February 17, 2010

Crazy Tone Thing 2: The Sequel

Guitar Tone Capacitors Electronics, Epiphone Riviera P93, Video 186

Well, part 2 of the tone video took waaaay longer than I anticipated! I spent a ridiculous amount of time editing, and animating illustrations of the tone circuit.

Here I present a tutorial on how to read cap values, an explanation of how the capacitance and resistance work together as an RC filter in the tone circuit, and some audio examples to help in selecting a useful cap value for a tone circuit.

I play through a series of Orange Drop caps with values (pictured right-to-left) .047uF, .022uF, .01uF, 6800pF, 4700pF, 3300pF and 1000pF.

Correction: in the video, at 2:52, I said this incorrectly. The cutoff frequency doesn’t actually change- just the amount of signal passed through the cap to ground. To change the cutoff frequency, pick a different capacitance value. This configuration of resistor and capacitor, in parallel with the guitar signal, makes this a Low Pass RC filter.

Correction: in the video at 4:21, the .022uF cap is a 225p orange drop which is polyester film while the rest are polypropylene.

I purchased these Orange Drops at Mouser – significantly cheaper than at guitar specialty stores.

As with part 1 of this video, everything is played on my Epiphone Riviera P93 with Vintage Vibe Guitars P-90 pickups, through my Vox VT30 on the Boutique Clean model, mic’d with a Rode NT1 large diaphragm microphone.

186 Comments

newswede
February 22, 2010 @ 12:09 pm

Fantastic job on these videos. I REALLY appreciate all the trouble you went through and am going to use them as a reference for my first build. This is a topic that was in dire need of some audio/visual explanation. Thanks so much!

Reply
jack
February 22, 2010 @ 8:50 pm

A true public service, John. 🙂

Reply
Like tone? In depth capacitor comparison: - My Les Paul Forums
February 22, 2010 @ 8:56 pm

[…] Like tone? In depth capacitor comparison: hey guys, Part 2 of John's video is up: Crazy Tone Thing 2: The Sequel lanet z __________________ my wunnerful melody maker (reissue, dual […]

Reply
Like tone? In depth capacitor comparison: - My Les Paul Forums
February 22, 2010 @ 9:14 pm

[…] Like tone? In depth capacitor comparison: hey guys, Part 2 of John's video is up: Crazy Tone Thing 2: The Sequel __________________ my wunnerful melody maker (dual pickup, […]

Reply
icecreamterror
April 2, 2010 @ 8:13 am

Really good video, has made me want to rummage though your archive!
(As a vintage pedal maker, I picked the Russian paper and oil)

Reply
Carsten
February 21, 2011 @ 7:37 am

Hey,
great work, I’ve been searching for something like that for a whole while. Keep the great work up!

Best regards from Germany

Reply
3fitzgrld
April 24, 2011 @ 7:47 pm

@johnplanetz OK so I decided on the .022uf orange drops for both tone pots.
All I can say is wow. The Seth Lover (neck) now has its badly needed
treble. And the stock pup in the bridge reduced from very ear shrilling
highs, to something actually desirable. I can dial in alot of tones now.
Also thanks for posting the other video on how to safely remove and install
the electronics. I wouldve never tried to install it myself had it not been
for your videos. You saved me money! Thanks again.

Reply
John
June 23, 2011 @ 3:39 pm

@MrMganzer – .25uF is huge for a tone cap- would sound very dark. mica is
much more common with smaller capacitances, not big capacitances like
you’re describing.

Reply
Marcos Ceolin Ganzer
June 24, 2011 @ 10:39 am

@johnplanetz I changed the name of the dielectric, silver mica actually has
low capacitance values. tantalus is .25 uf. Thank you for your attention.

Reply
Ximena Vidal
August 9, 2011 @ 11:10 pm

awesome dude!, hey, what would happen if I place a 2 humbucker set with a
500k pot for volume and 250k for tone and a .22 cap? O.o, do you think it’s
better to use the 250k pot for the volume?, PS: I’m installing a coil split
to the HB 😀 thanks!

Reply
John Cooper
September 1, 2011 @ 1:34 pm

@Plipas – I’m not sure i totally understand your configuration. You cannot
use a single push/pull pot for 250k single coil when pushed and 500k
humbucker when pulled. A push/pull is just a standard pot with a switch
attached. See my blog post on 2/16/2011 at planetz for more info on
push/pulls.

