Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Tech => Topic started by: snipesace on November 15, 2006, 04:35:09 PM
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what is your take on them? worth the money?
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From what I've read, nope!
I use Sprague Orange Drops when I re-wire a guitar and I've been happy with the results. However, I'm going to try a pair of Hovland Musicaps in my Les Paul Standard when I BKP it...
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I dig the Hovlands in my Epi LP, they rounded it off and made it sound much more expensive 8)
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Nice one Hunter - cheers for that! I won't bother with them in my SG as I like the tone as it as. Angus doesn't have a smooth sound so there's no need!
Mules and Hovlands in my LP Standard should be superb :D
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There's a guy at the Duncan Forum who changed the stock caps to Orange Drops in his Tokai LP, then later changed them for Bumblebee clones. Here's a webpage about his project:
http://www.multi.fi/~nproject/thursday_burst/
He does hear a significant difference between bumblebees and drops.
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I'm sure the Bumblebees will make a difference but not as much difference as the Hovland caps, which are meant to be even better.
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I stuck a vintage NOS Sprague Vitamin Q in my Charvel and all is fine except when I turn the tone down it goes completely to mush, even though it's the same value as the original cap, .022uF.
I've got some orange drops (possibly sprague and will get round to trying them soon instead. At least I got the cap cheap in an electronics flea market, it was just a couple of quid, unlike the repair shops that sell them for about 5 times the price.
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I fitted a pair of Hovlands to my sunburst Lp and it made a big difference even with the tone full up
I also have a stash of the aluminium tailpieces mentioned in the article:
http://www.multi.fi/~nproject/thursday_burst/
Just like the 1950s ones - they are so light it's amazing
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Doesn't get in my head why a LIGHT tailpiece would INCREASE sustain? On the other end, people add brass clamps to guitar headstocks ... so what is needed, more or less mass?
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Heavy tailpiece absorbs more frequencies more quickly - bad :(
Lihgt tailpiece lets strings ring for longer with brighter tone - good :)
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Doesn't get in my head why a LIGHT tailpiece would INCREASE sustain? On the other end, people add brass clamps to guitar headstocks ... so what is needed, more or less mass?
Personally I always thought that the brass business was a bit of wishful thinking in the late 70s. As the 80s progressed it was generally accepted that brass nuts (etc) deadened the tone
To my mind a 'soft' metal such as brass would be less useful than a 'hard' metal such as Titanium. A bit like the difference between woods (for want of a poor comparason). I also see that the quality replacement sustain blocks tend to be steel (which would once again point to weight not being the way go get sustain).
If my Dad where still alive, I would have asked him to make me a Ti nut for research purposes.
Rob...
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It's not just the weight but the nature of the metal used
maybe brass does absorb different frequencies to steel or aluminium or zinc
Out of interest the aluminium tailpiece weighs only 28g compsred to 78g for the zinc
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It's not just the weight but the nature of the metal used
maybe brass does absorb different frequencies to steel or aluminium or zinc
Out of interest the aluminium tailpiece weighs only 28g compsred to 78g for the zinc
For the most part you (referring to the metalwork), surely you don't want the vibrations absorbed, you want them transferred (to the wood). Apparently the 'harder' (for want of a better term) the metal the more you transfer.
I think this is also covered with , the old style case hardened steel compared with the mazac (the stuff used to make toy cars) strat bridge saddles.
Rob...
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adding weight to the headstock does increase sustain, the easiest way to do it is to clamp on a peice of brass. Personally i sometimes make my headstocks thicker than standard and it has pretty much the same effect.
This is a seperate issue to the brass nut thing which i do hate, especially when i see it on my mates 68 Black lP Custom. Makes me want to cry!
Its also seperate to the lightweight bridge thing, which i like and think makes a big difference to sustain.
Headstocks are a large apendage on the end of a skinny peice of wood, sometimes they vibrate too much... If the neck and headstock are vibrating too much they are taking away energy from the strings and therefore reducing sustain. Stiffening the neck and strenghening the headstock are the best ways to reduce this but generally mean a new neck or a hell of a lot of work. Adding weight is the quick fix, and it doesnt have to be brass.
As for the capacitor question: if you think you can hear a difference then they are worth he money. After most people have shelled out for more expensive caps they think they can hear a difference :wink:
I have used spragues with 300k pots for tone and really liked the level of control that they gave me, it was so nice i didnt bother doing the scientific thing and swapping caps to see what difference they made!