Capacitor question

[Simon D]

Hi guys. I'm trying to figure out what electric bits and pieces I need to get for my Warmoth. I already have the pickups (2 Warpigs), and the setup is fairly simple - 3 way blade switch, 1 volume, 1 tone with push pull for coil tap.

My question is; do I need capacitors, and if so, what type and value? I've heard that Hoveland caps are very good, but I've no idea what sort I need, or how many. I'll be using 500k pots.

Any help would be most welcome.
Cheers.

[ToneMonkey]

Not sure of the best type, but I'd get a range of values and play around until you find the sound you're happy with.  I was going to give you the range of caps, but I couldn't tell you with 100% accuracy as I've forgetten  :oops:

[Peter Antal]

Cap values influence your sound more than cap types. Some claim to hear a difference between Orange Drops and Hovlands for instance, some claim that there's no difference. You can wire different caps in parallel and series as well - there are lots of different values to try. Wiring several caps in parallel will give you the sum of their capacitance. Wiring them in series is similar to wirig resistors in parallel - the total capacitance will be the reciprocal value of the sum of the reciprocals of capacitances. I hope I wrote that correctly, lol. I use three .022 ?F caps in series in my guitar (that's what I had at home...) - that's .007 ?F. The lower the value the less highs and midrange are removed when you turn the tone control down. With a value too low you'll barely hear a difference, with a value too high the tone control will start behaving like a volume control. Good luck! 8)

[Ted]

hey check this webisite out, they have AWESOME customer service and are damn cheap due to strenght of Sterling against USD.

http://www.specialtyguitars.com/

they explain cap values and YES hovlands ARE the best, I have one in my Vee and its the tits. Worth every penny.

[Peter Antal]

If I were you, I'd buy a number of cheaper caps to experiment with the values before getting anything more expensive like Hovlands or 'Vitamin Q' caps. There've been several debates about this at the Duncan forum - trying to decide if expensive caps make a real difference, I mean technically, in the tone circuit of a guitar, or if it's more of a psychological effect due to the reputation and high price of the Hovlands and such. All the positive reviews were convincing but then one of the 'pickup gurus' there did a real side-by-side comparison (the only one I know of so far) using a Hovland and an Orange Drop wired to a push-pull pot so that the two caps could be compared at any tone control setting. Guess what he found - he couldn't hear a difference. Knowing that his ears are way better than mine, experiencing with orange drops yielded good enough results for me. At the end of the day, though, the only thing that matters is if you personally perceive a difference - if you like the sound more with a more expensive cap, it was worth indeed. 8)

[pagan7]

I have push/pull switches on my Nailbombed Ibanez and can switch between .022mf and .047mf orange drop caps for different tonal characteristics.
I'd say that the .022mf caps give a warmer more "compressed" sound , whereas the .047s are brighter overall and are better when the pickups are switched out of phase than the .022s but it's a matter of personal taste.
Cap value rather than what they're made of makes the most difference.

[Ted]

I disagree with both of the above posts.

I have had

standard gibbo factory installed ceramic caps

Vit Q

Hovlands

All were standard .022uf normally used on LP's. The Vitamin q's were a marked improvement on the ceramic ones, but the Hovlands are massive improvement. They really open up the tone.

Of course .047uf will sound different than 0.22uf. But if you're installing two humbuckers then I would have thought you want .022uf caps. If you have a fender strat you might install .047uf and also if you want to have a mighty versitile guitar with coil taps you'll may want the ability to switch between caps like pagan mentioned.

I'd personally go for Hovlands, they IMO make your tone pot so much more usable. Go for .022uf warmer tones or .047 brighter tones.

[Peter Antal]

In what ways do the Hovlands sound different? A more open sound? Different feel? More dynamics? Getting Hovlands would be a nice experiment but I'd need two or three of them in order to get the desired value + shipping of course.

[FELINEGUITARS]

Haven't tried the Vitamin Q caps but i did put some Hovlands in a guitar with a set of Mules already in

I would say that they made the guitar sound a lot more vintage
they were 0.022s and the guitar was a Les paul and it suddenly sounded  more like a Vintage guitar (as in old - not the brand)- just like you hear on record. Just changed the tone and made it smoother with maybe a better set of dynamics

I may try a 0.015mF in the neck to enjoy a slightly less muted tone and see what that is like

[HTH AMPS]

good caps will roll the edges off and make your tone phatter rather than just dulling it.  the only caps I've ever used that I can get excited about are the old Sprague Bumblebee caps - there really is no comparison.

 :twisted:

[Canadian Steve]

When I was getting my Rebel Yells fitted to my Guild S-100, I decided to get a new harness from RS Guitarworks, along with Hovland Musicaps.  I went with a .022 for the bridge and a 0.015 for the neck and was very happy with the results.  They are a bit expensive for caps, but I would say go for it if it's a guitar your going to keep for a long time!

[808]

When I was getting my Rebel Yells fitted to my Guild S-100, I decided to get a new harness from RS Guitarworks, along with Hovland Musicaps.  I went with a .022 for the bridge and a 0.015 for the neck and was very happy with the results.  They are a bit expensive for caps, but I would say go for it if it's a guitar your going to keep for a long time!

I did the same!

I have Mules in my LP.