Actually, I would switch to a new connector type if it would eliminate the big burp in the sound system when I plug in and the channel is active.
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WHY ARE WE STILL USING 1/4" JACKS!
- Thread starter georgiagoodie
- Start date
How?
I got enough plugs so I could switch guitars without using a jack on more than one guitar--but then I only had one bass, but as my second bass has active electronics I don't do the same thing. I undo the magent-remove the plug and put it in the other bass if 'm switching.
It's simple.
Not that I've noticed.
Precisely.
What kind of negligent abuse are you putting your input jack through that you break them so easily? Out of EVERY bass I've ever owned, I've only replaced 1 jack, and that was because I switched the bass to active electronics.
Sure.. Anthony Jackson does i believe. The only thing is your rig has to reflect the need/use of xlr, i.e. an xlr-in preamp, or some crazy crappy adapter or a special cable that youll be screwed by when it fails or gets forgotten
It would be nice to see bass, amp and effects manufacturers adopt the XLR as the standardmuch as how most amp manufacturers are now installing both Speakon & ¼ input and output.
Not a good idea in my opinion, don't want the locking function, don't want the bigger size jacks and plugs on pedal boards either.
The only ones I've had trouble with are those blasted barrel jacks. I think the standard 1/4" phone jack is a nearly perfect design. They're easy to fix and easy to clean. Simpler is almost always better.
The OP does raise a valid point. We've come a long way in sound transmission since the late 1800's when the 1/4" jack was introduced but for some (and maybe good) reasons very little of that's been applied to guitar sound transmission.
15 years ago if you wanted a surround sound system with your projection screen theater set up you had to run six or more sets of massive speaker cables and associated banana plugs all over the room. Now days if you want you have the choice to run all speaker sound wirelessly with a Bluetooth system.
So, could a Bluetooth or similar system be built into the bass and completely eliminate the output jack? Probably, but it would result in a number of other issues (power supply, range, interference, backwards compatability, etc).
IMHE - sometimes when an advanced technology solution is applied to solve a simple and reliable long held but outdated method what you end up with is a never ending rapid upgrade death spiral as each new technology seeks to replace the previous one every couple years.
This is what happened in Home Theater sound systems over a relatively short period. In a home theater system that might be ok because your equipment isn't expected to last generations. However, many of the guitars we buy we expect to last 10, 20, 30 or more years and maybe even handed down to our children as heirlooms. I don't think we have that in mind very often when buying a surround sound system.
Bottom line, keep the 1/4" jack and plug option, its simple, reliable, timeless, a world standard and dirt cheap.
15 years ago if you wanted a surround sound system with your projection screen theater set up you had to run six or more sets of massive speaker cables and associated banana plugs all over the room. Now days if you want you have the choice to run all speaker sound wirelessly with a Bluetooth system.
So, could a Bluetooth or similar system be built into the bass and completely eliminate the output jack? Probably, but it would result in a number of other issues (power supply, range, interference, backwards compatability, etc).
IMHE - sometimes when an advanced technology solution is applied to solve a simple and reliable long held but outdated method what you end up with is a never ending rapid upgrade death spiral as each new technology seeks to replace the previous one every couple years.
This is what happened in Home Theater sound systems over a relatively short period. In a home theater system that might be ok because your equipment isn't expected to last generations. However, many of the guitars we buy we expect to last 10, 20, 30 or more years and maybe even handed down to our children as heirlooms. I don't think we have that in mind very often when buying a surround sound system.
Bottom line, keep the 1/4" jack and plug option, its simple, reliable, timeless, a world standard and dirt cheap.
philvanv
Gerbil Turds, Kitsap County Turd Core
- Jul 2, 2012
- 530
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OP I agree with all others - they work just fine, loop through strap for little fear of pull out. Maybe you need to buy better cords and not try to use your cords forever. Operating environment could make a difference too - cigarette smoke and humid storage/playing environments lead to a lot of poor connections on all sorts of electrical gear.
Are you sure your GK only has speakeron? - some of them are combo jacks that take a 1/4' in the center hole. That's how my Ampeg heads are and my most recent Hartke 410 cabinet.
I have a slight fear of Speakons based on the need to reverse the polarity of the wires on many bridged amps. Short of a tester where I can plug in both ends and see how the cable is wired I don't want to use them....I've purchased a few that were wired reverse of what I needed. Some were wired for bridged, other's weren't. I think they should have gone with a different output jack for bridged operation that doesn't use a standard Speakeron plug at the amp end. Slight PITA but would avoid reverse polarity issues.
