Upgrading Your Capacitors

Capacitors are some of the easiest things to install on a guitar. They also make a huge impact in the tone of the instrument. In today's blog, I will go over some basic knowledge of capacitors as well some of the bang for your buck components that you can purchase.

Capacitance in it's definition is the ability of a body to hold a charge. A capacitor is a passive electronic component made up of a pair of conductors separated by a dielectric. Basically what this means is that the capacitor holds a charge. Guitars are a very low voltage so they don't require an enormous amount of voltage in the capacitor area.

The capacitor in a guitar is found between the volume pot and the tone pot. Most guitar manufacturers install ceramic disc capacitors. The reason that they do this is two fold:

• First and foremost, they are cheap and most major guitar manufacturers buy in bulk so this makes sense.
• Second is as I mentioned earlier that guitars don't require much in the capacitance area because there are very low voltage signals that run through them.

Now that you know a little about capacitors, I want to break down a few for you and explain the difference as well as cover some of the basic costs involved. I will also cover some of the tools that will make this process as simple as making a peanut butter sandwich, which if you play guitar at all and live on the kind of budget that most of us live on, you know what I'm talking about. We will start with the most basic and end up with the really great (All of which will be at a bargain price).

• Ceramic Discs- These are what normally come installed in most major guitar manufacturer's instruments. They cost between $0.40 and $0.50 a piece and have a range of .022 uF @ 100V for humbucking guitars like the Les Paul and .047 uF @ 100V for guitars with single coils like Strats and Tele's. Once again, these are basic caps that are not bad, but definitely not the greatest.
• Orange Drops- These are a great upgrade to the ceramic discs. They cost between $1.00 and $1.40 and have a range of .022 uF @ 600V for Humbuckers and .047 uF @ 600V for single coils. You will notice the high end sounds will start to sparkle a little more and the lows will have more presence as well.
• Mojotone Dijon- These caps rock! They cost between $1.00 and $1.30 and have a range of .022 uF @ 630V for humbuckers and .047 uF @ 630V for single coils. The difference in these compared to ceramic discs is like driving a crappy car with no air conditioning and then going to a luxury sedan. The high notes shimmer and the low notes rumble. I would highly recommend these caps, and you can't beat the price.
• Mojotone Vitamin T- These caps are like Bruce Lee in Enter The Dragon. If you have seen this movie, you know that he pretty much kicks everyones butt the whole time. They are a little more on the pricey side coming in at $4.15 to $5.00 and have a range of .022 uF @ 600V for the humbuckers and .047 uF @ 600V for the single coils. Still a pretty good bargain considering they are oil filled caps which give these a warmth that hearken back to the guitar gods of the 60's and 70's.

Now for the installation. First of all you need a pretty good soldering iron. I would recommend a Weller. They seem to hold together the longest and are pretty easy to change tips on. Second, you need a #2 phillips head screwdriver to access the back plate or pick guard depending on the guitar that you are working on. Third, you need a pair of needle-nose pliers to grip the old capacitor(s). Fourth, you need an old towel that you don't really care about so that you can cut a hole in it and lay it over you working area. This helps keep the solder splatter off of the rest of the guitar. Now that you have the tools that you need, let's get this thing up and running.

When you open the back plate and look at the pots, it will probably be a little intimidating because there are a few wires in there. That's ok because you are only looking for the cap between the two pots. It should be easy to spot because it is about the size of an eraser on a pencil and about the same color as well. Now that you have found the capacitor, you need to get the soldering iron ready to go. Plug it in and make sure that you have a base or stand to set it in because these get extremely hot. Also make sure you have a small tip on the soldering iron. This will keep you from burning something else inside the cavity. Now, take the needle nose pliers and grip the capacitor. Use the soldering iron and touch the tip to the lug of the pot where the capacitor is connected. You will feel the solder start to give. At this point, gently pull with the needle nose pliers. The capacitor should pull right out of the lug on the pot. Do the same thing on the other end of the capacitor where it is connected to the adjoining pot. Once you have done this, you are ready to install the new capacitor(s). Basically you will install the cap the same way that you took it out. You simply hold the cap with the needle nose pliers. You want to be gentle with this process because you don't want to damage the new caps. You will notice that the lug on the pot that took the cap out will have a hole in it. (If not, it is because it is filled with solder. In this case take the soldering iron and rub the tip on the end of the lug. This should clear away any excess solder in the hole.) After making sure you have a hole to work with, take the needle nose pliers and make a bend in the capacitor wire right at the very end. I prefer a 90 degree just on the tip of wire. Use this to hook into the hole at the lug. This will allow you to hold it in place a little better when you solder the connection. Now take your soldering iron and put in on the tip of the lug and the wire that is in the hole and heat it up. Be carefull not to use too much heat as you can burn out the capacitor. Use a very small amount of solder and touch it to the iron and the lug. Ok, do this again on the other side and you are done. How freaking simple is that?

Any of these capacitors aside from the ceramic discs would be a great upgrade to all of you seeking better tone for your guitar. Personally I would recommend the Mojotone Dijon's. They are about the same price as the Orange Drops, but sound incredibly better in my humble opinion. They are not quite as warm as the Vitamin T's, but unless you are Eric Johnson, you will never know the difference.

**If you have any questions about the tips in this blog, or would like to see a post about something we haven't covered, please email us at: guitarguruguys@gmail.com