your guide saved me today. I had to improvise abit since I didn't have all the tools, but same concept, took me around 1hr Man I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy D:
thank you so much for providing the help in this incredibly informative video. the jack in my semi-hollow body guitar fall in and i was actually going to take it in. thank god for the internet and for helpful people like yourself.
Why the hell aren't these designed better? I finally got Gretsch semi-hollow body and it just keeps falling apart, Bigsby (which I didn't care about), stickers (also didn't care), and now the freaking input jack (I care about this!!) I've had many other guitars in my life and never been so frustrated, even with Floyd Rose setups haha. (Edit- managed to fix it using a couple of well placed lights, dental tools, some needle nose pliers, and usage of gravity) I can't believe there are no access panels!! It took forever just to find the thing, and then get it oriented correctly. It was waayy off, unreachable until I held the guitar over my head and shook it lol.
Thank you very very much. It needed more than an hour because the little piece to be caught lay across and not standing up, but it came out eventually . I used only a cable ending with an hook, no pliers: it worked well
@johnplanetz I used just a tiny bit. there is not much room for the nut to go on. Maybe a thinner washer will work better. I was so glad to find this on youtube. Thanks Much John. Jim
All you have to do is loop a noose made of thin dental floss over the needle nose pliers and around the threads. Once the noose is tightened, you can slip the washer and the nut over the floss and onto the jack. When the threads catch, you can use the pliers to pull the other end of the noose string (floss) which will loosen it and permit easy removal. You can also use dental floss to fish all of the electronics back into place when rewiring an arch-top. I've done it many times.
Thanks for this . As a side note my sons old Samick / Greg Bennet Royale had horrible feedback whenever the guitar was facing the amp . The jack was getting a bit dodgy so I replaced it with a mono Pure Tone jack that has 4 prongs to secure the jack and low and behold vastly reduced feedback . I'm not sure if a normal new output jack would of had the same result or not but it was truely like night and day .
I tried to fix mine, but i can't get it tight enough, the whole socket turns around when I'm screwing it even when i'm holding the center of the jack like you did! Maybe you got some suggestion how to fix this?thx
When dealing with the initial step of just getting the jack to pop back through the hole in the body is to turn the guitar so it's "belly" or body front face is toward the ground and let gravity help it pop back out with a little jiggling. Try putting the guitar, face down, with half of the body overhanging the edge of the bed a bit so that you can sit under it and jiggle until you see the input pop out. A paper clip with a hook can be put inside the input give it "handle" while you reposition.
Hi, I'm back with another question! Hope you can help me with this one! Yesterday i turned my guitar in at a guitar shop to get my neck reset, but when I got home and had a proper look it didn't look ok. At the heigt of the 8th fret the strings were much higher than at the headstock and end of the neck. So I straightened it again myself with the trussrod. Now it definitely looks better but I'm still in doubt. You got some tips? thx
thanks a bunch man. i've an epi sheraton 2. but then i discovered three picks ive mysterously lost over the last three years... i had the bright idea to use gum as an adhesive. bad idea. now the jack has s bit of gum stuck on the inside. just a bit. is this gonna be a problem?
I had this happen to me with one of the volume knobs. I bought a pair of REALLY long forceps (off of amazon that came with a straight and curved and was about 10 inches or so) and was able to guide it back through the hole. They're not expensive and handy to have around when something like this happens.
Currently, the jack on my Epi 335 is held in place by only a flat washer and a nut. You have repeatedly suggested here that adding an inner-tooth lock washer is the ultimate fix to keep the nut tight on the jack. My problem seems to be that the height of my jack's threads are only high enough to accommodate one nut and one washer. Before I swap out the current jack for a longer one from stewmac, do you have any suggestions? Perhaps swap the washer for the inner-tooth washer? I don't know if doing that will hurt the finish or not.
+James Bolton - the lockwasher will most likely mark the finish, but you'll never see it so it's up to you whether you're comfortable with that. I replaced the jack with a Switchcraft jack with longer bushing. Video here: ruclips.net/video/mlkgptITFhw/видео.html
I found a 73 Silvertone in the back of an antique store that needs some restoring and TLC... this my first time in replacing pots, knobs and jacks... your tutorial was instrumental... (pun intended)
Great video how to repair an input jack that falls into the semi hollow body.. I have the same guitar the Epiphone Riviera P93 Electric guitar. This seems to be a big problem with the Epiphone P93 with the in-put jack falling into the body of the guitar. This has happened to me 3 times. Yes it is time consuming. I got so discussed this this guitar I don't play it anymore. THUMBS UP.