Reply
John Cooper
September 8, 2011 @ 11:14 am

@elmokid15 – they may have different caps, but more likely use the same, or
even just one cap to ground shared by the multiple tone pots. you don’t
need to turn off other two when using one.

Reply
wedel219
September 20, 2011 @ 8:13 pm

Hi. From where do you purchase all of your hardware? Caps are ridiculously
marked up, in most places, particularly at Warmoth and Stew-Mac. Allied and
Mouser offer a lot of capacitors, but the “dreaded” x7rs are the easiest to
come by, with np0 and c0gs significantly more expensive. As for pots, the
latter sites don’t have log taper pots in the typical guitar values, and
most other places sell CTS for 5 or more apiece. Orange drop caps seem to
be expensive, anywhere, and vintage? Forget it…

Reply
wedel219
September 25, 2011 @ 9:12 pm

@johnplanetz — I’ve got a cart saved at Mouser, full of capacitors, but I
haven’t fired on the purchase yet. They’re just ceramic c0g/np0 caps,
nothing fancy. The most expensive ones were less than $2. But I couldn’t
find any audio taper pots on Mouser; everything seems to be linear. I’ll
check out some of the other sites you mention, though. Thanks for the
information! I appreciate both the videos and the replies; they are quite
helpful.

Reply
John
November 22, 2011 @ 12:58 pm

@Peekadam – hey, it adds up, when you’re buying a lot of pots 🙂 The alphas i buy for pedals are more like $1.50

Reply
brendonjc
November 24, 2011 @ 11:47 am

This was awesome – thank you so much for this.

Reply
Kondenzátory kytarového zvuku, část 2: Jak funguje tón, výběr hodnoty | ulož to stahuj zdarma
December 9, 2011 @ 9:27 am

[…] https://www.planetz.com/?p=667 . In part two of this video on tone capacitors, I present a tutorial on how to read cap values, an explanation of how the capacitance and resistance work together as an RC filter in the tone circuit, and some audio examples to help in selecting a useful cap value for a tone circuit. The caps I play through here are all Orange Drop polypropylene caps with values .047uF, .022uF, .01uF, 6800pF, 4700pF, 3300pF and 1000pF. Everything is played on my Epiphone Riviera P93 with Vintage Vibe Guitars P-90 pickups, through my Vox VT30 on the Boutique Clean model, mic’d with a Rode NT1 large diaphragm microphone. For a comparison of cap material types, see part one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92G-jw4TqS4 Like this video? Please consider making a donation (of any amount) at https://www.planetz.com/?page_id=1272 […]

Reply
druno82
December 16, 2011 @ 10:41 pm

Thanks man. Awesome.

Reply
1robbie55382
December 17, 2011 @ 8:42 am

Nerdy in a “very very” cool way. Finally some sense to this for me. Thanx man great job 6800pF it is for me.

Reply
goaliedude32
December 26, 2011 @ 1:39 am

This is amazing. How did you acquire your knowledge about circuits.

Reply
- John
  December 26, 2011 @ 10:33 am
  
  @goaliedude32 – I learned mostly just by experimenting, and reading. See the FAQ at my blog at planetz for resources and tips.
  
  Reply
gnireig
December 28, 2011 @ 5:14 am

This is a great and concise explanation. Thanks for posting this.

Reply
olbywong717c
January 1, 2012 @ 2:34 am

This video is a favorite on Caracas

Reply
Kalkaekie
January 8, 2012 @ 6:28 pm

Excellent explanation…enjoyed it !

Reply
121anz
January 11, 2012 @ 6:45 pm

very useful. well done! Thx!

Reply
6stringzstrummin
January 12, 2012 @ 9:26 am

thank u sooooo much for taking the time to make ALL of these vids. it must have taken a lot of time to do all of this for us you tubers 🙂 u r very good at editing and giving usefull information that is easy to understand and not incredibly boring. thanks again. this was very usefull to me.

Reply
Leonard
January 14, 2012 @ 1:45 am

Hello,
Thanks for the video. It is very helpful for the novice building his first guitar. The problem I have run into is that without any type of background the schematic included with my kit may as well be in Greek. Is there a place to see a comprehensive video of wiring two vol., two tone and two hum-bucking pick ups as well as the jack together? Where and how to ground seems so easy until you are faced with it for the first time. Nothing as advanced as you are doing with modifying the tone and such. Which is very cool by the way! Just a good example so I can have benchmark to build upon?

