This channel is absolutely amazing for clarifying the truth about misconceptions in the world of Guitar. Always based in hard science. We are not worthy.
I always appreciate the real-world application and logic versus the normal theory and urban legend approach you take. It's like Myth Busters for Guitars.
Caps definitely make a difference in the frequency range in conjunction with the pickup type and pot value. No doubt there is an audible difference when switching cap values (I personally have never heard one with cap types, so I stick with OD caps). My personal preference is usually P90: 500k pots with .47 caps (maybe a little dark for some, but I find it brings out that distinct P90 growl), Humbuckers: 500k pots with .22 caps, and single coils: 250k pots with .22 caps or sometimes .33.
this is great! dylan, i just started learning to solder and replace/mod my guitar. your channel has been a great place, consistantly providing practical knowledge and theory while encouraging experimention and empowering me to learn and do without professionals doing it for me. Thanks friend, its making a difference!
I use both a .47 and .22 … on a push pull. Both oil and paper. (ESP/LTD ec400vf) On one guitar that has P/P pots for splitting both humbuckers. On my other guitar with HB pups I used .33 ‘s (Epi LP)
I really dig the no-load detente position on the tone pot of my Charvel. Such a simple solution. Don't know that pot is needed to do the same thing though
I liked the 22 best. I thought the higher value caps seemed to roll off at a faster rate but didn't seem to affect the same set of frequencies. Something interesting to experiment with.
I find this funny and interesting at the same time , I can't remember how many people who had seen in my guitars that had no idea what my .022uf is or what it is for and a few times when I bought a guitar from the pawn show no caps ever and mew guitars other than my Ibanez have had caps from the factory . But what's funnier is late 80'ss, a 1 meg pot was hard to find and people thought I was crazy for having it but I loved it and I was 1 of about 5 people that used it back then
I can hear a distinct difference between the caps with the pots on 10. I am in the proces of experimenting with "tuning" my guitars to my liking - variations in pu's, wiring and tone control . I guess I'll be doing some more testing on the next guitars .
My favorite capacitor in the bridge position of my Gibson EB 'sSG basses is a .01 on that bridge Mini humbucker... Does the Mwah thing especially on those fretless ones that I have that's my personal choice and that's what I think a capacitor should be for what fits to suit your needs❤
I really like the 15. I wonder if it will do the same for my 79 Les Paul custom. I liked the sound with no cap even more. You didn’t do the volume changes when the cap was off. I could hear the sound getting bassier on the bass strings as you went to the higher number caps
I went down the capacitor rabbit hole a few years ago on my Strats. I tested orange drops, mustard, tropical fish, Russian PiO, and some 20 for $2 Chinese Chicklets, and I tried them in .022, .033, and .047. At the end of the day I left a .033uf Chicklet cap in all of them. The only tonal difference I could hear was when I changed capacitance values.
Completely agree. I buy and fit orange drop or Hosco Polyester Film caps - I trust the quality and tolerance, but I know they all sound the same. Lots of bull talked about tone change by people who don't understand electronics, but sometimes we hear with our eyes! A bumble bee in an old Les Paul looks just right !! And most people don't' think enough about the capacitance in the cable ...
@@SimonCustomGuitars I had heard so much about the mojo that I had to try, and I tip my hat to those who swear they hear the difference. My belief is that any difference is the combined result of the age, variance, and what effect that has on the rest of the components. It's just good common sense to use quality caps. The only reason I left the Chicklets installed was because they were the last ones tested and I honestly didn't feel like swapping out another cap. That was at least 10 years ago.
@@HansSchick The ONLY thing that matters, (in a guitar/bass circuit anyway) is the value of the cap, not so much the type of cap. They all do the same thing:FILTER!
I listened on my phone and Koss Pro 4A headphones. I did hear some differences. The .15 seemed to have more highs and the tone got a little more mellow with each switch to the .47. This could be fun to play around with.
Couldn't hear any great difference at all. But then I'm as thick as two short planks and they're made of basswood. Tone wood question answered. Great show Dylan. 😎
As the capacitor value goes up, the brightness goes down & gets muddier. What about capacitor brands? Is there a sweet spot for the tone knob position 5 v 7 that you’d want?
There are clearly differences between the 4 caps (and the test with out a cap) and I could find a use for all of them. So why not a Varitone circuit ... and to get ALL the possibilities, install a 5 position pickup selector switch as well. Probably wouldn't use all of the possibilities, but they are all there.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on an R6 with p90’s which I’d like to “darken up” a little. Love the clarity and twang, but I find that I’m riding the tones around 3-5 the majority of the time, sometimes going to zero and veeeery rarely going above 6; and I suspect I could probably getting a much more useful sweep out of my tones. Edit: btw, it’s a 2022 with stock Gibson p90’s and wiring.
