Changing Caps in SG Special

[7turns]

Im not sure i should open this can of worms....
Just got a 2005 SG special and it has small ceramic caps. So has anyone seen any real difference in changing these out to a different type (film, oil, etc.) ?
Also... I was thinking about bumping up the cap value on the bridge to a 0.03+ range to deepen the overall response. Will that be enough of a difference from the 0.022 that I think is present already. (I need to test them to be sure.) A 0.047/0.05 would be the most I'd think would work.

The 490T and 490R sound pretty good. I've got a set a of covered 57 classics and BBP 1 & 2 to try and swamp out and see how they work. I'm playing through a fender 30w solid state amp with some built in digital effects. Those princeton reverb prices don't seem to be coming down of late...
I play/mess around with ABB, Tull, Skynyrd, Cinderella, Neil Young, etc.
thanks,
matt

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Changing Caps in SG Special

you know we have had several threads on the subject
and there are three or four guys here that can hear the difference between the types of caps

if you are one, then please make your axe sound better
in a gig situation no one but you would notice

the values of the caps would change the way the tone worked
or more the frequency that bleeds to ground
the size of the tone pot would would also change the way that the tone works
weither its a 250 or 500 or 1 Meg , etc

the size of the volume pot willl affect the brightness or lack of in your guitar
the common theory is that the larger the volume pot
the brighter the guitar
and the smaller the value of the volume pot, the inverse

there are several things that can be done to change the sound of your guitar
what is it about yours is displeasing you

is it too dark
muddy
bright
glassy
doesnt sound like a particular artist

what?

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Changing Caps in SG Special

Can you confirm what cap values are in the guitar at present? (Colour codes or printed numbers.) I assume point-to-point component wiring rather than a PCB and plug connectors.

 

[Securb]

Re: Changing Caps in SG Special

The 490T and 490R sound pretty good.
matt

Then why mess with it. I have the same guitar I absolutely love it. If you need to tweak anything tweak the knobs on your amp. It is cheaper, easier and you will get more range of tone than changing out a cap.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Changing Caps in SG Special

You realize, of course, that the cap only (mainly) affects the tone as you roll down the tone knob. If you want to end up with a darker tone than you have now when the tone knob is rolled down, then go ahead and try a .047 cap. I personally find that value a bit muddy sounding and I use mainly .022 - .010 caps.

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Changing Caps in SG Special

The actual value of the capacitors and overall quality of the wiring will make a much bigger difference than going ceramic disk caps to PIO caps.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Changing Caps in SG Special

^+1

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Changing Caps in SG Special

The actual value of the capacitors and overall quality of the wiring will make a much bigger difference than going ceramic disk caps to PIO caps.

What I've found in measurement is the cheap ceramic caps do not seem to discharge consistently, effectively making their value inconsistent, which makes the resulting sound different from other caps.

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Changing Caps in SG Special

What I've found in measurement is the cheap ceramic caps do not seem to discharge consistently, effectively making their value inconsistent, which makes the resulting sound different from other caps.

Cheap anything will usually have inconsistencies due to a larger tolerance. On caps it still isn't too bad if it is within a 5% range.

 

[Jocelyn]

Re: Changing Caps in SG Special

The actual value of the capacitors and overall quality of the wiring will make a much bigger difference than going ceramic disk caps to PIO caps.

+1

 

[Bludave]

Re: Changing Caps in SG Special

I thought the specials were P90 guitars? They keep changing these models. Very confusing!!

 

[post toastie]

Re: Changing Caps in SG Special

Im not sure i should open this can of worms....
Just got a 2005 SG special and it has small ceramic caps. So has anyone seen any real difference in changing these out to a different type (film, oil, etc.) ?
Also... I was thinking about bumping up the cap value on the bridge to a 0.03+ range to deepen the overall response. Will that be enough of a difference from the 0.022 that I think is present already. (I need to test them to be sure.) A 0.047/0.05 would be the most I'd think would work.

The 490T and 490R sound pretty good. I've got a set a of covered 57 classics and BBP 1 & 2 to try and swamp out and see how they work. I'm playing through a fender 30w solid state amp with some built in digital effects. Those princeton reverb prices don't seem to be coming down of late...
I play/mess around with ABB, Tull, Skynyrd, Cinderella, Neil Young, etc.
thanks,
matt

if you are interested in a Princeton Reverb II in mint condition aside from the white paint job. you can see mine here http://www.stratopastor.org.uk/strato/amps/prii/gallery/modified/modified.html

i'm also in NC and have posted here about it as at first i thought there was something wrong with it, but after checking the above site and talking with the proprietor it seems to be in perfect working condition...it's just made so that the reverb is disconnected in boost mode. duh. mine sounds just like the ones at you tube.

more pics available.

i think we determined that mine is a 1983 model.