The Dreaded Switching Jack Problem

[Jazz P Bass]

Here is a copy of an awesome article about switching jacks.
Courtesy and copyright of Mojo Music Supply.

The%20Dreaded%20Switching%20Jack%20Problem.pdf

[Jazz P Bass]

How do you make this a 'Sticky'?
The issue sure comes up enough.

[g1]

Could the powers that be sticky it into the maintenance/troubleshooting section as well?

[Jazz P Bass]

Magic!

[priesty]

Yep, sorted this problem on a couple of Marshall combos dating from the 1990's by plugging a patch cable across the effects loop (fine if you are not using the loop).

[Andy]

5150's are known for this issue with their effects loop too. I've seen two myself.

[Enzo]

Every amp of any brand that has FX loops can have this. And the same problem can be in insert jacks on mixers or amplifiers. ANy jack that has the ability to interrupt the signal path has the potential to do this. Some amps like many Crate amps also have a footswitch jack that can have the same problem, only then it results in random channel switching or something lkek reverb going off and on. Whatever the footswitch functions are.

[Smitty02]

Nice..never ran across that one before but many other post about the dreaded issue....The secret is out ha ha...

[KCblues]

A friend advised me to use a burnishing tool to clean the oxidation from the contacts and then apply the Caig. I've found that technique to work great.

[imaradiostar]

Much like cleaning the contacts in Tektronix scopes, one could wet some paper with deoxit and run it between the contacts in the jack...but maybe that's what the article suggests? I'm sorry, I didn't take the time to read it.

I have seen this problem on quite a few amps.

jamie

[Smitty02]

LOL just to be clear I was speaking of the link you posted, that I have never ran across it. Yes Ive done many many dirty effects loops Vavletronix comes to mind for me as they are a newer-ish amp with these issues also resetting the thing works wonders, I also see amps that have so much crud on them you can tell they have never been cleaned or service'd, ever. Original tubes from the 90's ahh sovtek days. I usually do what I call a tune up, where I go through and clean everything test tubes and voltages caps..... I even scrub the cab or head up too One guy brought me a HRD in such bad shape with all the typical HRD issues, it wasnt working and looked like it was stored in a chicken coop for 3 years. when I finished it, he come to get it and didnt even know it was HIS amp, seriously... Needless to say he was very happy and gave me a tip to boot yee haw. Good link, but I hope everyone dont see it LOL.. Actually some guys are mechanical,,, but most wouldnt touch their own amps as well they should"nt if they are not comfortable doing so...

[guitician]

Or just ask Switchcraft to make the jack better? With none of that "Initial Quality" that means it will work at least until the warranty ends. Silver plating, or a tiny silver rivet at the contact point, would totally eliminate the problem.

[Enzo]

Actually silver tarnishes. The fact we see this problem doesn't mean there are not also millions of jacks that never do get the problem. I have had many amps come through needing the jacks to be cleaned - new amps. My working theory is that they got contaminated in the manufacturing process. Circuit boards get wahsed after the wave solder step, crap can accumulate betweeen contacts. Once I clean them, they never seem to come back for it again.


This happens to all brands of connector, Switchcraft, CLiff, you name it.

[guitician]

Yeah it tarnishes, but it's a conductive tarnish and the switch still works fine. I have a couple of old British made jacks were one has silver rivets as contacts, and the other has gold plating. And I remember sending off and email to Cliff asking them if they had gold plated 1/4" phone jacks and they said "yes, in qty of 1000 only". Why? Wouldn't you think that with all those gold plugs on cables you see being sold, that we could purchase gold jacks?

[Enzo]

If people were lining up to purchase them, they would not have them as special order items. The truth is there is little demand for gold flashed contacts. I can't say I ever saw a gold plated plug on a guitar cord. They may be out there, but I never saw one.