Capacitors

Gtrjunior

Gtrjunior

Well-known member
I recently had the PCB in my 2012 LP removed and replaced with standard type wiring. The tech put in Orange Drop caps.
So 2 questions:

1) what type of tonal difference do PIO caps make?
Obviously bumblebee caps, Mallory etc have achieved cult status....what makes them superior?
I also know that someone will say that when your tone control is wide open the caps have no affect on the tone while others will say that it will affect the tone since it’s in the signal path....what’s the deal there?

2) will the capacitor have any effect on the taper of the pots?
I ordered pots from rsguitarworks...whatever their super pot is. It’s got a smooth taper but I’d like it to taper off a little faster than it does. The old pots from the PCB were a faster taper and I liked that.

Ok, more than 2 questions. Lol
 
Re: Capacitors

yeah. nah.
It is mostly snake oil.
Orange drops are as good as anything else.
People are suckers and marketing works.
The PIO ones look nice, but seeing as all that stuff is under the hood none of that matters.
 
Re: Capacitors

gibson175 said:
yeah. nah.
It is mostly snake oil.
Orange drops are as good as anything else.
People are suckers and marketing works.
The PIO ones look nice, but seeing as all that stuff is under the hood none of that matters.
Click to expand...

+1

Cheap ceramic disc caps suck, but everything better is pretty much equivalent. I swear by Orange Drops because they're easy to find, reliable, and relatively cheap.
 
Re: Capacitors

I am not someone that has the ears to hear the difference in caps. What you might get is ones with a tighter tolerance to their stated values. Those might be worth paying for if you are after something very specific.
 
Re: Capacitors

Let me give you some thoughts, this strictly my opinion.

I had a strat that was an american deluxe that was wired poorly and got the Emerson kit and it's brilliant. But that seems to be mostly because the rats nest that was "fenders" wiring was just wrong.

I did that to a p-bass I used to have (yes, after all that I sold it) and I don't think it made one damn bit of difference.

Some people swear by it, others don't. Just like cables, true bypass, and daw's.
 
Re: Capacitors

Gtrjunior said:
I recently had the PCB in my 2012 LP removed and replaced with standard type wiring. The tech put in Orange Drop caps.
So 2 questions:

1) what type of tonal difference do PIO caps make?
Obviously bumblebee caps, Mallory etc have achieved cult status....what makes them superior?
I also know that someone will say that when your tone control is wide open the caps have no affect on the tone while others will say that it will affect the tone since it’s in the signal path....what’s the deal there?

2) will the capacitor have any effect on the taper of the pots?
I ordered pots from rsguitarworks...whatever their super pot is. It’s got a smooth taper but I’d like it to taper off a little faster than it does. The old pots from the PCB were a faster taper and I liked that.

Ok, more than 2 questions. Lol
Click to expand...

The actual measured value of the cap is what matters. Higher the value, the darker the sound will get in an RC tone network with the tone rolled down. The difference between PIO and mylar, etc. is largely lifespan. PIO will dry out over decades which will change it's value, thereby changing the sound when the tone is rolled down. The problem with cheap ceramics is they leak signal, so they do not discharge consistently which leads to a muddy sound when the tone is rolled down. No other cap I've tested exhibits this problem. Also, FYI current 'bumblebees' are really cheap mylar caps that have been encased in a bumblebee outer plastic. They are just for looks, which only the owner will ever see when they open the control cavity. If they are in your guitar, great. But don't pay money for them - you will have wasted hundreds for no material difference in sound.
 
Re: Capacitors

I put the pio cap in my RG2 hardtail it is indistinguishable from. Any other
I have a bunch of the cheap ceramics for a nickel each
Work just fine
 
Re: Capacitors

Wattage said:
Increasing your knowledge base isn’t wasted time

http://www.gibson.com/News-Lifestyl...ops-Busting-Tone-Control-Capacitor-Myths.aspx
Click to expand...

I always chuckle to myself reading about ceramics there, considering that's what they put in my '95 Standard :P

The only caps I've had issues with, were the blue resin dipped type, though there may have been other issues going on at the time. That said, I understand the concern over how a tone control might work, as I've had quite a few that seemed to be an all or nothing affair.
 
Capacitors

In the interest of transparency, I am answering this as someone who barely ever touches his tone controls.

1) I agree with most of the others here that the type of capacitor will make very little difference to you. The value is a whole other thing entirely though, and in my opinion it's just a matter of personal taste.

2) Even with the tone control set at 10, it can make a slight difference to your sound. Actually it probably has more to do with the fact that there is a potentiometer attached than the fact that there is a capacitor on it. It's this concept that makes "no-load pots" and mods which bypass volume and tone controls (sometimes called a blower or a solo switch) popular. By using these, you can end up with a brighter and stronger signal.

3) Capacitors have no effect whatsoever on the taper of the potentiometer. However, the taper of the potentiometer can certainly affect HOW the capacitor affects your tone along its path.
 
Last edited:
Re: Capacitors

I've been interested in cap materials because I've only been using ceramic. Seems like most people can't tell a difference, and I certainly can't.

 
Re: Capacitors

There is a company (can't remember the name) that apparently redid "Evo" (maybe madhatter??? ) that I find all of this stuff mostly BS.

It's hard being a consumer searching for differences and really wanting "that tone" because some things do matter. Being this is primarily a pickup site, I find even that to be confusing and time consuming.
 
Re: Capacitors

Clint 55 said:
I've been interested in cap materials because I've only been using ceramic. Seems like most people can't tell a difference, and I certainly can't.

Click to expand...

I’ve watched a butt load of videos on the subject and at best I “think” I might be able to hear some very slight differences...
 
Re: Capacitors

Clint 55 said:
I've been interested in cap materials because I've only been using ceramic. Seems like most people can't tell a difference, and I certainly can't.

Click to expand...

just for fun, I watched this and the only one I could tell anything with was the one that was 33uf vs the 22. It seemed a little darker. Could just be me. The rest of it is a total waste of time.
 
Re: Capacitors

First of all just play and don't make yourself nuts over minutia

All of this stuff should be done for fun and inquisitively, you'll find the pieces that make your sound yours and the things that make you, you. That's all.

There are never ending quests, obsessions etc. Don't get so hung up on any of it that it screws your head up.
 
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