• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Are Pure Tone Multi-Contact Jacks an upgrade?

Would you change Switchcraft jacks for Pure Tone multi-contact jacks?

  • Total voters
    42
EddBass

EddBass

Sep 21, 2013
13
45
Dominican Republic
www.instagram.com
#1
Hello, I think this is my first thread here after 10 years! Sorry for that

The thing is. I came into a Pure Tone Multi-Contact stereo 1/4 jack in Amazon, and was considering it for my Sire V7 Gen2, since the plug could use a better grip. Not so long ago I upgraded the stock jack (which was loose and then broke), to a Switchcraft stereo jack.

Would it be worth it to switch from Switchcraft to Pure Tone? I connect my bass with Neutrik NPX2 plugs.

What has been your experience with the Pure Tone Multi-contact jacks?

IMG_4230.jpeg IMG_4237.jpeg IMG_4239.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: DJ Bebop
#2
I like them a lot and whenever I need to change or install a jack, I use them. But if you have a stereo jack of quality already I don’t think you’re going to see a marked improvement installing the Pure Tone.
 
  • Like
Reactions: newfuture
#3
J Posega said:
I like them a lot and whenever I need to change or install a jack, I use them. But if you have a stereo jack of quality already I don’t think you’re going to see a marked improvement installing the Pure Tone.
Click to expand...
So if you like them and use them every time you change a Jack but do not think he will see an improvement from his switchcraft then why use them? What is it about them that you like a lot?
 
#4
LoveThatBass said:
So if you like them and use them every time you change a Jack but do not think he will see an improvement from his switchcraft then why use them? What is it about them that you like a lot?
Click to expand...
Because Switchcraft jacks are high quality and if they just installed it I don’t really see the point in changing the jack again. I’d wait until the current jack shows signs of wear, otherwise I do t really see the point in taking out a perfectly good functional piece.

I don’t just change jacks for fun. It’s only when the current one wears out or I’m starting a project from scratch.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Relsom, DJ Bebop and MVE
#6
EddBass said:
J Posega you’re right, there’s no point in changing a perfectly fine jack, but I was thinking that maybe since the Pure Tone has a different approach, it could be an upgrade both for longevity and stability.

The Switchcraft jack I installed in the Sire has the same style of the cheap one it had before, with thicker metal and sturdier.
Click to expand...
Sorry, Guess I also wondered what it is you loved about them. I could have worded it a bit better
 
#9
Stylee Mousse said:
A switchcraft Jack can last a very long time. I’m kinda surprised that the stock one in my G&l I bought in 1983 still works fine.
There definitely will be no electrical advantage to changing it.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I don't think I have ever seen a switchcraft 11, 12, or 13 fail due to normal wear and tear. I have had to replace a few because of things I did due to my own stupidity, but they're very well made.

I like the design of the Pure tones, but haven't had the need to try one.
 
  • Like
Reactions: EddBass
#11
In the past humans routed calls manually and was done by plugging and unplugging and that's how the company came about - telecom. These jacks were designed to endure hundreds of plugging in and out in a day, possibly more than what a busy gigging bassist would do in 2 years. The original company is gone but the companies that brought them did/do defense business and you do not do crap even for seemingly simple things.

BTW I am talking about SwitchCraft.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Malak the Mad, DJ Bebop and newfuture
#13
I just removed 2 of the Pure Tones this past month.
There's nothing wrong with them - I just don't like the way they feel.
(and I've plugged and unplugged more than a few thousand times over the years)
One came either on a bass or a harness I got recently - can't remember - but when I saw it, I remembered
I had put one on another bass a couple years ago - and it's always felt "odd" to me. - so I decided they both had to go.

I've never had a switchcraft jack fail - and I've got several that are close to 60 years old and still going.
Again - nothing wrong with them - for me it's a solution for a problem I've never had.
YMMV
 
  • Like
Reactions: newfuture and EddBass
#15
After reading you all, I think that the most accurate answer to my original post is that Switchcraft is always the go-to when changing a broken jack, or a cheap import one. If you are on to trying a different approach, good quality and a bit cheaper, then go with Pure Tone's.

Something to point out is that Switchcraft jacks have been proven to be trustworthy for 50+ years, and Pure Tone’s are yet to reach that mark.

Out of curiosity I went to the Pure Tone website seeking for more info about their history and, oh boy, I found a comparison chart where they face their jack to a Switchcraft, and theirs supposedly has a better frequency response overall. Take a look:
About

IMG_7086.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: mrperkolator and LoveThatBass
#18
EddBass said:
After reading you all, I think that the most accurate answer to my original post is that Switchcraft is always the go-to when changing a broken jack, or a cheap import one. If you are on to trying a different approach, good quality and a bit cheaper, then go with Pure Tone's.

Something to point out is that Switchcraft jacks have been proven to be trustworthy for 50+ years, and Pure Tone’s are yet to reach that mark.

Out of curiosity I went to the Pure Tone website seeking for more info about their history and, oh boy, I found a comparison chart where they face their jack to a Switchcraft, and theirs supposedly has a better frequency response overall. Take a look:
About

View attachment 5365224
Click to expand...
Thanks for posting this. I gotta call BS on that "test". Using a guitar as a source doesn't work. Gotta use the same exact audio (ie a recording, or better still, frequency sweeps). If you're not using a proper test source, you're lying.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bitterdale, fig, Jim C and 3 others
#19
Saying one jack that makes a proper contact is going to sound different than another jack that makes a proper contact is pure horse shht, and if it doesn't make a proper contact it's worn out. The tight grip on the plug is a clear advantage in reducing the chance of a cord getting unplugged on stage, but everyone loops their cord thru their strap anyway. My concern is that nowhere is the origin of the Puretone specified. Is it a Communist Chinese slave produced product? Seems it would be impossible to sell at the price point with small volume USA / Euro manufacturing. Have always used Switchcraft TRS jacks with the ring jumpered to the sleeve on all my guitars and basses.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ravelax, newfuture, EddBass and 1 other person
#20
newfuture said:
Thanks for posting this. I gotta call BS on that "test". Using a guitar as a source doesn't work. Gotta use the same exact audio (ie a recording, or better still, frequency sweeps). If you're not using a proper test source, you're lying.
Click to expand...
I think, based purely on my own experience with a Puretone, that I call BS as well.

I put a Puretone in my J bass purely for aesthetics (the jack itself is black, rather than just the nut, so it looked better to me) and the competitive cost. I didn't notice a difference in tone at all. As for the locking, I always loop my cable through my strap so there's no advantage there, either.

That said, it's a perfectly good jack and I haven't noticed any failures. But I think their claims re: tone and consistency of audio are probably bunk, or at least pretty subtle at most.
 
  • Like
Reactions: newfuture

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back