Capacitor value

[eclecticsynergy]

That makes sense. If you're using a .047 mf cap, you'll only be able to roll it off 1/8th turn and it will become very dark. If you use a .022mf cap you will be able to roll off your pot 1/2 - 3/4 turn before it gets too dark. That gives you much more control of your tone.

That's why I prefer lower value tone caps - it gives a much larger useful range on the tone knob.
Plus, when backing off to a darker sound, it still leaves some mids for the amp to work with.

A large value cap like .047 (or even the 0.1 on old Fenders) leaves you with only bass.
That's okay for jazz cats - or anyone who uses very clean tone - but with gain you just get mud.

 

[maug2122]

Imagine that, because that's exactly what value I use for humbuckers.

Sent from my SM-A115A using Tapatalk

Does using a 47mf cap tame a humbucker that has too much treble ?
Because I got a humbucker that has a too much treble, a Dimarzio X2N .... Go figure !

 

[GuitarDoc]

Not necessarily. All of the most commonly used caps (.047 - .011mf) will reduce the highs. But as the value of the cap increases it will also begin to roll off more of the upper mids and mids progressively in addition to the highs.

 

[Chistopher]

Why should I care what capacitor I have in my guitar when my amp and pedals combine for a half a dozen different active tone controls?

 

[Clint 55]

My outlook on tone knobs:

I prefer a 250k no load tone for everything. Because it's max bright on 10, has no jarring transition to 9, and has a usable sweep across the entire range. No cranking a 500k down half way to hear a change. Audio or linear is good but I prefer audio. Audio gets darker faster while linear has more sweep to play with without it getting dark.

Cap values: I like 22 or 18nf for creamy but dark. Values of 15, 10, or 6.8nf are middy but still will sound kind of bassy. Values below 6.8nf will only cut highs. I don't care for anything above 22nf on a guitar.

 

[Chistopher]

Cap values: I like 22 or 18nf for creamy but dark. Values of 15, 10, or 6.8nf are middy but still will sound kind of bassy. Values below 6.8nf will only cut highs. I don't care for anything above 22nf on a guitar.

Even within the more progressive/experimental guitar builders and modders it's crazy how little you see anyone experimenting with pot and cap values outside of what's tradionally used for certain guitars and pickup designs.

 

[Clint 55]

Yeah, they just throw a 22 or 47 in there when it's such a cheap part and other values can be very beneficial.

 

[beaubrummels]

Why should I care what capacitor I have in my guitar when my amp and pedals combine for a half a dozen different active tone controls?

Tone on the guitar is more a convenience to give some adjustment, rather than having to turn around and fiddle with the amp - moreso if your backline is off-stage or too far away from you.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

You can also use a very low value cap, like 3.3nF or even as low as 1nF.
Works especially well with bright low-output pickups.
This rolls off harsh highs but leaves some cut: warms but doesn't truly darken.
In the lower range of the pot it also gives a perceptible mid boost, almost a cocked-wah tone.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

Tone on the guitar is more a convenience to give some adjustment, rather than having to turn around and fiddle with the amp - moreso if your backline is off-stage or too far away from you.

Unless you're a megastar like The Edge. I once read (on the internet, so it must be true, right?) that he has a guitar and a preselected channel on his rack for each song in their live set.

 

[Chistopher]

Also worth noting, if you don't use the lower range on your tone control that much, adding a resistor in series with the capacitor will remove that range. For example, if you never go below 2 on your tone control, a 10k resistor will make it so that 0 on your tone control will respond similar to how 2 use to respond

 

[Mincer]

I am pretty picky about the taper and function of the tone knob, as I use it all the time. I don't use expensive caps, but I do test a few cheap ones rated at the same value to see which one I like.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

Also worth noting, if you don't use the lower range on your tone control that much, adding a resistor in series with the capacitor will remove that range. For example, if you never go below 2 on your tone control, a 10k resistor will make it so that 0 on your tone control will respond similar to how 2 use to respond

What your doing is adding more ohms between the cap and ground. In theory that should further reduce treble loss when the tone is would all the way up to 10. You've basically made the tone pot go to 11.

 

[GuitarStv]

Why should I care what capacitor I have in my guitar when my amp and pedals combine for a half a dozen different active tone controls?

In the middle of a song, it's too disruptive to stop and bend down hunting for the right knob on a pedalboard. Or to turn around and locate the right knob on the amp. I use the volume and tone controls on my guitar all the time while playing, often mid-song.

 

[jeremy]

i use the volume control frequently and the tone control on bridge pups all the time. middle of a song or even a solo, a little tweak can get me where i wanna be

 

[maug2122]

Tone on the guitar is more a convenience to give some adjustment, rather than having to turn around and fiddle with the amp - moreso if your backline is off-stage or too far away from you.

Just like installing a tailpiece with fine tuners on my Gibsons and Epiphone for tuning conveniences .

I want a tone pots and caps that can give me sweep like a wah wah pedal .

Any suggestions ?

 

[beaubrummels]

Just like installing a tailpiece with fine tuners on my Gibsons and Epiphone for tuning conveniences .

I want a tone pots and caps that can give me sweep like a wah wah pedal .

Any suggestions ?

Technically, I believe you'd need to add an inductor to create a peak EQ; I believe you need more of a reverse-Varitone circuit. I had worked out a kind of reverse Varitone once in my Jackson because I wanted to use a Custom 5, which is scoped, but then roll the tone to put some mids in it like a Custom Cystom. Turned out, I think it takes a bigger inductor (bigger than 1.5h) to get there - I was almost considering figuring out a way to leverage an unused coil from a pickup that wasn't on/in-circuit, but even then I don't think a pickup coil has the right values to make the bell curve I was trying to get. But it almost worked.

But there are hacky ways of getting a 'cocked wah' sound - if you search for Telecaster mods and 'cocked wah' circuits, you'll find some ideas.

You could also just take the guts from a simple wah circuit and install it in the guitar where the tone is (if you have enough room in the cavity). Need to work out some no-load or switched pot so you can take it out of the circuit.