ASAT barrel jacks

[michaelsegui]

I know that the barrel jacks G&L used for years are troublesome and give out after a while.

Instead of drilling for a conventional jack, has anyone tried the Pure Tone barrel jack as a replacement?

If so, how did you find it?

https://www.stewmac.com/electronics/com ... MWi7jhKIFm

[Tooslowhand]

My experience is that the barrel jacks don't fail any more frequently then the conventional ones; they're just a pain to replace when they do. I have used original G&L replacements (not an option now), but not the ones from Stewmac. Stewmac is a reputable seller, so I would expect their parts to work fine. When I last replaced a barrel jack I remembering wrapping the threads with twine to assist with a friction fit when pressing in the new jack.

[avalonpb]

The Stewmac jack you linked to is the more commonly available stereo jack (a Switchcraft 152 clone). The mono jack is harder to come by (Switchcraft 151), but can be bought at several places online including Amazon. There are now a bunch of generic barrel jacks at Amazon in both stereo and mono configurations.

I suspect the Pure Tone is OEMd by the same people who are making them for Amazon suppliers. I see no reason to suspect it’s any better quality than an original USA made Switchcraft jack.

I have had problems with the original style Puretone PTT1 jacks whereby the sleeve that is crimped to the phenolic comes loose and the jack can’t properly tightened because the sleeve just spins in the phenolic when you try to tighten the mounting nut. I have one of those defective jacks in my spare parts right now come to think of it.

I own 62 G&Ls dating back to 1980. I’ve only had one of those barrel jacks ever fail and it was in my 1996 Heritage H150. That jack lasted about 27 years before it became intermittent. At the time I couldn’t find a Switchcraft 151 mono jack and replaced it with the stereo version. I would have rather had the correct mono jack but it works and has been trouble free.

My longstanding theory is that G&L stopped using the Swtichraft 151 not because its unreliable, but because its 15X more expensive than a generic open-frame jack.

[michaelsegui]

Thanks guys. The jack on the 99 ASAT semi hollow I’ve been borrowing for two years (and my buddy just gave me) started cutting out this week.

I have some conventional switchcraft jacks and electrosockets in my parts bin but I’d rather use a barrel jack and keep it looking original.

[Tooslowhand]

You might try removing the control panel and use a fine emery board to remove any corrosion on the jack contact as well as bend the contact bar slightly to see if you can fix it.