Multi-Contact Guitar Input Jack

Rabs

Interesting.. Not seen this before

http://i.imgur.com/Q8ck9dG.jpg

http://www.guitarworld.com/gear-news-accessories/pure-tone-technologies-releases-multi-contact-guitar-input-jack/30130

Designed to address the many problems native to the standard 19th-century jack design, the Pure Tone Jack contains dual-tension grounds and dual-positive tips for optimal signal and lowest possible noise

Greater surface area at all contact points creates a more stable connection, locking the cable securely in place and carrying more signal. As a result, high and low frequencies are greatly improved, creating a more balanced sound while eliminating frequency spikes. Most importantly, the Pure Tone Jack eliminates the infamous “crackle” noise caused by pressure grounds.

And then more interesting I was doing a search and found this.

http://patents.justia.com/assignee/gibson-brands-inc

Multiple contact jack

Patent number: 9583898

Abstract: A female jack is provided that includes one or more terminals and a reception aperture configured to accept a male plug. The female jack also includes a first spring contact with a first mating curvature configured to contact the male plug and create electrical contact between the male plug and the female jack. The first spring contact also includes one or more flex joints.

Date of Patent: February 28, 2017

Assignee: Gibson Brands, Inc

Sooo...  this may be one of their "new features" in the 2018 line up...  Interesting idea either way.

Ohh and if anyone is interested I just found them on amazon

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B073JQ39TC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501038800&sr=8-1&keywords=multi+contact+guitar+jack

Rabs

The patent below it is interesting too..  New types of pickups to come maybe?

Lo impedance dual coil bifilar magnetic pickup

Patent number:  9524710

Abstract:  A bifilar pickup for an electrical stringed musical instrument is provided. The bifilar pickup comprises a dual coil wherein at least one coil is formed with two closely spaced bifilar parallel wound wires. A guitar in combination with the pickup unit is additionally provided.

stickyfiddle

"...carrying more signal..." 

well, technically, yes, but also "im out".

prowla

Well, I do have a couple of older jack sockets in my parts box which have a pair of contacts at the tip.

But as to the one in the OP's picture, I wonder if the sleeve/earth makes a lesser contact (assuming the smaller tab there is for a stereo jack), because the normal single contact one tends to push the jack plug to one side, thereby giving a firm contact with the sleeve too.

Gagaryn

Mechanically probably not a bad idea. Not convinced there would be one iota of audible difference though - that graph is clearly BS. I'll stick with Switchcraft, not least because the long barrel version means you can use just about any right angle plugs in a vintage tele socket, which as a sofa noodler is important!

Sassafras

I've been waiting years for these. They will finally turn me from a mediocre player to a superstar.

thermionic

Coming from a background in the electronics industry, I know how reducing contact resistance can often be important - I've often thought that a pedalboard with 20 jack-socket interfaces would accumulate some ohms, so reducing the resistance between jack and socket (by doubling the contact points) sounds useful to me. Possibly more useful in speaker jacks carrying high current though.

Bridgehouse

If only guitar manufacturers would adopt a mini-speakon design for connectivity...

Ravenous

Rabs said:

The patent below it is interesting too..  New types of pickups to come maybe?

Lo impedance dual coil bifilar magnetic pickup

Patent number:  9524710

Abstract:  A bifilar pickup for an electrical stringed musical instrument is provided. The bifilar pickup comprises a dual coil wherein at least one coil is formed with two closely spaced bifilar parallel wound wires. A guitar in combination with the pickup unit is additionally provided.

Very vague... they probably just registered this patent to prevent someone else inventing something they haven't thought of yet.  (There have been several bifilar wound pickup patents over recent years and they all look alike to me.)

Could be used as a multi-tap thing (these already exist though), but I can't see how they help with noise reduction (the coils can be wired to cancel noise, but they'll cancel the signal too). Could be wired to run to a balanced input, but that would only deal with noise induced in the cable, not in the pickups themselves.