Hey, it'd be super cool if you could do a deep dive in the Fishman Fluence humbucker wiring n how it all works/how to do custom setups (I've been researching how pickup wiring all just generally works, but it's been difficult trying to apply it to the Fishman's since they have so much extra stuff going on). What I'm specifically trying to figure out is how to/if its possible to wire the single coil voicing in the humbuckers ("voice 3", at least with the classic core n Tim Henson's) with a push/pull that toggles between the inner n outer coils. I emailed them about something else n they sent me a diagram ("classic core custom wiring 2") where you can do this, but only when using single coils from both humbuckers at the same time, which got me thinking about this. I'd also like someone to show the difference in sound between these just generally (inner/outer coils), since I can't find a single video about it- only people talking about it on forums. And the last thing I'd like is a video going over 4 pole 5 throw switches, since I can't really find any that go over them, only the smaller, less complex switches. If you or anyone actually reads any of this, thank you haha. You'd be the first to go over any of this! (Unless Im just not searching for the right keywords to find what Im looking for haha, no idea) OH and very lastly, my guitar uses a toggle switch, so I was going to try using a 5way rotary switch instead of the blade switch that the Fishman diagrams all use, and while I think I've figured out how to wire it all now, it'd also be a fairly unique video you could do! (only found one other one that goes over it and that was just made in this last year- you could give it a "clickbaity" (not really) title like "want 5 positions but don't have blade switch? No probkem!" or whatever haha)
Is it weird i liked the cap out of the circuit best🤷? That'd be essentially direct to output wiring, correct? Sounded like the higher the value emphasized the higher end to me
How much was I supposed to hear? I liked some of the settings and caps better but I'll have to redo this video several times to know my choice. I still love the look and sound of that guitar.
I'm listening on KRK 8" Studio Monitors and Sub with the video at 4k playback and could hear next to no difference between the caps at each tone knob position. Maybe something is lost in the TH-cam audio compression or maybe it's more of a feel thing or maybe my ears aren't as sensitive as other's but you could've played the same cap each time and I wouldn't have noticed. I'm sure there were minute differences and maybe they were more noticeable in the room, but this just feels like to me all the tone chasing fuss people make over caps is kinda stupid.
Interesting as always - thanks I think you may have the standard values backwards - common wisdom and fitment is .022 for humbuckers and .o47 for single coils. Fender fit '47' in their single coils not '22'.
@@DylanTalksTone Cheers Dylan - you are inviting people to question some traditions. And it's not just capacitors - the pots make a difference (although more difficult and expensive to change. I have single coils that sound more open with 500k rather than the normal 250k. I built a guitar with two Strat pickups that could be wired as a bridge humbucker in position 1 - I was using a super switch so could change the capacitor to .022 in position 1 and have it as .047 in the other 4 positions - worked really well. Like you say, we just need to try things. You have also reminded people that 'the capacitor is always there' - have you any experience using 'no-load' pots that go open circuit at the end? I was going to try one.
Exactly. The higher value cap will 'drain' more of the high frequencies and increasingly so as the pot is turned, but even on max its always there. This is why I sometimes use250k pots for volume and 500k for tone on single coils. Maybe Dylan will talk more about pots in another video. I always use 50s wiring - I'd be interested to hear Dylan's take on that too.
@@DylanTalksTone I was in a electronics engineering program in college. Some non-polarized caps have a black stripe by one of the terminals. (I have some Sprague Orange Drop 715P series that have this.) This indicates the terminal connected to the 'outer foil' wrap electrode inside. Many caps are constructed with many wraps of two foil strips separated by a dielectric layer. One of the strips is going to be on the outside on the last wrap. Connecting this strip to ground provides some shielding against EMI interference. I wouldn't think it would make much difference in a treble bleed tone circuit in a guitar, but I could be wrong.