The much thinner shank and jaws on a medical hemostat (sometimes known as a kelly clamp) works so much faster and easier for this. the smooth finish has less of a chance of scratching the finish as well. Most needle nosed pliers have a rather rough finish even on the outside edges of the jaws. Since they are for medical use, the hemostats are made of stainless steel and are finely finished.
I forgot to mention that a small LED gooseneck flashlight is very useful for lighting the inside of the guitar through the F-holes to see where you need to fish the hemostat down to grab the jack, not having a flashlight getting in the way of the hemostat going into the jack hole and blocking your view. You can heat-shrink or tape the gooseneck portion of the flashlight so you don't scratch the finish at the f-holes. The gooseneck flashlight also speeds up the job, and reduces or eliminates the frustration of trying to fish out the jack.
One of my pickup knobs was loose on my Gretsch. When I tried to tighten it, the knob came off and the wiring and metal dial all fell inside the guitar body. The hole is very very small. Any ideas on how to grab this back through the hole and to reattach the knob?
You might want to use some Loctite on the threads. It's supposed to secure the nut against vibrations but still be removable for maintenance and repair. I use it on my car all the time.
This is actually doable with just the coat hanger. Or if you want to, buy pliers smaller than the 6-inch standard bc anything above won't get through the hole.
Actually, you didn't say the inner-tooth lock washer keeps the nut tight; you just said it resolves the jack falling in. Now, elsewhere I hear that Gibson's have a lock washer on the interior -- to keep the jack from spinning while tightening. Can you share what is the "good way to go" here, and what is "the best way to go"? Thanks for your site and posts!
Secondly, thanks for showing the alternate jack alongside the original. I had fears that the longer jack would be exceptionally long -- based on stewmac's description of thicker-wood guitars. So THAT is not the case. Elsewhere there is video were a toothed washer is inside the body of the guitar to keep the jack from spinning. I guess you are confident enough with your fix here that such an interior washer is not necessary? Great additional video. My Epi is an ES 335 Pro that arrived new from China summer 2013. I couldn't see wasting a $1300 Gibson in some club with a bunch of crazys. So for $500 the Epi does the job -- but it is infuriating and drives me crazy that they put this chincy jack in that falls in when you just look at it. I already replaced the tulip pegs with Grovers, and now with the jack I may also replace the pots -- as the volume on the factory ones cuts off at number 1.5-2 on the knobs instead of zero. You get what you pay for. Regardless, thank you kindly for these great videos. So helpful.
this happen to me but i don't have a semi-hollow guitar the only problem is i lust the washer and the nut i can't find them went to the hardware store and they don't have the thin nut you need for the jack idk where to buy any :/
I've never broken a piece of the very thin dental floss that I use (your mileage may differ.) In fact it's tensile strength is one of the reasons that I use it. Another is that the, again, very thin dental floss FITS BETWEEN THE THREADS of jacks and pots. It won't come loose even if you're tugging on it quite vigorously.
It's like pulling up the sails on Boat in a bottle ! ( I understand why people buy those Strats that are like Lego kits but I'll never give up my Ibanez Schofield for one of those fender toys !)
Add an internal-tooth lock washer under the nut:www.alliedelec.com/spectrol-sfernice-vishay-512-0008/70218893/ Don't use superglue or Loctite! You may not be able to remove the jack if it wears out.
Super glue no no no and no unless you want to take a chance of messing up a nice finish. You can use a drywall anchor to tighten it. ruclips.net/video/pVsPyPat87A/видео.html
i had a guy do this for me at guitarcenter. He was cursing the whole time and gave it back with screwed up electronics and the jack basically held in with hot glue
There’s a much easier way to do this that won’t require deleted scenes. It works, but you could get it done in one shot. I’m trying to find that Video.
FUCK that's way harder than i expected. i was expecting something that can be logically expected to be fixed, not this torture. I LOL when you dropped the jack LOL!L LKJ!LKJL!KJ
Thank you... Unfortunately my jack is all the way inside the guitar.... Good luck if you need to do a re-wire. on a semi-hollow or hollowbody, just absolute garbage to work on and frankly not worth owning for the hassle. I'm about to smash mine into a concrete floor and curse Gibson and Ted McCarty for creating a guitar with no access for maintenance. It would be as foolish as building a gas powered car with front engine with a welded shut hood... Hell's not hot enough for this SOB.
