I'm trying to install a new input jack to go with my bass guitars 18v tonepump preamp & emg p/j pickups (taken out a euro spector). I've included pictures; the old jack is the one on the right, and the new one is on the left. There are three points of contact, and I was sure that I had created a for firm solder joint between the three points, but whatever reason, the pickups/preamp come through extremely quiet when plugged into an amp, if it all. I'm new to this process, and I still have a lot to learn: Is there a reason why the new one isn't working? Maybe it's only made to work with passive basses or something? How would I tell?
Likely going to need a better image of the new jack and wires from the side. Do you own a volt-ohm-meter?
Yes, it's hard to see if there is any issues from here. You are dealing with only 3 wires, and if you've followed the wiring from one jack to another, there should be very little to go wrong. Try touching up the solder joints and trim the ends of the wire sticking through the hole on the tab. I once had a wire tab actually touching the sides of the hole where the output connector was installed. I spent an hour trying to figure out an intermittent signal problem on a bass until I realized that the signal wire was touching the shielded sides of the very tight-fitting hole. Simply trimming the wire back a touch, as well as a very slight bending of the tab inward solved the problem.
You would be better off installing an output jack. First, it looks like you are using the wrong kind of jack, on two counts. How are you going to mount the new jack? The new open frame jack will require a different mount on your bass. But even if you have the mounting worked out, it looks like you have the wrong type of jack - your new one is a mono jack and you need a stereo one, which looks like this: The black wire is from your battery. The other two are from the preamp - one will be ground (check the documentation for the preamp) and it goes to where I have the red wire. The third wire is the output from the preamp and it goes to the green point.
Thanks for the replies everyone. I think the issues definitely had something to do with the type of jack, as well as the location of the jack in relation to the ground(as someone theorized above) so I I ended switching back to the old jack, as well as revamping the shielding using foil tape, copper wire, and thumb tacs. After covering all potential points of contact with some electrical tape, everything is working perfectly, and the electronics sound killer. I really appreciate the input!