djhollowman
Apprentice Shielder
7 outta 6 cats preferred it.....
Posts: 29
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Post by djhollowman on Apr 22, 2006 15:17:36 GMT -5
Hi guys! Please help! I need to get a capacitor to turn my 500k pusk/pull pot into a tone pot. What do I need to get? I mean EXACTLY what do I need. I've seen them for sale, but what confuses me is 3-fold: 1. voltage rating...does this have to be 400v, or would any voltage be OK? 2. capacitor rating...0.047microfarads, I'm lost! (microfarads is uF, correct??) Which rating do I need? and finally 3. mylar film...is that the material it's made from? Does this matter? I'm hoping someone can just give me an EXACT description of what to buy!! I thank you! Is this what I need? cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7610788037&fromMakeTrack=true |
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Post by Mini-Strat_Maine on Apr 22, 2006 15:58:41 GMT -5
Hi guys! Please help! I need to get a capacitor to turn my 500k pusk/pull pot into a tone pot. What do I need to get? I mean EXACTLY what do I need. I've seen them for sale, but what confuses me is 3-fold: 1. voltage rating...does this have to be 400v, or would any voltage be OK? The 400V variety is really for the "isolation" cap used on the string ground as some shock protection. Tone caps can be pretty much whatever voltage rating you can get, because the voltage of guitar signal is miniscule. Depends what you want for tone. More on that momentarily. Yep, microfarads is often expressed as "uF' or thereabouts because not everyone has access to the "µ" character. Same-same. Now, the 0.047 (sometimes called a 0.050) µF cap is generally considered to give the "darkest" tone. Some dealers offer a 0.015 µF as the "woman tone" cap. In between are the 0.022 (stock on many guitars) and 0.033 µF. Clear as mud yet? ;) Conventional Wisdom is that "metalized film" caps make the best tone caps. The film can be Mylar, polypropylene, whatever. Frequently mentioned (and almost deified) are ones like Orange Drops, Bumblebees, and so on.  The CW also says that ceramic caps (another common material) don't make good tone caps. Mullard is a revered name in tubes, so maybe their other components are prized, too. The "10%" refers to the tolerance, meaning they shouldn't be more than 10% over or under the .047 µF. The 400V rating would be more than enough for a tone cap, but not detrimental. I sometimes have all I can do to figure out US$, so £UK is right outta my league. Somebody else would have to say if the eBay deal for that quantity is a good one or not. DISCLAIMER: There is a little (very little) science and a lot of one reader's opinion involved in the above dissertation. ;D I'll bet somebody else came up with some right answers while I was typing. |
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Post by fobits on Apr 22, 2006 16:18:21 GMT -5
Hi djhollowman , A guitar pickup might put out 5 volts, if you beat on it with a big hammer  The 400 volt rating is for the isolation capacitor which some people argue should be between the shielding and controls. It's supposed to keep you from being electrocuted if the guitar is plugged into a powerful tube amplifier and if something goes badly wrong inside it. This has nothing to do with the cap on the tone control. So basically, any voltage rating is ok. Yes, microfarads is uF. The 'u' is actually supposed to be a Greek letter which isn't in the English alphabet, so don't be surprised if you see it written a little funny. A .047 uF cap is the most common size to use with a 500k pot, so you're right on track. Mylar film capacitors are a very good kind, but as you've no doubt realized by now, the ones you're looking at have a voltage rating about 40 times higher than you really need. They will work fine, no problem there, but will cost more and will be physically bigger. The ebay photos don't show anything for comparison, so it's hard to tell how big they are. Hope this helps. Heh. I don't know about right answers, but when I hit "preview", your post had appeared. Great minds type alike, or something like that |
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Post by Mini-Strat_Maine on Apr 22, 2006 16:24:04 GMT -5
The 'u' is actually supposed to be a Greek letter which isn't in the English alphabet, so don't be surprised if you see it written a little funny. I think you guys missed the "mu/moo" tangent we (I) got onto awhile back. It was all JohnH's or UnklMickey's or somebody else's doing, anyway.  Yeah, "GMTA" could be Great Minds Think Alike, or Type Alike.  |
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Post by sumgai on Apr 22, 2006 20:33:46 GMT -5
.....
Great minds type alike, or something like that
Yeah, "GMTA" could be Great Minds Think Alike, or Type Alike. Errr, doesn't that depend on one's definition of "great"  ? Sorry, couldn't hold it back any longer! ;D The only thing I can add now is that those eBay units are overkill for the job at hand. Not a bad price for their intended use, but after paying for shipping (nearly double the BiN number!), you'll have paid through the nose, comparatively speaking. Plus, I forgot.... dj, where are you located? That eBay seller is in England, and will ship only to England destinations..... do you qualify for that one? If you are in GB, then I know that sometimes parts can be hard to get ahold of, so you may want to bite the bullet and take these anyway. And they're always good for trading material in the future!  sumgai |
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djhollowman
Apprentice Shielder
7 outta 6 cats preferred it.....
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
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Post by djhollowman on Apr 23, 2006 3:09:39 GMT -5
Wow thank you all again guys!! This is amazingly helpful, and why I keep coming back here! It's so much better (and ultimately easier) if you can get these things explained to you.
Yeah, I'm in UK, Scotland being the North bit, so shipping is no problem! In fact, I'm on a little group of islands called Orkney which are right off the North coast of Scotland if you're interested! Anyway, guess I'll go buy some caps then! Thank you all again!! DJ.
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Post by sumgai on Apr 23, 2006 14:15:27 GMT -5
dj,
Most cool!
sumgai
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