Basic Guitar Maintenance Tightening Cable Input Jack

[lordsaddler3]

damnit i dont have one of those head screwdrive, guess i gotta do it by hand

[SuperNavarro666]

Haha well what do you know:) thanks dude! Was a wire issue I could have been jamming months ago If I knew it was this easy

[SuperNavarro666]

My warlock bc rich or whatever jack is all messed like you plugit in to the amp and the guitar just makes a buzz noise what's wrong with it?

[troydameron]

@SuperNavarro666 Try a different guitar cable, see if buzz goes away. If noise remains check the wiring on the cable jack. Sounds like a wiring connection issue. Check these out first.

[IB3D3ATHBAT]

do i pretty much do the same thing if the nut came completely off?

[troydameron]

@IB3D3ATHBAT Yes, it's pretty much the same

[playr69]

@IB3D3ATHBAT no you wouldn't your just saying that cus u seen it

[speedygland]

@troydameron i just did this but now my cable doesn't fit in

[troydameron]

@speedygland You probably need to turn the jack around in order for the cable to fit in. My strat has a specific place for the spring pin that holds the cable in place and if it is off it is very difficult to plug into.

[DannyDesman]

@troydameron hey there. i got a different problem with my jack. when my cable is at a certain angle, my guitar wont make any sound. and this is a problem for me if i want to play while moving around. Help!

[troydameron]

@DannyDesman Sounds like the connector inside the cable jack assembly is not firmly connecting to the tip of your cable jack?? Or, you may have a cable with a short in its jack. It's hard to tell exactly what the problem is without looking at your guitar. But my first instinct tells me that the problem is a connectivity issue with the input jack. Simple fix: carefully bend the jack connector so it makes a solid connection to your guitar cable when plugged in.

[DannyDesman]

@troydameron thank you very much. will check it out

[XianisRoxify]

How do I do this if the plate my input jack is also has the knobs on it? Im assuming you do the same thing for a bass

[troydameron]

@XianisRoxify Yes, you do the same for a bass. The challenge with the plate having the knobs as well, is tightening the jack w/o taking off the plate. There is a tool I've listed earlier that makes this process simple. I used to simply hold my finger tightly on top of the jack (keep from spinngng) and tighten the jack nut with a small wrench (not always successful). Generally, I just take to plate off and tighten real well and this keeps me from having to deal with this for some time.

[gcalex100]

the wires that go into my jack input have come off, should i solder them back on or just get a new guitrar??

[troydameron]

@gcalex100 I would just solder them back on, but I do like any excuse to buy a new guitar!!

[LeopardGeckosRUs]

you dont have to buy this just tightened mine using a wrench. all you have to do is un screw the jack's plate and hold the thingy on the inside tightening the jack with a 1/2 inch wrench.

[CHADSHIN1]

can u please tell me how to tighten a tele input jack? it dosent have a screw and the actually input jack is loose! please help!

[troydameron]

@CHADSHIN1 Sorry for the delay in responding. Remove back plate. You'll have to use your finger to hold the back of the cable input jack in place, and tighten as best you can the nut. Teles are a little tough to tighten. I always dislike having to tighten mine, because you can only get them "finger" tight. Once the input jack starts to spin, it's time to stop tightening. There's a device I've listed here that would be great to help.

[Metalredhead29]

hey! what can I do if the the little metal piece, behind the input jack, that makes the sound go from the guitar to the the cable is broken?

thanks in advance

[troydameron]

@Metalredhead29 - Unfortunately you will need to replace the cable input jack. It's a simple soldering fix once you get the replacement part. Input jacks are cheap. If you don't know how to solder, simply take your guitar to your local guitar shop and see if they will repair for you.

[halofifa]

hey every electric guitar i own has the problem that the inner cable breaks how can i fix it??

[troydameron]

@halofifa You will have to resolder the connection. Unfortunately I do not have a video yet on how to do this. I suggest do a simple search, soldering guitar jack. I've found a few simple videos that will help.

[johnsujith12]

Hi , after pluggin my guitar to the amp ..there is no output via the amp.

can you help me , what could be the issue. i wanted to check it before taking it to a service shop.

Its been long time since i've used my guitar so not sure if it dust.

Please suggest.

[troydameron]

@johnsujith12 Not sure exactly what you mean, is your amp separate from the speaker cabinet? If so, there should be a speaker out most likely somewhere in the back of the amp head.

