Mono or Stereo Quarter Jack

[rv_bass]

I have an older Series I bass with a stereo quarter inch jack.  It seems that over time some people have converted these to mono jacks. Is there any advantage to preserving the stereo quarter inch jack (historic or otherwise), or is it advantageous to convert to mono? How do most people run the stereo quarter jack?

As it stands now, I either have to use two preamps and a two-channel power amp to have both pickups available with the stereo quarter jack (only the neck pickup works using a mono cable), or use the five-pin for mono out (if I don't want stereo).

Thanks for your thoughts.

[jazzyvee]

My 1980's series I has  the stereo jack with only the neck pickup output via a mono jack and I think for convenience I'd prefer to have that converted to mono output at some point but I always use the 5pin for the series basses anyway but it's a useful fall back positiion. There is a drawing on the forum somewhere to show how to make up a stereo to mono jack lead that you can use with the stereo jack. Fortunately the person I bought mine from included such a lead but i've not used it outside of the home. Some series and anniversary basses have had the option for a mono/stereo switch to acheive a choice.

[mica]

One advantage I can think of is that the stereo 1/4" output allows you to plug stereo headphone directly in the bass for practicing. If you would use a mono signal more than the headphone feature, then mono is the way to go.

In the Series I/II FAQ there are topics on rewiring the 1/4" jack and making the stereo to mono cord. You can also add a mini toggle switch to have the option of having mono or stereo output from the 1/4" jack as Vince suggests.

[rv_bass]

Vince and Mica, thanks for your feedback.

I like the stereo headphones for practice idea!

I have seen the FAQ posts before, which are what prompted my inquiry.  I might follow up about the mono/stereo toggle switch, otherwise I will probably look into constructing a stereo to mono cord based on the FAQ instructions.

Thanks and Happy New Year!

Rob