using a capacitor to cut off lows?
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idsnowdog
Imperator of Indignation
Re: using a capacitor to cut off lows?
You can cut lows by using the right value capacitor and resistor on the hot lead. You have to do some experimentation to find the right values. The capacitor determines the frequency and the resistor determines the depth of cut.
You can cut lows by using the right value capacitor and resistor on the hot lead. You have to do some experimentation to find the right values. The capacitor determines the frequency and the resistor determines the depth of cut.
ItsaBass
New member
Re: using a capacitor to cut off lows?
Yes. The cap itself does the same thing it does in a standard tone control: it doesn't let low end pass through itself, but allows the rest to pass. However, the way it is connected into the circuit is different than a standard tone control, and as a result, it has an opposite effect.
As said above, a cap blocks low end and lets high end through. If you have one wired in series with a hot wire, the signal has no choice but to "attempt" to pass through the cap. The frequencies below a certain point get blocked, and the frequencies above that point pass through. Because the stuff that passes through is hot signal, it gets heard in the end. The bass frequencies are dissipated by the cap, and never heard.
If, however, that cap is in series with a "leak" from the hot signal to ground, then the opposite happens: the treble that the cap lets through goes to ground, and is never heard. Meanwhile, the lower end frequencies that the cap doesn't let through remains as part of the hot signal. This is how a standard tone control works: it leaks high frequencies to ground, making them inaudible.
As for choosing a value, just like with a regular tone control, changing the capacitance changes the frequency at which the filter is located. However, on a standard tone control you hear everything below the cutoff, while with the application you are talking about, you hear everything above the cutoff. In either case, the lower the value of the cap, the less extreme the filter will be. That's why you probably want to use caps that have a "2" as the third digit of the code, as opposed to the "3" that guitar caps usually have. If you use the values normally used for guitar caps, your sound will be very thin.
Yes. The cap itself does the same thing it does in a standard tone control: it doesn't let low end pass through itself, but allows the rest to pass. However, the way it is connected into the circuit is different than a standard tone control, and as a result, it has an opposite effect.
As said above, a cap blocks low end and lets high end through. If you have one wired in series with a hot wire, the signal has no choice but to "attempt" to pass through the cap. The frequencies below a certain point get blocked, and the frequencies above that point pass through. Because the stuff that passes through is hot signal, it gets heard in the end. The bass frequencies are dissipated by the cap, and never heard.
If, however, that cap is in series with a "leak" from the hot signal to ground, then the opposite happens: the treble that the cap lets through goes to ground, and is never heard. Meanwhile, the lower end frequencies that the cap doesn't let through remains as part of the hot signal. This is how a standard tone control works: it leaks high frequencies to ground, making them inaudible.
As for choosing a value, just like with a regular tone control, changing the capacitance changes the frequency at which the filter is located. However, on a standard tone control you hear everything below the cutoff, while with the application you are talking about, you hear everything above the cutoff. In either case, the lower the value of the cap, the less extreme the filter will be. That's why you probably want to use caps that have a "2" as the third digit of the code, as opposed to the "3" that guitar caps usually have. If you use the values normally used for guitar caps, your sound will be very thin.
Last edited:
scarr
New member
Re: using a capacitor to cut off lows?
From the blog: http://www.seymourduncan.com/tonefiend/guitar/two-band-ptb-tone-control-useful-easy-cheap-awesome/
I've done this on multiple guitars, and 0.0022 µF is a good value in many cases. A Jaguar uses a 0.003 µF for the "strangle switch", which is probably more cutoff than most would like to on the bridge. Personally, on Joe's diagram, I prefer to tie the center lug on the bass rolloff pot the other way, so it's full tone on 10, and cuts the bass as I roll it back (the same as a standard treble rolloff).
From the blog: http://www.seymourduncan.com/tonefiend/guitar/two-band-ptb-tone-control-useful-easy-cheap-awesome/
I've done this on multiple guitars, and 0.0022 µF is a good value in many cases. A Jaguar uses a 0.003 µF for the "strangle switch", which is probably more cutoff than most would like to on the bridge. Personally, on Joe's diagram, I prefer to tie the center lug on the bass rolloff pot the other way, so it's full tone on 10, and cuts the bass as I roll it back (the same as a standard treble rolloff).
DreX
New member
Re: using a capacitor to cut off lows?
