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05-07-2010, 02:49 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Tacoma, WA | | | Why mod with a Switchcraft jack?
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I recently bought a CV 60's P. I was doing some reading on here curious as to what mods people have done to theirs. And it seems that everyone has put a Switchcraft jack on theirs. My question is why? Only been playing for a little over a year, and this is my second bass. Never modded anything, so I'm really green in this subject. |
05-07-2010, 03:50 AM
| | | | Nice goin' on the bass! One thing a company will cut corners on with a non 'high end' instrument is electronics, almost always, jacks and pots. Switchcraft jacks are good quality, robust, and an inexpensive upgrade. A faulty or loose jack can ruin your night! It does require minor soldering skills. Replacing the output jack is money well spent.......
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Originally Posted by rpsands  One man's great tone is another man's kazoo. | |
05-07-2010, 04:44 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Brisbane , Australia | | | agreed |
05-07-2010, 04:46 AM
| | | Quote:
Originally Posted by gforce9 Nice goin' on the bass! One thing a company will cut corners on with a non 'high end' instrument is electronics, almost always, jacks and pots. Switchcraft jacks are good quality, robust, and an inexpensive upgrade. A faulty or loose jack can ruin your night! It does require minor soldering skills. Replacing the output jack is money well spent....... | Not only not so high end companies will cut corners.
Recently I was told that an extremely highly rated workshop sent and extremely high price instrument with a used socket...
Switchcraft is good but one may as well go for neutrik,- switchcraft's big brother if I remember correctly. |
05-07-2010, 07:17 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Edinburgh & Dundee, Scotland | | | Switchcraft jacks are worth sticking in if there is a problem with your current jack.
Same generally goes for neutrik, unless you are wanting something like the extra security of a locking jack (which I personally don't like, mine was nothing but problems).
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05-07-2010, 08:29 AM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Central Illinois, USA | | | I always swap out the cheap ill-fitting jack on new Fenders with a Switchcraft jack. Why? Because I want one that's going to stay where I put it, one that's going to have a good connection for a long time, and one that's made to closer tolerances than the one that ships on so many new instruments.
I don't care for the Neutrik locking jack at all. I'd rather have the plug pull out of the jack than have the jack pull out of the bass.
John
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05-07-2010, 07:57 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Tacoma, WA | | | Alrighty then. I thank you all for your imput. Didn't think of it like that. |
05-07-2010, 09:29 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: California | | I remember one character on The Dude Pit who insisted that the first thing he did with a new bass was to put in a new Switchcraft jack "because it doubles the output of my bass." 
He got super hostile with anyone who doubted him.
It was about at that moment that I had my epiphany: "I've been on the Internet since '84 and it used to be a great place for discussion, but now I'm wasting 80% of my online energy feigning tolerance and respect for those who deserve not an iota of either...like this ignoramus" 
[sigh!] Memories, memories...
A good jack is nice to have, but I'm of the "if it's not broke, don't fix it" school, considering the probability of stripping out at least one jackplate screw in many basses and doing other incidental damage. Switchcraft isn't the only decent jack, and there are plenty of fine jacks that come OEM that aren't.
And, no, it won't double your bass's output. 
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05-07-2010, 09:35 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Central Alabama | | | I had a Switchcraft installed in a MIM Jazz last week. My piece of mind was increased, but output is exactly the same..... |
05-07-2010, 09:47 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: California | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Stinsok but output is exactly the same..... | Of course it is.
Think about it.
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05-07-2010, 09:50 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Central Alabama | | | Did that guy give any explanation on how it could possibly increase output? |
05-07-2010, 09:54 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: California | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Stinsok Did that guy give any explanation on how it could possibly increase output? | Of course not. It's complete idiocy.
He had nothing but angry, ignorant assertion in the face of Physics.
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05-07-2010, 10:08 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2007 Location: Atlanta, Georgia | | | If I am not mistaken, Switchcraft is owned by Raytheon. They make some really good stuff.
Anyways, cheap upgrade and piece of mind. I always use Switchcraft connectors when I can. Totally worth the price of admission.
Ox.
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Originally Posted by Mike Shevlin But then again, I'm sitting in the middle of Las Vegas on a Saturday nite with no chick, no truck, no gun, no beer, it IS raining & I farted a few minutes ago. | |
05-07-2010, 10:12 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: California | | Quote:
Originally Posted by OxJohnson If I am not mistaken, Switchcraft is owned by Raytheon. They make some really good stuff. | Switchcraft (and most CTS) stuff is just more import hardware, and has been for some years, according to a major gear warranty station in NYC. Stuff this small doesn't have to have country of origin markings.
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05-07-2010, 10:17 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2007 Location: Atlanta, Georgia | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Bongolation Switchcraft (and most CTS) stuff is just more import hardware, and has been for some years, according to a major gear warranty station in NYC. | I hate to be the guy who says "So...", but:
So...
You are paying for QC. Domestic or foreign. I actually tend to doubt your statement, but I have no proof. Either way good is good, bad is bad. Import != bad. Domestic != good.
I DO know for a fact that Switchcraft QC is high quality. It doesn't matter the point of origin. BTW, I am a "buy domestic" kind of guy, but that statement is irrelevant to the OP question.
What was your point again?!
Ox.
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Originally Posted by Mike Shevlin But then again, I'm sitting in the middle of Las Vegas on a Saturday nite with no chick, no truck, no gun, no beer, it IS raining & I farted a few minutes ago. | |
05-07-2010, 10:28 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: California | | Quote:
Originally Posted by OxJohnson What was your point again?! | It wasn't made by Raytheon.
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05-07-2010, 10:31 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2007 Location: Atlanta, Georgia | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Bongolation It wasn't made by Raytheon. | What... the jack or the point?! 
Switchcraft IS owned by Raytheon and yes... it IS a quality company or Raytheon would not touch them with a 10' pole.
Ox.
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Originally Posted by Mike Shevlin But then again, I'm sitting in the middle of Las Vegas on a Saturday nite with no chick, no truck, no gun, no beer, it IS raining & I farted a few minutes ago. | |
05-07-2010, 10:36 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: California | | Quote:
Originally Posted by OxJohnson What... the jack or the point?!
Switchcraft IS owned by Raytheon and yes... it IS a quality company or Raytheon would not touch them with a 10' pole. | Switchcraft jacks are just more Chinese-made hardware, just like the Chinese-made hardware it replaces, only perhaps marginally better quality. Or not.
Magic jacks, magic cables, magic bleeder caps, magic pots...none of them are actually magic.
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05-07-2010, 10:38 PM
|  | I'd kill for a Nobel Peace Prize! | | Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Ottawa, Canada | | | With MIJ or MIM Fenders I tend to switch out the jack for a switchcraft unless it is already been done. A switchcraft is $2US quantity one.
I bought a bag of jacks from the local Active and have really regretted it. You cannot get the nut tight, they are so thin they just spin. And they fail when you need them. So I can use them for testing stuff, but not for anything I want to gig with. |
05-07-2010, 10:40 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2007 Location: Atlanta, Georgia | | | No one said they are magic.
This is not like a $120 cable or something. They are built to a tight tolerance and in my experience, they hold that tolerance. No more, no less.
For an extra $2.00, I will go with the Switchcraft every time. For and extra $100, Monster Cable (and others) can chew the bark off my big log.
Ox.
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Originally Posted by Mike Shevlin But then again, I'm sitting in the middle of Las Vegas on a Saturday nite with no chick, no truck, no gun, no beer, it IS raining & I farted a few minutes ago. | | | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | 
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