acoustic preamp- installing a new endpin jack

#1 · October 15, 2009, 7:44 am

Quote from Forum Archives on October 15, 2009, 7:44 am
Posted by: srolfe <srolfe@...>
The only tools I use for replacing an existing endpin jack are a
guitar string, a couple of different types of needlenose pliers
(careful!!!), a small allen wrench, a thin bicycle wrench in some cases
for tightening the endpin nut, open end wrenches, and a regular socket
set.

To be honest, inserting an endpin jack into the hole in the tailblock, can be a pain, especially in a thin-bodied instrument. Sometimes
you get lucky, and it drops straight in. Other times, you have to be
waaay patient, and have a quiet, private place where no-one can hear
you cursing.

Take heart, though: The fact that the Ecoustic has an endpin jack tells you that installation is possible. Job #1 in this case, is to determine how the existing jack can be removed.

Other good news in your case, is that the pressure's off. The pickup is already dead, so you don't need to worry about damaging the wiring or the jack...

On the outside of the guitar, look for flats on the endpin, underneath the strap, on the face that's closest to the body. This would indicate that it's actually a threaded cap that can be unscrewed from the jack body. Recent instruments all use this jack style. Removing the cap gives you access to the nut or nuts underneath, that hold the jack in place. Once they're off, you can push the jack back up inside the body, and then fish it out through the soundhole.

If not, it may be held on by a nut from the inside, which will complicate removal- not likely, though. If you're stuck, you might want to visit the Peavey forums, and see if anyone has been there before you. You could also try calling Peavey support. They were very good to me during a complicated amp repair a few years ago.

Things that can help if you get stuck during the jack change:
- Auto parts places sell small inspection mirrors, like a cheap version of a dentist's mirror, that can be usefull for peering inside the guitar.
- A small LED flashlight can also be handy for getting some light on the subject.

- I have used my daughters' skinnier hands and arms from time to time,
when I needed to get a hand into an inaccessible place, and simply
couldn't get in there myself.

- Stop for a quick prayer to get centered, and then try again.

- The standard for endpin jack bodies these days, includes a
cross-drilled hole in the end of the jack. This allows you to use a
guitar string to pull the jack through the body, and a small allen
wrench to hold the jack while you tighten the nut.

Here's a decent video showing how to remove/install a new endpin jack:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSNvuz9WNQE

Stew Mac also makes a couple of tools that can help. Like all Stew Mac stuff, they're expensive, and unless you will have use for them in the future, it may make more sense to simply pay a repairman to do the job.

Still, while I personally haven't needed them to date, it's nice to know that they're out there. Look at the thin jack wrench and the special slotted nut driver down near the bottom of the page, and also the ESP nut wrench:

www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Special_tools_for:_Electronics.html

--- On Wed, 10/14/09, klsluder <klsluder@hpcisp.com> wrote:

From: klsluder <klsluder@hpcisp.com>
Subject: Re: [ChristianGuitar] acoustic preamp- 2nd try, long
response.
To: christianguitar@welovegod.org
Received: Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 9:15 PM

Steve,

I can take this off list if others don’t want it in their mailbox. I enjoy reading these kinds of things when others ask them, so unless someone asks I will continue on for now.

I don’t know how crafty I am but I do my own neck, truss, action, and intonation adjustments. I know a lot of players who won’t even attempt this kind of work. I am not afraid to take it apart. Smart enough to know when I am in over my head and willing to ask for help. I am also the geek kind who downloads the manual before he buys to understand how something works.

The Ecoustic is very thin bodied, probably not much if any thicker than a standard Les Paul (but way lighter!). To make it more difficult the sound hole is very small and oval shaped. Changing the battery (mounted against the neck bracing) has always been a
challenge. I am not sure about the bracing or the saddle, as I don’t know what to feel for – if I can reach them. What I can tell is the bracing forms a V starting at the sides of the sound hole and aimed directly at the bridge. The bridge has no screws visible from above. There are the six plastic pins and a removable saddle.

