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Post by bobcarter on May 10, 2024 22:57:50 GMT
I have 3 guitars with Fishman Rare Earth Blend pickups (magnetic + mic).
Of course they can be used with normal mono lead, blending mag and mic with the onboard dial, and they sound great that way.
Unfortunately, my inner geek can't resist wanting to do the fancy option, which is to take a stereo out (1 x stereo jack to 2 x mono jack) so you can treat the mag and mic signals separately (different EQ or effects). The tip of the jack then carries the signal from the magnetic pickup and the ring carries the mic.
The problem is, I have terrible trouble finding a cable which gives a good fit with a reliable connection with the stereo jack into all 3 guitars.
I have 3 stereo cables - a Klotz, a Roland (both decent quality) and a Stagg (cheapy). The Roland and Klotz work best on 2 out of 3 guitars, the Stagg works quite well on one but is really glitchy on the others. None is 100% solid and all are prone to buzzing if the jack is jiggled.
The first cable I had was a really cheap Hossa one and it worked nicely on all 3, but it broke and I haven't found another. I suspect that might have been luck anyway.
Of course I should just make life easy for myself and use a mono feed, which I never have a problem with. But it irks me.
Anyone had the same experience and can offer any advice? Are stereo jacks notoriously fussy? Much appreciated! :-)
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Post by Onechordtrick on May 11, 2024 6:17:10 GMT
Sounds like the contacts may need cleaning?
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Post by bobcarter on May 11, 2024 22:44:45 GMT
Sounds like the contacts may need cleaning? Thanks for the thought. It could be that. My problem is it happens on all three guitars, and the three different leads I have work more or less well on each guitar differently. At least one of the jack installations is almost brand new, and the others not more than a couple of years old. It's been an issue on all three since my original cheapy Hossa cable failed and I had to try different leads. Perhaps jack plugs vary very slightly in size between makers and the nature of the stereo needing good contact at two points brings this out much more. |
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Post by ocarolan on May 11, 2024 23:00:59 GMT
I've never used stereo plugs, Bob, but have had occasional problems with mono ones and can confirm that they do indeed vary , especially the profile of the tip, with some being more rounded and some more angular. I've always accepted it as being the intransigence of inanimate objects that some leads work best on some guitars and others work fine everywhere. As all my guitar jack sockets are whatever K&K supply with their pickups (you may well have sockets from different makers which could be another point of variance) I've assumed that the difference for me is in the leads - borne out by careful scrutiny of the plus tips. I'd imagine that with stereo plugs there could also be some variation in the width of the ring contact...?
Keith
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Post by bobcarter on May 13, 2024 17:55:00 GMT
I've never used stereo plugs, Bob, but have had occasional problems with mono ones and can confirm that they do indeed vary , especially the profile of the tip, with some being more rounded and some more angular. I've always accepted it as being the intransigence of inanimate objects that some leads work best on some guitars and others work fine everywhere. As all my guitar jack sockets are whatever K&K supply with their pickups (you may well have sockets from different makers which could be another point of variance) I've assumed that the difference for me is in the leads - borne out by careful scrutiny of the plus tips. I'd imagine that with stereo plugs there could also be some variation in the width of the ring contact...? Keith Thanks Keith. I think that's very likely the key thing, actually. Side-by-side comparison reveals some significant variation in ring width! Intriguing! So now I just need to rip out all three jacks and replace them with exactly the same model in each one, then find the cable that fits all three! Darn. Suddenly the "let's just do it in mono" solution seems strangely appealing.... :-) |
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Post by colin on May 13, 2024 19:53:33 GMT
I remember seeing this comparison elsewhere:  One option, if you're comfortable with a soldering iron, might be to replace the stereo plug with one that is likely to be a good fit everywhere, e.g. Neutrik. |
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Post by bobcarter on May 13, 2024 20:49:57 GMT
I remember seeing this comparison elsewhere: One option, if you're comfortable with a soldering iron, might be to replace the stereo plug with one that is likely to be a good fit everywhere, e.g. Neutrik. Interesting! The words "comfortable" and "soldering iron" rarely go together in my experience, sadly (I'm lucky if I don't lose an eyeball flicking bits of molten metal about), but I'm getting some avenues to investigate. Thanks! |
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Post by Craig on May 18, 2024 11:09:10 GMT
I make lots of cables for all sorts of uses but I won't use anything other then Neutrik connectors if it's going on a stage.
Craig
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Post by bobcarter on May 21, 2024 13:50:18 GMT
I make lots of cables for all sorts of uses but I won't use anything other then Neutrik connectors if it's going on a stage. Craig Interesting. Thanks for the tip. Neutriks seem to come highly recommended. |
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