Loose jack plug fix?

[beexter]

The jack plug cup on my CIJ 50's tele is working it's way out of the body. Do I just need to hit it back in with a hammer (a rubber mallet or hammer and wooden block - I'm not that much of a barbarian!) or is a more detailed approach required? If so, what do I need to do? What purpose does the little nut around the jack plug hole serve?

[Baard]

Holds the female jack to the the jack cup. If the nut is loose you can tighten it up with a proper tool, like the ones used for sparkplugs.(Sorry dont know the right name.)
If the whole cup is loose ????


Baard

[JohnnyAtomic]

one word "electrosocket"

[thrasher]

On mine the whole thing down'ere was coming out ah good half centimetre everytime I plugged't in.
I took the nut right off, and fiddled in there for a bit, and put it back together. It's better for now, but I think if I don't find a real way to fix it, I'll be doing that ev'ry month!

[Lew UK]

Originally Posted by JohnnyAtomic

one word "electrosocket"

yup

[Kevin]

Here's a tutorial for fixing (and installing) jack cups from FUZZY's website...

[thrasher]

That doesn't look like minat all. :(
And how does the one word "electrosocket" s'posed ta help?

[Kevin]

Don't get frustrated; we all assumed you knew how the jack worked, as well as what an electrosocket it....

Yours has a metal cup over a flat metal plate that gets compressed into the wood. If you dissassemble the jack, you'll see it. What happens is that the plate digs the wood out and the jack gets loose. You take it out, put a big bend in the plate so that it moves through the hole, re-position it to miss the broken wood, and use the tool to recompress it into unbroken wood.

The plate has a hole in it through which the jack passes. The cup sits on top of the plate and the jack passes through it, too. The nut is fastened to the jack on the other side of the cup. In effect, you are tightening the jack and the cup to the plate by means of the jack's nut. Take that nut off and everything except the plate falls out.....

The pic is of a carriage bolt, some nuts, the plate and a socket (from a socket wrench set) -- it's FUZZY's homemade tool so that you don't have to buy the $16 one from Stew Mac. I use one just like it, and it works.

The electrosocket is a type of tele jack that has screws to attach it to the hole. A lot of people use them. Here's a pic:

[Bswailes]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Don't get frustrated; we all assumed you knew how the jack worked, as well as what an electrosocket it....The electrosocket is a type of tele jack that has screws to attach it to the hole. A lot of people use them. Here's a pic

Hey Kevin--Excellent post, what with that image and all. I looked over the Electrosocket, and bought one, cause it just made all the sense in the world to me. I was T_I_R_E_D of constantly f***ing around with that standard 'p.o.s.' Tele jack!

Let me go on the record: The best "aftermarket" device I have purchased is the ELECTROSOCKET!!
Since then, I have always had a SOLID "click" with the guitar cable, and no intermittent connections or noises. Just screw the thing into the wood—trouble's GONE! (OK—it's a bit expensive. But I'll do it again)!!


Brett

[thrasher]

Yay! I got it fixed on mine now, I got that metal thing stuck in the wood, and got it the right tightness, now I plug in fine.

I don't think an electrosocket would be good for a polyfinish, right?

[Bswailes]

Originally Posted by thrasher

Yay! I got it fixed on mine now..."

Yeah, for now, my brother! YMMV.

Originally Posted by thrasher

I don't think an electrosocket would be good for a polyfinish, right?

Not being a wise @ss, but I was worried about gig-worthiness first, the vintage hardware, a way distant second, and that "polyfinish," well... but take a look at the picture Kevin posted. Notice the screws go into the unfinished part of the body. (At about a 45-degree angle). There is nothing touching the finish but the lip—same as the original.

[thrasher]

YMMV?

Yeah, I see now, it would work, but that would be time and money! And I ain't playing any gigs too soon.

[Kojack]

This was a very helpful thread. Kevin, thanks for taking the time to put up some solid and easily understood information.

I've cursed Telecaster input jacks for years and have not been able to figure out how to fix them. My response has always been to stick a "football" on the jack. It works fine, but is nowhere near as elegant as the Electrosocket and not as satisfying as understanding how to adjust the original input jack.

Thanks again.

Kojack

[Bswailes]

Originally Posted by Kojack

I've cursed Telecaster input jacks for years...

The "cure" for the original jack prob is either Fuzzy's(as shown earlier), or some other really 'Rube Goldberg' devices. Stewmac sells a contraption to "restore" the original. But, as for me--no thanks!

The only reason to keep the durn original is for a real vintage Tele, I guess.

[Kevin]

Actually, I really like the replica milled jack cups that Brian Poe is making... They're expensive, but they work.

[littlebigman]

opion on the milled cup.put one on the classic and its very nice indeed.ps kevin that mahogany body now has a neck and its getting closer. thanks from ricky ralph

[Kevin]

I was wondering how that one was coming along...

Post some pics when you get it together.

[spangler41]

Neutrik makes a jack that is barrel-shaped that has a square plate. It fits the Tele jack hole and you screw the square plate to the body much like a Les Paul.

The benefits are several: the jack is locking and has a release button to unplug your cable, It is a stereo shorting jack which can be used to activate the battery if you have active pickups, it is very solid and strong, it is easy to install, it is not expensive.

I have used these in several of my "Texacasters" with excellent results.