Switchcraft jacks...

[SlapbassSteve]

I've seen a lot off basses for sale with these as an upgrade lately, yet on eBay they go for under £2. Are they actually an upgrade, or in any way different to 'regular' jack outputs? If I bung one in my fender p will it make the slightest bit of difference? I'm guessing not but if someone can suggest otherwise that would be smashing!

[6v6]

Many Fender P's already have a switchcraft jack AFAIK, certainly my 2012 US standard has what appears to be one. They are good quality and should last, but provided what you currently have is not faulty it will make no difference whatsoever IMO.

[brensabre79]

Generally help for active basses because they handle the switching on of the battery. Some of the cheapo ones can fail, or make the audio circuit before the battery circuit resulting in a very loud pop through your amp (although you should always plug guitar in before amp).

For a passive P i doubt there will be much different unless the one you have is giving you trouble.

[Protium]

They're a bit heavier duty and better quality than cheap ones - in terms of contact points, thread etc. For the extra quid or so I'd always use one.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Had an accident with my washburn status. The jack was plastic and weak according to Denmark streets graham Noden . He replaced it with a switchcraft jack, which 20 years later is still going strong.

[gabson]

They're nice, they have a good mechanical life and good plating. It is impossible for them to sound better than even the cheapest jack socket but they do have better longevity.

I stock them because they're the upgrading industry standard as used by Gibson/USA fender. they look nice haha!

Not to be confused with the Barrel type jack sockets that I really dislike - although switch craft make possibly the best barrel jack on the market they have terrible longevity. I seem to do nothing but replace barrel jacks.

[BassBum]

Hi. I have a Streamer $$ and the output jack (barrel type) is constantly failing. I have had it replaced with a switchcraft, but that has now started to crackle at times.

Are there any alternatives.
Help appreciated

[Biaeothanata-Bassist]

I use switchcraft jacks in all my basses. Always swap out what ever is in the bass for one and they've never failed on me.

[chrismuzz]

I've only had one bass with a switchcraft Jack and it broke within 6 months

[icastle]

[quote name='BassBum' timestamp='1388327712' post='2320770']
Hi. I have a Streamer $$ and the output jack (barrel type) is constantly failing. I have had it replaced with a switchcraft, but that has now started to crackle at times.

Are there any alternatives.
Help appreciated
[/quote]

The jack sockets themselves are all pretty similar.
The issues generally come about because of the variation of tip shapes on the jack plugs in use.

Quite a few years ago, I decided to use nothing but Neutrik barrel sockets and Neutrik jack plugs and haven't had a socket failure since I made that move.

[Lozz196]

I generally "upgrade" to them on basses I`ve bought to bring them into line with US Fender Standards. I don`t see a jack (aside from Happy Jack that is ) making a difference to the sound of a bass but they are fairly good quality and that`s the thing for me, reliability. Don`t want my basses breaking down as I`m technically rubbish and can`t fix them myself.