Hey Dylan. You are really great a busting guitar myths and doing your research but what I don't understand is this obsession that everyone has with Orange Drop caps. "It's Tradition" is only part of it. At the time when electric guitars were starting up almost all equipment was valve (tube) based and used very high voltages 100-600V was normal. These caps were almost certainly used because they were the cheapest and only kind available in quantity at the time. But guitars have a signal measured in MILLI-volts. Using a cap designed to operate at 100-600v is way overkill. From a physics and electronic theory point of view, assuming the tolerances are the same, the ONLY thing that makes a difference to the tone is the VALUE of the capacitor. Any VOLTAGE that is higher than what you need to operate makes ZERO difference. So my point here is - why use Orange Drops costing $6, when I can use a Ceramic that costs $0.45? If the tolerance is the same, and the voltage is above 1v (50v for a ceramic). In terms of tone it will be identical. Sure I get that quality makes a difference so if NASA prefers the smaller lighter capacitor that is also cheaper and does exactly the same job, why do we persist with Orange Drops? If Orange Drops were so superior then wouldn't NASA use them? If there really is a difference between Orange Drop and Ceramic or Tantalum or any other kind of capacitor then please do a similar side by side and convince me. If it exists it should become clear in a side by side test.
There's no reason to choose a big 200-600 volt capacitor -- a tiny 50 volt ceramic disk is entirely adequate. The value matters -- the voltage rating doesn't given the tiny voltages involved in a guitar.
well, i really like gibson's 50`s wiring. also on fenders. everything's different then. i can't tell which values i like, too complicated. 🙂 you could do a video? standard wiring is no option for me, i leave everything on 10. the bigger the cap the worse.
Dylan, I did hear a difference with every cap. It seemed to me that every increase in capacitance resulted in "mo' beef." My feeling is that the caps shifted the resonant peak of the pickups downward a bit and more so as the values increased. I myself liked the .047 tones best, descending through the values. I might see if I can cut some time to try this out for myself. Great way REALLY to customize your guitar. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that a modification somewhat like this (a second cap in parallel with the stock one) is hidden within Bob Marley's Gibson Les Paul Special. This mod could be made pretty small, I figure, so maybe ...🤔
Everybody knows the only good caps are paper and oil filled, manufactured between May 37th and October 46th, 1963 in Springfield Illinois. This is common knowledge.
The 0.033 cap stood out for me as the nicest tonal change. But yes, could instantly recognise that 0.022 sound. But next time I play with the guts I will look at the 0.033 :)
Why didn't you talk about what the different cap values do to the frequency? A 15 minute video with only 3 minutes of playing and in the other 12 minutes you didn't even mention what the different values due other than saying it's science. Give us some theory after the test. Are the higher value caps supposed to cut more highs? Or highs and lows? Mids? What is the curve you're talking about. Also when you do a sound comparison you need to jump between sounds much quicker, especially if the progression is going to be gradual in one direction. Come on Dylan, you can do better. This video was a sloppy attempt at a sales pitch for that kit.
If you can do better, feel free. We can’t put every detail in every video. Even this video took hours of preparation and editing. We have other videos that cover the theory. It’s up to you how ungrateful you want to be… has no bearing on what I do.
@@DylanTalksTone If this video took hours of preparation and editing then you need to change your workflow. I’ve watched a lot of your videos. I’ve been watching them for several years. I’ve learned a lot of useful information from them. That’s why I criticized this one. I was surprised at how much I felt like it was a waste of time. What am I to be grateful for? And I’m not expecting every detail in every video. You’re misrepresenting my comment. A few simple facts about the science behind the value changes and your impression of the results of your test would have added much needed value. And you’ve been in this game for a long time so you should know that if you can’t respond to critical comments without being smug and saying people’s comments have no bearing on what you do then you shouldn’t respond at all. I’m sorry if I upset you and I do respect the work you do. Peace.
You should try it sometime.... Also... this was a follow up to another video where those details are included. One thing I have realized over the last 11 years and 1500 videos is this. I will never make everyone happy, I will never include enough details, I talk too much about details, I record the demos in the wrong order, I don't get to the demos soon enough, I don't include enough tech info. There are opposing comments containing these sentiments on every video. SO... I just make the video I want to make. I trust that the folks that genuinely want to know will see the value in what we do. The rest of them ..... nothing I can Do about it. I am too busy shooting 5 productions a week, making over 200 pickups a month, and hanging with a family that I love to do anything more than what I enjoy. I am not sorry if a few don't like it.
@@redhorsereincarnated I think Dylan does a pretty good job and is inviting people to experiment. A bit of theory would have been interesting (and possibly useful), but I think he was just asking people to use their ears. Another commenter on here got it exactly right. The higher value cap 'drains' more highs. Not better or worse, just a fact - so I have heard humbuckers sound too bright with .022 and single coils sound too dark with .047. Pot values make a difference too - 1 Meg pots in a Jazzmaster! Peace and Love to everyone who loves guitars, music and this wonderful community.
