Best 1/4" jacks?

[xorophone]

Hey! I've built a few pedals now using some cheap chinese 1/4" jacks and they're horrible. They are the chassis mount types and I keep having problems with the ground not connection properly. They seem to work fine at first but I keep having to replace them because the ground on the plug doesn't get connected properly (unless pushed against the "wall" of the jack) and/or the ground doesn't get connected to the chassis properly. At this point I've stopped relying on the "automatic" chassis grounding and just added a ground wire. I've realised that the threaded parts on many of the jacks are skewed which leads to the chassis ground not connection properly. (See the image at the bottom.)

Which jacks do you recommend? I want them to be as cheap as possible and I want to be able to buy them in big bulks.


A picture of a skewed jack.

[EBK]

I use Switchcraft open frame jacks. 

[smallbearelec]

I have seen this issue rear its ugly head again lately. The poor quality of some mechanical parts from Far East sources stems from consumers pressuring the factories for the lowest possible price. So the makers cut corners and you get what you pay for. They Can and Will make good stuff, if they know that that's what the buyer wants And Will Pay For. In my case, I was naïve: I did not know when I started importing 15 years ago that I was supposed to haggle, so I didn't. Over time, as competitors entered the market and hammered on the factories to lower costs, I realized that I was getting good quality as well as prompt attention to (rare) quality issues. If you don't want to pay through the nose for Switchcraft (which I can understand), try Neutrik:

http://smallbear-electronics.mybigcommerce.com/1-4-in-mono-nys229/

They are known to hold together. Not cheep, but something has to cover the $15-an-hour New York City labor costs that are kicking in over the next few years.

My comments about Chinese manufacture also apply in spades to knobs. In many cases, my offerings are made from my own tooling and  what I pay gives me leverage to insist on careful attention to fit-and-finish. I'm not the only reliable source out there; only be aware that if the price seems unusually low, you may wind up disappointed.

[davepedals]

I love these from Tayda. 87¢!  Some of them I have to bend the center contact a bit but it's no hassle.

[thermionix]

I use Switchcraft open frame jacks.

This!  Switchcraft=milspec.  They will likely outlast you.  Most Switchcraft jacks in equipment from the 1950s are still going strong unless they have suffered some serious trauma.  They are still made just as well (in the USA) and never suffered the old "quality slide"...even in the 70s, when just about everybody was cranking out turds.  Use star washers and torque the hell out of 'em.  They can take it, and will never work loose.  Couple drops of Deoxit every 10 years or so and you are good to go.

[armdnrdy]

I love these from Tayda. 87¢!  Some of them I have to bend the center contact a bit but it's no

I hope you don't sell pedals with those Tayda jacks installed.
Those are the worst jacks I have ever used. These jacks are constructed using thin material and the tip does not seat correctly. You stated as much yourself. One should not have to bend a brand new jack to make it work.
There's a thread from several years ago outlining the problems with these jacks.
http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=104153.40

[drummer4gc]

The jack Tayda is selling now is different than what they used to sell. The old ones were terrible (as documented in that thread), but I bought a few in my last small order to hit the $5 minimum and they appear much sturdier. Can't speak for anything more than initial appearance, but they've clearly switched up from the types they used to hawk.

[armdnrdy]

The jack Tayda is selling now is different than what they used to sell. The old ones were terrible (as documented in that thread), but I bought a few in my last small order to hit the $5 minimum and they appear much sturdier. Can't speak for anything more than initial appearance, but they've clearly switched up from the types they used to hawk.

Unless Tayda is selling a different jack than what is depicted in this link...these are the same problem jack.
Black plastic insulators, and constructed of thin metal. You can even see in the image that the bend on the tip contact is too shallow to make a good connection. That is why they pull out too easily.
http://www.taydaelectronics.com/review/product/list/id/1934/category/98/

[drummer4gc]

The ones I received are different than the ones in the photo, both in this thread and on their site. I'll snap a pic in a few days when I'm home.

