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Ok, I admit it. I am not a guitar repair guy. I just play them.

Tonight I noticed that the output jack on my Hallmark 60's Custom is loose and is cutting in and out. I tightened it as best I could till I can find a socket driver the right size to get it on there good. I do however want to check under the pickguard and see if there is any cold solder joints. Would I have to remove the volume and tone knob and if so, how?

No, you do not have to remove the knobs at all. Simply remove all the pickguard screws and gently lift the pickguard up and out from the body. The internal wiring won't allow you to pull the pickguard out too far, but should be able to remove it enough to rotate it and flip it over to expose everything. Just go slow and don't force anything. When reinstalling it, make sure you push all the wires back into the control cavity so that the pickguard does not rest on them.

BTW, if you ever decide to remove the knobs, they simply pull off. Hallmark guitars have a rubber or plastic sleeve, meaning it's not metal to metal, so they aren't too difficult to remove.

If at some point you need to remove the knobs, I find that getting two spoons underneath on opposite sides and gently lifting works really well and won't scratch the knobs or the pickguard.

vjf1968 wrote:...the output jack on my Hallmark 60's Custom is loose and is cutting in and out.

As you tighten the nut of the output jack again, put some Loctite or something similar on the thread -just enough so that it can be turned loose again should it become necessary at any time in the future. Yes, my Hallmark 60 Custom's came loose too (and sometimes on my Fenders too!) so I used a drop of glue (from tube). Maybe nail varnish can do the trick too. Be very careful when tichtening the nut so not to damage the pick guard. Hope this helps

Thanks for the replies. I love this guitar and do not feel comfortable messing with it without some info so thanks again. I am in the midst of getting the house ready for my wife's birthday party so I will have to do the inspection Sunday.

good advice Veenture, I'm proud of you! you'll be a guitar luthier yet!!!

for me if you can hold the input jack with one hand from the inside (after the pickguard is taken off) and just tighten up the nut with a socket driver, you should be okay. sometimes adding a lock washer between the jack and the inside of the pickguard helps as well.

Another way to remove knobs is by getting a thin polishing cloth and working it under the knobs. get it under the whole knob and while holding down on the pickguard pull the cloth up. The knobs should come right off, works great on low Strat knobs.

for removing knobs I use my trusty guitar pick and stick it under the knob, then bend the pick upwards and began turning the knob back and forth. works every time, and no extra tools required