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Best barrel-type stereo jack: MEC vs Switchcraft vs Göldo

Aloe

Aloe

Apr 10, 2016
3,505
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4,667
Ukraine
#1
A couple of my basses use a barrel-type stereo jack and I think I need to stock some replacements just in case.

What's the TB consensus on the most reliable barrel-type jack? I'm able to purchase a Switchcraft, a MEC and a Göldo (not sure, what it is exactly, I believe, that an European brand and the manufacture is somewhere else, I've heard of some their part being MIJ). Which of those will get me more life and abuse?

Out of those, I've had MECs, they seemed pretty good. But maybe some other options are even better?

Once again, I'm specifically talking about the stereo jacks, as those are more complex and faulty than the mono ones.

Any opinions? Thanks
 
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#2
i've only used the switchcraft stereo jack for one ax that needed the barrel version. i played that ax regularly (full-time), but i did have to replace it once, maybe after ~8-10 years(?).

i have no experience with the other brands you mentioned.
 
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#3
Switchcraft has a long history of quality products.

MEC also is known for quality.

There is so much Asian knockoff junk in the market and installed on budget instruments.

Barrel jacks are the worst choice in all cases compared to open frame jacks.

It stands to reason using known name brands whatever the product is going to yield better results than knockoff no name trash.

There is really no way to accurately measure which name brand is better considering the wildly various stresses these are put under in an instrument and what the owner may or may not subject them to.

To conclude, a trusted name brand is always the best choice. Pick one and carry on.
 
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#5
In my experience, there is no really "good" barrel jack, compared to a standard Switchcraft open architecture jack. But since it may be impractical to alter the instrument, do what I have done with barrel jacks: plan on replacing them every 10 to 15 years, sooner if you have the third lug for either stereo or active pickups.
 
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#7
Aloe said:
uhm, if that's your experience with stereo Switchcraft barrels, I think, I'll stick to the MECs.
thanks.
Click to expand...
That is my experience with all barrel jacks, irrespective of brand. I only mentioned the Switchcraft traditional open mono jack, the standard on most electric instruments since there have been electric guitars and basses, as the standard by which all other jacks, mono, stereo, open, barrel, etc., are measured.

Think about it: how often does a barrel jack break? Often. Have you ever heard of a traditional Switchcraft jack having to be replaced on a vintage Fender or Gibson instrument, save from the result of mechanical accident resulting in serious damage to the instrument?
 
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#8
iiipopes said:
That is my experience with all barrel jacks, irrespective of brand.
Click to expand...

and you tried MEC? I have a 2011 working barrel stereo MEC in a bass nearby right now and previously I also had a decade-old MEC that was good.

yeah, I know, the open construction is more repairable, especially the mono one, but don't plan to mod my Warwick with a football plate or passive electronics.
 
#9
Aloe said:
and you tried MEC? I have a 2011 working barrel stereo MEC in a bass nearby right now and I previously I also had a decade-old MEC that was good.

Yeah, I know, the open construction is more repairable, especially the mono one, but I don't plan to mod my Warwick with a football plate or passive electronics.
Click to expand...

Indeed. The point of my original post. It is not feasible to modify many instruments. So I budget to replace it periodically, and hope it doesn't die in the middle of a gig. Because of the confined space internal to a barrel jack, the contacts are made out of much thinner metal and are smaller in dimension, which will break. Maybe not today, or next year, or next decade, but it will wear out and break.
 
#10
I've owned about 2 dozen Warwicks over the last 20 years or so, I replaced 3 MEC jacks for switchcraft jacks during that time.

1 after 6 months of minimal use, and in 5 years I went through 2 jacks on the same bass.

I also had a 30 year old warwick with the original mec jack.

1 tip: Monster cables will ruin barrel jacks fast. They are very slightly thicker than a regular 1/4 inch cable. Does not affect a fender style jack
 
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#11
No barrel jacks are reliable in the long-term in my experience but both Switchcraft and MEC are probably as good as it gets.

If I had to pick one... I would probably choose MEC. But that's purely based on that fact that I replace far more faulty Switchcrafts than MECs at the workshop... and THAT's probably just because the number of instruments I see with Switchcrafts outnumber MEC at least 10:1 (or more). The actual failure rate is probably more or less the same. They all wear out much faster than "regular" jack sockets.

Göldo can be pretty much anything. They just re-brand stuff from other manufacturers. Typically cheaper stuff, but ok quality. Göldo branded pots are a good example. I believe they are re-branded Alphas, which are decent quality pots but in my opinion a step below CTS/MEC/Bourns. That's what you get with most Göldo products in my experience: Decent quality at decent prices but if you want the BEST you should look elsewhere.
 
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#13
“Barrel Jack” is olde English for trash spilled onto the ground when the garbage barrel is full. In other words, something useless that’s best left alone.

Rats were often referred to as “barrel jacks” because they grew fat eating “barrel jack”, and because they’d do anything possible to topple garbage barrels or spill garbage onto the ground (creating “barrel jack”) to eat.

Obviously instrument barrel jacks were appropriately named.
 
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#14
For years, Switchcraft has been rock solid and you simply can't go wrong with them. Another leading brand you could consider is Neutrik (based in Liechtenstein).

About a year ago, I bought a Yamaha bass and the output cable seemed to come out too easy if it was stepped on, so I bought a Neutrik locking connector and its fantastic (some might argue a bit of a pain to disconnect, but I'm okay with it). Neutrik plugs and connectors are the de facto standard in professional audio thanks to their Speakon plugs and high quality XLRs, etc.
 
#15
Gizmot said:
Another leading brand you could consider is Neutrik (based in Liechtenstein).
Click to expand...

uhm, do they have barrel-type jacks? I can't find one on their website. as well as standard open-type.

Rean has both and while the open-frame one is okay (and arguably even better than Switchcraft), their barrel-type is junk.

Gizmot said:
output cable seemed to come out too easy if it was stepped on
Click to expand...

I always wrap the cable through my belt, as pulling out force by stepping on a cable is harmful for every bass. even the one, having a locking jack.
 
#16
Aloe said:
What's the TB consensus on the most reliable barrel-type jack?
Click to expand...

I think the consensus is that all barrel jacks are sorry, but name brands are less sorry than cheap brands. My advice; buy some of both Switchcraft & MEC. Use whatever you grab out of your parts bin first. Next time this question comes up, you might be the @agedhorse of barrel jacks….
 
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#18
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#19
Bassamatic said:
PureTone - The rest of their 1/4" product line are the best jacks you can get with much better design and double the contact area.
Click to expand...

I've heard about them, but never used. I kinda like the idea of two springs per contact on their mono open jack. oh yeah, I think, I also need to stock a couple of mono open-frame jacks, so this looks very tempting. are they really trouble-free like for decades?

Bassamatic said:
So - I would assume their barrel jack is also very very good.
Click to expand...

hm, the reviews say, it's 3/4" longer, so you need some washers to fit it into an Ibanez SR, which also appears to be my use case
 

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