Pots and caps

[luis]

You can also use 0.033 if you want,very near value.It?s up to your taste,try it.I have some spare Phillips and Bianchi old caps,they are Mustards,same as the famous Mullards but Bianchis are 400 volts and smaller and Phillips are 600 volts and more like Orande Drops size...have 0.01,0.15,0.022,0.027,0.033 and 0.047 values....

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for that Luis. When I looked online to find some decent caps, I saw that voltage is mentioned, so I'm confused once more! What does voltage have to do with it? 400 volts? 600 volts? Surely there can only be a fraction of 1 volt running through a cap in a passive circuit?



Mike

 

[luis]

I don?t know which is the effect regarding voltage.These are the caps I got avalaible and cheap so I wil try them for experimienting.It seems I was lucky because these Mustard style caps are very regarded in Marshall and I can use them to give a try in my 18 watt clone.I guess the value will suit the resistance? (K) pot= 250K vs 500 K.... :lol:

 

[PoorMan]

I've been checking up on pots and caps online. The relevant WD pages recommend .022 for humbuckers & .047 for single coils. Isn't that the wrong way round?

There is no right or wrong...it's all preference.

 

[PoorMan]

Thanks for that Luis. When I looked online to find some decent caps, I saw that voltage is mentioned, so I'm confused once more! What does voltage have to do with it? 400 volts? 600 volts? Surely there can only be a fraction of 1 volt running through a cap in a passive circuit?



Mike

100 volts is indeed ample. Guitar circuits use very little juice. You will sometimes encounter higher voltage caps (My LS-150 came with 600 volt caps if I remember correctly and vintage bumblebees were 400 volts). There is no harm or benefit in using anything in the common guitar circuit range of 100-600volts. Although they tend to get pretty large in the higher ratings.

Hope this helps!

 

[tudor]

Mike,

So you're telling me that Fender is using cheap ceramic caps on it's high end guitars?

It was Gibson who used the ceramics - I had them in my LP Classic ...
I made a mistake regarding my MIJ Strat ... there was a film cap similar to the orange drops which I've replaced by the VitQ ... just my preference ... :wink: :wink:

Outsider,

So I guess my guitar would benefit from some upgrading in this department as well

If you like to change some parts on your original Strat ... OK - it's your decision ... and it might be an upgrade ... I've had this upgrade since I've replaced pots, caps and pups on my Gibbo ... my best LP ever ... 8)

Thought about Leosounds since they are really affordable and seem to be good quality still. Suggestions?

I haven't tried this German pupwinder for myself ... but I have read many cheering comments on his pups and his service ... are you living in UK ?? So you should give him a call ... AFAIK - he's speaking English ...

Roger

 

[tudor]

It seems that Orange Drop are quite easy to find, but I haven't yet found anywhere in the UK that sells Mallory.

So ... I recommend to go across the pond to the US sellers ... very easy to buy there and comfortable ...

http://stores.ebay.de/Rays-Custom-Shop_W0QQssPageNameZstrkQ3amefsQ3amesstQQtZkm
... my favourite buddy - BTW ...

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridges,_tailpieces.html

Roger

 

[Anonymous]

OK, it's beginning to make sense, thanks to everyone for your help. One more question - what about a Strat with 2 humbuckers (tappable) and 1 single coil? I guess this is a compromise - 500k pots will make the single coil sound brighter, while 250k will make the humbuckers sound darker - is that correct?

Does this apply even when the pots are set to 10? In other words, do different value pots make the guitar sound brighter or darker at all settings, or just when they are turned down?

 

[luis]

Just check what Ibanez does in some RG models with Air Norton neck and Tone Zone bridge,don?t know pot values however and these are superstrats.Just check Tokai superstrats 86-87-'88 Custom Editions and JSX models there are some H-S-H models if I recall well...

 

[Anonymous]

Just check Tokai superstrats 86-87-'88 Custom Editions and JSX models there are some H-S-H models if I recall well...

How?

Mike

 

[PoorMan]

OK, it's beginning to make sense, thanks to everyone for your help. One more question - what about a Strat with 2 humbuckers (tappable) and 1 single coil? I guess this is a compromise - 500k pots will make the single coil sound brighter, while 250k will make the humbuckers sound darker - is that correct?

Correct!

Does this apply even when the pots are set to 10?

Yes.

Sounds like you got it. Lower value pots will cut the resonant peak and make the guitar sound darker than if it had higher value pots. For example, I have a Gibson R7 (all 500k pots) that was unbearably bright by nature. So I replaced the bridge volume pot with a 250k and it sounds perfect now.