Reply
- John
  January 16, 2012 @ 1:04 pm
  
  Hi Leonard,
  
  It would be helpful for you to get some basic understanding of how to read the diagrams here at the Guitar Wiring Diagram archive here:
  http://www.guitarelectronics.com/category/wiringresources/
  These diagrams are more pictorial than a standard electronics schematic- so they show drawings of a pot/switch/cap/etc so you can see exactly how to wire them up.
  
  For example, here’s the link to the standard gibson style 2 humbucker, 2 vol, 2 tone, 3-way switch:
  http://www.guitarelectronics.com/product/WD2HH3T22_00/Guitar-Wiring-Diagam-w-2-Humbuckers3-Way-Toggle-Switch2-Volumes2-Tones.html
  
  Each line is a wire. If two wires cross, they’re only connected if there’s a dot at the intersection, otherwise they’re just passing over each other.
  
  To identify your humbucker wires, see this post: https://www.planetz.com/?p=799
  
  Hope this helps,
  John
  
  Reply
mulleh07
January 14, 2012 @ 7:55 pm

Dude….. you’re a bloody genius

Reply
stefanmorrow615
January 20, 2012 @ 12:20 pm

Your vid is popular on Rangoon

Reply
xelalien
January 26, 2012 @ 8:55 am

like this comment if you’ll watch that Fitness – Side Lunge Jump Exercise video at the right –>

Reply
haloblender
January 28, 2012 @ 4:03 am

This is a very good explanation of a low pass filter, maybe the best I’ve ever came across.

Reply
haloblender
January 28, 2012 @ 4:08 am

If you would build a hi-pass, would it be done with some L-C filter? If so how would the capacitance/inductance would look like?

Reply
- John
  January 31, 2012 @ 10:02 am
  
  @haloblender – For a high-pass filter, you would put the capacitor in series with the signal, with the potentiometer in parallel with the cap. E.g. a 500k pot, and a 2200pF cap will act as a traditional bass roll-off control.
  
  Reply
  - John
    January 31, 2012 @ 10:12 am
    
    @johnplanetz – check the schematic for the G&L S-500 which has passive bass and treble controls.
    
    Reply
    - bongocorral
      March 27, 2012 @ 4:29 pm
      
      I have a G&L s-500, which i purchased a pre-wired pickG with Fralin Vintage Hot pups in all positions, wired as a modern strat with the mini toggle still active. 250k pots in all positions. It sounded terrible, i was ready to sell the guitar because the tone was thin and muddy, always in tune, I kept the Fralins and rewired back to G&L specs What a great difference. The pots are used differently and also get assigned different cap values, also all my caps are much smaller physical than O-Drops.
      
      Reply
Aurality
January 28, 2012 @ 7:13 pm

Fantastic video Thank you for making this so easy for me to understand!
I really enjoyed this and the first part. Very well presented. You have a gift
for teaching. Thanks 🙂

Reply
Nicky
January 28, 2012 @ 7:22 pm

Just to say Thanks again for taking the time to do this. It is very much appreciated,
I left a comment on the video too, but wanted to say thanks again. I learned a lot.

Reply
- John
  January 31, 2012 @ 9:25 am
  
  Thanks for the feedback Nicky!
  -John
  
  Reply
ValleysOfSaturn
February 4, 2012 @ 4:41 am

thank you, man!

Reply
bigjimmyrocker
February 10, 2012 @ 10:11 pm

great job bro

Reply
ScarTubeAmps
February 14, 2012 @ 2:04 pm

You´ve made my search a lot less complex, thanks man. Great vids by the way…

Reply
kiwipotter
February 18, 2012 @ 4:15 pm

REALLy well explained…. Much appreciated….. Keep well and greetings from New Zealand

Reply
koffeekage
March 1, 2012 @ 5:29 am

well now i know how it works i couldnt understand for the life of me how capacitance in a guitar could be useful but the grounded frequency explanation covered it pretty good.

Reply
MrGuitarbike
March 3, 2012 @ 2:34 pm

I love you man. You teach me so much. Why do I even go to school?

Reply
karlboman
March 15, 2012 @ 7:56 am

These videos are excellent. The comparisons are very helpful and this was the first time anyone has actually explained to me what a tone control physically does to the signal in a straightforward way. Thanks!

