Cap Voodoo!

[Clint 55]

I'm feelin the cap materials! I put a 22nf paper in oil cap in my guitar today and was stunned at the improvement. Even with the tone on 10! Really organic and transparent. I had been thinking about auto splitting my humbuckers with my Phat Cat since they were slightly too boggy. But after the new cap, the notch positions cleared right up. The previous cap was an orange drop which I thought was nice and supple. The paper in oil is my favorite tho for the accurate and vintage sound it imparts. Other materials I've tried are mylar, which I thought was fine, and ceramic which may have been the worst. But that could have been because the biggest value I tried was 10nf. No I didn't try these materials on 50 guitars, these are only my subjective impressions. But I am impressed with the paper in oil and the orange drop!

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Cap Voodoo!

Haha. I use spandex capacitors. Best vibe of any on the market.

 

[Darg1911]

Re: Cap Voodoo!

I installed these vintage caps once that were made in Czechoslovakia and couldn't stop myself from playing Polka. I couldn't control it no matter how I tried. I didn't know any polka tunes and never played it before. It was like my guitar became a ouija board.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Cap Voodoo!

Mine came from Siberia.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Cap Voodoo!

Just out of curiosity, what kind of amp do you use and how loud is it?

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Cap Voodoo!

Vox Pathfinder 15 low or medium.

 

[Darg1911]

Re: Cap Voodoo!

Mine came from Siberia.

Hmmm. Best be careful then. The strings may be cold enough to cause frost bite.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Cap Voodoo!

Ha

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Cap Voodoo!

keep smokin it if you like it.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Cap Voodoo!

Ye

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Cap Voodoo!

Nearly All pickup swaps Ive ever done, Ive just always used orange drops. (first couple, I used mylar cuz it was similar to what came in the guitar) Then I read where orange drops were good, so switched to those. Never tried paper/oil. Is there really a difference as a whole with those? Subjective? better with vintage pups? or??

 

[dystrust]

Re: Cap Voodoo!

Nearly All pickup swaps Ive ever done, Ive just always used orange drops. (first couple, I used mylar cuz it was similar to what came in the guitar) Then I read where orange drops were good, so switched to those. Never tried paper/oil. Is there really a difference as a whole with those? Subjective? better with vintage pups? or??

That depends on who you ask.

Some claim that PIO caps have some sort of magic that nothing else can touch; others disagree. Personally I think they're snake oil; any cap that maintains its capacitance should sound virtually identical to any other cap of the same value. There's a reason they don't make PIO caps anymore. Case in point, the Gibson Bumblee reissue caps were just orange drops hidden under a fancy (and crazy expensive) cover.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Cap Voodoo!

I like Orange Drops a lot. Nice, round, and supple to my ears. The PIO to me was still smooth, not quite as fat as the orange drop, but it gave the guitar a "vintage" vibe.

I have some more voodoo for you guys: I think 50s wiring makes the tone more silky even with the volume on 10.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Cap Voodoo!

I’m impressed you can hear subtleties like that through a 15 watt solid state amp at low volume.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Cap Voodoo!

My first question is: what value did the PIO measure at and what value did the Orange Drop measure at, exactly?

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Cap Voodoo!

There's no difference in sound between PIO, mylar, ceramic, or aluminum dust in mongoose sweat.

The difference that you are hearing (if any at all) is due to different values in the comparison caps. Even if the individual caps are printed with the same numerical value, with the tolerances taken into account, these could be completely different actual values. And even if, even IF there was a difference, even IF there was a BIG (relatively speaking) difference between different materials at exactly the same actual values, you wouldn't be able to hear it unless you had them hooked up to the same guitar via a switch and could switch back and forth instantly.

The fact that you mentioned your amp tells me that not only can't you hear the difference between different cap materials, but you probably wouldn't even hear the difference between a LP and a Strat. (OK, I'm at least being facetious and snide and perhaps a bit derogatory. Sorry, just exaggerating to make a point).

It is certainly fun and ego boosting to sniff corks, but let's get real. I know you can because you have had some very credible posts on this forum. Some, not so.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Cap Voodoo!

I disagree.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Cap Voodoo!

My first question is: what value did the PIO measure at and what value did the Orange Drop measure at, exactly?

I can't measure with my meter.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Cap Voodoo!

I’m impressed you can hear subtleties like that through a 15 watt solid state amp at low volume.

Thanks, I'm extremely sensitive to differences in tone. I replaced the speaker, it sounds pretty good.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Cap Voodoo!

I disagree.

Of course.

Placebo effect.