# the tip of the plug of my cable is stuck in the input of my amp



## seekabuilder (Aug 11, 2011)

it's a peavey head 
how do i get it out?

thanks


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

You'll have to take it apart and see what kind of jack is n there, you might be able to pry the piece out with a screwdriver. You may have to replace the jack.


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## J-75 (Jul 29, 2010)

If you can get it out with a screw extractor that would be best. The jack is likely an enclosed plastic type which are delicate by traditional (switchcraft) standards.
It may get damaged and require replacement as well. It likely has six pins soldered to a circuit board, so it is best done by an experienced hand to minimise collateral damage. Give the screw extractor a real good try is my advice.


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

See if you can get a small pointy screw (like a drywall screw or woodscrew) to thread into the tip. Keep turning clockwise as you pull out.


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## bcmatt (Aug 25, 2007)

The same thing happened to the headphone jack of my smartphone. It was sort of scary and confusing at first because any phonecalls would be silent on the other end. I couldn't figure out why until I found the cable with the missing tip. I should not recommend my solution...
I put krazy glue on the tip of the remaining broken plug and stuck it back into the jack for 30 seconds. Then I gave it a little twist to make sure it didn't bond with the jack and then pulled it out and it had the tip.


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## seekabuilder (Aug 11, 2011)

bcmatt said:


> The same thing happened to the headphone jack of my smartphone. It was sort of scary and confusing at first because any phonecalls would be silent on the other end. I couldn't figure out why until I found the cable with the missing tip. I should not recommend my solution...
> I put krazy glue on the tip of the remaining broken plug and stuck it back into the jack for 30 seconds. Then I gave it a little twist to make sure it didn't bond with the jack and then pulled it out and it had the tip.


genius. 
i'll give it a go with EPOXY. i tried using magnets it didn't work. 
the good thing is that i can still get connection believe it or not.


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## seekabuilder (Aug 11, 2011)

what would you extract though?


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## seekabuilder (Aug 11, 2011)

J-75 said:


> If you can get it out with a screw extractor that would be best. The jack is likely an enclosed plastic type which are delicate by traditional (switchcraft) standards.
> It may get damaged and require replacement as well. It likely has six pins soldered to a circuit board, so it is best done by an experienced hand to minimise collateral damage. Give the screw extractor a real good try is my advice.


sorry what would you extract? do you mean the entire input socket?


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

I'd just pull the screws and pull the chassis out of its cabinet, and push the jack out from the inside. Be very careful not to touch any of the capacitors though, you could get a nasty - up to potentially fatal - shock.


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## bcmatt (Aug 25, 2007)

keto said:


> I'd just pull the screws and pull the chassis out of its cabinet, and push the jack out from the inside. Be very careful not to touch any of the capacitors though, you could get a nasty - up to potentially fatal - shock.


I'm pretty sure Peavys use enclosed plastic jacks mounted to PCBs. I don't think this ewould work.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

seekabuilder said:


> the good thing is that i can still get connection believe it or not.


I took a small LED flashlight and was able to look right to the bottom of the jack socket. Did you try that to see if you can see the tip. It may have fallen into the amp if you can still get a connection. If it's still there and you can see it, there are lot of ideas posted here that might work if you know what your dealing with.


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## J-75 (Jul 29, 2010)

The drywall screw idea sounds good to me - forget what I said about the screw extractor.


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## seekabuilder (Aug 11, 2011)

J-75 said:


> The drywall screw idea sounds good to me - forget what I said about the screw extractor.


what do i do with that? 
where would you use it?


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## WCGill (Mar 27, 2009)

Would it be possible to gain access to the jack by removing the chassis and gently lifting the grounding tab(s) allowing the tip to fall out of the jack, obviously positioning the chassis face-down more or less.


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## J-75 (Jul 29, 2010)

WCGill said:


> Would it be possible to gain access to the jack by removing the chassis and gently lifting the grounding tab(s) allowing the tip to fall out of the jack, obviously positioning the chassis face-down more or less.


These are plastic enclosed jacks, not the (old) open kind you're thinking of.