 

[Anonymous]

Lower value caps will cut the resonant peak and make the guitar sound darker than if it had higher value caps. For example, I have a Gibson R7 (all 500k pots) that was unbearably bright by nature. So I replaced the bridge volume pot with a 250k and it sounds perfect now.

Did you mean caps there? Or pots?

Mike

 

[PoorMan]

Lower value caps will cut the resonant peak and make the guitar sound darker than if it had higher value caps. For example, I have a Gibson R7 (all 500k pots) that was unbearably bright by nature. So I replaced the bridge volume pot with a 250k and it sounds perfect now.

Did you mean caps there? Or pots?

Mike

Oops. I must have lost my train of thought. That should read pots accross the board. Sorry for the confusion.

I'll go back and edit to avoid further confusion.

 

[Anonymous]

I opened up my 1988 62RI Strat yesterday, & found that it has a .1k cap:

It looks like an Orange Drop? I'm not sure if this is an original Fender fitting or not, but I think it's too big. When I turn the tone down to 0, there's virtually nothing left, even the volume drops off considerably. On another Strat with a cheap looking .047 ceramic cap the sound is much better - even usable with the tone set on 0 or 1. So I think I've reached the conclusion that .047 is about the right compromise for me on a Strat.

I had a look at the Duchossoir Strat book too, and he says that the original Strats had a .1MFD cap. "Around 1970 the cap value....was changed from .1MFD to .05MFD to achieve a slightly brighter sound". Also, "On the Standard Stratocaster introduced in 1983.....the cap value was lowered to .022MFD"

I also looked at the electrics on my Korean LS48 Love Rock, & I was disappointed to see how cheap and nasty it all looks, with little mini pots instaed of the usual full size pots. I suppose you get what you pay for! I couldn't see any writing on them, & I didn't feel like removing them. The caps have .033 written on them.

Mike

 

[tudor]

I also looked at the electrics on my Korean LS48 Love Rock, & I was disappointed to see how cheap and nasty it all looks, with little mini pots instaed of the usual full size pots. I suppose you get what you pay for! I couldn't see any writing on them, & I didn't feel like removing them. The caps have .033 written on them.

I've made the same experience on my Edwards LP90 LTS ... the pots were crap and there was no effect when turning them, NO difference in tone between 1 and 10 !!!!!

So - it was a tremendous upgrade after I had replaced them ... your .033?F film cap seems to be OK though !!

Roger

 

[Outsider]

Hey Tudor!

Thanks for the advice consering pots, caps and pups. I have this problem that my only amp is at the rehearsal-hall and I get to play with an amp only once or twice a week so I'm not always sure what you should I do to improve my sound... But you're right. Maybe I should really consider before I start to change any parts on my all original Goldstar. My Love Rock on the other hand has been through some changes already so maybe I should try to make it perfect first... pots, caps, maybe even pups. I would like to mellow out the bridge pup a little, maybe a 250k volume pot would make it a little darker, what do you think? I guess it's the same thing with Pauls and Teles that you should try to make the neck pup bright and the bridge pup warm to get balanced sounds.

 

[PoorMan]

I would like to mellow out the bridge pup a little, maybe a 250k volume pot would make it a little darker, what do you think?

That should do the trick. I recently did that to my Gibbo R7 and it worked like a charm. But that was a REALLY bright guitar so if 250k is too dark for your guitar you could always wire a resistor in paralell to a 500k pot and get closer to 300k-333k

 

[Outsider]

That should do the trick. I recently did that to my Gibbo R7 and it worked like a charm. But that was a REALLY bright guitar so if 250k is too dark for your guitar you could always wire a resistor in paralell to a 500k pot and get closer to 300k-333k

Thanks for the hint. I'm not very exprienced solderer, but maybe I could manage to do it. Where exactly I should solder the resistor and what kind it should be? I've been thinking about re-soldering the whole thing,I'd like to make it more like the original wiring in '59 Les Pauls. I remember seeing some diagram somewhere in the net and could dig it up.

 

[tudor]

I've been thinking about re-soldering the whole thing,I'd like to make it more like the original wiring in '59 Les Pauls. I remember seeing some diagram somewhere in the net and could dig it up.

Outsider,

one of your country fellowmen here, Ludde, has done it already and he had given an excellent review of his upgrades ...
You should take a look at his site ... :wink: :wink:
http://www.multi.fi/~nproject/thursday_burst/

Roger

 

[cyberpunk409]

I've made the same experience on my Edwards LP90 LTS ... the pots were crap and there was no effect when turning them, NO difference in tone between 1 and 10 !!!!!

can't say the same for my Edwards LP98, although it looks cheap-ish, everthing works just fine