Hey guys, i have an MIA jazz bass and my jack is messed up i think, when i plug in, its tight but if i move my chord around or bump it slightly the sound cuts out totally untill i move it around again, i used the search button and found no help really, what can i do to fix this>
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i need help fast, jack problems!
- Thread starter HalfLife02
- Start date
- unscrew the metal control panel plate
- get it off and look at the backside
- check the tongue of the jack
- bend it a little to give more pressure on the plug
- reverse step two and one
Also grab some sandpaper or a pot scourer and really sand/polish up the metal tab that you bend in slighty. Also roll up some sandpaper and clean all on the inside of the jack..
Make sure you tighten the nut back down onto the plate.
Merls
Make sure you tighten the nut back down onto the plate.
Merls
I have to ask: are you sure it's the jack? I've seen many a flaky cable in my day...
So then, what kind of jack is it? Is it the long tubular kind, or the kind that looks like it belongs in an old radio? If the latter, you can probably fix it with a little TLC, but if the former, don't bother, just throw it away and get another one.
So then, what kind of jack is it? Is it the long tubular kind, or the kind that looks like it belongs in an old radio? If the latter, you can probably fix it with a little TLC, but if the former, don't bother, just throw it away and get another one.
As a last resort. Too many users on these boards are quick to go "buy a new one". Thats with anything. Amps, Basses, Cabs, accessories.
I rarely buy anything because 90% of stuff can be fixed. Its cheaper in the long run.
Merls
Good Lord.
The expensive Switchcraft barrel input jack is $10 retail.
A 'fixed' jack isn't as reliable as a new one.
Luck may have it that the jack will fix seemly
well, only to fail at a critical moment on stage.
Gee, I saved a couple dollar's!
But lost the record contract!
If you lose a record contract on the grounds of a bad jack then it wasnt worth it anyway.
If you keep your bass maintained before a gig and on a regular basis. Say once a week, sit down and keep it maintained then you wont come across such problems.
Okay warranted i am a qualifed electronics service technician, but i see the easy, cheap way of fixing things. I would never buy a jack for $10. I would buy one for $3 and do a fix like was suggested say every 2 years or so.
Having been on the inside of Audio electronics as a techie and now on the outside (moved into Audio Visual) i can see how pathetic $10 for a jack really is.
One thing that does annoy me is when people say have an amp and they take it somewhere and they get the quote for 100's of dollars work. I know because the company i worked for charged $65 per hour and marked up parts by 75%. In reality the parts cost $10 and the labour 15 mins. But there is no 15 minute charge. Its per hour. But on the flipside people need to run a business.
This is why people who instantly say "Buy a new one" annoy me. Whats the harm in trying to fix it first for free? If you fix it and get another year or two out of it. Then do it again and get another year or two out of it... then excellent. When it comes to the mechanical connections of musical instruments, amplifiers, mixing desks, no matter how expensive they are, they will wear out in time. Therefore things like a skeleton jack for $2 from Radio Shack is far better. Easy to fix, cant break.. its just metal tabs. Nothing major.
The enclosed types to me personally are a bad idea. How can you service these? How can you clean corrosion? How can you remove the dust? Bend the tabs tighter? And these enclosed types are more expensive.
We as a society are too quick to chuck it over the shoulder. Think about it, save some money, and learn a trick or two along the way.
Merls
If you keep your bass maintained before a gig and on a regular basis. Say once a week, sit down and keep it maintained then you wont come across such problems.
Okay warranted i am a qualifed electronics service technician, but i see the easy, cheap way of fixing things. I would never buy a jack for $10. I would buy one for $3 and do a fix like was suggested say every 2 years or so.
Having been on the inside of Audio electronics as a techie and now on the outside (moved into Audio Visual) i can see how pathetic $10 for a jack really is.
One thing that does annoy me is when people say have an amp and they take it somewhere and they get the quote for 100's of dollars work. I know because the company i worked for charged $65 per hour and marked up parts by 75%. In reality the parts cost $10 and the labour 15 mins. But there is no 15 minute charge. Its per hour. But on the flipside people need to run a business.
This is why people who instantly say "Buy a new one" annoy me. Whats the harm in trying to fix it first for free? If you fix it and get another year or two out of it. Then do it again and get another year or two out of it... then excellent. When it comes to the mechanical connections of musical instruments, amplifiers, mixing desks, no matter how expensive they are, they will wear out in time. Therefore things like a skeleton jack for $2 from Radio Shack is far better. Easy to fix, cant break.. its just metal tabs. Nothing major.
The enclosed types to me personally are a bad idea. How can you service these? How can you clean corrosion? How can you remove the dust? Bend the tabs tighter? And these enclosed types are more expensive.
We as a society are too quick to chuck it over the shoulder. Think about it, save some money, and learn a trick or two along the way.
Merls
I think it's a very important experience to be able to learn to fix your own gear (at least some f it).
It can really help you out in time-critical situations.
What do you do when it happens in the studio at 1 AM when all shops are closed or too far away?
This has been the permant solution to this jack problem on two of basses. If it doesnt work, and nothing else does, then buy a new jack.