It does already have an endpin jack so drilling for that will not be necessary. I am just not sure how one would get to the jack from the inside. There are no access panels in the back like on an electric. Before going too far how do I get to that endpin jack? Does the local guitar shop have some special tool for this really limited access space?
--

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Posted by: srolfe <srolfe@...>

The only tools I use for replacing an existing endpin jack are a
guitar string, a couple of different types of needlenose pliers
(careful!!!), a small allen wrench, a thin bicycle wrench in some cases
for tightening the endpin nut, open end wrenches, and a regular socket
set.

To be honest, inserting an endpin jack into the hole in the tailblock, can be a pain, especially in a thin-bodied instrument. Sometimes
you get lucky, and it drops straight in. Other times, you have to be
waaay patient, and have a quiet, private place where no-one can hear
you cursing.

Take heart, though: The fact that the Ecoustic has an endpin jack tells you that installation is possible. Job #1 in this case, is to determine how the existing jack can be removed.

Other good news in your case, is that the pressure's off. The pickup is already dead, so you don't need to worry about damaging the wiring or the jack...

On the outside of the guitar, look for flats on the endpin, underneath the strap, on the face that's closest to the body. This would indicate that it's actually a threaded cap that can be unscrewed from the jack body. Recent instruments all use this jack style. Removing the cap gives you access to the nut or nuts underneath, that hold the jack in place. Once they're off, you can push the jack back up inside the body, and then fish it out through the soundhole.

If not, it may be held on by a nut from the inside, which will complicate removal- not likely, though. If you're stuck, you might want to visit the Peavey forums, and see if anyone has been there before you. You could also try calling Peavey support. They were very good to me during a complicated amp repair a few years ago.

Things that can help if you get stuck during the jack change:
- Auto parts places sell small inspection mirrors, like a cheap version of a dentist's mirror, that can be usefull for peering inside the guitar.
- A small LED flashlight can also be handy for getting some light on the subject.

- I have used my daughters' skinnier hands and arms from time to time,
when I needed to get a hand into an inaccessible place, and simply
couldn't get in there myself.

- Stop for a quick prayer to get centered, and then try again.

- The standard for endpin jack bodies these days, includes a
cross-drilled hole in the end of the jack. This allows you to use a
guitar string to pull the jack through the body, and a small allen
wrench to hold the jack while you tighten the nut.

Here's a decent video showing how to remove/install a new endpin jack:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSNvuz9WNQE

Stew Mac also makes a couple of tools that can help. Like all Stew Mac stuff, they're expensive, and unless you will have use for them in the future, it may make more sense to simply pay a repairman to do the job.

Still, while I personally haven't needed them to date, it's nice to know that they're out there. Look at the thin jack wrench and the special slotted nut driver down near the bottom of the page, and also the ESP nut wrench:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Special_tools_for:_Electronics.html

--- On Wed, 10/14/09, klsluder <klsluder@hpcisp.com> wrote:

From: klsluder <klsluder@hpcisp.com>
Subject: Re: [ChristianGuitar] acoustic preamp- 2nd try, long
response.
To: christianguitar@welovegod.org
Received: Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 9:15 PM

Steve,

I can take this off list if others don’t want it in their mailbox. I enjoy reading these kinds of things when others ask them, so unless someone asks I will continue on for now.

I don’t know how crafty I am but I do my own neck, truss, action, and intonation adjustments. I know a lot of players who won’t even attempt this kind of work. I am not afraid to take it apart. Smart enough to know when I am in over my head and willing to ask for help. I am also the geek kind who downloads the manual before he buys to understand how something works.

The Ecoustic is very thin bodied, probably not much if any thicker than a standard Les Paul (but way lighter!). To make it more difficult the sound hole is very small and oval shaped. Changing the battery (mounted against the neck bracing) has always been a
challenge. I am not sure about the bracing or the saddle, as I don’t know what to feel for – if I can reach them. What I can tell is the bracing forms a V starting at the sides of the sound hole and aimed directly at the bridge. The bridge has no screws visible from above. There are the six plastic pins and a removable saddle.

It does already have an endpin jack so drilling for that will not be necessary. I am just not sure how one would get to the jack from the inside. There are no access panels in the back like on an electric. Before going too far how do I get to that endpin jack? Does the local guitar shop have some special tool for this really limited access space?

--

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: christianguitar-unsubscribe@associate.com