What caps should be used with Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2

[Domingos]

i. I'm having a LesPaul built with the Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2 because i love Slash's guitar sound so i'm basically trying to copy it or to at least get the nearest possible to it.
Before you start criticizing me for trying to copy Slash's sound could you help me choose which orange caps should i use, .022 or .047. I heard that the .047 could leave the sound a little muddy and that Slash uses .022 but I also read that the usual caps to use in a Les paul are the .047 so I'm a bit confused.

Can anyone help me?

 

[ErikH]

Re: What caps should be used with Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2

Welcome to the forum.

Go with what you like. I personally prefer .022uf for both bridge and neck. There's no hard fast rule here. More preference than anything.

 

[Domingos]

Re: What caps should be used with Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2

Welcome to the forum.

Go with what you like. I personally prefer .022uf for both bridge and neck. There's no hard fast rule here. More preference than anything.

Thanks for the quick answer, and I know this is kind of subject is really personal but i would like to understand if these pickups should be used with a specific cap because i'm trying to build my guitar as close as to slash's, i'm a huge fan of his and so i would like to practice with something similar to his fake 59'.
I suspect he uses .022 for his guitar's sound very sharp but I can't be sure. Can anyone help me?

 

[ErikH]

Re: What caps should be used with Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2

That is most likely what is in there. I think the Custom Shop issue of it has .022. I use the Slash neck in a Strat with just a volume knob, no tone, and it sounds perfect.

You may also want to use 300k linear pots for volume and 500k log for tone as that is what's in his too, at least the Gibson version does. I personally like 500k volumes.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: What caps should be used with Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2

I'd go with the .022. It's a much more musical value. I sometimes even use .015 or even .010 to keep more mids and low trebles as the tone pot is rolled down.

Yes, the .047 sounds a bit muddy. I've never liked them. That's the first thing to go with any new guitar purchase.

 

[Domingos]

Re: What caps should be used with Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2

Regarding the Pots you mentioned I should use the 300k for volume instead of the 500k. I read that in many different places and I can't still understand why. What is the difference?
By the way, should I do that for both of the volume pots and both the tone pots aswell?

 

[ErikH]

Re: What caps should be used with Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2

300k LINEAR and 500k LOG. The difference in 300k to 500k is 500k allows more highs to come through, it opens it up more. The difference in linear vs log is taper. If you want it to sound great right away, go with 500k log all around (meaning both volume and tone pots), with .022uf tone caps and you'll be good to go. Don't worry about copying what Slash has. Just having the APH-2 pickups will get you close enough.

 

[Domingos]

Re: What caps should be used with Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2

Sorry but I didin't understand, you said that the difference is taper, what is that?

So, According to what you said I should use Volume 1 300K linear Tone 1 500 k and Volume 2 500k log and Tone 2 500k?

 

[ErikH]

Re: What caps should be used with Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2

Sorry but I didin't understand, you said that the difference is taper, what is that?

So, According to what you said I should use Volume 1 300K linear Tone 1 500 k and Volume 2 500k log and Tone 2 500k?

For the taper differences, read: http://www.generalguitargadgets.com...174-what-does-pot-taper-mean-audio-log-linear

According what I said in my last post, you want ALL 4 pots to be 500K (both volumes, both tones).

 

[Domingos]

Re: What caps should be used with Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2

Ok, so then there's no real difference between using a 300k and a 500k? I'm not in a rush, i would really like to know which one is better.

 

[ErikH]

Re: What caps should be used with Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2

Ok, so then there's no real difference between using a 300k and a 500k? I'm not in a rush, i would really like to know which one is better.

Yes, there is. The 500K will bring out more highs where as 300K will warm it up. It all depends on the guitar too. I have a SG Classic that came stock with 300k linear volumes and 500k log tones. I swapped out the volume pots for 500k log and it opened everything up. The sound is bigger, more punch, a little brighter with more cut.

To get the most out of your guitar with those pickups, go with the 500k pots for both volumes and tones.

Taper is a whole different thing but read up on it so you understand the difference.

 

[Domingos]

Re: What caps should be used with Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2

Ok, thank you for explaining this to me. I will follow your advice. 500k for all of the pots, all of them CTS and orange caps of .022

 

[Domingos]

Re: What caps should be used with Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2

Unfortunately the shop only has Dijons and Vitamin T, and they are more expensive, are they worth the difference? for the sound i want off course

 

[AlexR]

Re: What caps should be used with Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2

If there are PIO (paper in oil) caps available (which I think Vit Q are) then these are a great option. The PIO is a great way of keeping an open tone but reducing a slight bit of the harsh top-end. They were stock in 50's LP's and probably in Slash's Derrig LP too (being a '59 clone)

 

[Domingos]

Re: What caps should be used with Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2

I think both dijon and Vitamin t are PIO, my doubt is which one has a more rocky sound and which one is more bluesy because i'm currently prepping two of my lespauls and I want one to be a good rock heavy rock guitar(the one with the alnico II pro slash) and the other one to be well suited to play the blues, with that fat characteristical tone..

Can you help me?

 

[RayBarbeeMusic]

Re: What caps should be used with Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2

Try .0022uf. Rolled back it will sound like a jazzbox, not like the amp is burried in the yard.

One .022uf cap sounds like another .022uf cap, don't waste money on expensive ones. The CAPACITANCE makes a difference, not the contstruction. Not in a guitar circuit anyway. The differences between a $.25 .022uf and a $150 .022uf is subtle at best, only great ears can hear it. The difference between a $.25 .022uf cap and a $.25 .0047uf cap is seriously real, and you can buy a couple pickups with the money you save, making two very real differences in your tone, and not looking foolish in the process.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: What caps should be used with Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2

+1. I only use the orange drop caps because they are easy to work with, have great tone, and don't break the bank. I can't see spending 1 penny more for a cap, you won't hear a difference in a guitar, especially in a band situation.

 

[ErikH]

Re: What caps should be used with Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2

Tone caps in a passive guitar circuit don't have a sound. They are filtering highs to ground so you never "hear" the cap. Some may disagree with me on this but that's OK. Everyone hears things differently. IMO, cap type doesn't matter, it's the value that will affect it more than anything.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: What caps should be used with Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2

Tone caps in a passive guitar circuit don't have a sound. They are filtering highs to ground so you never "hear" the cap. Some may disagree with me on this but that's OK. Everyone hears things differently. IMO, cap type doesn't matter, it's the value that will affect it more than anything.

For the most part, all that is true. They only filter high frequencies. I agree that the value is WAY more important than the type of cap. And caps in and of themselves certainly have no sound, but different types of caps DO have an effect on the tone. But it is so small as to make it insignificant.

Even under ideal conditions in a quiet environment and switching back and forth from one type to another, it is very difficult to hear any difference. In a practical situation especially in a band or a somewhat noisy venue, YOU WILL NOT HEAR A DIFFERENCE between mylar, ceramic, paper in oil, etc.

However, the value makes a HUGE difference, just as ErikH said.

 

[Domingos]

Re: What caps should be used with Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2

if you were me, if you wanted to prepare a blues guitar what value would you use?