Which capacitor is right for my tone pot?

[micha]

Hey,
I was about to replace all the electrics in one of my guitars, since the pots got scratchy, the 3-way is broken and I'd like to get a coil-split in there...
So I thought about reactivating the tone pot as well.
I never used it and didn't even have it wired most of the time, but anyway. Maybe I see a use for it today.

What kind of capacitor do I need?
I think it will be mostly used when I'm in single-coil mode to take away some of the sparkle...
So 0.047mF would be ok? I read here that single coils usually get about twice the capacity compared to humbuckers, but the units and voltage got me confused.
0.047mF would be 47µF, right?
And what Voltage should they be made for?

I went to my electronics store with the 0.022/0.047mF and 100V in mind, but what they had looked nothing like the capacitors I used to have in my guitar... :think:

Thanks!

[SKArface McDank]

voltage doesnt matter, at least im pretty sure, i put a .022 in my schecter and it was rated 300volts, and the stock one was 100 the higher voltages just have thicker lead wires. and no, the .047 will be labeled .047uf
i think a .047 will do a good job at curbing the sparkle

[Chad]

Totally subjective, but yeah .047 is probably a good starting point. Voltage shouldn't matter in a guitar circuit.

[Chad]

BTW, I usually use Orange Drops when replacing a cap. Good quality, but not very expensive.....and not gigantic in size like some caps. I believe the ones I have are 100V.

[micha]

Thanks for your replies!
I found pretty much anything between 100V and 500V in the web when it comes to capacitors in guitars...
If it doesn't matter at all (I think the voltage inside a guitar is next to nothing anyway) this would make things way more simple.

I think what gets me confused is the way these parts are labeled.
.047uF doesn't mean 0,047uF, does it?
I thought everyone was writing 0,047mF or .047mF since they were not able to get a µ out of their keyboard.
uF is international for micro Farad? 1Fx10^(-6)

So 47microFarad will do the job?

I found the Orange Drops somewhere in the www, but I just ordered a bunch of gear couple of days ago from www.thomann.de so I'm not about to place another order for a cap.
A capacitor is a simple product anyway. Shouldn't make much of a difference as long as the specs are the same, will it?
I thought I was gonna pick one up locally at my trusted electronics supply store.


edit:
Oh, this is the plan with my guitar if that helps:

http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=2h_2v_1t_3w_pp

[micha]

Or are we talking 47 nano-Farad here?

This link offers 0,022mF (22µF/22uF) caps for guitar:

http://www.thomann.de/de/goeldo_kondensator_0022mf.htm

This Orange Cap has 22nF (0,022uF ? ) :

http://www.rockinger.com/index.php?cat=WG123&product=07242

That's a huge gap in between are do I understand something horribly wrong?
They only thing everyone seems to agree on is that 22 or 47 are the way to go! :think:

[Trem]

Here's a chart to help make sense of it http://www.justradios.com/uFnFpF.html

btw, if you want to hear the difference in the tone of caps you can get a few types and stick them in a piece of cardboard and use roach clips with wires connected to your tone pot and hot swap them back and forth to hear the difference between the types. Orange drops kinda give a vowel or wah type of sound as you roll of the tone knob instead of a basic bright to mud type sound you hear in most production guitars using cheap caps, but some may prefer that. If a tone knob is not even used, just using a lower value pot will roll off the highs being in the circuit, the only time the cap comes into the equation really is if you roll off the tone knob basically.

[micha]

Yes, bright to mud was actually what I was after...
I don't know it any other way... Maybe I will get some of these special caps on my next order from a music-store.
But I want to get it done for the weekend, so an industrial-type cap will do the trick for the moment.


The chart is fine, but it just confirms what I tried to compare in post No6.
Dividing and multiplying by 1000 isn't that much of a deal.

What get's me is the writing ".0XX", since I'm not sure wether there is a leading 0 before the dot, and if so;
why it's not written in the next lower measure as I'd usually expect it, once the whole action is going on behind the dot.

The difference (x1000) between the posted caps above just make it perfect for me.

Shall I got for 0,047uF or 47uF?
I'm serious, I really don't get it.

[Trem]

.047uf same as .047 mfd the terms are used in regards to the type/make up of the caps ie ceramic, paper, film ect..

ceramics and xircon film i think my ibanez has in it default are the ones you find most common in production guitars, at least what i've noticed so you'll probably want those then if that's what your after.

you should try a few types they are interesting to see the difference, well i think anyway. I liked the orange drops and used a much lower value .0015uf i think it was in one of my guitars it gives a sort of cocked wah tone as it rolls off, still reducing the highs but am able to roll it all the way down for a rounder yet still defined tone.

[micha]

Alright, I will try and get some different types of 47nF and just see how it works.
Maybe I'll add some orange drops to my next order as well. If you guys like'em that much, it might be worth a try for me as well.

Thanks for your help!

[micha]

47nF works really fine for me.
I just got it installed. Rolled down it's pretty dark sounding, but I think I'll just leave it that way.
This is my first guitar with a tone pot for ages, I will have to see wether I make use of it anyway...

I also added some small caps (220pF) to the volume pots, and I have to say; The tone stays really consistent now.
Never tried this before but it was a pretty easy mod, so maybe I will have a look at my other guitars as well.