This video isn’t titled “How capacitors affect the tone of your guitar”. He delivered exactly what he intended to. I love more technical deep dives as much as you do but it isn’t practical for a video that’s announcing the return of the kit to his web store. You came to the comments and told him to do better because you misunderstood the purpose of the content and then went on telling him he’s inefficient at his work process. Pretty rich from someone who doesn’t seem to have any content creation experience. There is plenty of technical information out there about capacitors. Hit up that search bar and find what you’re looking for if you didn’t get it here.
The first half of the tone circuit's range is all due to the pot, not the cap (value). So if you never turn your tone control down, towards half way or beyond, the cap value doesn't matter. The "effect on 10" argument has no bearing here. The effect on 10 is due to the pot being in circuit. Short out the pot and you'll hear the difference. If you blind tested all the caps "on 10" no one would pick the order of cap values.
@@DylanTalksTone there are multiple lines of evidence to support that. See "The effect of tone capacitors" on guitarnutz forum. See luthier David Collins' tests on youtube. The frequency response curve is the same for different cap values when on 10 (it is due to the resistance only). The increasing resistance effect on damping the pickup's Q factor (treble emphasis) operates in the first half of the range. The capacitance effect shifts the pickup's resonant frequency lower when it kicks in in the second half of the tone circuit's range. Those distinct effects can be shown in semi real time while generating pickup bode plots for different tone circuit settings. Or do the blind listening test.
The statement above contradicts itself. It is true that the value of the pot affects the damping on the circuit. This is the SAME reason why it has an effect when the knob is on ten. ANY resistance present will send some of the signal to ground through the cap… it will have a more or less profound effect based on the value of the cap and the value of the pot. ANY path to ground in this circuit will cause a shift in the resonant peak of the entire circuit. Changing the capacitance in that path to ground WILL change the cutoff …. Now… if you can’t hear, or never play any frequencies near or above that cutoff … YOU might not hear it, but it does exist. The physics are very simple.
@@DylanTalksTone physics is good, unless you choose the wrong physics to hang your hat on. The variable resistance is (the only thing) loading the pickup in the first half. That's why the measured Q factor is reduced - that's a known resistive, not capacitive, effect. And then the nature of the response changes to capacitive in the second half. Circuit modelling software shows the same thing. As does the listening test. To see those physics measured in a real guitar circuit, see "Tone Caps Explained (Part 1)" on the Rob Mods youtube channel. Changing the cap value in the upper half of the tone circuit's range had no effect. This is all well-known and understood physics, as indicated in all the different, independent sources/expriments I have now cited.
@@DylanTalksTone a lot of guitar TH-cam guys make a funny face on the video, I guess it gets clicks. Look at Rhett Shull’s videos, that’s what I mean. I don’t even click them anymore. I understand it’s your business/livelihood and if it works cool. I love your channel.
I like the .033 cap sound. It had a softer sound
This channel is absolutely amazing for clarifying the truth about misconceptions in the world of Guitar. Always based in hard science. We are not worthy.
I always appreciate the real-world application and logic versus the normal theory and urban legend approach you take. It's like Myth Busters for Guitars.
Caps definitely make a difference in the frequency range in conjunction with the pickup type and pot value. No doubt there is an audible difference when switching cap values (I personally have never heard one with cap types, so I stick with OD caps). My personal preference is usually P90: 500k pots with .47 caps (maybe a little dark for some, but I find it brings out that distinct P90 growl), Humbuckers: 500k pots with .22 caps, and single coils: 250k pots with .22 caps or sometimes .33.
this is great! dylan, i just started learning to solder and replace/mod my guitar. your channel has been a great place, consistantly providing practical knowledge and theory while encouraging experimention and empowering me to learn and do without professionals doing it for me. Thanks friend, its making a difference!
Seems the higher the value of the cap the guitar gets less brighter. Outstanding video.
THAT'S the idea!
I use both a .47 and .22 … on a push pull. Both oil and paper. (ESP/LTD ec400vf) On one guitar that has P/P pots for splitting both humbuckers. On my other guitar with HB pups I used .33 ‘s (Epi LP)
Love nerding out on capacitors even though there’s lots of snake oil. Orange drops is usually my brand inside guitars
I really dig the no-load detente position on the tone pot of my Charvel. Such a simple solution. Don't know that pot is needed to do the same thing though
My 1999 American Standard Telecaster has the "no-load" tone and I love it.
Hey Dylan! Do you have any preference between a 100v and a 200v Capacitor? And why? Love you Chanel by the way... Very informative.
Strangely enough, I liked the .015 the most. It was more open and musical.
I liked the 22 best. I thought the higher value caps seemed to roll off at a faster rate but didn't seem to affect the same set of frequencies. Something interesting to experiment with.