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## J-75 (Jul 29, 2010)

seekabuilder said:


> what do i do with that?
> where would you use it?


push it into the jack, and twist it clockwise to try and grab the hollow tip and pull it out.


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

Those jacks will not take alot of messin' with before the contacts get bent out of shape, plus the plastic housing is fairly fragile.
If U can see the tip and it is loose at all you may want to try sucking it out with yer' Hoover.
Cheers. Doug


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## WCGill (Mar 27, 2009)

J-75 said:


> These are plastic enclosed jacks, not the (old) open kind you're thinking of.


Yes I'm totally aware of this. Lifting the single grounding tab on a Switchcraft jack would be pointless.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

loudtubeamps said:


> If U can see the tip and it is loose at all you may want to try sucking it out with yer' *Hoover*.
> Cheers. Doug


That is a *dam *fine suggestion.

But I doubt that it will "hold water".

Cheers

Dave


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

greco said:


> That is a *dam *fine suggestion.
> 
> But I doubt that it will "hold water".
> 
> ...


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## seekabuilder (Aug 11, 2011)

bcmatt said:


> The same thing happened to the headphone jack of my smartphone. It was sort of scary and confusing at first because any phonecalls would be silent on the other end. I couldn't figure out why until I found the cable with the missing tip. I should not recommend my solution...
> I put krazy glue on the tip of the remaining broken plug and stuck it back into the jack for 30 seconds. Then I gave it a little twist to make sure it didn't bond with the jack and then pulled it out and it had the tip.


thanks a lot, man. i got it out just using super glue. it was funny i got to the tip with the glue on the center conductor but then i got out with the insulation rod 
so glue that, and then i went in again and came out with the whole thing. 

this was by the way a snapjack cable (magnets). i've had several of these and each one of these cables went shitty one way the other, after a couple of years of use. i think for one thing the plugs of these cables have too much weight on them which may be the case.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

seekabuilder said:


> thanks a lot, man. i got it out just using super glue. it was funny i got to the tip with the glue on the center conductor but then i got out with the insulation rod
> so glue that, and then i went in again and came out with the whole thing.


Good concept to remember...not that this problem arises that often, AFAIK. 

Congrats on getting it out with a simple method that didn't require tearing the amp apart.

Cheers

Dave


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## bcmatt (Aug 25, 2007)

So I win? Because you chose my method and it works? I'm so proud of myself today... just so you all know I happened to make a witty comment on Facebook today as well... so I liked my own comment... and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

Anyways, don't be tempted to use that plug again; the superglue will not hold. I just happen to know this for absolutely no reason at all. Quit asking me about it.


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## bluzfish (Mar 12, 2011)

In the thread list, only part of the title shows - "the tip of the plug of my cable is stuck in the input of my " - how could I not read further?

Anyway, I would have taken the opportunity to desolder the jack and replace it with a panel mounted Switchcraft so it wouldn't be hardwired to the fragile circuit board. Guess I'm a little late with that thought.


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## seekabuilder (Aug 11, 2011)

bcmatt said:


> So I win? Because you chose my method and it works? I'm so proud of myself today... just so you all know I happened to make a witty comment on Facebook today as well... so I liked my own comment... and I'm not ashamed to admit it.
> 
> Anyways, don't be tempted to use that plug again; the superglue will not hold. I just happen to know this for absolutely no reason at all. Quit asking me about it.


you're the man, bro.


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## Wild Bill (May 3, 2006)

seekabuilder said:


> this was by the way a snapjack cable (magnets). i've had several of these and each one of these cables went shitty one way the other, after a couple of years of use. i think for one thing the plugs of these cables have too much weight on them which may be the case.


This shows an important point! A lot of manufacturers hype the "sound" of their guitar cables. This is pure bullcrap! ANY cable will sound the same, unless it is made of rusty wire that "crackles" when you move it! The only difference between one type of conductor and another is its resistance. Resistance does NOT affect tone! To affect tone, you have to distort a signal and/or boost or buck one part of the frequency range. That means stronger mids or lower highs. Resistance just lowers the amplitude of the WHOLE signal, like a volume control and not a tone control.

