Strange Bad Contact On Guitar Jack

[Tiago Sarturi]

Hi... i have a barrel closed JACK like the ones on some ibanez guitars, like these one:

When i get bad contact on it, i just insert a tubed piece of sandpaper in and out few times just to renew the contact and it's okay. (i almost never have to do this)

But now the bad contact it's on the sleeve part of the plug with the internal part of the JACK. Very strange, to solve that i'm just drop a loose piece of aluminum paper just to make the JACK and PLUG a tight connection. Any idea how to solve this anormal bad contact????

[bluesy]

I would never use sandpaper on contacts. You will remove the plating then big problems will start. All you should ever need is contact cleaner. Make sure you get the non-residue type.

[guitar2005]

Hi... i have a barrel closed JACK like the ones on some ibanez guitars, like these one:

When i get bad contact on it, i just insert a tubed piece of sandpaper in and out few times just to renew the contact and it's okay. (i almost never have to do this)

But now the bad contact it's on the sleeve part of the plug with the internal part of the JACK. Very strange, to solve that i'm just drop a loose piece of aluminum paper just to make the JACK and PLUG a tight connection. Any idea how to solve this anormal bad contact????

That is typical of cheaper barrel jacks. They almost always cut out and give a bad connection.

Using sandpaper on the jack will only make things worse. I would replace the jack with a high quality one.

[psw]

Using sandpaper on the jack will only make things worse. I would replace the jack with a high quality one.

Yes!

I don't know if these come apart so you can get to the guts of them, but is so. you could lightly "tin" them with solder, this can help to kind of re-plate the contacts...but it will wear out again. Sometimes, you can get an extended life out of them if you can bend the hot "tip" spring thing in a bit. The hot tip contact is like a spring that holds your plug in, over time the pushing and pulling out of the plug will bend the spring out. If you can push it back in with a thin screwdriver (or if it comes apart even better) then you will get a surer contact and the spring will push the jack over to the side making a better contact with the ground portion too. Best option is to get a new one...if you can!

pete

[Tiago Sarturi]

Using sandpaper on the jack will only make things worse. I would replace the jack with a high quality one.

Yes!

I don't know if these come apart so you can get to the guts of them, but is so. you could lightly "tin" them with solder, this can help to kind of re-plate the contacts...but it will wear out again. Sometimes, you can get an extended life out of them if you can bend the hot "tip" spring thing in a bit. The hot tip contact is like a spring that holds your plug in, over time the pushing and pulling out of the plug will bend the spring out. If you can push it back in with a thin screwdriver (or if it comes apart even better) then you will get a surer contact and the spring will push the jack over to the side making a better contact with the ground portion too. Best option is to get a new one...if you can!

pete

Mine is switchcraft, i don't think it's not good.

So the bad contact of the ground part is because the hot part lost it's streng and the plug are a little loose on the middle?

i'l try to push it back with a hard wire with a bend tip...

[psw]

Yes...most likely...but the sand paper thing...very bad regardless of the quality...once you loose the plating it can start to corrode and before you know it you have sanded away too much...

hope that fixes it though...

pete