I find this funny and interesting at the same time , I can't remember how many people who had seen in my guitars that had no idea what my .022uf is or what it is for and a few times when I bought a guitar from the pawn show no caps ever and mew guitars other than my Ibanez have had caps from the factory . But what's funnier is late 80'ss, a 1 meg pot was hard to find and people thought I was crazy for having it but I loved it and I was 1 of about 5 people that used it back then
1M pots are great with hum bucker style pick ups!
Didn't Eric Clapton use a 1 meg pot in his Strats?
@@chuchuchip He may well have, but would have made his back pick up very bright!
.022 was my favorite.
I use a Tone Styler tone pots in my guitars. You are actually changing capacitor values instead of a potentiometer valve.
Great idea , Dylan !! Have to give that a try !!
I just Fkn love the look of that guitar.
I have a guitar that a friend gave me and I forget what cap he put in it but it’s like a wah pedal. So cool.
I can hear a distinct difference between the caps with the pots on 10. I am in the proces of experimenting with "tuning" my guitars to my liking - variations in pu's, wiring and tone control . I guess I'll be doing some more testing on the next guitars .
My favorite capacitor in the bridge position of my Gibson EB 'sSG basses is a .01 on that bridge Mini humbucker...
Does the Mwah thing especially on those fretless ones that I have that's my personal choice and that's what I think a capacitor should be for what fits to suit your needs❤
I really like the 15. I wonder if it will do the same for my 79 Les Paul custom. I liked the sound with no cap even more. You didn’t do the volume changes when the cap was off. I could hear the sound getting bassier on the bass strings as you went to the higher number caps
The cap WILL shift the resonant peak, as will how hot the pick up coils are wound as they all introduce capacitance to the circuit!
I went down the capacitor rabbit hole a few years ago on my Strats. I tested orange drops, mustard, tropical fish, Russian PiO, and some 20 for $2 Chinese Chicklets, and I tried them in .022, .033, and .047. At the end of the day I left a .033uf Chicklet cap in all of them.
The only tonal difference I could hear was when I changed capacitance values.
Yep. Pretty much.
Completely agree. I buy and fit orange drop or Hosco Polyester Film caps - I trust the quality and tolerance, but I know they all sound the same. Lots of bull talked about tone change by people who don't understand electronics, but sometimes we hear with our eyes! A bumble bee in an old Les Paul looks just right !! And most people don't' think enough about the capacitance in the cable ...
@@SimonCustomGuitars I had heard so much about the mojo that I had to try, and I tip my hat to those who swear they hear the difference. My belief is that any difference is the combined result of the age, variance, and what effect that has on the rest of the components.
It's just good common sense to use quality caps. The only reason I left the Chicklets installed was because they were the last ones tested and I honestly didn't feel like swapping out another cap. That was at least 10 years ago.
@@SimonCustomGuitars A cap is a cap is a cap...
@@HansSchick The ONLY thing that matters, (in a guitar/bass circuit anyway) is the value of the cap, not so much the type of cap.
They all do the same thing:FILTER!
Another great video!
Thanks for everything.
I listened on my phone and Koss Pro 4A headphones.
I did hear some differences. The
.15 seemed to have more highs and the tone got a little more mellow with each switch to the .47.
This could be fun to play around with.
Definitely a difference - the .033 seems to really suit that guitar, to my ears - warm and balanced 👍
My favorite sound was no cap. I have to test it on a Tele.
Couldn't hear any great difference at all. But then I'm as thick as two short planks and they're made of basswood. Tone wood question answered. Great show Dylan. 😎
I love these videos , could you do the same kind of thing for bass?
Interesting, maybe a good use for the rotary switch on a 345.
As the capacitor value goes up, the brightness goes down & gets muddier. What about capacitor brands? Is there a sweet spot for the tone knob position 5 v 7 that you’d want?
Great video thank you Dylan
is there one more used as a jazz tone than others on the average?
There are clearly differences between the 4 caps (and the test with out a cap) and I could find a use for all of them. So why not a Varitone circuit ... and to get ALL the possibilities, install a 5 position pickup selector switch as well. Probably wouldn't use all of the possibilities, but they are all there.
i can hear a difference between them all. didnt care for the 15, but the rest were decent, and my personal favorite would be the 33.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on an R6 with p90’s which I’d like to “darken up” a little. Love the clarity and twang, but I find that I’m riding the tones around 3-5 the majority of the time, sometimes going to zero and veeeery rarely going above 6; and I suspect I could probably getting a much more useful sweep out of my tones.
Edit: btw, it’s a 2022 with stock Gibson p90’s and wiring.
