Tone Control Caps

Sorry to see you haven't had any help here.
I would love to help, but don't know enough about it - but if I make a comment - someone is sure to correct me, so here goes.
I know that a lower value cap will increase Treble (or decrease treble bleed off).
Apparently a higher value pot will do the same, and there is still a small effect even with the pot right up.
The question of whether different types of cap affect tone is a controversial one. Some say it definitely does, others say it can't.
I recently changed the stock .0022 tone cap in my PRS SE Soapbar for a more expensive "orange drop" with a .0015 value, and it made me very happy. Noticeably Clearer and Ballsier to my ears - and I was able to compare it back to back, as I jam with a guy who has an identical guitar.
Whether the difference came from the value of the cap, or the type (or both), I couldn't say, plus I also changed the pots to Gibson ones at the time (same value as stock).

I hope that helps or generates more comment.

 

BTW - there's a lot of good info here on tone caps if you're prepared to look through the posts:-

Guitar Tech

 

1. What's is the affect of changing the tone cap values up or down?

>>lower cap value, less rolloff and vice-versa

2. Does the tone cap value have any affect when the tone control it all the way up?

>>it has, but it's very subtle.

3. What is the affect of changing the tone control pot value and does it have an affect when it's wide open.

>>larger values give a brighter tone, with the same cap used.

4. Is there a particular type/brand of cap that is best suited for this application?

>>check the RS guitarworks site for their Hovland-RS guitarcap and pots. I also like the Mallory 150 series, which are much cheaper. I don't care much for orange drops. There are definately lots of types/brands to choose from.

good luck

 

Bluewail,

Before you start with any mods, check to see what you've got in the guitar now. You probably have cheap ceramic caps, so you should hear an improvement there if you upgrade to any number of different quality caps (although some will agrue that there is little or no perceptible audio difference between caps).

Even good pots like CTS, which are somewhat of a standard in pots, have a +/- 10% tolerance. A 250k pot then, can vary from 225k to 275k - and I've seen many that were below that 225k mark (201k was the lowest I've gotten).

Another thing that can really make a difference in tone is the height of your pickups relative to the strings. Sometimes even slight variations in height can make a big difference.

This past weekend I rewired a Strat clone I built a few years ago. I put a set of Electrokraft single coils in it that measured 7.0k for the neck and middle, and 8.0k for the bridge. Pretty overwound by single coil standards. I tested my stash of CTS 250k pots and chose two that measured 277k for the volume and neck tone, and one that measured 263k for the bridge tone (this guitar is wired for bridge pu tone, not middle). The pots I removed were all within 5k of 250k. I then chose to use a Sprague Orange Drop 715P 200v cap in .015mf for the tone pots. Now I had installed these pickups in this guitar two years ago and took them out because I thought they were too dark in the neck and middle and a little spikey and bright in the bridge. I found at that time that I couldn't coax much quackiness out of the notch positions either. Yet after this rewiring with some pretty subtle changes, this guitar with these pickups, sounds like a monster. This guitar now has a presence that it never had before, with clear note definition on single notes and in chording as well (you should hear this sucker through my Ampeg V-2 4X12!). By experimenting with the pickup height, I found a balance between the powerful midrangy blues tone I was seeking, and the airy, bell-like traditional single coil tone that I hoped not to sacrifice. In the notch positions, this thing now quacks like a horny duck on viagra. I'm astonished at the change in this guitar.

There were only three real changes that I made that transformed this guitar:

1) The pot resistance was increased from 250k (approx.) to 277k x 2, and 263k (an increase of 27k and 13k respectively).

2) The no-name .022 metalized film cap was replaced with a Sprague Orange Drop 715P 200v cap in .015mf.

3) I fine tuned the pickups height until I found the perfect sweet spots for each.

So, do caps and pots make a difference in tone? Along with some experimentation in pickup height, I'd say resoundingly, YES.

 

And there's also the 300k pots as an in-between in case you find the 500k's to be too bright.

 

Very similar to my experience Bloozecat:-

1)I changed a 500k pot for one that had 530k.

2)I replaced the stock .0022 cap ceramic cap with an Orange Drop .0015.

I was amazed st the difference in the guitar after this.

 

rewog,

We guitarists often go through all kinds of expensive pickup changes seeking that perfect tone, while at the same time we often overlook some of the lesser expensive and more subtle changes.

If I hadn't done these mods myself on one of my own guitars, I might not have believed that such simple changes could have impacted the tone so dramatically. Seeing (and hearing) is believing though.