[licanx23]

stupid input jack, just broke one of my cables, now to learn how to fix XD

[DistortedV12]

Hah.  Mine already fell out.

[lemmycro]

Ooh you dont need a screw container for this one?

[guitarbrain666]

YOU HAVE THE SAME SCREWDRIVER AS ME!!!!!!!!!!!!

[shittyfuck]

my guitar's input has just broken :(

[peterkim777]

how much would it cost to fix the cable at a store?

[troydameron]

@peterkim777 price varies by store, technician, and location. Just a rough estimate, somewhere between $50 to $150+. Plus the time factor and value of guitar would be considered whether to pay someone to fix.

[dragantoe]

@peterkim777 go to guitar center, they did it for me for $10, and i got a coil tap pot put in for $20, very cheap

[Leiflton]

thats what happened to me, i broke the cable trying to tighten it. i guess i have to solder it now..

[troydameron]

@Leiflton Yeah, I"ve done that a few times too. Got to repair one of my student's cables this week. Part and process of playing guitar

[loganbramhall1989]

Wow thank you so much man, you just saved me the worry and hassle of taking my Strat lnto the shop to be worked on, l was worried about twising the cables around the jack while doing this but now l saw how you do lt but taking lt out

[avafreak252]

thanks for the video man, my guitar was cutting out during band practice and its fixed now after i watched your video.

[troydameron]

@avafreak252 That 's great!  Nothing like a cable input jack malfunction to mess up practice.

[dishdam12]

i have semi-acoustic guitar, like an ovation. How would i tighten my input as i can't access the inside of the guitar like you do.

[troydameron]

@dishdam12 That's a little challenging, but there's a fairly new tool on the market called "JackTight," that solves the problems like yours. For $15.00 a great buy for an essential guitar tool. Go to their website (just add the .com). If you don't want to fork over the bucks, you can try like we did back in the old days, just hold a cable input inside the jack, kinda press against the side and tighten carefully. Good luck!

[jesusalvarez715]

@troydameron thanks 

[jesusalvarez715]

@troydameron thanks alot but a video might help 2

[troydameron]

@jesusalvarez715 will try to get one made within the next month

[jesusalvarez715]

@troydameron yea there is but one is loose

[troydameron]

@jesusalvarez715 Great! We've found your problem. Simple fix. Need to resolder the wire to your cable input jack and you'll be back to playing!

[jesusalvarez715]

@troydameron yea when its plugged into the amp and i touch the tip of the cable it makes sound

[troydameron]

@jesusalvarez715 Ok. Then it is definitely the guitar. Again, this fix is pretty simple. I'll try to post a "how to" on soldering the wires to the cable input jack in a couple of weeks. If you know an electrician or somebody in electronics they too could very easily solder the wires to your input jack for you. BTW are there any wires connected to the cable input jack?

[jesusalvarez715]

@troydameron-okay thanks i just really wanted to know

[troydameron]

@jesusalvarez715 You're welcome. It's hard to say what the problem is specifically w/o being able to see your guitar. If your guitar cable is plugged into your amp w/o guitar and you touch tip of cable do you get a sound? If no sound you may have a guitar cable problem. I would check this with a new cable or one you know for certain is good. Sometimes cables can be bad and don't realize it.

[jesusalvarez715]

so i idk if theres a problem with my amp or guitar because everytime i plug in my guitar to the amp it doesnt make any noise and its kinda buzzy so i opened my input jack on my guitar and i found this loose yellow cable can someone tell me where dat has to be connected and if dats causing the problem

[troydameron]

@jesusalvarez715 - a loose cable next to your cable input jack plate is most likely the loose wire. You'll need to re-solder the connections. If you do not know how to solder you'll need to take your guitar to a repair shop. It's an easy fix. You may want to learn how to solder just in case.

[acdczeppelinhalen1]

wow this is easy. I dont ussually like to mess with my guitars inner workings but this video made it easy to do. Also, he is right when he says it only takes a small turn

[jimmypagen10]

what do u do if it falls off?

[troydameron]

@jimmypagen10 You'll have to take off cable input jack plate and carefully replace nut & washer, avoiding twisting wires. Some guitars you don't have a plate to remove and must reach the cable input from a plate in back of the guitar. Most important though is to hold cable input jack so it does not twist when replacing nut. Worse case: take to local guitar shop and they will fix for nominal fee.

