Mica, help!
My new-to-me/used Alembic Exploiter has an excellent 1/4' Switchcraft tip-sleeve jack that also has additional contacts that connect the battery to turn the preamp on and off when plug insertion causes an arm (like a ring connector) with a nylon button insulator to push another contact arm to close two other contacts.
The problem is that it is incompatible with the Amphenol 1/4" plugs as used on some Mogami silver cables. These are the cheapest Mogami cables (still expensive by most standards). it seems the Amphenol plugs stay plugged in very well when used with simple 2-terminal tip/sleeve jacks; the tip has less of a land before the insulator, and the reduced-diameter groove is a bit broader and deeper trench than most. It may also be interesting to note that Amphenol was recently subject to an unprecedented stop order from the US military due to use of Chinese suppliers that didn't meet spec. Anyway, all the lesson rooms where I am a student are supplied with these cheapest Mogami cables that don't turn on my bass if plugged in all the way. I have to plug in half-way...then it works fine. Fully inserted, the jack contacts connect with the plug tip and sleeve surfaces fine, but the additional contacts in the jack to connect the battery don't connect to turn on the preamp. I use my bass with a dozen different brands of cables at home without ever having any problems, including the Whirlwind labelled plugs that appear to be identical to the Amphenol ones they have at lessons that don't work with this bass. The jack contacts seem fine, the internal springy 'arms" seem fine and have good tension and shape. There doesn't appear to be anything wrong with the jack itself, except that it is a bit fussy that it only works with plugs that meet a narrow spec.
However, I really would like this bass to work with a broad range of plugs, including these. Looking at the nylon insulators it looks to me like the jack is an Amphenol 4-terminal 11 series, a 113 would be a tip open circuit and isolated "make" circuit when plug is inserted...but that has a shorter .276-long 3/8-32 threaded neck.
Apparently my bass teacher supplied all the Mogami cables for the school and thinks they are the best thing since Jaco, and was quite insistent that I swap out the jack in my bass for a more conventional TRS type that has the TS plug connect the battery to ground. This seems to me like a terrible idea that would make one hell of a pop noise upon insertion and I didn't check the circuit to see whether it's even feasible. I've got to admit, the Mogami and Amphenol names and reputations are pretty much industry standard names as much as Switchcraft, and this incompatibility is a problem.
Please advise!
I attached the relevant portions of the Switchcraft customer drawing .pdf
