Jack Socket Issue

SlopeSoarer

Just wired my LPJish guitar up and no sound. I wasn't surprised as I'd made the harness!

What I eventually found was that if I pulled the jack plug out a millimetre or two it worked. I put this down to having used a stereo socket but that was all I could lay my hands on at the time of making the harness.

I'd since found a mono socket so swapped it over, tested it before putting it all back together no issues.

All back in place, no sound!

Pull the jack plug out a millimetre or two and it works.

Used three different leads same issue.

What is the problem? I'm sure it is very basic but I can't figure it out. 

Danny1969

Is the tip of the jack plug shorting against some shielding when fully pushed in ?

SlopeSoarer

Danny1969 said:

Is the tip of the jack plug shorting against some shielding when fully pushed in ?

No shielding in the cavity and can't see that it could short against anything else. The only thing that I've added is steel mounting plate.

prowla

So, I guess you soldered the connection to the "ring" of the stereo jack socket rather than the "tip"; all that was needed was to swap the wire to the tip's tag and it would have sorted it.

As per the previous comment, it looks like the flex with the jack socket insertion is just making something touch something on the Gnd side, either shielding in the control bay, a bare wire, or some other stray piece of wire.

If it's an LP, they often use bare shielded wires which have no plastic covering over the braided shield, so it's easy to have something touch it when you screw the cover back on.

Danny1969

Does it go silent when pushed fully in or is there a buzz like when a leads plugged into an amp but not a guitar ?

ICBM

If you've used metal braided shielded cable, it's likely that the jack tip contact is touching it. You need to put a length of heatshrink about an inch long over it - or if its too much of a faff to undo the soldering again, tape will do.

SlopeSoarer

ICBM said:

If you've used metal braided shielded cable, it's likely that the jack tip contact is touching it. You need to put a length of heatshrink about an inch long over it - or if its too much of a faff to undo the soldering again, tape will do.

Yes braid shielded cable used so I think this will be the answer. The faff is just having to pull the harness out again so will use heat shrink as you suggest. 

Thanks all... I confirm one way or the other later.

Thanks again

Simon

SlopeSoarer

Yep sorted now, thanks. Shielding was the issue.

Roland

Hands up who has been there too

NPP

Roland said:

Hands up who has been there too

never had the shielding issue but may have done the wiring-the-jack-the-wrong-way-around thing. Of course it was the last thing I checked ...