ASAT Classic Output Jack Prob

[moody]

my ASAT Classic output jack is loose and when I pull the cable out after playing, the output jack comes out also
I noticed it has no screws or whatever, and it just uses some threads to increase friction between the guitar body and the output jack
this is quite frustrating, although it is not a major problem, a high end guitar shouldnt have problems like these.
I know that I can use glue to stick it permanently to the body, but damages would be made if i ever want to pull the output jack out again

Can someone help me solve this problem without heavily modifying the guitar?

[Craig]

my ASAT Classic output jack is loose and when I pull the cable out after playing, the output jack comes out also
I noticed it has no screws or whatever, and it just uses some threads to increase friction between the guitar body and the output jack
this is quite frustrating, although it is not a major problem, a high end guitar shouldnt have problems like these.
I know that I can use glue to stick it permanently to the body, but damages would be made if i ever want to pull the output jack out again

Can someone help me solve this problem without heavily modifying the guitar?

If you are the original owner and the guitar is still under warranty, take it to the dealer you bought it from and
have them fix/replace the jack. See: G&L's Support page.

If it is out of warranty, check this post for replacing the jack: How do I remove the output jack from my ASAT-style guitar?

Hope this helps.

[moody]

thanks Craig
mine is not the one with the nut, and I followed the instructions in the pdf, which says I need to put a new string in the body hole
I've done so, it seems tight enough in the inside, but loose for the upper part of the jack

when i pull a cable, about 2cm of the jack would be revealed, so the lower part seems tight, but upper still shaky
I dont know if thats because I replaced the jack and some wood was scraped off in the process, therefore loosening the upper part
anyway to fix this?

[sirmyghin]

Just add a bit more material for a tighter fit. Don't know how you can blame this on the guitar when you replaced the jack though.... Could always find a batter jack with a nut on it too.

[Jim P]

I don't mean to sound negative here, but the output jack on G&L ASATs has been a problem for years. I've never understood why they haven't changed them to a standard Tele-style jack of some kind or another. Heritage Guitars had this very same problem with their early solid-bodied guitars, but a few years later they remedied the situation by going back to the old Les Paul type of jack. The overall concept of these elongated jacks is nice, for they're nice and clean-looking from the outside, but over time they'll either break down or come loose just as the OP described.

[sickbutnottired]

If it was me, I would give the barrel jack the deep six, and go with the older style jack. But you will have to modify the guitar slightly...

[Boogie Bill]

High-end guitars have just as many issues as crap guitars, trust me. I know people feel like they shouldn't ever break or have problems, but they do. It's more logical to assume that a guitar WILL have problems at some point, than to expect that it won't.

They are mechanical, man-made things. Something will always go wrong, somewhere, somehow, to somebody's guitar. Jackplates break on $7,000 Les Pauls; pickguards crack on Custom Shop Strats and Teles; and bridges pull up off of Gibson J-200s. Boutique makers have it just as bad--I recently saw a $12,000 Olsen with a warped neck. $80,000 BMWs have a tendency to blow head-gaskets, too.

I know that no matter how much I pay for a guitar, it will never be perfect. It might be irritating and frustrating if it breaks; but in your case it is a small problem and it's fixable. I try to never let false expectaions get in the way of my enjoying the beautiful things in life, cause I know will always be disappointed. I try to take it as it comes and deal with it in the moment. I really try to keep the work "should" out of my vocabulary.

As far as the jack goes, if the guitar is missing some of the wood in the hole for the jack, your're probably going to need a professional repair with some wood filler. Myself, I think I would be inclined to have the hole enlarged for a standard 1/4" Switchcraft jack and either an Electro-Socket; a metal 4-screw square Les Paul jack-plate; or the 2-screw "football" shaped style of jackplate.

When the jack on my ASAT Deluxe fails, and I know it will, that's probably how I will fix it. I don't think modifying the guitar with a jackplate would have any significant effect on resale value; and it would certainly make any future repairs easier.

And I totally agree with Jim--I think the Switchcraft barrel jack in these guitars is a bad idea. It's an attractive design, but it really needs to go.

Good luck!

Bill

[moody]

I had to replace the jack because it has bad connection with cables, and even it's brand new I don't want to return it to the shop because I live in asia and the guitar was shipped from US
thanks for the useful advices, but now I think I'm going to change it to some other types of jack later
and yes, I agree that G&L should change the design to more pratical ones to avoid these kinds of frustrations