Barrel Jack Quality

[Bmth Builder]

I recently read on here some concerns over barrel jacks failing, has anyone else had these problems, what brand were you using?

Is it the brand that is the problem or the barrel jack design that is the problem?

What makes me think high quality ones might be ok is that Ibanez use barrel jacks on probably 80% of their guitars and I would have thought Vai and Satriani would change to something else if the Ibby ones suck (or they don't know the techs change them like strings?)

Anyone have any experience with the the switchcraft ones like Allparts sell? They seem to be the highest quality I can find,

http://www.allparts.com/Switchcraft-Stereo-Long-Threaded-Jack-p/ep-0152-000.htm

Cheers

[westhemann]

I use these(I can't get your link to work)

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Components:_Jacks/Flush-mount_Output_Jack.html

I have used about a dozen of them and all of them work fine.As good or better than any other jack,so I don't know why people dis them..I suspect lack of soldering skills and blaming others instead of themselves

[westhemann]

By the way,I also have a 1993 Japanese Ibanez Sabre,and it has the original barrel jack...no issues

[demonx]

I use these(I can't get your link to work)

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Components:_Jacks/Flush-mount_Output_Jack.html

I have used about a dozen of them and all of them work fine.As good or better than any other jack,so I don't know why people dis them..I suspect lack of soldering skills and blaming others instead of themselves

I bought a batch of ten of these last year from stewmac - two of them so far have been dodgy and I've got four left. They would cut in and out, yet test solid on the multimeter. Not sure why

I wont be buying them again. It may have just been a case of bad luck - but... once burned...

[westhemann]

Strange.Maybe like everything else the suppliers are now exporting from China.I bought mine in a batch about 5 years ago

I have had terrible luck with standard output jacks and tone pots

[bob123]

Id love to know what company ibanez outsources their parts back in the late 80's, early 90's. Everything was so top notch and worked as they should.

[demonx]

I have had terrible luck with standard output jacks and tone pots

Thats why in most build I use switchcraft now - I'm sick of cheap **** just not working.

I've had faulty switches, faulty jacks, faulty pots. I'm not exactly a whiz when it comes to electronics so it usually takes me a while to work out which component is failing me.

Since I've been spending the extra bucks on switchcraft I've had no problems.

[WezV]

i have had a few go bad, including at least one of the stew-mac ones, but the cheaper ones are noticeably worse - i have even had some with rattles

what really got me was how the local guitar shop reacted to me using them. they really didn't rate them and even suggested i include a spare if i was going to stick with that type of jack. my guess is that there experience would be more with imported mid-range guitars

[Bmth Builder]

Just had an email back from Switchcraft,

their barrel jacks are rated to a minimum of 5000 mating cycles (plugging it in) that should be well over 10 years use.

Their standard open frame jacks are rated to 10,000 (probably more both due to it being an easier design to construct well, and because it's more popular)

I've seen that the Chinese arm of Neutrik make barrel jacks with 1000 cycles, I dread to think how many cycles you would get out of no name chinese jacks.

So I guess high quality barrel jacks are fine.

[RestorationAD]

I use the Switchcraft stereo barrels from ALLPARTS.

They hold up well for the most part. Working musicians could find a way to break a brick... the ones I have had go bad were under heavy heavy use. For the rest of the world they tend to last forever.

[westhemann]

Their standard open frame jacks are rated to 10,000 (probably more both due to it being an easier design to construct well, and because it's more popular)

If I had to guess I would say it's because you can bend the tip back to make a tight connection,and you can't so much with a barrel jack.