Problem with Output Jack

[xgrantx]

Hi everyone. This is my first thread.....ever. Hope I'm posting it in the right forum. This is just an open question regarding a problem I've been having with my Telecaster's output jack. I always loop my cable under my strap, and always unplug her when I'm not playing, but for some reason the jack socket keeps coming loose every so often, like every couple of months. I do my best to tighten it by hand, but because it's slightly embedded in the body, I can never get it fully tightened and it's always rattling slightly. Does anyone else have this problem, and does anyone know of a special tool that could help? I've been looking at ring spanners (I think they're known as box-end wrenches in the US) (I'm from Scotland by the way), but I can't seem to find one that would be small enough. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks a lot
Grant

[Rod.V]

Tele's are great guitars (I think, the greatest) but their Achillies Heel is the somewhat archaic method used to secure the jack-socket within the body.

It may be that it's just the nut on your jack-socket that's loose but more often than not the problem on a Tele socket lies deeper.

The heart of a Tele jack socket comprises a strip of metal with two spiked ends which, when straightened during factory fitting, is pressed into the internal bore of the jack-socket tunnel and acts as an anchor for the whole assembly. The nut, on the threaded portion of the socket, draws the cup and "anchor" together when it's tightened.

When new things are OK but ultimately (in my opinion) this arrangement isn't robust enough to withstand the the cumulative stresses involved and eventually, over time, the spikes work loose. In this case it doesn't matter how much you tighten the nut because the whole shebang has no longer got anything to grab onto.

In my opinion the best solution to this problem is to fit an "Electro-Socket", available from many after-market parts suppliers. Specifically made for the Tele, it comprises a "cup" plate, very similar to the original Tele item but the method of fixing is different and relies on two screws which enter, through the side-wall of the cup, at an acute angle, rather like barbs on a fish hook. It's threaded to accept imperial threaded Switchcraft jacks, which go straight in, negating the need for any nut.

There may be many purists out there who will argue that the Electro-Socket detracts from the aesthetics and original Tele vibe but I think the jack socket is such a crucial link in the chain that such a belt and braces approach is wholly justified.

If, of course, it's just case of you needing a suitable method to tighten the nut, then a cheap option is one of the round-end combination cycle-repair spanners which should fit. (Remember to choose the imperial varient if your guitar is American or Mexican-made and metric if it's from the far East).

[Roli]

What Rod. V said.

Here it is: http://www.allparts.uk.com/online-sh...-2-p-2868.html

http://www.wdmusic.co.uk/product/Tel...Chrome_HJ010CR

[charlie chitlin]

Dude...you need a socket.
One of those ones that fits on a handle that looks like a screwdriver is fine.
I don't remember the size.
7/16"? 1/2"?
A spanner will never do it.

[mellecaster]

Originally Posted by charlie chitlin

Dude...you need a socket.
One of those ones that fits on a handle that looks like a screwdriver is fine.
I don't remember the size.
7/16"? 1/2"?
A spanner will never do it.

1/2"

[Rod.V]

Charlie's right - you'd find a small socket set easier, provided the side-wall of the socket is thin enough to locate inside the "cup" recess.
Better still buy a "Nut Spinner" (that's what they're called in the UK) of the appropriate size.

Mellecaster is correct, 1/2" is the correct size for US and Mex jack-socket nuts but if yours is a Made In Japan or Korean-made variant then it'll be 12mm. and the 1/2" won't fit properly.

In my opinion, you're best to convert to Imperial, either in the form of a Switchcraft 1/4" jack-socket (the quality is vastly superior to the MIJ's original socket) and fit into the original "cup" or buy an Electro-Socket (c/w 1/4" socket), as previously described.

[KevinB]

What you need is a Nut Driver in 1/2"



It can be a "stubby" one with a short shaft like the one above, or a longer one. You'll use it on jacks, pots, etc.

I'm sure you'll find one at B&Q for about a fiver.

[Rod.V]

You're right Kevin B - "nut driver" it is.
I must have been thinking about the Anne Summers catologue!

[KevinB]

Ouch!

[xgrantx]

Wow, thanks so much everyone, I didn't expect so many replies on this. I'll give the nut driver a try, that sounds (and looks) like the tool I've been looking for, I just didn't know it existed. If that fails and the problem turns out to be with the anchor, I'll take Rod's advice and see about fitting the Electro Socket thing. Once again, thanks for all your help and advice everyone. :-)

[lonewolf]

Was there a lock washer (the funny looking one with teeth) installed. Those help keep pots, and jacks from coming loose after they are tightened, but for some strange reason, many guitars these days, come without them.
Gene Warner
repairman

[charlie chitlin]

Yup...so obvious I didn't think of it.
There MUST be a star washer inside every pot and jack.
They almost all need occasional tightening, and without the star washer it'll spin and rip out the wires.

[bo]

Leo must have been up REALLY late the night he came up with the Tele jack.

[jchabalk]

my problem with the jack isn't that it's come loose (yet), but that i can't use my 90 degree angle cable. The jack in the guitar is recessed so much that the cable isn't secure.

Does using the Electrosocket bring the jack out any further that i can use my right-angle cable? If not are there any suitable alternatives? I've tried it with a couple of different cables i have here and none fit.

I've just reversed the cable to make it wotk (right angle at the amp) but the cables are ground lifted at the guitar (now at the amp) and i like the right-angle profile better.

[Alamo]

Does using the Electrosocket bring the jack out any further that i can use my right-angle cable?

yes, it does.

The jack in the guitar is recessed so much that the cable isn't secure.

maybe there is another nut on the inside of the jack?
it works good on my CV with the standard jack.
or do you use different angled plugs?