Yes, you run the signal through the cap, instead of bleed signal to ground, if that makes sense. If you only want to alter the tone of a specific pickup, you'd put the cap between the pickup and the selector. If you want it to apply to the whole guitar, you put it anywhere between the selector and the output jack.
Good values to use for this are 0.4 to 1 nanofarad, I use .68 usually.
Another thing to do is have a trim pot in parallel with the cap, this lets you allow some signal to bypass the capacitor, so if the .68 nF cap is killing too much bass, just decrease the resistance on the trim pot to regain more bass. A good trim pot value would be anywhere from 200k ohms to 500k, since most the perceivable difference will be under 100k anyway. Hook it all up with alligator clips first so that you can settle on values before you solder. You might want to measure the resistance of the trim pot when it's at a spot you like and make note of it in case you want to just use a fixed value resistor instead, or do the same thing on another guitar later on and save some time. You can get all these parts on ebay for real cheap.
Yes, you run the signal through the cap, instead of bleed signal to ground, if that makes sense. If you only want to alter the tone of a specific pickup, you'd put the cap between the pickup and the selector. If you want it to apply to the whole guitar, you put it anywhere between the selector and the output jack.
Good values to use for this are 0.4 to 1 nanofarad, I use .68 usually.
Another thing to do is have a trim pot in parallel with the cap, this lets you allow some signal to bypass the capacitor, so if the .68 nF cap is killing too much bass, just decrease the resistance on the trim pot to regain more bass. A good trim pot value would be anywhere from 200k ohms to 500k, since most the perceivable difference will be under 100k anyway. Hook it all up with alligator clips first so that you can settle on values before you solder. You might want to measure the resistance of the trim pot when it's at a spot you like and make note of it in case you want to just use a fixed value resistor instead, or do the same thing on another guitar later on and save some time. You can get all these parts on ebay for real cheap.
MacBradley
New member
Re: using a capacitor to cut off lows?
I put a cap in series for every neck pickup I use.
I put a cap in series for every neck pickup I use.
Re: using a capacitor to cut off lows?
thanks man, major help
I've got a batch of 470 picofarad, paper-in-oil, that I may want to use for this purpose. I simply need to cut off a bit of bass on the middle pickup in a guitar, it's just too warm and mushy and it's already loaded with a5 mags. I don't think that using other mags will help hence this idea.
I'll read through ALL the posts, but I want to thank you all for your help.
thanks man, major help
I've got a batch of 470 picofarad, paper-in-oil, that I may want to use for this purpose. I simply need to cut off a bit of bass on the middle pickup in a guitar, it's just too warm and mushy and it's already loaded with a5 mags. I don't think that using other mags will help hence this idea. I'll read through ALL the posts, but I want to thank you all for your help.
crguti
Active member
DreX
New member
Re: using a capacitor to cut off lows?
People always talk about the '59 being boomy in the neck and look to different pickups instead of trying mods like this to tweak the EQ response.
People always talk about the '59 being boomy in the neck and look to different pickups instead of trying mods like this to tweak the EQ response.
MacBradley
New member
Re: using a capacitor to cut off lows?
I'm MacBradley on these forums. Is my username not showing up properly or something?
Depends what you consider downside. I personally don't feel a need for as many ultra low frequencies as a neck pickup's position typically provides, but someone might really like them for one reason or another.
I'm MacBradley on these forums. Is my username not showing up properly or something?
Depends what you consider downside. I personally don't feel a need for as many ultra low frequencies as a neck pickup's position typically provides, but someone might really like them for one reason or another.
INJUNTOM
New member
Re: using a capacitor to cut off lows?
I agree on the low frequency thing on the neck pickup. I've never really liked the sound of neck pickups and rarely ever used them due to muffled/muddy kinda sounds and most rhythms sound better to me with the bridge pickup, but have to admit that lately I bought one of the Full Shred neck pickups and it sounds awesome just noodling around with scales, etc. and the one I experimented most recently I actually like for some rhythms - a Gibson 500T which is meant for the bridge position. Recently traded for an Epi Explorer that someone swapped really Gibson pickups into. Didn't care for the 500T in the bridge position and didn't like the 496R in the neck position, so I moved the 500T forward and dropped one of my Invaders in the bridge position and love it. Almost has a single coil kind of sound like maybe a P90 or something.
As far as what I mean by downside, is tonewise I guess. Like I mentioned, My favorite sounding guitar is the one with nothing but one Invader and a 500K pot and that's it. So I guess I have my answer lol. I do like what you are saying on the neck pickup though, and maybe that's the key to getting a sound I like on a neck pickup. My 500T was just a workaround to the caps maybe.
