech with some experience, I just have to say this. When an amp is brought to our shop, we don;t hassle the customer, we have the facility and supplies on hand to do the work needed, and the knowledge, skill, and experience to do the work, and we do it without doing further damage to your amp. For this we charge an amount that covers our expenses and allows us enough profit to stay in business.
Think about what you were asking him. It was basically, "Please tell me how to do what you do for a living so I won't have to pay you." Can you imagine if your band played in a club and the club manager asked you to show him how to hook up a stereo system so he wouldn;t have to hire your band? You might tell him to shove off.so when I called asking for advice or tips to repair the jack the local music tech basically told me to shove off.
Musicians can and do help one another in times of need. But as much as you need to spend less money, that technician has to make a living too. We don't walk into a grocery store and ask for some bread and cheese for free. There are a number of experienced professionals here, as well as knowledgable amateurs, and we spend hours handing out advice and instructions, what amounts to thousands of dollars worth of support, at no charge. We all do this freely in the spirit of mutual support, but please don;t take it as a given.
Now then, perhaps your bad jack just needs to be resoldered to the circuit board? Or is the jack actually broken? In any case, the circuit board with the jack on it has to be dismounted from the amp chassis. Then we either resolder the old jack, and repair any broken copper traces on the circuit board, or we remove the old jack and solder in a replacement. That will require you to have a soldering iron of appropriate size, and of course some electronic solder.Education is what you're left with after you have forgotten what you have learned.Comment
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It's a delicate balance to communicate that without leaving a bad taste in the potential customer's mouth that will last long after the incident is forgotten. This cat may not always have an inexpensive Korean Marshall, but he'll remember how this 'tech' treated him for a long time. I hear that a lot about the established guy around these parts from about 50-75 per cent of the people with sick amps I've revived. He is doing a good job setting me up in business and every time I hear it it is music to my ears. I don't diss the guy because I don't need to. I've only been a semi pro for a year or so, but I spent a lot of time in the retail auto parts world and a number of years in the aircraft engine business down the road from you in K'zoo.
The products are different but the basic relational issues are the same.Comment
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Plus it is all in the impression. If the tech says "Take a hike, kid, I'm busy." Well that is rude, and unforgivable. But if the tech is polite about it and says I can;t really stop what I am doing right now, and gets reported as having blown our guy off, well that is unfair to the tech. For better or worse, and correct or incorrect, and realistic or not, customers always have expectations.
I had a customer call once wanting our road tech to come into the shop on a SUnday to repair something we didn't usually work on anyway, and when I politely told them we couldn;t do that, the response was, "Yeah, I guess the days of good service are gone." I call that unrealistic expectations.Education is what you're left with after you have forgotten what you have learned.Comment
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I hear you about unrealistic expectations. A guy called me one time, wanted a set of front shocks for an Alfa Romeo sedan-which I had-and he shows up two hours later in a Spyder. I say "Is that the car these are going on? Because if it is, they won't fit." Of course the guy forgets the part when I asked him if it was a sedan or convertible and demands that I pay him for his time in front of about half a dozen customers. On the other hand when I was in the aircraft service business our time pretty much was not our own if a customer's aircraft was down somewhere.Comment
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If the jack is not broken it's easy to retrieve it and locate a nut for it. I apply some nail polish onto the threads before tightening the nut. This holds it but can be easily loosened when needed. If it's broken please write back.Comment
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The jack is in fact broken ive now managed to get inside the amp head and located the jack, but not 100% sure of where to find the replacement jack online any pointers?Comment
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I work at a Long and McQuade store in Canada and have replaced many of these jacks. I use part number 3450 which has 2 extra terminals but I break them off and solder the jack directly into the board. It's an easy job. Be careful to not destroy the trace on the board when unsoldering the old jack. If I can help further please let me know.Comment
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