General Music Chat

SO, there I was...

...practicing on a song when suddenly the volume drops off... now i got nuthin, nada, zip...

I pull the guitar cable out , and then a nut on the input jack on the guitar drops tto the floor...Sunofabitch!

Then I hear some loose rattling inside the body of my guitar....SuuuuunOVA BEEEEEEEEEEYOTCH!...

So basically, the entire cable jack assembly is lying loose inside the body of the guitar... I then saw that there is a little hole on the butt end of the guitar, where the connection jack 'used' to be.

After a few minutes, I was able to coax the jack out through the f-hole of the body. The jack has three wires (for the three pots on the guitar. Then I notice that there is a washer rattling around loose in the body as well..SANNNAOF BIEEESSSSHHHHHHHH!!!

The Gretsch is a beautifully, cleverly made guitar, except for the part where you cant open up the body, to retrieve/fix the electronic components:

HOW TO FIX:

- Git you some string (about 2 ft for plenty of margin).
- Git you a narrow stick about 12''-15''
- Git you some scotch tape.

1) RETRIEVE THE WASHER: Make a sticky end on the stick, with some scotch tape... Insert the sticky end of the stick into the f-hole of the guitar and then fish around for the loose washer... Retrieve the washer. (Alternatively use a long magnetic screw driver)

2) LIFT OUT THE ASSEMBLY: Retrieve and carefully lift out the jack assembly. Brace it outside of the F-hole of the body. (Keep wiring intact.) Inspect for breaks in soldering/wire connections etc. Repair as necessary. (I had no damaged components)

3) Thread the string through the little hole at the butt end of the guitar. Feed in a generous amount of string.

4) Use the sticky end of the stick to retrieve the string feed and thread it on through the F-Hole.

4a) Thread the exposed end of string through
a) the washer...
b) ...and on through the back end of the jack assembly.

The assembly should be hanging , suspended on the string. ( The string will now serve as a guide wire.)

5) Tie/wrap off the exposed end of the string to one of the knobs on the guitar (This secures it while you manipulate the assembly)

6) Guide the assembly along the string to its connection point (The hole at the butt end of the guitar).
Use the stick to manipulate and secure the assembly position in place.)

7) When the assembly's threaded bolt emerges through the butt end of the guitar, secure it with the bolt (Which you must also thread onto the string).

Tighten the assembly nut down. Remove the string.

Note: Step 6 & 7 require patience, and repeated tries, until you hit the sweet spot...

Congratulations U=You just save 100 bucks by not going to guitar center to fix it.

I think being MacGyver is a necessary part of being a musician.

hahaha I just had to fix my buddy's bass in more or less the same fashion.

Makes you consider gluing it together.. lol (yikes)

I May have spoke to soon... The assembly was attached just fine, and when I tested the guitar, it worked for about ten minutes. Now Its mback to Nada and Zip. It s not the amp cause it works fine with other guitars..

So how is it that a jack can be so fuccked up? If I jiggle it, it works for a few moments...then notthing again.. WTF is that all about.

Probably the little presser thing that makes contact with the cable end.

Or you have dying active pickups.

Or you have a really strong noise gate on and don't realize it. ...I did that once. "Wtf is wrong with this thing??" ...good times

jiggle? (grrr)

You have either a loose connection or a dirty connection.

Try electronic cleaner spray and if that doesn't do it, you have to go back in and find out where it's making a bad connection.

If it's working intermittently, it's not that bad, just going to be creepy to fix..

Try the spray and keep us posted.

I'd bet the farm it's just not making a good connection/loose solder or some such sh*t. (rarely a full breakdown of a part that needs replaced)

WORST CASE SCENARIO, disassemble, plug 1/4" jack into instrument and amp and reassemble carefully, checking it for signal as you go. Once you have it working and assembled, set it and forget it.

(mark it where it works ok and then try to leave it alone)

Great job PD.... right up until the "it stopped working" part. Orientation of the jack inside the guitar may be important. If the positive tip is not making contact, the jack may be in the wrong position. A small dental mirror is useful for checking the problem. This problem is fixable and you don't have to be a super-genius. Just a little smarter than that jack. Good luck!

Yep, either the jack contact has got bent out of position, or more likely one of the wires has come off.
Loosen the nut on the outside of the jack, tie a piece of string or dental floss around the jack threads, then remove the nut. Making sure the end of the string stays outside the guitar (tie the nut to the end), drop the jack in, and then fetch it out of the f-hole using your stick method, or a pair of long nose needlenose pliers. Fix the problem (resolder, whatever). Check it works before putting it back in place - just pull the string to get the jack back to the hole.
You can do the same thing if you have to drop a control (volume or tone pot or pickup switch) out to fix - tie a string around the shaft.

Great job PD.... right up until the "it stopped working" part. Orientation of the jack inside the guitar may be important. If the positive tip is not making contact, the jack may be in the wrong position. A small dental mirror is useful for checking the problem. This problem is fixable and you don't have to be a super-genius. Just a little smarter than that jack. Good luck!

Smarter than that Jack? That's really asking a lot... But why do electronics have to be so Fkn shoddy?? Its not like I put that guitar through any real punishment ...Gawd! ...I'm sick to death of cheap labor and their cheap results... Lol!

Speaking of orientation, I noticed when I had the assembly out, that if i twisted it a certain direction, it would drop the signal, and in other direction it would be fine... How on earth does orientation effect the ability to capture a connected signal?

Great job PD.... right up until the "it stopped working" part. Orientation of the jack inside the guitar may be important. If the positive tip is not making contact, the jack may be in the wrong position. A small dental mirror is useful for checking the problem. This problem is fixable and you don't have to be a super-genius. Just a little smarter than that jack. Good luck!

Could I extend the positive tip with extra wire, and wrap the extension somewhere on the jack...If so where?

Great job PD.... right up until the "it stopped working" part. Orientation of the jack inside the guitar may be important. If the positive tip is not making contact, the jack may be in the wrong position. A small dental mirror is useful for checking the problem. This problem is fixable and you don't have to be a super-genius. Just a little smarter than that jack. Good luck!

Could I extend the positive tip with extra wire, and wrap the extension somewhere on the jack...If so where?

No, the positive tip/prong part of the jack is probably just binding inside the guitar. Loosen the jack, rotate it and watch with a dental mirror to make sure it is free and not binding. Tighten the jack and test. I have run into this several times over the years when jacks loosen up. If twisting the jack causes signal loss it is binding or you have a loose wire. Very common problem.

Yep, either the jack contact has got bent out of position, or more likely one of the wires has come off.
Loosen the nut on the outside of the jack, tie a piece of string or dental floss around the jack threads, then remove the nut. Making sure the end of the string stays outside the guitar (tie the nut to the end), drop the jack in, and then fetch it out of the f-hole using your stick method, or a pair of long nose needlenose pliers. Fix the problem (resolder, whatever). Check it works before putting it back in place - just pull the string to get the jack back to the hole.
You can do the same thing if you have to drop a control (volume or tone pot or pickup switch) out to fix - tie a string around the shaft.

I checked the contact, its tight as a glove...no problems there. The current soldering appears to be intact (No apparent breaks or cracks). I think it most likeley binding up like Johnny suggested, cause when I turn the threading (at the butt end of the guitar, it drops at 2 oclock and returns when I turn it back to 12.). I'll still look to see what I cando to prevent that from happening. I noticed that when I stand still (as opposed to walking around and pulling the connection. I dont hav ethis issue (as much)

I;m pretty sure that I know NOW, why Pete Townsend sMAshed his first guitar on stage...LOL!