.0056 Capacitor

[iiipopes]

One item of discussion has always been the .0047 capacitor on the bridge pickup of both guitars and basses. Some folks bypass it altogether, I have my modifications diagrams, and even RIC now has the push-pull on the bass as standard.

There's a fellow on TubeNet that is selling .0056 capacitors. This might make an interesting experiment to get just a shade more low end out of the bridge pickup, but not affect signature tone.

Since right now I have a 4002 and not a 1 or 3, I don't have any use for one on a bass, although I might purchase one just to have it in the box for the future, or even for a guitar project.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f129/hot- ... t-1056820/

[johnhall]

So here's a source for you:

http://tinyurl.com/nacwqd8

I sure you won't be confused, as some others seem to be, that this "Chicklets" style of Mylar cap is pretty much the best style for this purpose. Stable, permanent, leak free, right lead orientation, and low microphonics.

[iiipopes]

Thanks! I thought Radio Shack had phased out all the "odd" values of capacitors. Glad to know a range of values is still available.

[cassius987]

Thanks for sharing. I have always wanted to try a 10 nF cap out, personally. (That's a little more than double the capacitance of the standard cap.) I wonder if this value would be so small as to really tell a difference -- then again, maybe not. It's hard to say without some experimentation.

One could even design a rotary switching high-pass filter with a variety of caps, from 4.7 nF to 47 or 100 nF etc., similar to the varitone pots you see that use the same method to get more or less treble roll-off.

Then again, caps are such a nasty source of microphonics sometimes that maybe loading a guitar cavity full of them isn't such a great idea.

p.s.: I can't remember what value I went with, think it was 22 nF/250 k-ohms, but I went with a smaller value cap and smaller value pot for the tone control on my "4000FL" (it's actually a 4003), and really liked the results as opposed to the standard 47 nF/330 k-ohms. More fine tuning and more useable sounds.

[iiipopes]

It depends. Fender used a .0068 on the bridge pickup of the Jaguar, calling it a "choke" switch. The 4002 has a .01 on both pickups, but the bridge pickup is also closer to the bridge than a 4001/3. Keeping the positioning of the 4002 bridge pickup in mind, I have used a .01 to great effect on a Jazz bass bridge pickup. For a 4001/3, a .01 may result in a tone about half way between the .0047 and the bypass.

If the capacitor is too large, not only do you lose the effect of it, but since the phase of the signal is shifted 90 degrees at the "hinge" frequency; too large a capacitor may cause phasing issues in a critical bandwidth when both pickups are on. It did on my 4002, and that is why I put a bypass push-pull on the neck pickup. Since Mr. JH posted a less expensive link, I'm thinking about purchasing a few of the .0056 to try, especially since the radial leads, also as Mr. JH pointed out, are better for installation on a push-pull than the axial leads of the capacitors for sale by the guy on TubeNet.

As far as tone caps, I usually use a .033 to retain more mids and definition in the mix when I roll off the tone knob, on both bass and guitar, with a 250 kohm pot in for the neck tone control to flatten the resonance curve and a 500 pot for the bridge pickup to spike the resonance curve.

[Badanovski]

Chicklets verses big expensive caps. Do some people hear a difference because they want to believe? Or do I not hear a difference because I don't believe?

[cassius987]

If the capacitor is too large, not only do you lose the effect of it, but since the phase of the signal is shifted 90 degrees at the "hinge" frequency; too large a capacitor may cause phasing issues in a critical bandwidth when both pickups are on.

The way I understand it (perhaps incorrectly), the bigger the cap, the lower down the hinge frequency, and the phase shift affects a smaller % of the total signal passed. So you're basically just veering closer and closer to the sound with the cap bypassed. I don't think there's a big risk of phase issues that wouldn't also be taking place in the cap bypassed scenario. Am I wrong?

[johnhall]

Chicklets verses big expensive caps. Do some people hear a difference because they want to believe? Or do I not hear a difference because I don't believe?

Capacitance is capacitance. There are really only two other concerns to guitar player- microphonics and tolerance. Ceramic caps have been known to be microphonic, that is, introduce mechanical noise when hit or vibrated. Tolerance (or the accuracy of stated value) can be an issue with ceramics as well. However, modern plastic caps, of any packaging are generally 10% or better, in other words negligible. Perhaps a minor consideration is the longevity and/or humidity rejection. "Chicklet" styles are the cockroach of the cap world- they're everywhere, cost nothing, and indestructible.

[iiipopes]

If the capacitor is too large, not only do you lose the effect of it, but since the phase of the signal is shifted 90 degrees at the "hinge" frequency; too large a capacitor may cause phasing issues in a critical bandwidth when both pickups are on.

The way I understand it (perhaps incorrectly), the bigger the cap, the lower down the hinge frequency, and the phase shift affects a smaller % of the total signal passed. So you're basically just veering closer and closer to the sound with the cap bypassed. I don't think there's a big risk of phase issues that wouldn't also be taking place in the cap bypassed scenario. Am I wrong?

Both pickups stock wiring on my 4002 have the inline .01 capacitor. Because of the tolerances Mr. JH discussed, and the different windings of the pickups, each pickup circuit has a slightly different resonance frequency. Before I installed the push-pull, I could hear the phasing on stage when I played my 4002.

[cassius987]

Was the phasing noticeably worse than the scoop heard between two pickups that are spatially out of phase but otherwise the same (i.e. Jazz Bass, 4003 w/ bypass)?

I remember when I mixed the 4002 bridge pickup you sold me with an HB-1 there were some weird A string phase issues with both on but I think that was just a product of pickup design.

[iiipopes]

Was the phasing noticeably worse than the scoop heard between two pickups that are spatially out of phase but otherwise the same (i.e. Jazz Bass, 4003 w/ bypass)?

I remember when I mixed the 4002 bridge pickup you sold me with an HB-1 there were some weird A string phase issues with both on but I think that was just a product of pickup design.

Worse. It was on all strings. Now, that could also be a product of the different humbucking geometry of a 4002 pickup compared to other end-to-end pickups; I don't know. But it went away when I installed the push-pull and bypassed the .01 on the neck pickup.