I agree on the low frequency thing on the neck pickup. I've never really liked the sound of neck pickups and rarely ever used them due to muffled/muddy kinda sounds and most rhythms sound better to me with the bridge pickup, but have to admit that lately I bought one of the Full Shred neck pickups and it sounds awesome just noodling around with scales, etc. and the one I experimented most recently I actually like for some rhythms - a Gibson 500T which is meant for the bridge position. Recently traded for an Epi Explorer that someone swapped really Gibson pickups into. Didn't care for the 500T in the bridge position and didn't like the 496R in the neck position, so I moved the 500T forward and dropped one of my Invaders in the bridge position and love it. Almost has a single coil kind of sound like maybe a P90 or something.
As far as what I mean by downside, is tonewise I guess. Like I mentioned, My favorite sounding guitar is the one with nothing but one Invader and a 500K pot and that's it. So I guess I have my answer lol. I do like what you are saying on the neck pickup though, and maybe that's the key to getting a sound I like on a neck pickup. My 500T was just a workaround to the caps maybe.
MacBradley
New member
Re: using a capacitor to cut off lows?
I guess it depends on what kind of tone the music you're playing requires too. I personally don't like neck pickups unless they're either really low output humbuckers (the Jazz neck being the most power I want out of a neck pickup) or single coils. If you ignore the hum issues, I find my favorite cleans tones usually come from strat neck pickups and similar designs. On bridge pickups, however, I like many different ranges of pickups, regardless of output and coil arrangement. I'm a little bit weird and unconventional though, hah.
I guess it depends on what kind of tone the music you're playing requires too. I personally don't like neck pickups unless they're either really low output humbuckers (the Jazz neck being the most power I want out of a neck pickup) or single coils. If you ignore the hum issues, I find my favorite cleans tones usually come from strat neck pickups and similar designs. On bridge pickups, however, I like many different ranges of pickups, regardless of output and coil arrangement. I'm a little bit weird and unconventional though, hah.
INJUNTOM
New member
Re: using a capacitor to cut off lows?
I'm very weird and unconventional, so I hear ya. I don't have a lot of spare time to play, so I play fast and crunchy stuff for the most part and have a couple Semi-hollowbodies with Gibson pickups that I'll play if I want something mellower. On my SGs I want crunch and sustain and am unconventionally playing through a tube halfstack on about 1 and have moved all my solid bodies to Duncan Invaders in the bridge position, which work quite well to get the sound I want at lower volumes.
Another thing I discovered several months ago was the Duncan Pickup Booster pedal. The things are awesome and I now have 2 of them set very low, but can get the Gibson Burstbuckers sounding more like a Duncan if I feel the need. Also a smoother transition than most pedals or amps as far as switching goes.
I'm very weird and unconventional, so I hear ya. I don't have a lot of spare time to play, so I play fast and crunchy stuff for the most part and have a couple Semi-hollowbodies with Gibson pickups that I'll play if I want something mellower. On my SGs I want crunch and sustain and am unconventionally playing through a tube halfstack on about 1 and have moved all my solid bodies to Duncan Invaders in the bridge position, which work quite well to get the sound I want at lower volumes.
Another thing I discovered several months ago was the Duncan Pickup Booster pedal. The things are awesome and I now have 2 of them set very low, but can get the Gibson Burstbuckers sounding more like a Duncan if I feel the need. Also a smoother transition than most pedals or amps as far as switching goes.
Re: using a capacitor to cut off lows?
Can someone tell me what happens when you put a cap in series before the pickup instead of after? In other words cap, then pickup, then hot output, instead of pickup, cap, then hot output?
Reason for asking: I have a series setup in my strat and the only way to isolate the series option is to run the cap between the two pickups. Otherwise it will affect more than just this setting.
https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?329984-Ultimate-SC-Strat
Can someone tell me what happens when you put a cap in series before the pickup instead of after? In other words cap, then pickup, then hot output, instead of pickup, cap, then hot output?
Reason for asking: I have a series setup in my strat and the only way to isolate the series option is to run the cap between the two pickups. Otherwise it will affect more than just this setting.
https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?329984-Ultimate-SC-Strat
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Joey Voltage
New member
Re: using a capacitor to cut off lows?
It works the same in either case. AC doesn’t care about the order of components, the total reactance will be the same.
It works the same in either case. AC doesn’t care about the order of components, the total reactance will be the same.
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