Reply
flipstairs2
March 15, 2012 @ 8:38 am

How does this apply to bass guitar?

Reply
- John
  March 20, 2012 @ 10:12 am
  
  @flipstairs2 – it’s all the same for a bass with passive electronics. You may want a slightly higher capacitance value to roll off more high end. .047uF and .1uF would be fine.
  
  Reply
45guitarboy
March 15, 2012 @ 9:52 am

I just watched part one on Pro guitar.Interesting because I have been installing 047 orange Drops on everything for years with 500k pots I love the darker tones. I useually do 047Neck pickup and 033 bridge and for a great jazz to BB King sound I roll that tone down quite a bit.Thankyou so much for the video.I think I’m going to try some Malerys.I also love paper and oil caps.

Reply
Treble and Bass - Planet Z
March 16, 2012 @ 7:29 pm

[…] my tone capacitor video, I demonstrated the typical use of the capacitor as a low-pass filter in a guitar tone […]

Reply
rigidarm1
March 17, 2012 @ 3:57 pm

Everyone that plays needs to see this. Thanks Again!

Reply
pjfadriquela
March 22, 2012 @ 9:27 pm

Nice, i never though of doing a comparison test. I’m an electrical engineer and I am impressed. I switched to a linear 250k pot, it’s easier for me dial in

Reply
Justin
March 22, 2012 @ 7:13 pm

Nice comparisons but I have a few questions and comments with regards to capacitor types and values.

First off I should note that this type of experiment would be more empirical if the guitar were suspended by an armature and plucked by a very steady and well oiled machine in precisely the same string position with pressure and speed being consistent. Secondly, I have to wonder how close your .022 and .047 cap values were in relation to the other caps of same labeled value (were the caps all matched at exactly .022 by meter or were some of them .020, etc…?). It’s great to see more testing being done on such a subjective topic but it would be really great to see someone go the full mile as it hasn’t really been done publicly yet.

I have seen another test online where someone scoped matching value caps with different dialectics. The test showed the different midrange and treble content and how it changed according to the dialectic. Some dialectics rolled off highs/high mids in a more linear vs logarhythmic way and vs/vs. This test was interesting too.

I have a 6 way cap switch and Lawrence Q-Filter in my guitar with 5 caps each containing a different dialectic – The sixth position is no cap, similar to a Gibson varitone. I can tell a difference in terms of midrange and bass and perceived “clarity” of tone. Some caps have a slightly more “granular” quality to the treble while others sound a TINY BIT less sharp. To be honest I probably could not tell the difference accept to say that one is probably an oil in paper cap vs ceramic or chicklet but only side by side with a reference and never alone.

Reply
- John
  March 25, 2012 @ 10:59 pm
  
  Hi Justin,
  Yes, in an ideal world, I’d have a strumming robot that could take out the variable of my hands. Lacking that, I did the best I could with my non-robotic fingers! 🙂
  
  I saw another comparison of different dialectric materials, as I posted here: https://www.planetz.com/?p=726 but he was also was manually strumming/plucking.
  
  I measured the cap values in the followup Q&A in parts 3&4: https://www.planetz.com/?p=709 .
  
  I agree, the differences between dialectric types are pretty subtle. The typical varitone switch has different value capacitances for a range of different filtering- rather than difference dialectrics. But I had the same idea as you that a switch between same values of a couple significantly different dialectric types (like PIO and ceramic) would be useful as another pair of “voices”.
  
  John
  
  Reply
davo171
April 6, 2012 @ 1:03 am

So cool, I appreciate the explanation and more importantly the demonstrations!

Reply
HouseBoundHound
April 7, 2012 @ 2:32 pm

I already knew this stuff and he’s right on spot. Very well done.

Reply
qatbyte
April 12, 2012 @ 11:21 pm

You did a very fine job. And your work has helped me a lot. Cheers!

Reply
w0rdisbond
April 21, 2012 @ 5:35 pm

Fantastic videos

Reply
joshrob12345
June 3, 2012 @ 2:19 pm

this reminded me of my old A-level physics days. . . ahhhh physics. Brilliant videos though mate!

Reply
poshi12
June 4, 2012 @ 12:52 am

What would you recomend for a bass? I was recomende a .08 cap with a 250 pot. I don’t know much about tone circuits.

