Are barrel jack sockets inherently problematic?

[Random Guitarist]

I bought some Hosco barrel sockets from a reputable UK supplier and the first one used has lost it's 'grip' in just a few months of light use.

It makes electrical contact with the plug but the plug is not being retained, even a slight pull will remove it.

 

Am I just unlucky or is this brand/design known to be problematic?

 

I'm particularly concerned as I have been asked to build a bass for someone (first ever commission, so a quite daunting) and I don't want to lumber them with a crappy jack socket.

Edited December 15, 2022 by Random Guitarist
typos

[BassBunny]

I've only ever used Neutrik or Switchcraft ones and they seem to last the course. 

I believe the Hosco ones are fitted to some Ibanez guitars and basses.

Edited December 15, 2022 by BassBunny

[T-Bay]

Some are better than others for sure. Normally it’s linked to getting decent known makes but they are simple things and I have seen dirt cheap Chinese ones that work fine for years, but I wouldn’t buy them to the put on any of mine just in case.

[mybass]

1 hour ago, BassBunny said:

I've only ever used Neutrik or Switchcraft ones and they seem to last the course. 

I believe the Hosco ones are fitted to some Ibanez guitars and basses.

Yes...stick to Neutrik or Switchcraft........check before purchasing a new ready made cable too.

 

[John Cribbin]

I've posted this photo before.

 

My active Ibanez had a faulty barrel jack and was replaced with a traditional stereo Switchcraft socket. It'll still be working long after I'm gone.

 

[fleabag]

Barrel jacks are the Bar Steward spawn of Beelzebub.

[Bigguy2017]

They never seem to last for long. Switchcraft are better than most.

 

Has anyone tried the Pure Tone ones with four spring contacts?

 

[Jakester]

Yes - every bass I have had with a barrel jack has had to have it replaced. 

 

Every bass or guitar I have had without is still going strong. 

[lemmywinks]

I've had generic Chinese cheapys, Switchcraft and Neutrik fail on me after a short period of time and I've had some last years. Got quite frustrated last year as no matter which one I bought they seemed to fail rather quickly but I've had a Switchcraft in there for a year with no issues.

 

I quite like the locking Neutrik one on my Ibanez, seems very secure but would require a bit of woodwork to retrofit them and probably not suitable for basses with rounded edges.

[John Cribbin]

3 hours ago, Bigguy2017 said:

They never seem to last for long. Switchcraft are better than most.

 

Has anyone tried the Pure Tone ones with four spring contacts?

 

Pure Tone Hmmmm .....

 

I've not used or have any intention of using them. I have seen on some forums a few people raving about them and how they will last longer than the existing jacks. Now considering we are all aware of thousands of instruments and amps from the 50's and 60's that still have their original jacks still working, come back in 2080 and tell me they are still going strong.

 

They may sound good on paper. but in a guitar situation, I'd say they are nothing more than a solution looking for a problem.

[tauzero]

If you've got a skeleton jack, it can always be reinvigorated simply by bending the contacts a little - something that is not part of the design brief for a barrel jack. However, a skeleton jack needs either mounting on a plate with a big hole under it, mounting on a scratchplate, or a very thin bit of wood where it comes out, so basses like Warwicks need surgery to fit one.

[Random Guitarist]

Thanks all, definitely food for thought. The design I have really needs the barrel, so I may just try a switchcraft and see how that goes for six months.

[Woodinblack]

They seem, for whatever reason, a bit of a week spot. Some go on for ever, some fail really quickly. I have had to replace the one in a Spector RST (intermittent contact), which is a 2k bass that came out a year or two ago, but at the same token, my other spector is from 1990s and its barrel jack is going fine.

Use a quality make, it makes no sense to use a budget barrel,

Really don't get what it is about the construction that makes them so poor as the cheapest of flat jack sockets will go on for ever.

[Count Bassy]

On 15/12/2022 at 20:14, John Cribbin said:

Pure Tone Hmmmm .....

 

I've not used or have any intention of using them. I have seen on some forums a few people raving about them and how they will last longer than the existing jacks. Now considering we are all aware of thousands of instruments and amps from the 50's and 60's that still have their original jacks still working, come back in 2080 and tell me they are still going strong.

 

They may sound good on paper. but in a guitar situation, I'd say they are nothing more than a solution looking for a problem.

Not tried them but I quite like the look of them, having the sping contact for the earth rather than relying on contact down the barrel section seems like a good idea. However the Neutrik ones with the XLR type fitting also have this feature (and can be had in locking format as well)

[Andyjr1515]

I've found Switchcraft the most reliable - but the whole design of barrel jacks is a compromise and so they are all potentially unreliable. 

 

Every Ibanez I've ever owned or worked on has had to have the barrel jack replaced - and many after a very short life - which was a surprise to me as, in most other aspects, I rate Ibanez very highly.  And even Yamaha (thought by many the Toyota of the guitar world) - same.  

[Martin E]

The other problem with barrel jacks is they have such tiny tags to solder onto. Particularly if you have an active bass, the stereo jacks needed to switch on the circuitry have really minute tags all within a millimetre of each other.  They have no holes to hook the wire in to make a mechanical connection and just rely on the tiny blob of solder to keep them in place thus making another weak link for things to go wrong.

[Woodinblack]

Not sure that is true of the switchcraft jack I got for the RST, it had big enough tags and holes in for the wire to go through.

[Jakester]

14 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

Every Ibanez I've ever owned or worked on has had to have the barrel jack replaced - and many after a very short life - which was a surprise to me as, in most other aspects, I rate Ibanez very highly.  And even Yamaha (thought by many the Toyota of the guitar world) - same.  

Yep - I’ve had them on two different Warwicks, a Spector, and two Yamahas. Every single one needed replacing. 

Edited December 17, 2022 by Jakester

[bigthumb]

Recently fitted a Switchcraft to my Spector with was an absolute nightmare due to the short wires from the Tonepump. I really hope I never have to do that again! 

[tauzero]

I've got two Ibanezezez, an SRF705 which uses a barrel jack and an EHB which uses a locking socket (which I plan to de-lock). The barrel jack on the SRF705 is playing up. I had a look at the guts of it, and it looks like the wood is sufficiently thin and there's enough area around the socket to be able to put a skeleton socket in instead. So that's one project for the near future.

[Woodinblack]

never had a problem with my ibanezes (which is a surprise as I have had other electrical problems with them), although the EHBs have barrel jacks they are a very different type, and much bigger than normal - I would expect them to survive longer.

[Count Bassy]

On 17/12/2022 at 15:50, Martin E said:

The other problem with barrel jacks is they have such tiny tags to solder onto. Particularly if you have an active bass, the stereo jacks needed to switch on the circuitry have really minute tags all within a millimetre of each other.  They have no holes to hook the wire in to make a mechanical connection and just rely on the tiny blob of solder to keep them in place thus making another weak link for things to go wrong.

But they are bit fiddly, but If the solder joint is a weak point, or you have a "Blob" of solder, then you need to work on your soldering technique!

[basstone]

I've replaced quite a few barrel jacks in everything from German Warwicks to electroacoustics.  It is also not easy to determine the quality of make of manufacture of replacement parts these days as they all look the same and most are probably made in the same Chinese factory anyway!

 

Part of the problem seems to be that the contacts are fairly small and can loose their spring, which in turn causes intermittent connection. Of course because of the way that they are made it is impossible to to repair them by bending the contacts to improve the connection. I try to replace them with a jack plate and regular old school switchcraft style wherever possible. At least you can see what's going on and adjust contact tension to suit. You just have to watch out for shorts to the control cavity if it is screened as they do take up more width.