Tone Caps:

Inspector #20

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What's your opinion on humbucker tones with the three different cap values of 0.047uF/0.022uF/0.033uf???
 
For me, it would depend on the character of the pickup. High trebel: higher value.

This is right. Higher treble comes from lower impedance - like a single coil. That demands a bigger cap to get the same effect. Humbuckers are always high impedance and need a smaller cap.
 
All too big for me. On a humbucker I would not go beyond 0.022uF. If I'm stuck with a single cap, it is 0.015uF. Everything bigger makes mud.

This is consistent with my experience. My Washburn came stock with .033. Changing to .022 was one of the first changes I made to that guitar.
 
.022uf for bridge pickup, .016 for neck pickup.

If one cap for both, probably go smaller rather than bigger.

'Buggies can get woofy real fast.
 
My preference:
Humbuggies @ .022/bridge, .015 or .01/neck.

Strat Singles @ .047

P90s... even though they are single coils, I treat them like humbuggies.
 
.022uf for bridge pickup, .016 for neck pickup.

If one cap for both, probably go smaller rather than bigger.

'Buggies can get woofy real fast.

I never thought of using different values for the neck and bridge.

That's a neat idea.

Thanks, Paul.
 
From JoneseyBlue:

"I do like the tone of paper in oil caps and use them a lot. Personally I prefer the large dime sized vintage Ceramic disc caps over the Orange drops (Polypropylene) which can bit a bit harsh on the upper end.

If you are investing in new pickups then I would also recommend replacing the stock pots with some good quality CTS550K pots. That will add a lot of clarity and improve your over all performance as well.

I have the .02 CRL Ceramics in my own SG with 50's wiring and the 550K CTS pots and it nails those Classic Rock tones pretty good...."
 
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