P22 Jack Connection Issue

[Euan]

Hi guys,

My sound intermittently cuts out when connecting to the MIX/MAG jack on my P22.

- I've tried several cables, not a cable problem.
- Not a piezo / battery issue, the sound totally cuts out on both, from that jack

Sometimes it can be solved by twiddling the jack around, or unplugging & replugging it. Obviously first candidate is some kind of loose connection (when plugging a jack in to the MIX/MAG port, it gives a lot less resistance to being pushed in than it does on the PIEZO port). So I opened it up:

I tried bending in the 3 pins to get a better connection. I also cleaned out the inside of the port using a Q-tip. It seemed to make things a little better but still there's intermittent problems.

Is there anything else I can try?

Thanks for any help!
Euan

 

[dmatthews]

Are you using a standard cable, not stereo?

 

[Euan]

Yeah, that's right, regular cable...

 

[dmatthews]

I wonder if it's a cold solder joint on the board, or a break.
If the board is bad you'll end up sending the guitar to PRS/PTC for repair/replacement.
I needed to do that last year as my P22 board died. Came back perfect!
***EDIT*** contact PTC by email first.

 

[Euan]

Thanks Dave. I was really hoping not to do that, as it will be hundreds for the shipping and they want hundreds more for a new board, plus I'll be without my main guitar for a long time...

 

[dmatthews]

Thanks Dave. I was really hoping not to do that, as it will be hundreds for the shipping and they want hundreds more for a new board, plus I'll be without my main guitar for a long time...

Best of luck. Did you contact PTC?
I really wanted my P22 back in fighting shape so I bit the bullet and sent it. No regrets.

 

[Euan]

Thanks for the information, appreciate it. I've contacted them and will wait and see what they say.

Hopefully they will have some advice -- I absolutely love my PRS, but I can't say that it's ideal that an electronics problem might require a $500 repair, $300~400 in shipping, and 5~6 weeks wait time... as a working musician outside the U.S., that would be a hard bullet to bite!

 

[dmatthews]

Thanks for the information, appreciate it. I've contacted them and will wait and see what they say.

Hopefully they will have some advice -- I absolutely love my PRS, but I can't say that it's ideal that an electronics problem might require a $500 repair, $300~400 in shipping, and 5~6 weeks wait time... as a working musician outside the U.S., that would be a hard bullet to bite!

Where are you? EU?

 

[Euan]

Usually yes but at the moment I'm working in Paraguay for 6 months

 

[dmatthews]

Usually yes but at the moment I'm working in Paraguay for 6 months

Aha.
I wonder if it would be cheaper/better to get it fixed in EU?

 

[Euan]

I should have mentioned, sorry, I actually did try that the last time I was in Scotland (Edinburgh)!

I gave it to the best luthier in town. He held on to it for 6 weeks and couldn't find anything wrong with it... such is the case with intermittent problems

Sadly they have gotten worse since then - will have to borrow someone's cheap strat copy for the gig tonight

Seems that PRS may be the only people who can fix it...

 

[dmatthews]

I should have mentioned, sorry, I actually did try that the last time I was in Scotland (Edinburgh)!

I gave it to the best luthier in town. He held on to it for 6 weeks and couldn't find anything wrong with it... such is the case with intermittent problems

Sadly they have gotten worse since then - will have to borrow someone's cheap strat copy for the gig tonight

Seems that PRS may be the only people who can fix it...

Yeah, the board is proprietary, not off the shelf. So not a surprise that they don't want to ship one without knowing whether it's the problem or not.

 

[Euan]

I emailed PRS twice over two weeks ago and have yet to receive any reply.

This is worse than trying to get an Apple laptop fixed...