Reply
- John
  June 8, 2012 @ 11:29 am
  
  That sounds about right. Bass tone caps are typically between .047 and .1uF, but as I point out in this video, it’s really a personal preference. You may find a smaller capacitance works well for you. Start with the .08 and see if you like it.
  
  Reply
  - poshi12
    June 8, 2012 @ 11:58 am
    
    Thanks! This is a really big help
    
    Reply
KingCrimson82
July 5, 2012 @ 6:09 am

thank you very much, this is some peace of genius work !

Reply
DVSnmeSON
July 14, 2012 @ 4:18 am

sweeeeet, subscribed 😀

Reply
frankie28web
July 31, 2012 @ 1:32 pm

Great, thanks for sharing! This was very helfpfull and well explained.

Reply
dalesuace
August 9, 2012 @ 6:37 pm

What would you recommend for a guitar i wanna play like metal in, And plan on using in like drop D and Drop C?

Reply
rodysk8
August 18, 2012 @ 6:57 pm

hi i have a pair of Seymour Duncan Hot Rodded Humbucker Set on my shecter guitar, do you have any suggestion for capacitors? i know that the Jackson RR1 Randy Rhoads have the same pick up combination but i couldn’t find what kind of capacitor it is! Thank’s

Reply
John
August 26, 2012 @ 8:57 pm

To folks asking for cap value recommendations, it’s really a subjective thing. I can’t choose for you. Start with the usual .047 and .022uF caps and see if one of those sounds right to you with your pickups and tone pots. If you don’t like it, experiment (as I show in this video) until you find something you like.

Reply
Luth Oliveira
September 5, 2012 @ 9:55 pm

Thank you so much for your videos! Plese, answer my question: Is there a capacitor that block low frequences?

Reply
- John
  September 9, 2012 @ 3:19 pm
  
  Please review the video at 1:35. All capacitors block lower frequencies, and pass higher frequencies. Inductors work the opposite- passing low frequencies and blocking higher frequencies.
  
  Reply
  - Luth Oliveira
    September 9, 2012 @ 3:35 pm
    
    Oh, sorry! I forgot to erase that post. Do you use inductors? Do have any idea where can i find wire diagrams using inductors and capacitors on a two vol- two tone circuit? Because i have looking for it. Thank you so much
    
    Reply
    - John Cooper
      September 14, 2012 @ 10:09 am
      
      A pickup is an inductor. A wah-wah uses an inductor. Inductors aren’t commonly used in guitar tone circuits because you can usually use a capacitor instead – cheaper and easier to use. A cap in to ground parallel with signal is high cut. Cap in series with signal is low-cut. See my blog post “treble and bass” for an example circuit: planetz. com/?p=1650
      
      Reply
skowalski9
September 9, 2012 @ 12:27 am

dude you know way too much about guitars to only own an Epiphone lol

Reply
- John
  September 9, 2012 @ 3:21 pm
  
  I do have a number of other guitars 🙂 But you can find some real gems in the Epiphone product line. And Epi’s make great project guitars!
  
  Reply
rippingrudy
September 21, 2012 @ 11:14 pm

Awesome.

Reply
L5man
September 25, 2012 @ 10:39 am

Woooowwwwwoooowwwww!!!!! thank you thank you thank you thank you dude!!! After 40 years I understand what that knob does……

Reply
jack002tuber
October 21, 2012 @ 7:11 pm

Exactally what I was looking for. I was gonna try this, I see you did. Saved me the trouble.

Reply
donepearce
October 29, 2012 @ 10:34 am

On my Tele, I have put a rotary switch between the volume and tone pots. It is a six-way switch, and allows me to select my cap from values ranging from 680pF to 100nF. The small values particularly do interesting things to the tone, rather than just muffling it.

Reply
- John
  October 29, 2012 @ 11:26 am
  
  Yes- a varitone circuit (or variations of it) give some nice flexibility. You can have different material types, different cap values, even use inductors along with the caps for more complex filtering- highpass, bandpass, etc.
  
  Reply
atta1798
November 1, 2012 @ 11:39 pm

Nicely presented! if you can show where the plus and minus are ( battery terminals) with respect to the switch and the rest of the circuit ( i.e., low/high pass filter)….it would be perfect!!

Reply
- John
  November 2, 2012 @ 9:01 am
  
  This is a simple (and ubiquitous) passive tone circuit- no battery.
  An active tone circuit would use an opamp with a cap/resistor network. Search for some schematics and compare passive guitar circuits with active guitar schematics. Even guitars with active preamps sometimes use a passive tone circuit identical to the one shown here.
  