12 years later your video is helping I have the same guitar and I did this the other day. I now am going to be able to fix it.
your guide saved me today.
I had to improvise abit since I didn't have all the tools, but same concept, took me around 1hr
Man I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy D:
Dude, you saved me like $50. That's how much it cost the last time that happened. This time I'm fixing it myself. Thanks.
thank you so much for providing the help in this incredibly informative video. the jack in my semi-hollow body guitar fall in and i was actually going to take it in. thank god for the internet and for helpful people like yourself.
Thanks man, you saved me a shit load of money with my Gretsch. REMEMBER put the nut and washer on the wire unless you have three arms!
Why the hell aren't these designed better? I finally got Gretsch semi-hollow body and it just keeps falling apart, Bigsby (which I didn't care about), stickers (also didn't care), and now the freaking input jack (I care about this!!) I've had many other guitars in my life and never been so frustrated, even with Floyd Rose setups haha. (Edit- managed to fix it using a couple of well placed lights, dental tools, some needle nose pliers, and usage of gravity) I can't believe there are no access panels!! It took forever just to find the thing, and then get it oriented correctly. It was waayy off, unreachable until I held the guitar over my head and shook it lol.
11 years later and this may have just saved my life
Ah, seriously it worked. I didn't have a coat hanger but a good paper clip works too. Thanks dude...You're a life saver. And a spot of super glue too.
Thank you very very much. It needed more than an hour because the little piece to be caught lay across and not standing up, but it came out eventually . I used only a cable ending with an hook, no pliers: it worked well
@johnplanetz I used just a tiny bit. there is not much room for the nut to go on. Maybe a thinner washer will work better. I was so glad to find this on youtube. Thanks Much John.
Jim
All you have to do is loop a noose made of thin dental floss over the needle nose pliers and around the threads. Once the noose is tightened, you can slip the washer and the nut over the floss and onto the jack. When the threads catch, you can use the pliers to pull the other end of the noose string (floss) which will loosen it and permit easy removal.
You can also use dental floss to fish all of the electronics back into place when rewiring an arch-top. I've done it many times.
Thanks for this . As a side note my sons old Samick / Greg Bennet Royale had horrible feedback whenever the guitar was facing the amp . The jack was getting a bit dodgy so I replaced it with a mono Pure Tone jack that has 4 prongs to secure the jack and low and behold vastly reduced feedback . I'm not sure if a normal new output jack would of had the same result or not but it was truely like night and day .
I tried to fix mine, but i can't get it tight enough, the whole socket turns around when I'm screwing it even when i'm holding the center of the jack like you did! Maybe you got some suggestion how to fix this?thx
Is there a way to do this without patience? Lol. I have to do this on an Ibanez Artcore and it's going to be not fun.
Good luck with that! 😂Deep breaths...
Thanks! Really helpful. Game changer for me was putting my phone with torch on into the big sound hole thus illuminating the interior
Good idea!
When dealing with the initial step of just getting the jack to pop back through the hole in the body is to turn the guitar so it's "belly" or body front face is toward the ground and let gravity help it pop back out with a little jiggling. Try putting the guitar, face down, with half of the body overhanging the edge of the bed a bit so that you can sit under it and jiggle until you see the input pop out. A paper clip with a hook can be put inside the input give it "handle" while you reposition.
This video saved me from taking one of my 335s to the shop. Thanks a lot!
Hi, I'm back with another question! Hope you can help me with this one! Yesterday i turned my guitar in at a guitar shop to get my neck reset, but when I got home and had a proper look it didn't look ok. At the heigt of the 8th fret the strings were much higher than at the headstock and end of the neck. So I straightened it again myself with the trussrod. Now it definitely looks better but I'm still in doubt. You got some tips? thx
thanks a bunch man. i've an epi sheraton 2. but then i discovered three picks ive mysterously lost over the last three years... i had the bright idea to use gum as an adhesive. bad idea. now the jack has s bit of gum stuck on the inside. just a bit. is this gonna be a problem?
What about the washer on the inside? Should I just not worry about it, or is there a way to put the washer back inside?
I had this happen to me with one of the volume knobs. I bought a pair of REALLY long forceps (off of amazon that came with a straight and curved and was about 10 inches or so) and was able to guide it back through the hole. They're not expensive and handy to have around when something like this happens.
