Output Jack.

Lucius Paisley

Well-known member
While looking at modifications for the Kramer, I noticed that moving the output jack from the side to the front creates a problem because the barrel jack is too long. I could use a larger washer, but that would maybe defeat the purpose.

I have a couple of Switchcraft jacks, so that solution seems promising. However, before I commit, I would like to know if there are better-looking front-facing outputs I could use, preferably those that sit flat along the side of the body.
 
Not a lot of options here...just a regular front one or the football one (regular or reversed). A Switchcraft would be what you would use. BTW, I have heard of people putting the jack on the back using the football one (which isn't a terrible idea).
 
Putting one one upside-down or reverse as Mincer says ,

does eliminate the need to route a big hole

on back would make less hideous
 
ive never loved a barrel jack, i always end up killing them on electric guitars. why are you moving the jack?
 
Barrell jacks never last very long. I like the way they look, I just wish they were designed better.
 
Not a lot of options here...just a regular front one or the football one (regular or reversed). A Switchcraft would be what you would use. BTW, I have heard of people putting the jack on the back using the football one (which isn't a terrible idea).

After looking at a few Ibanez guitars, a regular output seems the best choice. Drilling into the back seems like overkill.
 
The hole for the barrel jack is more narrow than the hole for the standard jack

You can see the difference in the size of the mounting plate

Or lack thereof

Good luck
 
The hole for the barrel jack is more narrow than the hole for the standard jack

You can see the difference in the size of the mounting plate

Or lack thereof

Good luck

image.png
It doesn't exactly have a mounting plate and it doesn't need one. I've been meaning to see if the standard jack will fit into the hole made for the tone pot. It will probably be too small, but a minor routing can fix that.

This is what I'm going for.

image.png

Things that are not obvious; I'll leave the neck pickup in place and float the Floyd - it can dive at the moment and what's the point of having only that?

I have a coiled cable that matches the colour of the body and having the output on the front will make the cable stand out more.

Be thankful for L-shape jack plugs.
 
I had one barrel jack fail
the tip got gunk or something on it and didn't make contact anymore

Because it's enclosed, I couldn't see exactly the failure

Replacement cured the issue
 
And what was that failure?

The contact for the tip of the plug was too deep and it would not hold the plug in...the cord kept losing the connection and would actually end up falling out.

I've had some that were too tight so it was hard to get the plug in and out, but at least they worked.

But most of the time they work perfectly. I like using them mainly because they are so neat and clean looking...no big ugly mounting plate and no tiny screws to strip.
 
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