Pure Tone PTT1G Mono Output Jack

1 Introduction

The Pure Tone Mono Multi-Contact 1/4″ Output Jack [PTT1] was invented by Dave Linsk, the lead guitar player of Overkill. It is available in three finishes, namely, Nickel, Black Nickel and Gold. From what I've read so far, it's clear that the PTT1 boasts a number of features and characteristics not found on typical 1/4" open frame mono output jacks. For minutely detailed specifications and loads of information on the PTT1, head over to Pure Tone and Sweetwater.   

2 Pure Tone PTT1G

This post is about a PTT1G, the gold-plated variant of the PTT1. It's recently been installed in a Fender Japan Traditional II 60s Precision Bass as a replacement for the stock Switchcraft #11 output jack. Our story begins with a look at the PTT1G while still inside its packaging.

PTT1G Packaging - Front

PTT1G Packaging - Back

Here's the PTT1G out of its packaging. It's been disassembled, and you can clearly see the chassis, two hex mounting nuts, and a flat washer. It's a shame that Pure Tone have not provided a lock washer, as this component keeps the mounting nuts from rotating, and the jack eventually coming loose. Meanwhile, Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the dimensions of the PTT1G in both inches and millimeters, sourced from Vision Guitar.

PTT1G Disassembled

Fig. 1: PTT1G Dimensions

3 Positive and Ground Solder Lugs

Time to take a closer look at the PTT1G, starting with the two solder lugs. The positive lug is where the hot wire from the volume pot is soldered to. As it is part of the two positive flanges, it transmits the hot signal to these flanges, and onto the tip of the jack plug whenever a cable is plugged in. The ground lug, on the other hand, is where the ground wire from the back of the volume pot is soldered to. When a cable is plugged into the PTT1G, the sleeve of the jack plug makes contact with the two ground flanges and ground lug, effectively grounding the instrument's circuitry and completing the circuit.

PTT1G - Positive and Ground Solder Lugs

4 Positive Flanges

The concave contact points of the two positive flanges make firm contact with the tip of the jack plug whenever a cable is plugged in, and transmit the hot signal from the instrument to an amplifier. Both flanges are of equal length, and situated directly opposite each other. One flange is engraved with the Pure Tone logo, and the other with the words "Pure Tone" in uppercase. 

Positive Flanges - Side View

Positive Flanges - Front/Back View

 

5 Ground Flanges

Both ground flanges are physically and electrically connected to the sleeve, chassis and ground lug of the PTT1G. These flanges have concave contact points, and are located on the inner "ring" of the PTT1G. In conjunction with the PTT1G sleeve, the ground flanges establish a stable ground connection with the sleeve of the jack plug whenever a cable is plugged in [see Section 3].

Ground Flanges - Side View

Ground Flanges - Front/Back View

6 Installing the PTT1G

Having been properly introduced to the PTT1G, let's dive right into its installation. But first, let's pay homage to the stock Switchcraft #11 jack socket that will be put out to pasture. Here it is, still part of the circuit, and after desoldering and disassembly. For those of you who are wondering about that black lock washer, yes, it's going to be cleaned and reused.

Stock Switchcraft #11 Jack Socket

Switchcraft #11 Disassembled

Pulled another all-nighter, and it's a rainy November morning. The PTT1G has been installed in the Fender Japan Traditional II 60s Precision Bass, everything works as it should, and life is good. Guess what? The bass has also been treated to new stainless steel pickguard screws. They aren't gold-plated, but match the stock knurled flat-top control knobs to a T.

PTT1G All Wired In

Close-Up of the Installed PTT1G

New Output Jack and Pickguard Screws

Techno RD41 Headstock Repair | Part 4

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

While waiting for the final coat of clear to cure, I've gone ahead and worked on conditioning the bridge. It's really dry and chalky, and could do with some hydration. I started with deep cleaning using naphtha, and followed through with a healthy dose of lemon oil.

Bridge Before Conditioning

Bridge After Conditioning

Let's move on to the frets, then. They did not need much work, this being a relatively new guitar. All that was required was some steel wooling, with 0000 grade, of course. The fretboard, in turn, was first cleaned with naphtha, and then conditioned with not one, but two applications of lemon oil.

Fretboard Before Conditioning

Fretboard After Conditioning

Oh, yes, it's November 16 today, and exactly 12 days since the final coat of clear was laid down. Time for wet sanding, folks. I've worked my way through the grits, right up to 3000. Wet sanding has left a nice even surface in preparation for the next procedure, hand polishing and buffing.