  Reply
  - atta1798
    November 2, 2012 @ 9:10 am
    
    Ok! basically not an active circuit…..how do the pick ups get powered? through
    the jack correct?….then showing the + / – would be ideal to get the whole picture. Thank you!
    
    Reply
    - John
      November 2, 2012 @ 9:22 am
      
      No! This is a completely passive circuit. A pickup is a long coil of wire wrapped around a magnet. The up/down vibration of the metallic string over the pickup causes fluctuations in the magnetic field, which induces an A/C electric current to flow in the coil of wire.
      For more information, see this article at my blog: search “planetz all about pickup magnets”.
      Also, see the FAQ at my blog for some good books to read to help your understanding.
      
      Reply
      - atta1798
        November 2, 2012 @ 9:34 am
        
        Cool! it makes sense now…..I am aware of the Physics theory involved…I got confused since I never saw the complete circuit (ground/going to amp to etc…..to get the whole picture…..I do appreciate your time!…Thank you for your feedback!!!…..
        
        Reply
avispasentuass
November 20, 2012 @ 8:22 pm

NICE REVIEW AND HELPFUL.I’M GETTING A .047UF CAP FOR MY 250 K POT.OF MY VINTAGE PROJECT STRAT.

Reply
- Bentley Beckley
  December 1, 2012 @ 5:08 pm
  
  SICK, BUT YOU CAN STOP USING CAPS.
  
  Reply
  - Daniel Carlson
    December 3, 2012 @ 6:12 am
    
    I don’t think his circuit will work very well if he doesn’t use caps…
    
    Reply
  - John
    December 4, 2012 @ 1:12 pm
    
    You can certainly have a guitar with no tone circuit, and you’ll get a bit of extra brightness from your pickups that way. But if you want an operational tone knob, you’ll need a tone cap!
    
    Reply
    - John
      December 30, 2012 @ 9:49 pm
      
      Funny- just rereading this- I COMPLETELY MISSED THAT BENTLEY WAS TALKING ABOUT CAPS, not capacitors! 🙂
      
      Reply
      - someone972s
        January 3, 2013 @ 11:42 pm
        
        That’s the exact same thing I thought! I didn’t realize it until you pointed it out just then.
        
        Reply
avispasentuass
December 12, 2012 @ 1:15 pm

thanks bentley

Reply
Mr Bob
December 22, 2012 @ 7:25 am

Thanks – very useful info very well presented!

Reply
Anonymous
December 22, 2012 @ 7:27 am

[…] thinking of mixing cap values for each pickup) but this guy beat me to it and shares his results at https://www.planetz.com/guitar-tone-c…ors-explained/ Also has links to demos of a range of different cap types in similar fashion. […]

Reply
Tim Kasey
December 25, 2012 @ 1:11 pm

great video

Reply
Tim Kasey
December 25, 2012 @ 1:17 pm

Great video! I do wish to add: … “we want to remove the high frequency…” You should include a 70Hz roll off cap to reduce 60Hz hum. I have some ideas for bass guitar, and proper placement in recoding/mixing. If you set the caps at the bottom & top of the frequency range (install them into the bass) .. you will have a tailored recording, and the mix will come together much cleaner. You need to have an ear for producing in order to get it right.

Reply
EMH
January 2, 2013 @ 8:09 pm

Hey John,

Just caught both videos on YouTube today as I’m finishing up a strat type project. I will be using two humbuckers and a single coil with taps etc. Your videos were very helpful… Thanks for the intel.

Best,
EMH

Reply
- John
  January 2, 2013 @ 8:22 pm
  
  Cool! Enjoy the new Strat.
  John
  
  Reply
mrelwood
January 21, 2013 @ 1:20 pm

Great informational video! However, there are a few issues. As the guitar tone control is a part of the complete circuit, it doesn’t behave as it would on an ideal (= active) circuit. The guitar pickup itself has inductance, capacitance and impedance, so the tone network is not an RC network but an LRC network. Therefore the tone control will not just lower the cutoff frequency. If it would, you would get the exact sound of a 10nF cap with a 47nF cap with the tone rolled to the correct position.

