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manXcat
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Joined: 02/17/18
Posts: 1,475
manXcat
Full Access
Joined: 02/17/18
Posts: 1,475
09/26/2021 9:19 pm
Originally Posted by: Music_Maestro

I'd like to share what happened on my fender squier,

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G'day MM. [br][br]Guitar electronics aren't complex. Nothing to be nervous nor afraid of of approaching if with patience and sufficient electronic diagram research in the case of swapping out pickups. Generally they're not difficult to work on with exception of some dated conventional design implementations being notoriously fiddly in terms of access as mentioned above by DraconusJLM. Pretty much 80% of everything to do with removal, repair, modification or refitting of guitar [u]hardware[/u] is intrinsic common sense. Though they can be specific at times, Erlewine's books and YT tutorials are there for there for general guidance.

Not quite sure which Squier Strat model or if an unusual jack implementation you're referring to here? TMK all the Squiers, Bullet, Affinity, Player, ever popular Classic Vibe and MIMs have a traditional or conventional Stratocaster externally threaded output (not input) jack for the DS output cable under a propietary Fender shaped cover plate. The jack's short threaded cylinder is held in place against the cover plate by a thin nut over a washer, and the entire assembly is located in place on the guitar body face by two wood screws. Is this what you describing as the "input jack"?

Output jack nuts loosening permitting the threaded cylinder to rotate and twist the wires stressing their fragile often poorly soldered joints isn't uncommon, regardless the brand or model.[br][br]As you note, if not addressed promptly when initially noticed, it can eventually result in circuit connection failure, ordinarily at the wire to jack solder joint resulting in no signal output (no sound), although this usually takes time and quite a bit of inadvertant rotation of the cylinder to and fro before that will occur. Annoying, inconvenient, but not catastrophic. [br][br]It's a sound precautionary maintenance practice to remove and check that nut fit/security on the jack's cylinder on your guitars when first bought if there's any discernible movement in the jack. If so, access it and after retightening, apply a smidge of Locktite threadlocker on the metal cylinder thread to nut joint. Use a minuscule amount and only of the lowest tensile strength rating as you may want to remove that nut at some later time. On jacks with plastic cover plates found in many brand implementations today where the output jack is located on the bottom side of the solid body, be careful in application as Loctite will render many plastics brittle so in time, they will subsequently fracture & disintergrate. Using threadlocker with metal jack cover plates as on your Squier are fine.

That Fender/Squier cover plate mounted jack assembly arrangment is arguably the easiest to work on of any.

[quote=Music_Maestro]

But since this is my first encounter with the internal wiring, I was sweating buckets. I've now reassembled everything, but I keeled over in terror, afterwards.

Job well done!