(Sorry for the diversion.)

thermionic

Based on a five minute read, it looks pretty clear to me. It's wired like an ordinary humbucking pickup (and so cancels the hum but not the signal). The difference is there's two wires in parallel forming each coil (120 & 122 in Fig. 4 for example).

Link to the original patent document.

(Disclaimer: I am a Patent Examiner and read these kind of things in great detail every day)

Jack_

High and low frequencies are greatly improved? That's a big statement, greatly would suggest substantial, so much so you'd notice it?

If that was the case, wouldn't that mean using one of these jacks might actually make things worse for your tone because all gear for the past 60 years has been optimised for the traditional frequency response provided by the traditional jack design?

FelineGuitars

i have them in stock.

Rabs

FelineGuitars said:

i have them in stock.

Any good?   Any difference?

Gagaryn

FelineGuitars said:

i have them in stock.

Next to the snake oil? Joke!! ;-)

Danny1969

The standard jack connector and socket is a terrible design and it pains me to have to fit it on my own stuff. It's way longer than it needs to be, the hot makes contact before the earth and the contact area is tiny. 

That design does look better to me from a pure engineering aspect with pressure both sides rather than the normal one side. As with anything though it's the quality of the metal that makes the difference long term

ICBM

It's a good design idea, but as Danny said the quality of the parts is the key factor - unfortunately this doesn't look quite as good as a standard Switchcraft. You could actually get the same ground contact reliability by using a Switchcraft TRS (stereo) jack and simply connecting the ring terminal to ground as well - although it would only have a single tip contact, it's still a better design with the loop backwards so is less likely to get stressed.

For what it's worth you should always connect unused ring contacts to ground in any jack (eg acoustic guitar endpins and standard barrel jacks) where they aren't needed for signals, exactly for this reason - it minimises the chance of a bad ground contact.

Rabs

I actually bought one to try...   Seems pretty well made..  Probably not quite as thick metal as a Switchcraft but I will have to go and do a direct comparison to be sure on that.. (which I will do tomorrow)

One thing is that I had heard they made it hard to get the jack in and out...  So I did a quick test and it seems perfectly fine to me

Rabs

So I put the jack side by side with a Switchcraft one...  And they are pretty similar in thickness... I do still think the Switchcraft one may be a tad thicker but theres not much in it..  But im gonna give it a go in my next build and see what its like..

http://i.imgur.com/wIfRQcl.jpg

ICBM

To be accurate, this isn't a totally original idea since the 1960s Bulgin J2 socket uses a dual tip contact and a sprung ground contact, although the design is completely different.



Although to be fair, these are so rare now that it's possible the designers of the new one don't even know about it - it's hard to even find an online pic. (This one is mine.)

Apparently they're quite sought-after for Brian May Red Special replicas, since he used one - it's a very low profile horizontally, so it would fit in the thin body.

thermionic

It goes even further back than that...

"The present invention, which is an improvement in or modification of the invention claimed in the specification referred to, provides a forked or bifurcated contact strip adapted to grip the plug with resilient pressure at diametrically opposed points thereby relieving the plug of lateral stress when engaged with the jack."

From a patent filed in 1927.

ICBM

thermionic said:

It goes even further back than that...

"The present invention, which is an improvement in or modification of the invention claimed in the specification referred to, provides a forked or bifurcated contact strip adapted to grip the plug with resilient pressure at diametrically opposed points thereby relieving the plug of lateral stress when engaged with the jack."

From a patent filed in 1927.

I notice that patent was filed by Arthur Frederick Bulgin - it was obviously a concept that mattered to him. So it's even more surprising that the typical Bulgin mains connector used on amps is so poorly designed, not least because the pins don't make a proper contact on more than a single line along the side of each pin.

I'm not actually sure how old that Bulgin J2 is - I thought 60s, but it could easily be quite a lot older than that. I actually have two, the one above and one with a more sophisticated spiral-cut ground spring. I have no idea which is the earlier or later!