Hi,
came up against this strange affliction some time back so maybe now is a go od time to report it. Busker's Disease affects guitar leads, making them be have intermittently.
You will not find any fault with a continuity tester or visual inspection o f the wiring at each end - but the damn lead is unusable cos the signal kee ps cutting out when plugged into an amp and guitar.
So what is the cause ?
Unlike other musicians, buskers perform on footpaths and other open spaces with concrete or tarred gravel surfaces. So, their jack plug leads get drag ged across those same surfaces, wearing off all the plating on the edge of the tips - exactly where signal contact is made when inserted into a jack s ocket.
Under magnification, tip edges look heavily cratered - like the moon. The p revious nickel or gold plating is all gone and bare brass showing through, with tiny bits of gravel and dirt embedded in it.
A good rub with a kitchen scouring pad, followed by some WD40 on a cloth wi ll usually get them working - but this is only a temporary fix. The plugs a re ruined and must be replaced.
Of course, you may not be given the diseased lead to check, but an amp or g uitar that is mistakenly being blamed for an intermittent fault.
Impossible for a tech to figure it out, if nobody tells them the owner is a busker or does not bring the leads along too.
... Phil