Hey, it'd be super cool if you could do a deep dive in the Fishman Fluence humbucker wiring n how it all works/how to do custom setups (I've been researching how pickup wiring all just generally works, but it's been difficult trying to apply it to the Fishman's since they have so much extra stuff going on). What I'm specifically trying to figure out is how to/if its possible to wire the single coil voicing in the humbuckers ("voice 3", at least with the classic core n Tim Henson's) with a push/pull that toggles between the inner n outer coils. I emailed them about something else n they sent me a diagram ("classic core custom wiring 2") where you can do this, but only when using single coils from both humbuckers at the same time, which got me thinking about this.
I'd also like someone to show the difference in sound between these just generally (inner/outer coils), since I can't find a single video about it- only people talking about it on forums. And the last thing I'd like is a video going over 4 pole 5 throw switches, since I can't really find any that go over them, only the smaller, less complex switches.
If you or anyone actually reads any of this, thank you haha. You'd be the first to go over any of this! (Unless Im just not searching for the right keywords to find what Im looking for haha, no idea)
OH and very lastly, my guitar uses a toggle switch, so I was going to try using a 5way rotary switch instead of the blade switch that the Fishman diagrams all use, and while I think I've figured out how to wire it all now, it'd also be a fairly unique video you could do! (only found one other one that goes over it and that was just made in this last year- you could give it a "clickbaity" (not really) title like "want 5 positions but don't have blade switch? No probkem!" or whatever haha)
Is it weird i liked the cap out of the circuit best🤷? That'd be essentially direct to output wiring, correct? Sounded like the higher the value emphasized the higher end to me
No, it's still loaded by the volume pot!
My ears are not that trained yet. But I like the look of that orange drop cap, and I like tinkering so upgrades coming. How long do caps last?
These types; forever. Electrolytic used in amp are a different story.
+++ i just love your Videos and learned quite a lot, tnx Dylan+++
Great Video !!!!!!! Thankyou
try a decades capacitor box with a decades resistor box - many possibilities
the .022 sounds warmer than the .033 i think, but that can be easily influenced by how far you play from the bridge.
How much was I supposed to hear? I liked some of the settings and caps better but I'll have to redo this video several times to know my choice. I still love the look and sound of that guitar.
I'm listening on KRK 8" Studio Monitors and Sub with the video at 4k playback and could hear next to no difference between the caps at each tone knob position. Maybe something is lost in the TH-cam audio compression or maybe it's more of a feel thing or maybe my ears aren't as sensitive as other's but you could've played the same cap each time and I wouldn't have noticed. I'm sure there were minute differences and maybe they were more noticeable in the room, but this just feels like to me all the tone chasing fuss people make over caps is kinda stupid.
500k tone pot with a big fat .047 gives you a large tonal range- Ive been doing that ever since i first leaned it....from this guy
Interesting as always - thanks I think you may have the standard values backwards - common wisdom and fitment is .022 for humbuckers and .o47 for single coils. Fender fit '47' in their single coils not '22'.
I have a pile of stock guitars here that I have checked
@@DylanTalksTone Cheers Dylan - you are inviting people to question some traditions. And it's not just capacitors - the pots make a difference (although more difficult and expensive to change. I have single coils that sound more open with 500k rather than the normal 250k. I built a guitar with two Strat pickups that could be wired as a bridge humbucker in position 1 - I was using a super switch so could change the capacitor to .022 in position 1 and have it as .047 in the other 4 positions - worked really well. Like you say, we just need to try things.
You have also reminded people that 'the capacitor is always there' - have you any experience using 'no-load' pots that go open circuit at the end? I was going to try one.
Can't really hear a big difference. The 33 sounds slightly more flat than the rest.
‘Don’t to scratch my guitar so I put some tape on it.” Wears the biggest bracelet in his right wrist. Hahaha. Just kidding Love ya man.
What I heard was as you went up from .015 to .047 the sound got darker. I could even notice on 10.
Exactly. The higher value cap will 'drain' more of the high frequencies and increasingly so as the pot is turned, but even on max its always there. This is why I sometimes use250k pots for volume and 500k for tone on single coils. Maybe Dylan will talk more about pots in another video. I always use 50s wiring - I'd be interested to hear Dylan's take on that too.
may I ask who is your Cap hook up? not Capacitors, but your always cool Caps
I was surprised at how bright the .022 cap was at 10 compared to the others. I thought the .047 would be the brightest.
yeah idk man that masking tape influenced the tone too much to tell the difference.....
tone tape, its the new thing!! LOL
So it doesn’t matter which way you wire the cap? I think it does.
Only with electrolytic caps.