Forceps are a great idea! Thanks for the tip.
I would like to install a Tune-o-matic with piezzo on my semi hollow gibson Tenessean, Is there special tips I should know, and is it easy to do??
Fantastic; this happened to me today and following your advice, I fixed it in 5 minutes. Thank you so much.
Great video! Thanks for help! But i have a question, can jack, that fell in, be damaged because of many times of grabbing it and repairing?
Thanks a million man! It must be my lucky day, i got mine fixed within 5 minutes.
Currently, the jack on my Epi 335 is held in place by only a flat washer and a nut. You have repeatedly suggested here that adding an inner-tooth lock washer is the ultimate fix to keep the nut tight on the jack. My problem seems to be that the height of my jack's threads are only high enough to accommodate one nut and one washer. Before I swap out the current jack for a longer one from stewmac, do you have any suggestions? Perhaps swap the washer for the inner-tooth washer? I don't know if doing that will hurt the finish or not.
+James Bolton - the lockwasher will most likely mark the finish, but you'll never see it so it's up to you whether you're comfortable with that. I replaced the jack with a Switchcraft jack with longer bushing. Video here: ruclips.net/video/mlkgptITFhw/видео.html
LOL....I've worked on enough hollow body guitars to fully endorse the "endless amount of patience." Thanks.
I found a 73 Silvertone in the back of an antique store that needs some restoring and TLC... this my first time in replacing pots, knobs and jacks... your tutorial was instrumental... (pun intended)
Great video how to repair an input jack that falls into the semi hollow body.. I have the same guitar the Epiphone Riviera P93 Electric guitar. This seems to be a big problem with the Epiphone P93 with the in-put jack falling into the body of the guitar. This has happened to me 3 times. Yes it is time consuming. I got so discussed this this guitar I don't play it anymore. THUMBS UP.
The much thinner shank and jaws on a medical hemostat (sometimes known as a kelly clamp) works so much faster and easier for this. the smooth finish has less of a chance of scratching the finish as well. Most needle nosed pliers have a rather rough finish even on the outside edges of the jaws. Since they are for medical use, the hemostats are made of stainless steel and are finely finished.
I forgot to mention that a small LED gooseneck flashlight is very useful for lighting the inside of the guitar through the F-holes to see where you need to fish the hemostat down to grab the jack, not having a flashlight getting in the way of the hemostat going into the jack hole and blocking your view. You can heat-shrink or tape the gooseneck portion of the flashlight so you don't scratch the finish at the f-holes. The gooseneck flashlight also speeds up the job, and reduces or eliminates the frustration of trying to fish out the jack.
You Sir, are a dead set legend and if you're anywhere near Melbourne Australia I will buy you a beer :)
can you post a video on how to tighten the guitar knobs on that same guitar please? i have that same one.
One of my pickup knobs was loose on my Gretsch. When I tried to tighten it, the knob came off and the wiring and metal dial all fell inside the guitar body. The hole is very very small. Any ideas on how to grab this back through the hole and to reattach the knob?
Sorry to hear that- it will likely be quite a chore:
ruclips.net/p/PLPIciVv1VfK2AkFpslUkPgBh0VAZ7QX8B
You might want to use some Loctite on the threads. It's supposed to secure the nut against vibrations but still be removable for maintenance and repair. I use it on my car all the time.
how much would this cost to get repaired in a local music store? please reply!!!
This is actually doable with just the coat hanger. Or if you want to, buy pliers smaller than the 6-inch standard bc anything above won't get through the hole.
Oh yeah, you're a lifesaver. the altered hook was enough to get the jack back
Thanks man, I tried it with the needle nose pliers and it worked for me! Although it wasn't an easy job!
Actually, you didn't say the inner-tooth lock washer keeps the nut tight; you just said it resolves the jack falling in. Now, elsewhere I hear that Gibson's have a lock washer on the interior -- to keep the jack from spinning while tightening. Can you share what is the "good way to go" here, and what is "the best way to go"? Thanks for your site and posts!
+James Bolton - having a lock washer on both sides would be a great idea to keep it snug.
I used a magnet to find the jack in the guitar and it worked. Can a magnet damage the jack?
Two simple words for you my friend..... THANK YOU
Thanks! :) Will this happen again, i mean is it happening often?
OMG I have the exact same guitar, you saved my life man! thanks :D
This is impossible to do without Valiume ! ( And a punching bag to get frustrations out !)
