Stereo Jack cuts out when plugged in

[nicholaspaul]

I wired a guitar with electromagnetic pickups and a piezo bridge with a separate volume for each type. The electromagnetics are wired to one lug of a stereo barrel style output jack and the piezo to the other. Using a stereo cable, pushing the cable in half way gives me the piezo pickup and all the way, the electromagnets. But when I push the cable in all the way, the piezo cuts out. I tested this by wiring a cable to the outputs with the stereo cable in half way and all the way.
The plan is to use a splitter box to send each type of pickup to different amps.
Is there a different style of jack I should use or is it likely that the wiring is wrong?

[soundguruman]

You mixed up the connections on the jack.
The piezo is connected to the switch contact, not the output contact.

[nicholaspaul]

The piezo is actually an LR Baggs T-Bridge, if that makes a difference. It has it's own volume pot but doesn't get connected to a switch. I wired it as per figure 4, shown here. I had to put in a barrel-style output jack but it's a sealed unit. Any ideas?

[Steve Conner]

Those end-pin style jacks can be unreliable, maybe try another one?

[pdf64]

Maybe it's a mono socket with a switched contact, rather than a stereo type?
That's fooled me before, I've even bought a mono type packaged up as stereo.
Pete

[nicholaspaul]

Interesting, Pete. Do you mean the type that is meant to turn off/on a battery for powering a preamp?

[pdf64]

Yes, although a mono plug into a stereo socket can also serve that function.
Unfortunately the only way to find out for sure is to take it out and mess around with a (stereo) jack plug and a continuity meter.
Pete

[nicholaspaul]

I have a continuity meter - how would I be able to check that it's the wrong type of jack?

[pdf64]

With the plug and socket totally disconnected (cables unsoldered etc), plug it in and use the meter to confirm that tip, ring and sleeve terminals of each connect to those of the other.
Pete

[nicholaspaul]

Thanks Pete, I'll give it a shot.

[Plucky]

Thanks Pete, I'll give it a shot.

Are you using a stereo to split-mono cable and two separate inputs?

[nicholaspaul]

I'm plugging a stereo cable into a splitter box, and checked the splitter box to make sure it works ok.
I checked the cable with a continuity tester. Tip goes to the magnetic pickups, ring to the acoustic pickup and sleeve is ground.

[g1]

I'm a little suspicious of the "splitter box". I don't know of any that would do what you are wanting it to do. Suggest you try plugging an "insert" cable into the guitar, that should give you separate mono 1/4 inch outputs.

[nicholaspaul]

Is an 'insert' cable the same as a splitter cable?
Do my continuity results sound okay?

I couldn't find a splitter box either, so I built one. Here are pictures of the insides.Can you tell me if the connections make sense?
The jack on the end of the box is acoustic out; jack in the middle of the side is electric out, and the other one (the stereo jack) is stereo in.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3108208/mine/splitterbox.jpg

[pdf64]

That all seems to look ok, I can't think where the problem could be.
Pete