@@DylanTalksTone I was in a electronics engineering program in college. Some non-polarized caps have a black stripe by one of the terminals. (I have some Sprague Orange Drop 715P series that have this.) This indicates the terminal connected to the 'outer foil' wrap electrode inside. Many caps are constructed with many wraps of two foil strips separated by a dielectric layer. One of the strips is going to be on the outside on the last wrap. Connecting this strip to ground provides some shielding against EMI interference. I wouldn't think it would make much difference in a treble bleed tone circuit in a guitar, but I could be wrong.
“iPhone speaker certified” lol 😂… so true
Oh and I liked a different capacitor at each different setting as I think each offered a different balance of bass response and clarity for each
33 cap
15s
Minimal differences but I’m dealing with tinnitus so ? 😊
Hey Dylan. You are really great a busting guitar myths and doing your research but what I don't understand is this obsession that everyone has with Orange Drop caps. "It's Tradition" is only part of it. At the time when electric guitars were starting up almost all equipment was valve (tube) based and used very high voltages 100-600V was normal. These caps were almost certainly used because they were the cheapest and only kind available in quantity at the time. But guitars have a signal measured in MILLI-volts. Using a cap designed to operate at 100-600v is way overkill.
From a physics and electronic theory point of view, assuming the tolerances are the same, the ONLY thing that makes a difference to the tone is the VALUE of the capacitor. Any VOLTAGE that is higher than what you need to operate makes ZERO difference. So my point here is - why use Orange Drops costing $6, when I can use a Ceramic that costs $0.45? If the tolerance is the same, and the voltage is above 1v (50v for a ceramic). In terms of tone it will be identical.
Sure I get that quality makes a difference so if NASA prefers the smaller lighter capacitor that is also cheaper and does exactly the same job, why do we persist with Orange Drops? If Orange Drops were so superior then wouldn't NASA use them? If there really is a difference between Orange Drop and Ceramic or Tantalum or any other kind of capacitor then please do a similar side by side and convince me. If it exists it should become clear in a side by side test.
There's no reason to choose a big 200-600 volt capacitor -- a tiny 50 volt ceramic disk is entirely adequate. The value matters -- the voltage rating doesn't given the tiny voltages involved in a guitar.
Yep
.033 makes it sound so warm and lovable.
well, i really like gibson's 50`s wiring. also on fenders. everything's different then.
i can't tell which values i like, too complicated. 🙂
you could do a video?
standard wiring is no option for me, i leave everything on 10. the bigger the cap the worse.
Dylan, I did hear a difference with every cap. It seemed to me that every increase in capacitance resulted in "mo' beef." My feeling is that the caps shifted the resonant peak of the pickups downward a bit and more so as the values increased. I myself liked the .047 tones best, descending through the values. I might see if I can cut some time to try this out for myself. Great way REALLY to customize your guitar. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that a modification somewhat like this (a second cap in parallel with the stock one) is hidden within Bob Marley's Gibson Les Paul Special. This mod could be made pretty small, I figure, so maybe ...🤔
There is only one right capacitor. The flux capacitor. 1.21
Everybody knows the only good caps are paper and oil filled, manufactured between May 37th and October 46th, 1963 in Springfield Illinois. This is common knowledge.
The 0.033 cap stood out for me as the nicest tonal change. But yes, could instantly recognise that 0.022 sound. But next time I play with the guts I will look at the 0.033 :)
Why didn't you talk about what the different cap values do to the frequency? A 15 minute video with only 3 minutes of playing and in the other 12 minutes you didn't even mention what the different values due other than saying it's science. Give us some theory after the test. Are the higher value caps supposed to cut more highs? Or highs and lows? Mids? What is the curve you're talking about. Also when you do a sound comparison you need to jump between sounds much quicker, especially if the progression is going to be gradual in one direction. Come on Dylan, you can do better. This video was a sloppy attempt at a sales pitch for that kit.
If you can do better, feel free. We can’t put every detail in every video. Even this video took hours of preparation and editing. We have other videos that cover the theory. It’s up to you how ungrateful you want to be… has no bearing on what I do.
@@DylanTalksTone If this video took hours of preparation and editing then you need to change your workflow. I’ve watched a lot of your videos. I’ve been watching them for several years. I’ve learned a lot of useful information from them. That’s why I criticized this one. I was surprised at how much I felt like it was a waste of time. What am I to be grateful for? And I’m not expecting every detail in every video. You’re misrepresenting my comment. A few simple facts about the science behind the value changes and your impression of the results of your test would have added much needed value. And you’ve been in this game for a long time so you should know that if you can’t respond to critical comments without being smug and saying people’s comments have no bearing on what you do then you shouldn’t respond at all. I’m sorry if I upset you and I do respect the work you do. Peace.