Wet Sanding in Progress

Headstock Face Polished and Buffed

Back of Headstock Polished and Buffed

November 18, and I've just pulled an all-nighter on this RD41, polishing the body, and reinstalling the tuners, nut and saddle. While restringing, I discovered to my dismay that the D string tuner was a goner. In Part 2, the eagle-eyed among you would have noticed that the A string tuner was a replacement. Well, here's another one for the books. Thanks for keeping me company on this most excellent adventure, and do enjoy the pics from this morning's photo shoot.

Headstock Repair Completed - Image 1

Headstock Repair Completed - Image 2

Headstock Repair Completed - Image 3

Headstock Repair Completed - Image 4

Ibanez RG370DX | Visual Inspection and Preliminary Diagnosis

This ailing 2007 Ibanez RG370DX is currently at CA Guitar Repair for visual inspection and a preliminary diagnosis. Hats off to the owner for driving all the way here from his home in Rompin, a journey of nearly a hundred miles.

Techno RD41 Headstock Repair | Part 3

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

It's October 18, and the clamps have been removed. Now's as good a time as any to start sanding off any glue residue and such. Sanding also helps smoothen the transition between the upper edge of the hardwood inlay and the back of the headstock.

Clamps Removed, Sanding in Progress

Having leveled the headstock/inlay transition, I've gone ahead and redrilled the holes for the first and sixth string tuners. A test fitting of the tuners has me all smiles, as both sit nice and flat against the hardwood inlay.

Tuner Holes Redrilled

Test Fitting the Tuners

The time is now ripe for me to begin working on blending the lower edge of the hardwood inlay into the upper neck. This is a job that not only calls for rasps of various sizes and shapes, but also loads of sanding strips; carefully working my way up through the grits from 80 to 240.

Blending the Inlay Into the Upper Neck

The End Result

Today is October 21, and I've commenced staining the front and back of the headstock with a blend of ColorTone Liquid Stains, namely; #5030 Vintage Amber and #5038 Cherry Red. This blend doesn't match the existing finish to a T, but it's close enough. You'll notice that the original faceplate has been retained, cracks and all. As such, these cracks have been sealed with ColorTone Clear Grain Filler, lightly tinted with the aforementioned stains.

Headstock Face After Staining

Back of Headstock After Staining

Stain application, light sanding, and reapplication has taken up the better part of the day, leading us to October 22. Time to begin laying down clear coats, methinks. My clear coat of choice? Samurai 1/128, of course. It goes on smoothly, and takes wet sanding like a champ.

First Coat of Clear | Back of Headstock

First Coat of Clear | Headstock Face

Oh heck, I've lost count of how many coats of clear I've applied so far. That's because the "spray, let dry, spray, let dry, wet sand, repeat ad infinitum" cycle kind of blurs into an acetone-fueled headrush after a while. In any case, November 4 is upon us, and the final coat of clear has been laid down.

Final Coat of Clear | Back of Headstock

Final Coat of Clear | Headstock Face

Ibanez Iceman and Tokai FV Need Some Help

It's October 19, 2024. An Ibanez Iceman IC300DM and Tokai FV are here at CA Guitar Repair to be worked on. Both guitars belong to the same client. We'll start with the Iceman, then. It's heavily modified, and features a Bigsby B5-style vibrato tailpiece, brass nut, Epiphone neck humbucker, and Seymour Duncan STK-S10 YJM Fury in the bridge. The owner is planning to put the Iceman up for sale, and wants both pickups swapped out before that. To this end, he's provided me with a pair of humbuckers taken from his Tokai FV.

As the FV is now without pickups, a pair of "inspired by P90" pickups has been installed, but not wired in. It'll be my job, then, to solder them into the circuit. Another issue that needs to be addressed is fret buzz on the higher frets, which the owner believes has something to do with the truss rod. Last but not least, I've also been tasked with installing a new TOM-style bridge and truss rod cover.

Shüe Shamsul Signature HSS | Part 4

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Shamsul Signature HSS | Audio Files

In this fourth and final post on the Shüe Shamsul Signature HSS, I'd like to share some audio files recorded in the wee hours of October 27. These recordings feature the Shamsul Signature plugged straight into a Fender Champion™ 40 1x12" combo in both "Clean" and "Edge of Breakup" modes. 

  

Amp Settings - Clean

CH Select: Channel 1

Volume: 2

Treble: 5

Bass: 5

FX Level: 1.5

FX Select: Reverb Hall

Amp Settings - Channel 1 / Clean

Amp Settings - Edge of Breakup

CH Select: Channel 2

Gain: 6

Volume: 2

Voice: 60s British

Treble: 5

Bass: 5

FX Level: 1.5

FX Select: Reverb Hall

Amp Settings - Channel 2 / Edge of Breakup

Shüe Shamsul Signature HSS | Part 3

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Shamsul Signature HSS | Tremolo Bridge

In keeping with the "gold" hardware theme, the Gotoh 510 Series tremolo bridge on the Shamsul Signature HSS is gilded. Inserting and removing the tremolo arm is relatively easy, given that it's of the "push-in" variety. Arm torque may be adjusted to taste by simply tightening or loosening the torque-adjusting hex screw. Another great feature of the 510 is the "Stud Lock" system. This system utilizes a 2.5 mm hex screw to adjust the height of both studs, and a 1.5 mm hex screw to lock the studs in place. Click the link to view the Gotoh 510T/510TS Operation Manual.

