At Fixya.com, our trusted experts are meticulously vetted and possess extensive experience in their respective fields. Backed by a community of knowledgeable professionals, our platform ensures that the solutions provided are thoroughly researched and validated.
I bought a used ibanez electric uitar for the kids.it looks like new, but the sound is breaking up. i suspect the cheap cable i got with it..the jack output looks like new, but the jack seems to be a bit wiggly. could the problem be the guitar or is it more likely to be the cable??
Try another cable. If the cable is not the issue start inspecting the guitar's wiring. A bad solder joint or broken wire can cause problems. But I suspect the cable. An easy test if you don't have another instrument cable to try, use a multimeter and test both the tip and sleeve of the cable. You should have continuity on the tips of each end. And the sleeve should have continuity on both ends.
- If you need clarification, ask it in the comment box above.
- Better answers use proper spelling and grammar.
- Provide details, support with references or personal experience.
Tell us some more! Your answer needs to include more details to help people.You can't post answers that contain an email address.Please enter a valid email address.The email address entered is already associated to an account.Login to postPlease use English characters only.
Tip: The max point reward for answering a question is 15.
Some hopefully easy fixes : Input jack could be the problem, or connection from the amp to the speaker. Does the speaker hum a bit with the volume up almost all of the way without anything plugged into the unit? If not, check the connection from speaker to amp.
If it does hum slightly when u crank the volume, check your input jack -- it might be jacked up (pardon the pun) and you can fix that easily by soldering in a new one.
If the sound you when plugging in the headphones is coming from the main speaker, it is just the interupt contacts on the headphones are making or breaking contacts. This can be a good sign if there is volume to it.
Make sure the plugs you are using are the right length for jacks in the Ibanez as there are 5 lengths in use.. If this just developed, the length issue is not a concern. If the jacks are loose, snug them down, it may be a faulty ground relying on the chassis contact with the jack.. It may be a broken wire. It can also be a dirty switch contact or dirty level control, especially the standby switch. make sure they are clean with some contact cleaner. Make sure your level is turned up too,
If you have effects, or a preamp on the guitar, make sure they have fresh batteries or good power connections and are not on mute.
Many try to use poor quality guitar cables and have the problem. The sleeve of the guitar cable plug turns on the battery in the guitar. Always loop the guitar cable through your belt or the guitar strap to avoid the cable wisting the plug in the guitar causing noise and WEAR that wears the plug sleeve to the point it no longer will activate the guitar.
The input cable MUST be a TS (unbalanced cable) to turn the unit on. The sleeve of the input cable is what connects the battery. If you use a TRS cable at the input it likely will not turn on. A TRS cable has a tip, ring AND sleeve like many 1/4 inch stereo cables.
A common problem is a WORN jack that is caused by the user NOT looping the guitar cable through the strap or their belt loop. The rotation of the cable as it is played wears both the plug and the jack and causes noise and dropouts. Also verify that the battery connections are corrosion free. Also verify the problem is not with your amp.
The batteries are turned on by the guitar cable being plugged in. If they run down with the cable out, the contact of the "ring" part of the jack is shorting. The "ring" contact is shorted to the sleeve contact to turn on the battery. If you leave your guitar cable in for a day or two, the batteries will run down.
Remember that while in tuner mode, the audio output is disabled. Try additional presses of the tuner button to see if the audio comes back on. Also verify the volume and EQ gains are turned up. Verify the battery is new.
The jack on the guitars is a stereo type jack. The "ring" contact actually is connected to the battery and whenh the PLUG is inserted FULLY it coonects the ring contact of thee jack to the slkeeve contact of the jack which completes the circuit to turn on the battery. Hence while insertying the plug you will firsst get a snap as the tip of the plug ties to the ground of the guitar which is floating and picks up hum. Next the tip will touch the battery connection and get a snap. Finally when fully inserted both the battery is connected as well as the audio.
SOME guitars, especially those with tuners built inj will try tio fire up when the tip (audio) touches the battery cinnection. This may cycle and create the repetitive sound as it tries to start.
×