Can a barrel output jack be replaced with a standard jack?

[matante]

I have a bass with a barrel jack and would like to replace the pickups as well as all the electronics, including the jack. Am I obligated to use a barrel jack or can I use the standard type? Thanks.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

It depends on the bass & where the jack is located, but most likely not.
Do you have any photos or the bass make & model?

 

[matante]

It depends on the bass & where the jack is located, but most likely not.
Do you have any photos or the bass make & model?

It's a Yamaha TRBX174. I don't know if they use a barrel jack because it's cheaper or because it's actually necessary.

 

[Slater]

The Yamaha TRBX174 doesn’t appear to have a barrel jack…

Google Image Result for http://cdn.shoplightspeed.com/shops/607207/files/6921939/yamaha-trbx174-4-string-bass-old-violin-sunburst.jpg

 

[matante]

The Yamaha TRBX174 doesn’t appear to have a barrel jack…

Google Image Result for http://cdn.shoplightspeed.com/shops/607207/files/6921939/yamaha-trbx174-4-string-bass-old-violin-sunburst.jpg

How can you tell from the outside? I opened the rear cover and the jack is longer than normal. I'm pretty sure it's what they call a barrel jack.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

How can you tell from the outside? I opened the rear cover and the jack is longer than normal. I'm pretty sure it's what they call a barrel jack.

Post a picture of the inside of the control cavity and the outside of the bass where the jack is.

 

[Crater]

The picture shows an external hex nut holding the jack in the plate. A barrel jack has a knurled flange on the outside, a large threaded barrel, and a big nut on the inside of the control cavity to hold it in.

Barrel jack:
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Standard, open frame jack:
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There's also an enclosed plastic style that's more commonly seen on amplifiers
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(images credit: Stewart-MacDonald)

 

[JRA]

Am I obligated to use a barrel jack or can I use the standard type?

It depends on the bass & where the jack is located

OP: if the jack must go through a significant thickness of wood to get to the control cavity = barrel jacks are used for that purpose (they're long!). it's possible that you could eliminate that barrel, and use a standard jack, but you might have to eliminate some wood material (and install a plate) for a new jack to fit correctly/securely. good luck with your jack issue!

 

[Spirit of Ox]

You can do this but you need to enlarge the hole to 3/4". I've done this using a dremel.

 

[gln1955]

I prefer standard jacks but good quality barrels are OK. Too many companies (yeah, I'm talking about you, Fender) use cheap barrel jacks that don't hold up.

 

[moonshinegtrs]

It can be done; plug the original hole (approx. 1/2"?) then use a 3/4" forstner bit to redrill the hole.

It sounds simple but if you are drilling on the rim (side) of the body chances are there will be no flat surfaces...

Anyone that has ever drilled an output jack hole on an instrument by hand knows what I mean.

Get a Switchcraft barrel jack, there may be better ones out there but do not use an imported one.


Moonshine

 

[PrinceByTor]

Just my 2 cents, but I'd just put another barrel jack in. I had to change one in my Ibanez Soundgear bass earlier this year; it's not that difficult and barrel jacks are really cheap. My original jack lasted for over 15 years of hard playing until the cords started falling out due to the jack losing its springiness. All you need is a soldering iron and about ten minutes to do it and then you don't have to rout out and modify your bass.

 

[Aloe]

It's a Yamaha TRBX174. I don't know if they use a barrel jack because it's cheaper or because it's actually necessary.

barrel jack is like on Warwicks. you don't have it, but have just some cheap closed-type jack that you cannot fix when it becomes loose.

I had an RBX170, I had the same jack. I replaced it with Switchcraft EP0055 when I had first problems with it, it required just unscrewing and unsoldering the old one and putting the new one. any other standard 1/4" mono jack will do as well (I had good experience with some Reans or even no-name ones).

 

[Bassamatic]

Normally - If the jack is mounted to a plate like yours, it is a standard jack. Take the plate off and take a look. If the space is tight, one of the enclosed jacks will work fine. Actually - I just bend the solder tabs of the standard jack up until they are straight, and the standard jack doesn't take much room. Just make sure that when the plug is inserted, it doesn't touch any of your solder connections.

 

[sonic 7]

I also need to replace a barrel jack on my Carvin. What is the best, highest quality jack available ? I'd like to not have to deal with this again for a while.

 

[Paco Leon]

Jack - Switchcraft Stereo Long Threaded Jack - Best Bass Gear

 

[Ric5]

Can a barrel output jack be replaced with a standard jack?

I have done it … but you need to remove some wood and add a jack plate

 

[Killed_by_Death]

It's a Yamaha TRBX174. I don't know if they use a barrel jack

TBH I'd be expecting a normal open-frame jack under that mounting plate:

 

[Aloe]

TBH I'd be expecting a normal open-frame jack under that mounting plate

Yamaha likes closed-type plate-mounted jacks, something like Switchcraft 111X, but maybe cheaper.
I've seen a lot of them in both low-end and medium-level models (I have a TRBX505 and it had the same plastic-enclosed jack but stereo).

there were some Yamahas that used a barrel jack, like some out of production BBs, but they didn't have a plate.

 

[Paulabass]

Barrel jacks are the devil's oven mitts.