rossgve wrote
I fail to see how it can be scientifically explained that the quality of the components make any difference in the sound whatsoever.
Passive guitar circuits are very high impedance and very reactive. Even something as simple as a pot can make a big difference to the response of the circuit:
- tolerances can make a huge difference to the tone, shifting the resonant peak of the circuit - a standard +/-20% tolerance means a range between 200 and 300K Ohm, which is a massive variation, particularly in a Strat or other single-coil circuit;
- The same variation in the tone pot means a very different amount of treble being bled off, even when the control is turned all the way up;
- The smoothness of the taper can make a big difference to those of us who use our volume controls a lot to control drive or for volume swells as can the physical feel of the movement.
Things like caps are a bit more nebulous (or outrageously snake-oily) in some respects, but once again, tolerences do make a measurable difference. With wire, anything that makes soldering easier and helps guarantee a better connection is good. Insulation that doesn't melt (cloth or teflon) reduces the chance of shorts, thicker wire and better conductor quality means less resistance (not a biggie considering the small lengths involved, but it all adds up). Any contact that is more corrosion resistant is going to last longer. etc., etc., etc..
Then again, the best pickups and electronic parts in the world won't help much if a player is using a cheap multieffect, a cheap solid-state amp and connecting it all together with cables that come free with cheap guitars. Weakest link and all that. So mileage
does vary.
Can someone please explain what makes a high quality jack high quality?
High tolerances, ruggedness, durability. While the durability is the biggest thing for me, even the difference between metric and imperial sizes can mean a tendency to making bad contact.
