Noisy Input Jack

[goldtoples]

Hi There, I've got an old stratocaster and the input jack has become problematic. If the guitar cable moves slightly it sort of seems to lose ground and you get some serious humming and noise etc and have to wiggle it. I've checked the connection, made sure it's tight and theres good contact with the lead.

I've read somewhere that sometimes as jacks get older the plates can suffer from oxidation or something and need to be cleaned with a wire brush and or wd 40 (contact cleaner). I was just wondering if any of you have experienced similar problems to this and if I need to replace it or can it be saved.

Thanks for any advice,

Kris.

[lovekraft]

Pull the pickguard off and look at the jack under a magnifier - if it looks really dull, pitted or corroded, you're probably better off replacing it. Before you throw it out, make sure it's not a mechanical problem - lots of times I've seen the tip contact get bent outward so it won't make solid contact with the plug. To fix that, simply get your trusty needlenosed pliers out and bend it back into place.

[crafty]

Pull the jackplate out with the cord still plugged in. If it looks like the contacts are making full contact with the plug and there's no oxidation, I bet it's your cable. Take apart the plug and see if the braid and conductor are making contact at all. It sounds to me like that might be the problem instead of the jack on the guitar.

[x189player]

If you do replace the jack, put the old jack in a ziploc baggie and stick it in the guitar case.

Not to jump to any conclusions, but when you say 'old strat'... well, it wasn't that long ago that what we considered old junk is now valuable vintage stuff. Keeping the old hardware with a guitar when upgrading is always a good idea.