Are you sure your GK only has speakeron? - some of them are combo jacks that take a 1/4' in the center hole. That's how my Ampeg heads are and my most recent Hartke 410 cabinet.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
Plenty of different kinds of connectors have been used over the years. Banana plugs on Soviet built guitars, anyone? There's a reason we keep on using plain old 1/4 inch phone jacks. They haven't been improved upon. And, you can always turn down your amp or put it on standby if you are going to pull out the connector. That eliminates the noises.
The 1/4" plug is fine for me, and I'm not looking to change for change's sake. However, I'm not locked into it, if something better is developed. Would it be a PITA to change jacks all around and buy new cords? Certainly. But just because something would be a pain in the ass to everybody with old gear doesn't mean something both new and superior won't be introduced someday.
We've seen it happen with speaker cables, and the transition was seamless. Everybody who has old gear and likes it can continue to use it, and anyone who wants to go with the new stuff can do that too. It's not like there's going to be a shortage all of a sudden.
The question is, will anything be developed that is superior in some regard, can be standardized, and is cost effective enough for manufacturers to adopt? We'll see. But I think if it happens, there won't be a technology escalation war trying to push the next greatest thing, like for TVs and CD/DVD/Blu-Ray -- it will be more the Speakon evolution (it happened, it's done).
I have a tangential question for some of the responders in this thread (sorry if it seems like a hijack). Many of you have said something to the effect of not wanting any kind of locking connection, because you would prefer the cord to come out if the cord got kicked rather than knock the bass over.
Do you loop your cord through your strap when you play? Or do you just leave it hang? I use a 90-degree plug on the bass end of my cord, and I loop it through my strap. Functionally, I can't see a difference between my set-up and any kind of locking plug system -- if someone kicks my cord with enough force to pull the plug when the bass is sitting on a stand, the bass is going to fall. Even with a straight plug, if it's looped through the strap, that same cord kick would be more likely to know the bass over than it would be to pull the plug out. (The chances are just about zero that the force of the kick on the cord would be in alignment with the plug.)
So I'm wondering, what circumstances have you encountered or envision where the possibility of the plug being pulled would actually protect the bass? If the chances of that happening are small enough to be insignificant, then what does it matter if the plug is locking or not?
I understand if you prefer the simplicity/reliability/ubiquity of the 1/4" plug, but the no-locking-plug thesis strikes me as irrelevant.
We've seen it happen with speaker cables, and the transition was seamless. Everybody who has old gear and likes it can continue to use it, and anyone who wants to go with the new stuff can do that too. It's not like there's going to be a shortage all of a sudden.
The question is, will anything be developed that is superior in some regard, can be standardized, and is cost effective enough for manufacturers to adopt? We'll see. But I think if it happens, there won't be a technology escalation war trying to push the next greatest thing, like for TVs and CD/DVD/Blu-Ray -- it will be more the Speakon evolution (it happened, it's done).
I have a tangential question for some of the responders in this thread (sorry if it seems like a hijack). Many of you have said something to the effect of not wanting any kind of locking connection, because you would prefer the cord to come out if the cord got kicked rather than knock the bass over.
Do you loop your cord through your strap when you play? Or do you just leave it hang? I use a 90-degree plug on the bass end of my cord, and I loop it through my strap. Functionally, I can't see a difference between my set-up and any kind of locking plug system -- if someone kicks my cord with enough force to pull the plug when the bass is sitting on a stand, the bass is going to fall. Even with a straight plug, if it's looped through the strap, that same cord kick would be more likely to know the bass over than it would be to pull the plug out. (The chances are just about zero that the force of the kick on the cord would be in alignment with the plug.)
So I'm wondering, what circumstances have you encountered or envision where the possibility of the plug being pulled would actually protect the bass? If the chances of that happening are small enough to be insignificant, then what does it matter if the plug is locking or not?
I understand if you prefer the simplicity/reliability/ubiquity of the 1/4" plug, but the no-locking-plug thesis strikes me as irrelevant.
Wouldn't make financial sense for companies to change to a new jack. Not going to convince enough people to switch for it to be profitable.
Better =/= profitable
Better =/= profitable
The most common occurence (for me) is stepping on my own cable, it has happened many times, and I do believe the cable coming lose must have saved either the cable or the jack, or both, more than once.
Not any more though, since going wireless.
Not any more though, since going wireless.
Actually, you can take a Speakon apart to see the polarity almost as quickly and easily as a 1/4", and you can switch it without a soldering iron, which is WAY easier than a 1/4".
There are a lot of acoustic guitars, and some acoustic basses like that. With the XLRs being designed to plug directly into a PA. On some that have a pickup and an internal mic the XLR is only for the mic signal.
