A few newb questions

I looked up some pictures of your guitar, and it seems like your jack is mounted on the edge of the body. That should be an easy fix...simply tighten up the flat nut that you can see on the outside of the guitar. If there's an access panel that allows you to get to the "guts" of the jack, even better...you can hold it from behind with some pliers while you tighten the nut, preventing any twisting and such. Also, a little dab of plain old Elmer's School Glue on the jack threads goes a looooong way to help keep it from loosening up, but still allows for easy removal if needed.

As far as pickups go - it can make anywhere from zero to a night-and-day difference if you change them. That model appears to have two single-coils and a humbucker, which is a very versatile setup on its own. I'll let other folks chime in with pickup suggestions if they wish. :)

Maintaining your electronics is pretty easy. Unless you run into a corrosion issue that requires a wire repair, your only real fear is waiting for a pot or switch to go bad. Replacing either is a simple soldering job, really a no brainer if you've done similar things before. If you ever notice a scratchy sound when turning a volume/tone pot, you can either spray it out with some contact cleaner, or just replace it.

I know I didn't answer all of your questions, but I hope I helped a bit. :)

Welcome to GN.

Like Pilot said, just tighten the nut on the jack but just make sure the jack itself does not turn as you tighten it.

As far as changing pickups, yes it can make a dramatic change in the sound of the guitar. It can however be dramatic good or dramatic bad so make sure you do a lot of research on the pickups so you get the sound your looking for. If you like the sound you are currently getting then stick with the stock ones.

Saddles and nuts can make a change in your sound but not very dramatic. May not even be noticeable.

along with what has been previously stated you may want to consider new strings and a set up done by a competant shop.
also pup heights can greatly affect the tone.
check out Nils' site for more info on doing this all yourself if you are so inclined.
btw, Welcome to GN :lol:

I'll say Hi and welcome to GN.

I see the fixing of the jack has been covered. As for pickups, my opinion save your money. Don't take me wrong if you have it in your heart to change pickups by all means. The reason I say save your money because if you spend a couple hundred dollars on them (not including having a shop do the work), and are playing through a a small solid state practice amp you may not even notice a difference. An equalizer pedal would be a better investment.

Joe

first off, thanks for the advice. I got the output jack fixed no problem. as for pickups, we'll see. i don't have the money at the moment anyway. the amp i'm using is an anciet ampeg g-100 but since i'm in college with quiet hours, i spend a lot of time playing into headphones through a behringer V-amp. the thing's pretty nifty. you can choose what head/cabinet to use and it does a decent job of getting the sound into your headphones.

I think I've found the place for guitar talk.

Welcome, Rearden!

I am a V-amp II owner and since I only play guitar at home it totally fits the needs for the time being. In my experience you can't be that little amp for headphone use or even close quarters use. This is the one saving grace situation that is holding me back from buying an amp. I don't need loud, just yet. :D