A very long guitar cord can lose highs more than a shorter one. A poor quality one can also lose more highs than a better one. However, while this is true for a lawyer when you advertise your cable preserves the highs the difference is mice nuts in the real world! Just turn the treble knob up a notch, if necessary.

No, the real worry is not the tone. It is how well the cable is made MECHANICALLY! Your cord is going to get twisted, flexed and stomped on for years. If it is cheaply made it just won't stand up!

If it uses cheapo connectors, the tips might break off and get stuck inside your amp!kkjuw

There is a lot of margin in the price of a guitar cord. A retail store makes more profit on a cord than likely it makes on a guitar. Still, I would say that if you spend at least $30 or more you should get a cord that will be trouble free for years of playing. If I were playing professionally, I would spring for at least a $50 product.

Also, read what it says on the package! If all it talks about is "wonderful tone!" and never mentions anything about mechanical quality, it's a good chance it's a "snow job".

Wild Bill/Busen Amps


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## bcmatt (Aug 25, 2007)

Great stuff, Wild Bill!
I think that lifetime warranties are common enough on cables now to make that a priority as well. I find every cable can only handle a certain amount of abuse over the years, so it is nice to know that I can walk into any Long & McQuade with any Yorkville cable and they pass me a new one off the shelf and I can walk out in less than 10 seconds. It's the same for several brands as well. I'm not saying that warranty is the only important thing (I don't want to be having cables crap out mid gig if I can avoid it) but I'm just saying, a good cable should ALSO include an easy lifetime warranty in order for me to consider buying it. Basically, I can say that I shouldn't ever have to spend another cent on a cable in my life because I have enough Yorkville cables of various sizes and styles.
Unfortunately, I was on tour in the states this summer and my main coily cable crapped out after 5 years so I had to buy a Guitarcentre brand one (with it's own lifetime warranty of course) to last me till I could get back to L&M land.


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

I was offered some George L cable last summer. I tried a *6 foot length* and A/B'd it against my trusty old Belden and some Canare cables of similar length that I have had forever. I could not believe the difference in top end with the George L, almost too much for my liking.
I am convinced that there are audible differences between cable manufacturers.It seems different capacitance values are the reason for the cut or boost in the high freqs. There is no shortage of info out there discussing the properties of audio cable.
FWIW
Guitar Cable Tone Comparison George L's Spectraflex Guitar Center Live Wire - YouTube
Cheers, Doug


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## WCGill (Mar 27, 2009)

Yes I've had the same experience with George L's. It seems to be very low capacitance with the resulting extended bandwidth in the high frequency range. I don't think you'd find any resistance difference between cables to speak of, capacitance is the biggie here.


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## Wild Bill (May 3, 2006)

loudtubeamps said:


> I was offered some George L cable last summer. I tried a *6 foot length* and A/B'd it against my trusty old Belden and some Canare cables of similar length that I have had forever. I could not believe the difference in top end with the George L, almost too much for my liking.
> I am convinced that there are audible differences between cable manufacturers.It seems different capacitance values are the reason for the cut or boost in the high freqs. There is no shortage of info out there discussing the properties of audio cable.
> FWIW
> Guitar Cable Tone Comparison George L's Spectraflex Guitar Center Live Wire - YouTube
> Cheers, Doug


Well, I have heard this so many times before but never yet heard of a blindfold, true scientific test prove anything. Capacitance of a shielded wire WILL bypass highs but the value involved means that you have to be talking 40 foot or longer cables before the effect might be noticeable to the human ear.

Unless you are comparing a very cheap, crappy cable! Never underestimate the effort an advertising "suit" will go to in order to get you to buy his product.

I watched the video - as a techie I can only say, WHAT UTTER CRAP! The guy who made it should be sued!

I could hear no differences. Since it was a youtube file being heard through computer speakers, I didn't expect to but what REALLY upset me was his spectrum analyzer bullshit! It's true that there are a few pf of capacitance difference between some cables. What he DIDN'T say is that a few pf of capacitance is MICE NUTS! A picofarad is a million millionth of a farad. The difference between the cables he mentioned is like only 1/10,000th the value used as the tone cap in many Fender guitars! Would anyone seriously expect that to make any difference? Capacitance is NOT the biggie here because we are debating ridiculously small amounts. As I said, we might see a slight rolloff of the higher frequencies, easily compensated by the treble control in the amp. As for seeing a difference of .5 db difference at the bass end, as claimed in the video - that is BS worthy of Penn and Teller!

