Things You'll Need:
- Soldering iron
- New TRS (1/4") input/output jack, purchasable at electronics and music stores
- Lead-free solder
- Wire cutters
- Wire stripper
- Small Phillips screwdriver
- Plastic bag for loose screws
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Step 1
The first thing you will need to do, even if you are not sure exactly what is wrong with your guitar input, is to locate the input's face plate. This is located in different places on different guitars, but the best way to find it is to look for what you can unscrew that is closest to where you plug the instrument cable into your guitar.On a Fender Stratocaster or similar models, this will most likely involve taking the pickguard off first. Just unscrew all the screws and carefully slide it off. On a Les Paul, or any model designed to look like one, the input face plate is usually on the back of the guitar.
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Step 2
After you have located the cavity where the cable input runs into, carefully unscrew all the screws necessary to remove the piece. Be very careful not to strip the screws, as they are often of a strange size and are difficult to replace. Store the screws in a plastic bag or a small dish, or anywhere where you won't lose them.Slide the pickguard, or rear faceplate, off the body of the instrument. You may have to stick a butter knife or palate knife under the edge and give it a little pop. Set the piece aside.
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Step 3
Now that you have the cavity of the guitar exposed, you will see a whole bunch of different colored wires heading every which way. Be very careful with these wires! Even guitars that cost hundreds of dollars are notorious for being very poorly wired, which is what leads to these sorts of problems in the first place.There are a couple of major factors that cause a guitar input to go bad. The first is that one of the two wires connecting the web of wires between the pickups and volume pots to the input has become frayed or has simply snapped.The second is that the jack itself, which has a receiver for each section of the TRS input, has snapped or bent.
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Step 4
When examining your guitar's input jack, after it has been removed from its slot that runs through the body of the guitar, try plugging a TRS (1/4 in.) cable into it. The TRS plug should go through the outer ring and sit snugly against the contact for the tip of the plug. If it goes in properly, you will feel it click into place, and it will hold there under its own power.If this is not the case, that is to say if your TRS plug receiver has been bent or broken, the solution is as simple as replacing it. Any large musical instrument retailer, and most smaller music shops, will carry TRS plug receivers tailor made for guitar application. When you go shopping, bring your old, busted one with you for comparison purposes. The part should retail for under $5.Then the process is as simple as cutting, stripping and removing the old wires, making sure to note which wire goes to each section of the TRS plug receiver, and soldering the whole device back together.If you are unsure of the process of using a soldering iron, please refer to the link, "How to Use a Soldering Iron."
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Step 5
If the TRS plug receiver on your guitar is intact and accepts the cable, the only other thing with your input that could be causing the problem is a frayed or broken wire. Check the two wires--usually one red and one black--that connect to the input jack right where the connection takes place. It is possible that one or both of them have become frayed, partially disconnected or have come off altogether.If the problem is right here, just desolder, clip the wire to leave about 3/4 of an inch of open copper wire exposed, wind it around its contact on the TRS jack, and solder it back on.If you do a close inspection of the wires and nothing appears to be wrong, the problem is likely in your pickups or somewhere else in the wiring within your guitar. If you do not have significant understanding of wiring systems, at this point you should take your guitar in for professional help.Still, 90 percent of guitar input problems stem from those two small wires. It is worth the time and effort to potentially save $50 or more on a guitar repair job, and it can make a fun Sunday project as well!
