Switchcraft style Input jacks

[menger66]

I got a bunch of these jacks at a estate sale, but standard guitar plugs just won't fit I lightly home out a few .001s and there fine anyone know if why or if Old jacks were slightly tighter than today's. Thanks mark

[xtian]

Because, like most Americans, 1/4" plugs were skinnier back in the day.

[sluckey]

Switchcraft jacks have always been a good fit for quality 1/4" plugs. But those are not Switchcraft. I remember buying some Radio Shack jacks that were a sloppy fit. Here's a real Switchraft 12A for comparison...

[img:417:277]http://hoffmanamps.com/MyStore/catalog/ ... G_2281.jpg[/img]

[menger66]

thank you xtain, God knows I was. Got some of these too talk about a heavy duty jack

[Phil_S]

If you removed some material from the inside, you may have removed tin coating. Without the tin, you'll get corrosion. I doubt they were made of a solid material where it wouldn't matter.

[jaysg]

I'm a little unsure about what you're saying, but there is a standard which looks like 1/4" but is a wee bit smaller. They still make it. I have one plug like it and the odds of my finding right now are nil. It's loose in a 1/4" jack.

[David Root]

I switched (no pun intended) from the C12A to the C12AX about 3 years ago because the regular C12A, which used to be reliable, started going intermittent in about 30% of the ones I bought. This is most readily noticeable with Send & Return jacks which have to be tightly closed to complete the circuit when the FX loop is not plugged in.

At the time I thought it was because the spring steel was changed to an inferior grade, probably by non-USA manufacturing source ie contracted out, not done in house. It could be also dimension changes in the plug ball that caused this, but I don`t think so in my case.

The C12AX is a US-made Mil-Spec version with much better silver plated contacts, and it works OK with every plug I`ve tried in it, from an NOS Switchcraft from the `60s thru modern non-Switchcraft. It costs about double the C12A but it`s worth it IMO.

[Leo_Gnardo]

At the time I thought it was because the spring steel was changed to an inferior grade, probably by non-USA manufacturing source ie contracted out, not done in house. It could be also dimension changes in the plug ball that caused this, but I don`t think so in my case.

The C12AX is a US-made Mil-Spec version with much better silver plated contacts, and it works OK with every plug I`ve tried in it, from an NOS Switchcraft from the `60s thru modern non-Switchcraft. It costs about double the C12A but it`s worth it IMO.

What was your source for the dodgy jacks? Others have mentioned problems with supposedly Switchcraft parts acquired from ebay sources and others with questionable provenance about 2 years ago. Very rare I've had problems with Switchcraft connectors sourced thru reliable vendors such as Antique/CE and Conquest. IIRC we have one of their representatives as a TAG correspondent, maybe he could shed some light on this.

In the meantime, I've seen but never knew where to source the silver plate Mil-spec connectors. Where do you get them?

[David Root]

Leo, my source for the bad C12As was, IIRC, the same as for the C12AX, Mouser.

[Leo_Gnardo]

Leo, my source for the bad C12As was, IIRC, the same as for the C12AX, Mouser.

How annoying, sorry to hear that. I don't expect Mouser would acquire stock from any but reliable sources IOW straight from SWCR. But you never know, if a company buyer found a cheap deal. It's been known to happen with semiconductors.

Our Switchcraft correspondent SWC did mention they had a couple years when they were making a lot of things in Mexico over 20 years ago but I guess that didn't turn out well and long since back to the Chicago USA.

Here's a link to the thread:

https://tubeamparchive.com/viewtopic.php?t=25651

[jaysg]

Any possibility of fake Switchcraft parts out there?

[Leo_Gnardo]

Any possibility of fake Switchcraft parts out there?

Definitely there's fakes, but so far haven't seen any with the "Switchcraft" name stamped on them. Long time back @ 30 years ago Radio Shack had lookalikes but the color of the phenolic insulators on jacks wasn't right, and they were a slightly different shape. I sometimes find similar in amps I'm repairing or in kit built amps where the supplier wants to save a couple pennies by cutting corners.

[Structo]

Anything that can be counterfeited has been.

Cliff jacks notoriously were copied by the Chinese and sold as Cliff jacks.

Realistically, UK Cliff jacks are a better switching jack because of the way the contacts are made.
More of a self cleaning design where when the plug is inserted it lifts the switch from contact.
Plus you can isolate them from ground.

But I always hated plastic crap in an amp but Switchcraft seems to vary in quality and there are fakes out there.
Doesn't seem like the metal used in the leaf switch isn't very springy anymore and can cause switching problems.

[menger66]

These are clearly stamped SCA3B, and have a reddis pr@try tint that looks too me like gm97, I'm not sure who the manufacturers were? I got the from a estate sale, can anyone confirm from the manufacturers code if they are or are not Switchcraft? And if they are when were they made?

[lord preset]

The C12AX is a US-made Mil-Spec version with much better silver plated contacts, and it works OK with every plug I`ve tried in it, from an NOS Switchcraft from the `60s thru modern non-Switchcraft. It costs about double the C12A but it`s worth it IMO.

Agreed. After replacing wonky C12A jacks with C12AX on three different builds I won't use the regular C12As again. Cliff UKs seem like a better choice unless aesthetics dictate otherwise.