Luxe Woman tone bumblebee caps

Re: Luxe Woman tone bumblebee caps

I just went back and re-read the info on the "Crazy Parts" website:

Luxe Paper-In-Oil Bumblebee Capacitors .022mfd 400vdc Handmade reproductions of the Bumblebee tone caps used by Gibson from 1956 to 1960. Each of these is hand-cast in black epoxy, using molds made from genuine Sprague Bumblebees. Many other firms offer reproductions of this ever-popular item, but these are the only ones in the world that not only have the correct, narrow, painted color bands but are also made with NOS Paper-In-Oil Russian Vitamin Q's. No cheap film caps here.

They're saying right up front that these are Vitamin Q caps, re-wrapped in a Bumblebee reproduction. The cap itself isn't handmade . . . the wrapper is. With vintage "correct" painted circles, no less.

So . . . why don't I custom paint the back of my pots in Candy Apple Red? Why are people spending so much money for cosmetics, inside the guitar where no one will see it? I don't get it. :scratchch

Artie
 
Re: Luxe Woman tone bumblebee caps

I also want to clarify, high-end caps do make a difference when used in series in the audio path. Such as, in interstage coupling. But I don't think they matter in passive tone controls.

Would a high pass filter tone control fit the definition of being a cap in series with the audio path, and if so, would cap quality make a difference there, or does it not make a difference for passive tone circuits in general?

I do this on a handful of guitars, so if I'm losing out on something by using ceramic discs, that would be good information to have.

lpf_simple.gif
 
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Re: Luxe Woman tone bumblebee caps

I just did that, yesterday, to the neck 59 I put in my Cort. I'd definitely upgrade to at least an Orange Drop. The difference will be very subtle, but I believe in good caps in the signal path.

Edit: Now I need to put a switch in there, (where the cap is), and see if I can actually hear a difference between a ceramic and an OD.
 
Re: Luxe Woman tone bumblebee caps

Wow. I can't believe that anyone falls for that nonsense. But, thanks for giving someone a job! It's very generous of you.
 
Re: Luxe Woman tone bumblebee caps

Fair to say anything on youtube won't be good enough sound quality.
Its one of David's methods.

Also not having a 'control' makes it impossible to tell in a blind test.

He a smart boy that one.
 
Re: Luxe Woman tone bumblebee caps

Fair to say anything on youtube won't be good enough sound quality.

He does bring up this point and several others in the second video.

I don't think it's fair to say that sound quality "won't" be good enough in a YouTube video, it might or might not be. There are frequencies that come through in a YouTube video, and then there are the frequencies that are affected by the capacitor types. "Do they overlap?" is the question, and is unanswered, but not impossible to test for. Here's a video that outputs a frequency sweep https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNf9nzvnd1k which could be used to measure the amplitude output at all frequencies in hearing range.

Even if the conclusion reached is "the difference is such that it can't be heard in YouTube audio", I consider that actionable information.
 
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