Reply
mrelwood
January 21, 2013 @ 1:22 pm

(…continued) Instead, the LRC network will create a resonance around the corner frequency that sounds like a mid boost, best heard when the tone is rolled all the way off. That makes the tone control work more like a resonant fixed frequency cutoff.

Reply
- John
  January 24, 2013 @ 4:25 pm
  
  Thanks for posting this info here! In this video, I was trying to keep it as simple as possible. When people inquire, I usually point them to Helmuth Lemme’s 1986 article “The Secrets of Electric Guitar Pickups”, which goes into good detail on resonance in the LRC circuit, also taking into account the external load, cable capacitance, amp input impedance, etc.
  
  Reply
mrelwood
January 21, 2013 @ 1:23 pm

(…continued) Another thing is the generally used tone cap values. The pot values are way higher than the pickup impedance itself (4-20kohm), so 47nF caps are not used in a Strat because of the 250kohm pots, but because of the lower impedance and inherently brighter sound of the single coil pickups.

Reply
- John
  January 24, 2013 @ 4:32 pm
  
  Thanks for clarifying. The lower-resistance 250k volume/tone pot loads the pickups to ground more significantly than a 500k pot, thereby producing a darker/warmer sound. So a .047uF tone cap and a 250k pot are a double-whammy to reduce brightness on the inherently brighter strat. Even on strats, I prefer using 500k pots so that you have the option of the brightness if you want it. You can turn down the tone, but you can’t get the treble back if the pickup is already loaded down with a 250k pot.
  
  Reply
  - mrelwood
    January 26, 2013 @ 8:46 am
    
    Thank you for responding! I’m all for 500k tone pots as well, but I do recognize the need for a 250k vol when aiming for a lush sweet old Strat tone. But I feel the difference between the 47nF and 22nF caps is not obvious on either 250k or 500k pots until you turn down the tone, and that’s when the cutoff frequency becomes more important than the load on the pickups.
    
    BTW, I use 22nF on a strat and 15nF on a LP style guitar ’cause I don’t like the volume reduction but do like the midrange honk!
    
    Reply
    - John
      January 28, 2013 @ 10:26 am
      
      Thanks- good suggestions!
      
      Reply
Jeff N
January 29, 2013 @ 5:17 am

I have a question. I have a G&L Tribute ASAT bluesboy, humbucker in the neck single coil in the bridge. The neck PU is really muddy. What value pots and caps should I be using, I’m upgrading the electronics to a Seymour Duncan SH-55N Seth Lover Humbucker and Seymour Duncan STK-T2B Hot Lead Stack. You know so much about signals, I would really appreciate any feed back. Thanks!

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Arya Sridhar
January 31, 2013 @ 10:34 am

Great video, with tons of information……..Good Job!!!!! I have been thinking to see if i can use a .018uf cap instead of .022 for my les paul, would it make a huge difference????

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- John
  January 31, 2013 @ 1:56 pm
  
  .018uF is not a standard capacitance value. .015uF is more common. (You can always use a couple caps in series or parallel to get your own preferred value, but why complicate it?) It’ll make a difference in your LP, but it’ll be subtle. Try it with alligator leads and see how it feels!
  
  Reply
MyntGreen
February 19, 2013 @ 11:55 pm

4700

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jonwc3
February 23, 2013 @ 10:21 am

you rock man.. on to part 3

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PatrickWard4
February 26, 2013 @ 6:34 pm

By far the best explanation of capacitors I have ever seen. Thanks man!

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WorkflowBeats
April 13, 2013 @ 6:11 pm

+1 the best explanation!

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01MrGibson
April 18, 2013 @ 10:36 am

Hi.
Even in this one I still liked that .0022uF
Regards.

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01MrGibson
April 18, 2013 @ 10:54 am

Hi. Sorry I meant .022uF
Regards

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yopoalex
April 26, 2013 @ 10:18 pm

¡Great! Thaks.

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zoran716
May 3, 2013 @ 3:36 pm

Thanks for the useful vids on caps and tone

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CortexMetal
May 8, 2013 @ 7:00 pm

Some videos on analogue compressor and channel strip type electronics would be fantastic, so we can see what is really behind the boxes.

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DuskY1991
May 9, 2013 @ 12:44 pm

Great video. I’m just starting to learn to understand how electrical components influence tone in both guitar and amplifier circuits. I wonder though, how can you achieve resonance around the corner frequency of the capacitor? My guitar’s tone circuit does some of that but I have no idea how they do it.