It's like using an electron microscope to examine a 50 foot building. It just makes NO sense at all! I find it hard to believe that the guy who made this video actually believes this. He can't possibly be that ignorant. In my opinion, he's looking to make some easy money!

There are of course differences in opinion with technical matters but this goes way over the top of any mountains a hundred miles away! I would have more faith in astrology or the I Ching!

I really wish some of these guys would read even ONE basic electronics textbook!

Some day I will organize a true blindfold test. I'll put up a bottle of Chevis to anyone who can actually tell some of these so-called differences. with guitar cables, speaker wire and different brands of the same tubes. Of course, I will expect anyone who tries the test to put up the same!

My booze cabinet would be stocked for years! 3dgrw

Wild Bill/Busen Amps


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## J-75 (Jul 29, 2010)

Wb - absolutely correct !!!


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

I'm not sure if it's comparable to instrument cables but I did see results of scientific study done on HDMI cables a few years ago. There was no difference in quality from the cheaper HDMI cables when compared to the very expensive ones. There is enough information in this thread to at least be cautious when your spending big money buying instrument cables.


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## Wild Bill (May 3, 2006)

Guitar101 said:


> I'm not sure if it's comparable to instrument cables but a did see results of scientific study done on HDMI cables a few years ago. There was no difference in quality from the cheaper HDMI cables when compared to the very expensive ones. There is enough information in this thread to at least be cautious when your spending big money buying instrument cables.


Back before the last Ice Age, when I was a roadie/sound/light and slug guy for a band, I made up guitar cables and patch cords for my band with Belden 8410 wire and Switchcraft jacks.

That was like, 40 years ago. Some of those cables are still being used! If you use good stuff and do it right things last!

Wild Bill/Busen Amps


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## J-75 (Jul 29, 2010)

Wild Bill said:


> Back before the last Ice Age, when I was a roadie/sound/light and slug guy for a band, I made up guitar cables and patch cords for my band with Belden 8410 wire and Switchcraft jacks.
> 
> That was like, 40 years ago. Some of those cables are still being used! If you use good stuff and do it right things last!
> 
> Wild Bill/Busen Amps


Through the years, shielding has moved from braided, to wrapped stranded, to foil... comments, opinions?

Speaking to a roadie, I gathered that from his perspective, good cables are those that withstand years of set up & take down wear without getting noisy. This is a different quality than fidelity (bandwidth), that is being assessed in that video. All I'm saying is, opinions on what are 'better' cables may vary according to the context.


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

When I brought up the topic of sonic differences in similar length cables, build quality of the cable or the quality of the jack plugs was not a consideration.
The George L was cut from a spool and had been fitted with Neutrik ends.
It was the thinner cable that George L sells, approx. 1/8 " dia. similar to Alpha 9174 that I use for a number of applications.
Mine was as mentioned a Belden and Canare of similar lengths under 10' which I am still using.
The simple test was done in my garage between two friends with no interest or affilliation with any cable manufacturer.
No blindfold or anachoic chamber was used or required, furthermore,no one to the best of my recollection, was wearing a suit.
The trial was pretty straight forward.
My passive equipped guitar directly into my amp with the cables in question.
Friend>"Here, try this patch cable and tell me what you think."
Me> "Sure" 
Me>" I'm hearing more top end."
At that point I switched back to my patch cord and then back again.
Not very scientific I admit,it didn't have to be, the difference was that obvious. 
The George L is not a cable that I would use. In the right situation with a different guitar and amp I could see where it could be an advantage.
I was never a big believer in the cable contests but I will say this again, I heard a significant difference in the cables we had on hand.
I can only speak for myself on this matter, and after many years of being subjected to loud music and working in the recording industry, I can still hear low level freqs.above 10Khz even with my chronic tinnitus. Whaaaaat, Eh??
D.


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