[Rob Strand]

They are still made just as well (in the USA) and never suffered the old "quality slide"...even in the 70s, when just about everybody was cranking out turds.

LOL!  but so true.

Companies use Switchcraft because they don't want the headaches, or they have headaches and they want to get rid of them.    They don't cost that much more really.

I'm pretty sure in the old days the awesome connectors were phosphor-bronze.

[davepedals]

I love  swichcraft, but about a year ago I purchased a quantity of the midpriced Tayda jacks and like I said, with some of them I  do have to bend the center connector which is a simple thing to do. After doing so they work fine... I haven't had a problem with any of them in the last year. It makes for a tight fit no problems with the plugs pulling out at all, for me anyway.  I believe they sell four different jacks now, the lowest price being $0.49, these are still bad! However the midpriced ones work just fine for me. Feel they're better quality made now.

[snarblinge]

Switchcraft or neutrik, nothing else.

[Groovenut]

Switchcraft and only switchcraft.

[Phoenix]

Switchcraft
Neutrik
Amphenol
Cliff*

• *Genuine CEC/Cliff UK, not CHK -Cliff Hong Kong, which began as Cliff USA, the US distributor for CEC, then began manufacturing their own copies in Hong Kong and continued selling them as Cliff - Cliff USA held the US trademark at the time, but CEC sued and the matter was settled out-of-court and now CEC retain the US trademark. CHK are no longer allowed to use the name Cliff in any of their branding as part of the terms of the settlement, but their products are still labelled CLIFF in the plastic moldings. Genuine CEC jacks are labelled CLIFF UK in the moldings.
  
  And certainly not all the cheap far-eastern copies of Cliff!

There are copies of all of the above brands that may be frequently passed off as genuine, so be careful where you purchase from.
Even if you do your due diligence though, you can still be caught out:
I had purchased a few hundred jacks from Cliff Australia, one of the authorised distributor of Cliff (as listed on CEC's website) in my country, and they sold me counterfeits - it was a long and arduous process to get my money back, but I did get it all back, and Cliff Australia have since been removed as an authorised distributor by CEC.

One other brand that may be noteworthy is Rean, which is Neutrik's "budget" brand - like Fender's Squire or Gibson's Epiphone. They are still of quite good quality, but at a reduced price thanks to being manufactured in the far-east. They may be worth considering if you're pinching-pennies.

[EBK]

One other brand that may be noteworthy is Rean, which is Neutrik's "budget" brand - like Fender's Squire or Gibson's Epiphone. They are still of quite good quality, but at a reduced price thanks to being manufactured in the far-east. They may be worth considering if you're pinching-pennies.

I own a Squier Strat and a Squier J Bass.  I've installed Switchcraft jacks in both. 

(I've also added Bourns pots, Sprague caps, better wiring and shielding, better pickups with a series/parallel switch, and customized tone control -- it turns out that you really can polish a turd, although I admit you end up with a shiny turd rather than a genuine Fender....  )

[Rob Strand]

http://www.fox.com/sites/default/files/video-image-thumb/DAD_822_5_tagged_2500_1280x720_330861635560.jpg

[Bill Mountain]

Someone once told me don't be cheap and use Switchcraft (11's & 12B's).

I've used others in a pinch for personal projects but I only use Switchcraft when I build commercially.

[karbomusic]

Switchcraft only, buy once, cry once.

[davepedals]

The tayda mid priced work fine in my testing / experimental projects, . For some dumb reason... I have never made a testing jig complete with power, output jacks, and assorted alligator clips going to ins and outs etc. I really need to make one of those soon. I do use switch craft in my own pedals or anything I may sell. I had a rean, which I also like a lot, one of the stereo jacks I had would not fit in my telecaster!

[smallbearelec]

I have never made a testing jig complete with power, output jacks, and assorted alligator clips going to ins and outs etc.

Do you want a configurable box that you can gig with, or a bench setup? Either way:

http://diy.smallbearelec.com/HowTos/IdeaBoxAndBoard/IdeaBox.htm