Mine is on the side of the guitar! And it’s not facing the hole what do I do?
Secondly, thanks for showing the alternate jack alongside the original. I had fears that the longer jack would be exceptionally long -- based on stewmac's description of thicker-wood guitars. So THAT is not the case. Elsewhere there is video were a toothed washer is inside the body of the guitar to keep the jack from spinning. I guess you are confident enough with your fix here that such an interior washer is not necessary? Great additional video. My Epi is an ES 335 Pro that arrived new from China summer 2013. I couldn't see wasting a $1300 Gibson in some club with a bunch of crazys. So for $500 the Epi does the job -- but it is infuriating and drives me crazy that they put this chincy jack in that falls in when you just look at it. I already replaced the tulip pegs with Grovers, and now with the jack I may also replace the pots -- as the volume on the factory ones cuts off at number 1.5-2 on the knobs instead of zero. You get what you pay for. Regardless, thank you kindly for these great videos. So helpful.
this happen to me but i don't have a semi-hollow guitar the only problem is i lust the washer and the nut i can't find them went to the hardware store and they don't have the thin nut you need for the jack idk where to buy any :/
Thanks I have just thay problem to deal with
I've the same problem on my Gretsch 5122. Thanks for the tips.. Lottie
@5mcarter man the same thing happened with my epiphone dot and my dad payed 80 bucks to repair it and the jack is loose again
I've never broken a piece of the very thin dental floss that I use (your mileage may differ.) In fact it's tensile strength is one of the reasons that I use it. Another is that the, again, very thin dental floss FITS BETWEEN THE THREADS of jacks and pots. It won't come loose even if you're tugging on it quite vigorously.
Thanks for the video. I found that if you hold the guitar face down then gravity will do a lot of the work for you too!
I love you for this bro. Saved my today's jazz gig :)
It's like pulling up the sails on Boat in a bottle ! ( I understand why people buy those Strats that are like Lego kits but I'll never give up my Ibanez Schofield for one of those fender toys !)
The pots are loose. Way loose to the point that when I turn the knobs the pot turns too
+ magnet?
Same thing happened to my Epiphone Casino. I think this way is a lot easier...
Quick Repair Gibson/Epiphone Dot ES 335 Fallen Input Jack
I just want to say thank you...
could also use some wire
Add an internal-tooth lock washer under the nut:www.alliedelec.com/spectrol-sfernice-vishay-512-0008/70218893/
Don't use superglue or Loctite! You may not be able to remove the jack if it wears out.
Super glue no no no and no unless you want to take a chance of messing up a nice finish. You can use a drywall anchor to tighten it. ruclips.net/video/pVsPyPat87A/видео.html
thanks so mutch about 5 times mine fell in and i spend more than 32 dallors just for that
i had a guy do this for me at guitarcenter. He was cursing the whole time and gave it back with screwed up electronics and the jack basically held in with hot glue
THAT happened to me today!! So, i spent an hour shaking my guitar upside down till i could pull it back out with a Q-tip...
i should have seen this before i try to fix it myself, now i have to take my guitar to the shop and idk how much it would be
There’s a much easier way to do this that won’t require deleted scenes. It works, but you could get it done in one shot. I’m trying to find that Video.
Thanks a lot, man.
Happened to me today on my own riviera p93... bullshit
very helpful
thank u very much
that's an epi riv p93
FUCK that's way harder than i expected. i was expecting something that can be logically expected to be fixed, not this torture. I LOL when you dropped the jack LOL!L LKJ!LKJL!KJ
Has anyone ever told you how much you sound like Bruce Campbell? =3
Doesn't help if the jack is bad.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
haha i would have been so pissed if i dropped it
First of all, you should be a dentist. Nice soldering.
Thanks very much, man! (:
Just put a drop of super glue on the threads before this happens.
is like impossible.I'm not joking :'D
you forgot 2 say FLASHLIGHT X)
its .... not ... it's
Thank you... Unfortunately my jack is all the way inside the guitar.... Good luck if you need to do a re-wire. on a semi-hollow or hollowbody, just absolute garbage to work on and frankly not worth owning for the hassle. I'm about to smash mine into a concrete floor and curse Gibson and Ted McCarty for creating a guitar with no access for maintenance. It would be as foolish as building a gas powered car with front engine with a welded shut hood... Hell's not hot enough for this SOB.