You should try it sometime.... Also... this was a follow up to another video where those details are included. One thing I have realized over the last 11 years and 1500 videos is this. I will never make everyone happy, I will never include enough details, I talk too much about details, I record the demos in the wrong order, I don't get to the demos soon enough, I don't include enough tech info. There are opposing comments containing these sentiments on every video. SO... I just make the video I want to make. I trust that the folks that genuinely want to know will see the value in what we do. The rest of them ..... nothing I can Do about it. I am too busy shooting 5 productions a week, making over 200 pickups a month, and hanging with a family that I love to do anything more than what I enjoy. I am not sorry if a few don't like it.
@@redhorsereincarnated I think Dylan does a pretty good job and is inviting people to experiment. A bit of theory would have been interesting (and possibly useful), but I think he was just asking people to use their ears. Another commenter on here got it exactly right. The higher value cap 'drains' more highs. Not better or worse, just a fact - so I have heard humbuckers sound too bright with .022 and single coils sound too dark with .047. Pot values make a difference too - 1 Meg pots in a Jazzmaster! Peace and Love to everyone who loves guitars, music and this wonderful community.
This video isn’t titled “How capacitors affect the tone of your guitar”. He delivered exactly what he intended to. I love more technical deep dives as much as you do but it isn’t practical for a video that’s announcing the return of the kit to his web store. You came to the comments and told him to do better because you misunderstood the purpose of the content and then went on telling him he’s inefficient at his work process. Pretty rich from someone who doesn’t seem to have any content creation experience. There is plenty of technical information out there about capacitors. Hit up that search bar and find what you’re looking for if you didn’t get it here.
The first half of the tone circuit's range is all due to the pot, not the cap (value). So if you never turn your tone control down, towards half way or beyond, the cap value doesn't matter. The "effect on 10" argument has no bearing here. The effect on 10 is due to the pot being in circuit. Short out the pot and you'll hear the difference.
If you blind tested all the caps "on 10" no one would pick the order of cap values.
Not true … but ok.
@@DylanTalksTone there are multiple lines of evidence to support that. See "The effect of tone capacitors" on guitarnutz forum. See luthier David Collins' tests on youtube. The frequency response curve is the same for different cap values when on 10 (it is due to the resistance only). The increasing resistance effect on damping the pickup's Q factor (treble emphasis) operates in the first half of the range. The capacitance effect shifts the pickup's resonant frequency lower when it kicks in in the second half of the tone circuit's range. Those distinct effects can be shown in semi real time while generating pickup bode plots for different tone circuit settings.
Or do the blind listening test.
The statement above contradicts itself. It is true that the value of the pot affects the damping on the circuit. This is the SAME reason why it has an effect when the knob is on ten. ANY resistance present will send some of the signal to ground through the cap… it will have a more or less profound effect based on the value of the cap and the value of the pot. ANY path to ground in this circuit will cause a shift in the resonant peak of the entire circuit. Changing the capacitance in that path to ground WILL change the cutoff …. Now… if you can’t hear, or never play any frequencies near or above that cutoff … YOU might not hear it, but it does exist. The physics are very simple.
I don’t take my evidence from a guitar forum… I take it from the actual physics.
@@DylanTalksTone physics is good, unless you choose the wrong physics to hang your hat on.
The variable resistance is (the only thing) loading the pickup in the first half. That's why the measured Q factor is reduced - that's a known resistive, not capacitive, effect. And then the nature of the response changes to capacitive in the second half.
Circuit modelling software shows the same thing. As does the listening test.
To see those physics measured in a real guitar circuit, see "Tone Caps Explained (Part 1)" on the Rob Mods youtube channel. Changing the cap value in the upper half of the tone circuit's range had no effect.
This is all well-known and understood physics, as indicated in all the different, independent sources/expriments I have now cited.
Please don’t start doing the sly look or shocked look or whatever look videos
Huh?
@@DylanTalksTone a lot of guitar TH-cam guys make a funny face on the video, I guess it gets clicks. Look at Rhett Shull’s videos, that’s what I mean. I don’t even click them anymore. I understand it’s your business/livelihood and if it works cool. I love your channel.
@@dbb124I unsubscribed from Rhett. 👎🏻
@@dbb124get over yourself. People express themselves in many different ways, should they have to cater to your whims? Wake up call.
Your welcome!
@@DylanTalksTonethanks
Thanks Dylan, hardly any difference to me and not worth the effort to change, adjust tone controls on guitar and amp to get sound you like.