My guitar/bass cable will sometimes accidentally unplug from my guitar/bass when I am playing at a practice or at a gig. It usually happens when I move around or step on my cable. Is there a way to prevent this from happening?
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2Wireless connection if you have the cash :-)– Carl WitthoftJan 15, 2014 at 18:01
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5 Answers
Yes there is a very simple way to prevent this. Instead of just plugging it in directly to your guitar/bass, you can loop it though your strap(picture coming soon).
By doing this, all the force from stepping on your cable or moving to much will be transferred to your strap and not the input jack. If you do move to far from your amp you could still yank it from the amp or pull the amp so you still do need to be spaciously aware of where you are, but this little trick has saved many performers from embarrassingly having to plug their cable back in to their guitar/bass in the middle of a song.
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7Yes, this is what I do too. Depending on the placement of your output jack, you may want to consider an L-Jack cable. This is because you can still pull the cord through the strap if enough force is applied, resulting in the potential of bending the output jack within the instrument, which could be bad enough to require repair. The L-Jack cable will decrease the leverage and in turn the likelihood of bending the output jack itself. It could also keep the cord from poking out as far, making it less likely to get bumped (or stepped on if the instrument is on the floor, not that it should be). Jan 15, 2014 at 16:55
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@Basstickler Why don't you post that as an answer? Just because I posted a solution doesn’t mean it's the only one or the one that will be accepted.– Dom ♦Jan 15, 2014 at 16:57
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I figured it was more of an addition to your answer and not a separate solution. You can feel free to add that to your answer or we could make the answer a community wiki and it in there as well. I just didn't think it merited its own answer. Jan 15, 2014 at 17:14
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2I appreciate the desire to get me some credit but I'm not overly concerned. I am more concerned that the response answers the question as well as possible so that people can use it for reference than receiving credit. Jan 15, 2014 at 17:22
+1 for looping the cable through your strap.
However if you're really active moving about on on stage, why not consider investing in a decent radio system and do away with the cable altogether? It's by no means a cheap alternative, but the price of reasonable wireless systems have come down such that you only need to have to replace your trodden-on cable a few times to pay for the wireless system.
Before plugging in the guitar loop the cord through your strap. Also buy an L shaped cord. Both of these techniques help but in my opinion you should always do both. If you step on the cord while it is looped around the strap, it will still pull on the cord a little which could be bad for a normal (not L shaped) cord. Also you could invest in a wireless cord, which has a small wire that will clip onto your strap. Then it is basically a radio that you plug into your amp/first pedal. (Two pieces) This completely eliminates the hazard of stepping on it and also let’s you move a lot more and avoid getting tangled in wires.
Wrapping the cable around your strap is also kinder to the cable. If it gets yanked (eg if you step on it), the point where the force is at its most is kind of spread out over the strap, with a bit of give, so the cable will likely survive intact.
If it's just in the plug, it'll either pull it out, or pull sideways and the main 'tug' will be straight on the bit where the cable attaches to the end plug. Quite a good chance of pulling it apart there, resulting in a disposable lead.
answered Jan 16, 2014 at 10:24
I actually don't like the "wrap it round the strap" method, it always looks messy to me, even though it's the "classic solution" to this problem.
If you find your jack comes out very easily, rather than only when you tread on the cable and accidentally give it a good tug (hint: learn not to do this, it's not hard) then it might be that your jack is too loose for your guitar due to small tolerance differences. You can easily tighten your guitar socket as it's a very simple leaf-spring which holds the jack in by pushing on the side... a tiny bend on this can make a big difference. I did this on a guitar I have and it made a huge difference.
You can also get a lead where the jack is at 90 degrees to the cable, then small tugs won't pull it out. But this might look weird depending where your socket is, and could be bad if you tug hard on the cable (again: don't!)
