Mustang tone circuit capacitors

GaryM

Tell me about the tone capacitors in your Mustangs. What type of cap do you prefer? Does anyone have photos of old Mustangs showing the type of capacitors used?

I'm getting ready to replace the stock radial mylar .047mfd/47nf cap in my reissue Mustang and want suggestions. You know, ceramic vs PIO vs metalized, etc.

Below are what I have to choose from.

Thanks!

Gary

GeeterDork

i have recently replaced the mylar cap in my mustang to an orange drop and after hearing it.... i love it! that is all i can really say! it sounds so awesome and better than before.

tragictravisty

different cap types of the same value in the same circuit will have the same cutoff point, so what will change will be the 'shape' of the top end, what frequencies are expressed and what frequencies are suppressed. so merely saying it sounds 'so much better' doesn't give a very good idea of the differences, and we'd also need to know what value it was - the same, or different?

GaryM

Yes and you could also have mention Q factor but regardless, I'm sticking with the aforementioned .047uF/47nf value.

I'm wondering what the original Mustangs form the '60's used and also everyone's current favorite cap type.

Mustang-Pete

I changed the original capacitor to an orange drop. There was like no change in sound whatsoever, but I couldn't be bothered changing it back so left it.

tragictravisty

well you'd notice it most with the tone rolled off

GeeterDork

tragictravisty said: different cap types of the same value in the same circuit will have the same cutoff point, so what will change will be the 'shape' of the top end, what frequencies are expressed and what frequencies are suppressed. so merely saying it sounds 'so much better' doesn't give a very good idea of the differences, and we'd also need to know what value it was - the same, or different?

ah, well what i was trying to say was that it was a big improvement over my old cap which was over 15 years old and it was a Japanese mylar style cap. Originally, the tone of the guitar sounded pretty plain and not as crisp as i wanted and also when i turned it down it sounded muddy. at first i thought it was the pickups but when i replaced everything... it just needed quality/replacement parts since the electronics are old. So, in my case, it was a dramatic change. People say the orange drops are really good and i can vouch for it but then again...

GeeterDork

the Value was .047uf for both

GaryM

I desoldered my tone cap and installed a pair of clip leads in its place. With the leads hanging out of the guitar, I tested a bunch of capacitors this afternoon. Ended up using an old .033mfd Sprague Bumblebee and doing the 50's wiring mod. The guitar's tone really came alive. The wiring mod gave me lots more top end chime and the cap change delivered sweet squawkiness on zero. Lots of usable tones in between. Much better jazz tones using the neck PUP now.

If anyone is interested, here is the tone circuit wiring mod from the LPF. Adapt it to your Fender and say goodbye to mud when turning down your volume control. 😎

funtoosh

thanks for pointing out that mod -- which would be the advantages of the non-modded circuit? if any?

out99990

AAAHHHHH!!!!! Most excellent contribution GaryM, Aug is building my lefty duo sonic body as we speak and your mod example is perfectly timed. I'll be using Adeson pick-ups (like the Burns tri-sonics)w/extra beefy alnico II mags and if i need more "chime", i'll probably go with your cap specs. Thanks again man!!!

GaryM

funtoosh said: thanks for pointing out that mod -- which would be the advantages of the non-modded circuit? if any?

With the stock circuit, you will hear a loss of highs / treble / clarity as you lower the volume with the volume control. Moving the tone cap circuit the the wiper of the volume pot minimizes the high frequency roll off.

Gary

Blandest

GaryM said: I desoldered my tone cap and installed a pair of clip leads in its place. With the leads hanging out of the guitar, I tested a bunch of capacitors this afternoon. Ended up using an old .033mfd Sprague Bumblebee and doing the 50's wiring mod. The guitar's tone really came alive. The wiring mod gave me lots more top end chime and the cap change delivered sweet squawkiness on zero. Lots of usable tones in between. Much better jazz tones using the neck PUP now.
If anyone is interested, here is the tone circuit wiring mod from the LPF. Adapt it to your Fender and say goodbye to mud when turning down your volume control. 😎

Nice mod, i like it. I did it to my Jagmaster, and popped in an orange drop of the same value. WOW what a change 😲 very nice. Thanks for sharing that. 😎

Blandest

Oh, and i also put in,i guess what i'll call a Yellow Drop, in my Strat. I got the yellow one out of an old russain muff. that also sounds better than ever. Before it have no tone pots, just a volume. i left the neck pickup diconnected from the tone, that sounds good straight through.

funtoosh

out99990 said: Aug is building my lefty duo sonic body as we speak and your mod example is perfectly timed. I'll be using Adeson pick-ups (like the Burns tri-sonics)w/extra beefy alnico II mags

cool stuff, it seems: http://www.adeson.co.uk/

at least for people who like BURNSy guitars & sounds ... very reasonably priced as well. any experiences with those so far? quite interesting that there's an old-school British pickup workshop around ...

Cymastar

WANT!!!

Those would be great in a Duo Sonic / Mustang...

out99990

Hey funtoosh, i don't have the body from Aug yet. It will probably take a while to put it together (finances, marital strife-the usual symptoms of the G.A.S. afflicted). There are sound clips on the site. I'm going with the regular Fenton Weill pick-ups w/alnico II's that, as far as the sound clips go, sound like a REALLY full (not necessarily hotter)blend between a P-90 and a strat pick-up, which is right about where i want it!!! I don't have enough talent to stand out so i'm trying to BE different!!!!!

funtoosh

out99990 said: I don't have enough talent to stand out so i'm trying to BE different!

yep, i like that attitude ;

asher286

GeeterDork said:
i have recently replaced the mylar cap in my mustang to an orange drop and after hearing it.... i love it! that is all i can really say! it sounds so awesome and better than before.

Wich value you put in it??

Doug

Hey, guys, this is a very useful thread. I've just begun to learn about caps and was told by one expert that Bumblebees are killer caps.

Of course there's more to it than that and this discussion helps me think about upgrade caps specifically for my old Mustang and reissue Duo-Sonic.

So does anyone know what caps we have in the early-to-mid '60s Mustangs?

In Classic Vibe Duo-Sonics?