[quote name='apa' timestamp='1330864013' post='1563886']
Now this has been bugging me for quit some time. Being a designer / engineer its something that catches my eye so take a look at these pictures...............
...
They all have one thing in common which I consider ugly and old fashioned and while being emensly practical and functional it detracts from all that ergonomic and esthetic blood sweat and tears that goes into the design of these beautiful creatures.
Im talking about [b]THIS[/b]........................
Even when great lengths are taken to make something esthetic they plonk a thread and nut into it......
There are some designs out there, mostly for acoustic guitars like the ones that double are strap pins and this one........
But 99% of electric instruments that you buy from the £150 Squier Affinity to Mr Ritters £15,000 jobs they all have a thread and a nut stuck on them!!
And yes I understand the manufacturing practicalities of such things but its not rocket science to put a similar design to the Neutriks on them. Mr Ritter has no excuse!!
That is all. Have a good Sunday
A
[/quote]
At the risk of sounding like I'm at debate club at school...
Jack sockets don't bug me at all. To me, there's something comforting and reassuring about the familiarity of a tried and tested design. I don't find the nut/thread obtrusive in the slightest, it's not as if it's the size of a door knob is it? It's easy to fit, easy to adjust within acceptable tolerances and they're available just about anywhere should you need to source a replacement. I had to go to Dundee Maplin to get a replacement barrel jack for instance, because Aberdeen didn't stock them!
The pursuit of aesthetics (which is rarely objective in its nature) isn't a good reason to reinvent the wheel. What efficiency savings are we making here? Are barrel jacks easier to fit when it comes to assembly? No, not in my experience anyway. Are barrel jacks more sturdy? Perhaps physically, but when they fail repairs take longer and are more expensive (barrel jack sockets cost more to manufacture and therefore purchase and take longer to remove and replace). Also they're far too long to top load a guitar/bass with.
You say the nut/thread of the jack socket affects the ergonomics of the instrument. What makes it unergonomic? Do you hurt your hand on it? Is it difficult to insert the jack plug?
The jack socket is tried, tested, reliable and ubiquitous and as such, I'm a big fan of it.