Gotoh 510 | Top

Gotoh 510 | Tremolo Block

Gotoh 510 | Front

Gotoh 510 | Back

Gotoh 510 | Right Side

Gotoh 510 | Left Side

Shamsul Signature HSS | Pickguard Assembly

The underside of the pickguard is shielded with copper foil. Components mounted to the pickguard include the three pickups, a selector switch, and control pots for volume and tone. All connections are soldered, utilizing yellow and black Gavitt-style push back cloth-insulated wire. Fig. 1 below is a simplified wiring diagram of the Shamsul Signature HSS. Black lines represent ground/negative connections, while orange lines represent signal/hot connections.

Shamsul Signature HSS Pickguard Assembly

Fig. 1: Shamsul Signature HSS Wiring Diagram

Shamsul Signature HSS | Pickups

All three pickups in this guitar were handwound by Ray C himself, and comprise two Ray C SK-1 single coils [neck/middle] and a Ray C Custom Maggi Goreng humbucker [bridge]. DCR values are as follows: Neck - 15.28K, Middle - 15.22K, and Bridge - 12.76K. 

Neck | Ray C SK-1

Middle | Ray C SK-1

Bridge | Ray C Custom Maggi Goreng

Shamsul Signature HSS | Electronics

The pickguard-mounted electronics on the Shamsul Signature HSS, as examined, comprise a pickup selector switch and two full-sized pots [Fig. 2]. We'll begin by examining the five-way selector switch, which is a Gotoh DM-50. Its operation is as follows: Position 1 - Neck Only, Position 2 - Neck/Middle, Position 3 - Middle Only, Position 4 - Middle/Bridge, and Position 5 - Bridge Only.

Fig. 2: Pots and Selector Switch

Gotoh DM-50 Selector Switch

Next up is the CTS B500K volume pot, the "B" designation signifying linear taper. The tone control, meanwhile, comprises a CTS A500K pot coupled with a 22nF [0.022uF] tone capacitor. Here, the "A" pot designation signifies audio taper. Last but not least, though not strictly a pickguard-mounted component, is a Switchcraft #11 output jack.

CTS B500K Volume Pot

CTS A500K Tone Pot

22nF Tone Capacitor

Switchcraft #11 Output Jack

Shamsul Signature HSS | Shielding

The pickup and control cavities, as well as the underside of the pickguard, are adequately shielded with copper foil. To ensure continuity, overlapping areas such as the bottom of cavities and sidewalls, have been soldered at several points. Copper foil tabs have also been added to establish contact with the pickguard shielding when the pickguard is screwed on. There is a downside, though, in that continuity between body cavity and under-pickguard shielding is totally dependent on those tiny tabs.  

Body Cavity Shielding

Shamsul Signature HSS | Grounding

Grounding on the Shamsul Signature HSS is, for the most part, adequate. For example, the ground/negative leads of all three pickups are soldered to the back of the volume pot. The backs of the volume and tone pots are also connected through the outer braid of the coaxial cable connecting the middle lugs of both pots [Fig. 2].  

Subsequently, the pickups, pots and selector switch are grounded via contact with the copper foil on the underside of the pickguard [Fig. 2]. Finally, a black lead, one end soldered to the ground/negative lug of the output jack, and the other to the back of the volume pot; establishes a permanent connection between the two [Fig.1, Fig. 3]. 

There is one concern, though, regarding the grounding of the bridge, specifically; the tremolo claw. Under normal circumstances, a tremolo bridge will be grounded via a length of wire, one end soldered to the tremolo claw; and the other to the back of a pot. However, on this guitar, the tremolo claw ground [yellow] terminates in a solder point on the copper foil lining the bottom of the middle pickup cavity. This means that bridge grounding continuity is totally dependent on the copper foil shielding.

Trem Ground Soldered to Shielding

Therefore, it is imperative to create a more sturdy and reliable ground connection for the bridge. To this end, the short length of Gavitt wire [yellow] connecting the tremolo claw to the copper foil shielding has been desoldered. In its place, 10" of black Gavitt wire has been installed. One end has been soldered to the tremolo claw, and the other to the back of the tone pot, as illustrated in Fig. 3 below.

New Bridge Ground | Trem Claw End

New Bridge Ground | Tone Pot End

Fig. 3: Wiring Diagram | New Bridge Ground