[quote="JEDI BASS TRICKS":e7wn1ump]Hi Sheldon, I've noticed that my jack on my AB I has an issue. My right leg tends to bump my chord end right where it plugs into the bass. This has caused the jack to feel loose. Occasionally, I lose signal from the bass when the cable end bumps against my leg. I've done simple repairs before, but never on a locking jack. Do you think I should try to fix it myself? If so, how? I've had a look inside, and can't see how to fix it without desoldering the jack. Also, I haven't heard anything back from Dingwall Sales since I paid for my new knobs a couple of weeks ago. Thanks, Jody[/quote:e7wn1ump] I've actually noticed that when my leg or hip bumps the end of my cord, I get some static occasionally. Don't fret just yet about your order BTW. I recently purchased new knobs and a Hybrid Treble Control conversion kit and Jeff there at Dingwall said that the Canadian Post Office quoted him an 11 business day delivery time (It's got to go through customs first)! So depending upon when it was shipped, you could easily be looking at 15 days total for delivery, that is if it doesn't get held up! Also, my experience is that the guys at Dingwall are very quick to ship things out, but they generally don't send any kind of ship notification unless you ping them about it.

Thanks, BuffaloBob. Yep, my bass cuts out all together when I bump the chord, so it's gotta be fixed somehow.

The locking jacks are vey robust. You should check your cord to see if the problem is there. You should also invest in a good cord with at least one angled end. You should use the angled end to connect to the bass. The cord should always be looped over the strap button, between the bass and your strap. These two strategies will decrease the chance that the jack gets torqued too much. Mark

Thanks guitarded. I've got very high quality Mogami chords. And I've always looped my chord over my strap button since I started playing 20 years ago. I bought the bass used a few months ago. And, I know the problem was already there. It's definitely a jack issue. I've tried an angled-end chord but found that trying to remove it put pressure on the jack. Because, it's awkward trying to get a grip and pull while using your thumb to release the lock. I'll switch back after the jack is repaired and use both hands to remove my chord from then on.

We've made every attempt to make jack replacement as simple as possible. Source the jack first. You can buy them from us or any number of US suppliers. Just make sure that the jack body is metal as Neutrik has a plastic version that looks identical. The black ones are a little more rare, but shouldn't be a problem. Pro Sound suppliers are the best bet. Remove the two mounting screws, pull the jack out of the bass and make a note of where each wire is soldered. Un-solder the wires. Hook them to the new jack eyelets and solder in place. Keep things nice and steady while cooling, use good quality rosin solder. Use just enough heat to get things to flow. Too much will damage the wire insulation and/or jack.

Hi Sheldon, thanks for the info. I was hoping it would be as simple as bending a piece to get a better contact, like a standard jack. How much would a replacement cost with shipping, if I buy from you?

[quote="JEDI BASS TRICKS":2o89mo93]Hi Sheldon, thanks for the info. I was hoping it would be as simple as bending a piece to get a better contact, like a standard jack. How much would a replacement cost with shipping, if I buy from you?[/quote:2o89mo93] $25.00 including postage and handling.

I had to replace mine, and i got a new one from an electronics store for under 10$.

Metalstorm, you got the whole jack in metal for less than $10?

After 14 years I recently had to replace my jack. The first sign was the locking mechanism becoming intermittent, sometimes I could pull out the chord, shortly after I started to lose sound. I had to laugh when I removed the jack and looked at it, the flat contact had a HOLE worn clear through it! Considering the mileage I was pretty happy to perform the repair. Funny thing, my original jack was actually plastic, I strongly considered the metal for replacement(not knowing it was now O.E.)and decided to stick with the stock. When the jack wears out in another 14 years I'll probably switch over to metal! PS, FWIW, I would advocate NOT using chords with heavily gold plated plugs. I think the extra few microns of thickness can put unnecessary stress on anything you stick it into.....just my experience and I think it may be relative here.