jack not fitting in jack route

[mahcks]

Hi guys, just started putting this short scale bass together and I'm realizing that my jack wont fit in the 19mm route. Also, the jack plate isn't curved to sit on the body properly. What should I do?

 

[fdesalvo]

Hi.

You may have to sand the inner circumference of the jack route to properly fit the jack.  What kind of route do you have, BTW?

The jack plate will conform to the contour as you screw it down.

HTH,

 

[Snake]

Does it fit in there if you rotate the jack a bit or is there no chance it will fit? Is it a switchcraft mono jack by chance or is it something else?

 

[Bob Hoover Ross]

fwiw I had to bend the terminals on the 1/4" jack inward to get it to fit in the 19mm hole. Definitely a tight fit even still.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Which jack are you using, ie; Warmoth part #?
Which size hole did you have Warmoth drill for?

 

[Cagey]

I'm not sure why Warmoth offers anything but a 7/8" hole for a side jack mount. The 3/4" (19mm) hole works with nothing, and the 1/2" hole supposedly works for the panel jack, but nobody in their right mind uses those, and they won't breach the depth on many rear routes anyway. The 19mm (3//4") hole is just a tad too small for a normal 1/4" jack, and re-drilling it is a major league pain in the shorts. You can try sanding it to a larger opening, but that's no fun, either. Tough to keep it round. If you wanna try it, get a plug to plug into the jack as it's mounted to the plate to check clearance. The tip connector has to displace about 1/8" when you plug/unplug the plug, so you need more clearance than you think.

The best fix is to get a short piece of 3/4" dowel and glue it into your existing hole so the face is flush with the exterior of the body, then re-drill it for 7/8". Use a Forstner or brad point bit - twist drills will likely wander. Holding the body still while you do that isn't easy, so be sure to think that through before you start. A large bench vise or a buddy who trusts you not to drill a 7/8" hole in his forearm while he holds it will come in handy.