value choices in tone caps

[ezra1]

I am going to upgrade my tone caps on a '79 LS-80..I am thinking a .015 on the neck.Considering either a .022 or .033 on the bridge.I was wondering if anyone that had done this might share their experience.

[NovaSDF]

When I swapped capacitors, I went with a .015 in the neck of my Epi Les Paul. I'm definitely happy with the result. The guitar was a bit too dark on the neck, and the .015 brightened it up just enough.

In my SG - I felt the guitar was a little too bright overall, so I went with .018 in the neck and .028 in the bridge. Gave it a bit more darkness and fullness to the tone.

The changes were subtle, but definitely noticeable.

Assuming you are doing the work yourself, give it a try. You can always go back to a .022 in the neck if you aren't happy with it.

[BrazenPicker]

I'd agree the changes are subtle. Here's a good comparison, albeit for a Strat.
Guitar Capacitor Information | Audio and Video Example Of Six Different Guitar Capacitor Values

[SuiteAmpCo]

.022uf is the Gibson standard. If you like the overall balance of your guitar's tone (brightness vs darkness) then stick with the same values and just look into different types of caps (ie. Paper in oil, poly film, etc.). If you're trying to take some edge off the brightness try a .033uf for a little change or a .047uf for a bigger change. Remember that the larger the value of the caps the darker the sound throughout your tone pot's sweep. The lower value caps are going make the sweep sound more "even". It really depends on what your guitar needs to get it where you like it. We'll not even get into pot values at this point, but that is another major consideration in terms of your guitar's overall warmth and tone. HTH

[5F6-A]

I tend to go for higher values and use the knob carefully.
For instance in my strat I use a NOS ceramic 0.1 cap with great results.

[bill m]

Originally Posted by SuiteAmpCo

.0022uf is the Gibson standard. If you like the overall balance of your guitar's tone (brightness vs darkness) then stick with the same values and just look into different types of caps (ie. Paper in oil, poly film, etc.). If you're trying to take some edge off the brightness try a .0033uf for a little change or a .0047uf for a bigger change. Remember that the larger the value of the caps the darker the sound throughout your tone pot's sweep. The lower value caps are going make the sweep sound more "even". It really depends on what your guitar needs to get it where you like it. We'll not even get into pot values at this point, but that is another major consideration in terms of your guitar's overall warmth and tone. HTH

I think you mean .022, not .0022.

[SuiteAmpCo]

Originally Posted by bill m

I think you mean .022, not .0022.

Why yes I did sir. Will edit post accordingly, thanks for catching that one. Damn decimals.

[solteroblues]

so what value do the guys use for that old blues tone? I guess I'm thinking like Bluesbreakers? Did those guitars come with 0.047 or 0.022?

[5F6-A]

0.022 but older PAFs were fairly bright and pots used to read above 500k

[ezra1]

I am going to go with. 015 in the neck and. 022 in the bridge. All oil caps and CTS 550 k pots.I have a set of WCR Fillmore's that I am going to compare with the stock pups.

[solteroblues]

i have .015 neck and 0.022 in the bridge with my SD Slash Al II Pro's, and its a little too bright, but my amp is bright, too. Should I increase the values?

[Jackassrock]

Another question from a caps noob.

I normally leave the tone pots alone while playing. Will the value of the cap (or type even) make a difference in my sound if I don't touch the tone knob ?

[NovaSDF]

Yes, but it's more important if you do adjust your tone knob. At 10, the difference may not be as noticeable (unless you are making a huge change.) The difference becomes more pronounced as you roll down the tone.

A smaller value will tend to make a pickup brighter, and a higher value will make it darker (but also a but muddy if the value is too large.)

Check out this video:

Guitar Tone Capacitors, part 2: How Tone Works, Selecting a Value - YouTube

Guitar Tone Capacitors, part 2: How Tone Works, Selecting a Value - YouTube

[SuiteAmpCo]

Originally Posted by solteroblues

i have .015 neck and 0.022 in the bridge with my SD Slash Al II Pro's, and its a little too bright, but my amp is bright, too. Should I increase the values?

If you like the sweep and clarity of your tone controls I wouldn't consider a cap change. I would only maybe change what type they are. If you can't EQ the brightness out on your amp (try lowering presence and treble and raise mids) then try changing volume pot values. My LP can be too bright with 500k pots. I like to keep them at 400k to 450k max, my SG sounds best with 350k to 400k pots max. To me they sound warmer and more balanced between bass and treble, I hear a little more wood and resonance come thru that way to. HTH

[Jackassrock]

Well, I answered my own question last night. I had ordered a set of 4 Vitamin Qs from ebay as I have a new project on the bench, and the seller was offering two sets. I spent the cash, and was a little bit skeptical about what the results might be.

After watching the whole video series about tone caps from the above link, I'll admit it was very hard to tell the difference between the different caps that the guy was using (I'm referring to part one of the series). One thing I thought i heard was not so much a huge difference between them while he was strumming the same stuff for each, but how they reacted to the different positions on the neck. Like when he strummed the big E chord in the first position, they all were very similar, but when he moved up to the neck, some started to shine, but just barely outshined the others.

I started feeling stupid for wasting money on guitar caps, but I already had two pairs, so I decided to try them out anyway. I dropped a set in my Norlin Studio Custom (it had been completely rewired 50s style with those round orange ceramics), and after checking to make sure everything was still working, I was off to last nights gig. Still a little disappointed that I had "bought the hype" so to speak.

Here's where things get interesting. I plugged in, strummed a few chords for a line check, and we got about the business of the first set. The difference was amazing. Just the way the guitar responded to being played was substantial. It seemed more... alive or something. The tone was rich, and cut like a champ. The bass player (a tech himself) even mentioned it after a couple songs. He turned around and asked me what I did to my amp, said it sounded great.

All said, I had a big smile the whole night, and had a blast playing.

Thanks Sprague !!