I Just Learned Why Switchcraft Jacks are Mandatory

[DavePlaysBass]

The output jack seemed a little loose on my Sadowsky. So I decided I would replace it prior to a couple of gigs this week. I call around and find one place in this small town that has stereo output jacks. I buy two and go to replace it last night. I busted both new jacks one after another upon insertion with all the hardware tightened up. I finished by reinstalling the original Switchcraft jack and calling it good enough for now. I guess I am now a Switchcraft believer. You could see the difference looking at them but I am surprised that I was able to break them so easy.

I am not sure what the heck I did. It makes me wonder how much torque one should apply to the nut holding the jack in place. It is going into one of those rounded corner things used for side connections so the jack does not really fit 100% flush against the mounting surface.

[Jefenator]

At least they had the decency to crap in the bed immediately upon installation & not in the middle of a set.

[FunkMetalBass]

Originally Posted by DavePlaysBass

The output jack seemed a little loose on my Sadowsky. So I decided I would replace it prior to a couple of gigs this week. I call around and find one place in this small town that has stereo output jacks. I buy two and go to replace it last night. I busted both new jacks one after another upon insertion with all the hardware tightened up. I finished by reinstalling the original Switchcraft jack and calling it good enough for now. I guess I am now a Switchcraft believer. You could see the difference looking at them but I am surprised that I was able to break them so easy.

I am not sure what the heck I did. It makes me wonder how much torque one should apply to the nut holding the jack in place. It is going into one of those rounded corner things used for side connections so the jack does not really fit 100% flush against the mounting surface.

1. Stop with the anabolic steroid injections, Mr. Universe.
2. You don't need too much force - overtightening always leads to problems. Jacks are usually installed with a star washer of some sort on the back side that will lock them into place fairly well. It's possible they were cheap POS jacks, but I suspect a proper washer setup and a turn or two fewer would eliminate any future installation issues.

[fdeck]

Originally Posted by DavePlaysBass

The output jack seemed a little loose on my Sadowsky. So I decided I would replace it prior to a couple of gigs this week. I call around and find one place in this small town that has stereo output jacks. I buy two and go to replace it last night. I busted both new jacks one after another upon insertion with all the hardware tightened up. I finished by reinstalling the original Switchcraft jack and calling it good enough for now. I guess I am now a Switchcraft believer. You could see the difference looking at them but I am surprised that I was able to break them so easy.

I am not sure what the heck I did. It makes me wonder how much torque one should apply to the nut holding the jack in place. It is going into one of those rounded corner things used for side connections so the jack does not really fit 100% flush against the mounting surface.

If you look at the bushing on the Switchcraft jack, it has a shoulder that is cut from the same piece of metal as the threaded part. On the cheap jack, the bushing is probably just pressed into a piece of sheet metal, or it has a shoulder that is narrower than the mounting hole. So the cheap jack is easier to pull apart.

But a star washer is a good idea in any case.

[DavePlaysBass]

I put the same star washer under the replacements that was in the original installation along with the original ring washer and nut on the other side. And I feel that I "delicately" torqued them but at the same time did not want them to be loose. I will order some Switchcrafts to have laying around. The local shops only have the two line passive versions readily available.

[zenrad]

You must really be cranking those down. Very often I find it's enough to use a star washer, hold a socket with my fingers and hand tighten.