[jimmypagen10]

@troydameron Yea I have a Les Paul What do i do

[troydameron]

@jimmypagen10 Remove the plate on the back of your Paul, grasp the input jack with a pair of pliers (so it doesn't twist), put the screw and star washer on and tighten with an appropriate wrench. Again, hold the input jack with a pair of pliers so it doesn't turn/twist - this prevents your wires from breaking. If all else fails, take into your local music store - they can fix it quickly.

[zulbere]

Thx a lot this is the exactly video that I was looking for to fix my guitar xD

[MunchkinMaike]

Alright so, after seeing this video, I believe I have a Problem with the wires underneath the Jack Plate, because the input jack is tight in place..the AMP is on, the cables are all in place were they're supposed to be, as well as all the way in, but yet I hear nothing coming from the guitar...oh dear....this is not good...

[troydameron]

@MunchkinMaike Did you try a different cable, different amp? If so, and no sound you do need to check the wires under the jack plate, something may have come loose. It is not uncommon for a wire to break occasionally. If it has a simple solder fix will cure the problem.

[MunchkinMaike]

@troydameron Yeah I did try a different cable as well as another amp..still nothing, but thanks for the answer

[troydameron]

@MunchkinMaike Unfortunately it sounds like you may have a wire that has become detached. It you know how to solder it is an easy fix. If not, your local music store can most likely help.

[MunchkinMaike]

@troydameron Yeah..sadly I believe so too. Unfortunately, I do not know how to solder :(.....guess I'll bring my sweetheart to my local music store to get this problem fixed...thank you very much for the help

[kingofskate08]

@MunchkinMaike i had the same problem with my dean. i jus took out the input jack and sure enough there was a detached wire. I just took a piece of electrical tape and connected the wire back to the place it was supposed to be in. soon after the cable went so i would look at both. hope this helped

[MunchkinMaike]

@kingofskate08 Oh ok, yeah I have a Alba, for quit a few years now...and most likely there IS a loose cable under the plate...but temporarily fixing it with electrical tape seems like a good idea. But, I'll bring it in to the Music Shop and ask them to help me...hopefully it won't be to expensive <:)

[MTAlupyourass]

Hi. I am trying to do this on my les paul, but when I unscrew the little panel, it doesnt come out very far so I can't get my finger around it to hold it tight. It feels like the wires inside are really short or something and it won't let me pull the whole thing out. Do you know how I can get this to work? Thanks

[troydameron]

@MTAlupyourass This is a common problem and until recently was an issue to deal with. First, I highly recommend buying a simple (and cheap) tool called "Jack Tight" ($16.99). This tool is great! Second, I also recommend you solder an extra length of cable wire spliced onto your cable input jack.

[MTAlupyourass]

@troydameron alright awesome, thanks for the help I'll definitly look into that thanks again

[troydameron]

@MTAlupyourass to find the website just type jacktight (add the .com)

[DonConstantinos]

hoho i have tha same amp ^___^

[troydameron]

@DonConstantinos I love that little amp! Sad to say, mine is about to fall apart after 5+ years of hard work. The distortion volume nob is shorting out now, and the speaker has a hole (great sound though!), so I'll probably be buying another Marshall soon!

[denguexxx]

Thanks for the tips(: my guitar somehow when the wire is in the jeck and i touch it it give lots of screky kind of sound and humb sound.. does the above tips help in this?

Thanks alot(:

[troydameron]

@denguexxx sent you a reply message. But for our readers, sounds like it's time to buy a new guitar cable. That should solve your problem

[ChrisShines]

Great video. But there is a new guitar tool that repairs input jacks without having to take a part the input jack. It's called JackTight. See the video on YouTube.

[troydameron]

@ChrisShines Thanks Chris! I'll have to get one of those! At only $16.99, that's a pretty good price for a handy tool when it comes to guitar maintenance. Plus, you don't have to disassemble anything!

[munsieman101]

sexy ass eric clapton signature...how much did that run you?

[troydameron]

@munsieman101 - I bought the guitar about five or six years ago, and got the "Guitar Center Deal" about $1,400.00. I would buy another without even thinking twice - a great guitar!

[TommyTerror11]

Gah ive just had this problem with my guitar and now it wont play. Could anyone help me??

[AntecNation]

@TommyTerror11 if you are good with maintanance go ahead and pull the back plate off or wherever your jack is located and look maybe you broke a wire off when it twisted if that isnt it it may be a shorted out wire or just not connecting right