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- John
  May 14, 2013 @ 8:31 am
  
  There’s a good article that should help you understand the circuit resonance. Search for The Secrets of Electric Guitar Pickups by Helmuth E. W. Lemme.
  
  Reply
William Odell
June 22, 2013 @ 6:54 am

At 2:10 you say that a bigger capacitance value will allow more high frequencies to pass through the cap.You may want to re-phrase that, I think it is confusing to the newbie. Probably just a slip of the lip.

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- John
  June 28, 2013 @ 11:37 am
  
  Yes, sorry- it was awkward phrasing. A bigger capacitance value lowers the cutoff frequency allowing a broader spectrum of frequencies through the cap. As an example, if one capacitance value allows frequencies above 5k through the cap, then a slightly higher capacitance may allow frequencies above 4k through the cap. So, I said it lets “more high frequencies” through – but it would have been better to say something like it blocks fewer high frequency signals.
  
  Reply
velilocal
June 30, 2013 @ 12:02 am

hello, question: does capacitors affect tone when tone is full?

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- John
  July 11, 2013 @ 8:40 am
  
  Yes, unless you bypass the tone cap completely (with a switch or a no-load pot), the tone cap is always in-circuit, and subtly affecting the tone. See my video on no-load tone-pots for an example: watch?v=dN3SlH-cEAg
  
  Reply
- steveshadforth
  September 12, 2013 @ 3:08 pm
  
  buy a no-load tone pot if you want to negate the effect of your caps
  
  Reply
Craig Martin
July 11, 2013 @ 8:30 am

This is a fantastic video. Very clear and informative. Many thanks.

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benjaminshinobi
July 15, 2013 @ 10:50 am

great video. Wish youtube was around when I was in high school.

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kjv444
July 19, 2013 @ 8:41 pm

Good videos. I’m considering replacing the electronics on my guitar. These videos have been very helpful for me.

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steveshadforth
September 12, 2013 @ 3:08 pm

all total bullshit, a fool and their money are quickly parted, buy a no-load tone pot if you want to negate the effect of your caps

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- John
  September 12, 2013 @ 9:46 pm
  
  I demonstrated how to make a no-load tone pot in my video: watch?v=dN3SlH-cEAg
  
  Reply
  - steveshadforth
    September 12, 2013 @ 11:36 pm
    
    Hi I know, and I commented on that, great trick, I guess a thin smear of epoxy on the track start would also do it. Only this is, that as your removed some from the beginning, there’ll be a big change from off to on, I had on in my tele, can’t remember maker, but the slider actually lifted off in the null position. Keep up the good work, have a rockin weekend!
    
    Reply
- vetmusician
  October 2, 2013 @ 6:45 am
  
  well it wasn’t bullshit for me,…helped me out ALOT,….maybe it was total bullshit for YOU…I wondered why my guitar sounded “muffled” I fucked with my AMP ,pickups, etc… until I watched this video and realized that my guitar had a capacitor that was used for single coils in it, took it out replaced it with one that leaves more treble in the signal path and WALLA!…sounds great..for $2.00, I was even told by a friend that the capacitor means nothing unless you turn down tone not true!
  
  Reply
  - steveshadforth
    October 2, 2013 @ 8:35 am
    
    for sure they all have an effect in circuit, even when on 10, my bullshit remark is regards tropical fish or oil in paper or sprague etc etc, but hey, get in touch if you want to buy any of those, I have a bucket full, just buy a no load pot for truss bypass
    
    Reply
- Roy Rodriguez
  October 27, 2013 @ 10:12 am
  
  Or put a before volume bypass switch maybe?
  
  Reply
So Crates
October 18, 2013 @ 9:31 am

Very informative…thank you.

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Roy Rodriguez
October 27, 2013 @ 10:09 am

Thanks John. Great test. Help me a lot.

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Lawren Lelko
November 6, 2013 @ 12:23 pm

Perfect demonstration – super useful.

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Evan Williams
November 10, 2013 @ 4:09 am

Best.

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Donald Davis
November 22, 2013 @ 11:42 am

Thanks!!! Answers lots of questions…. Like the old saying picture worth
a thousand words. A lot of internet advice about this is in written
words. How do you explain tone to someone…. Excellent demo! THANKS!

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mixolydian2010
December 9, 2013 @ 2:54 am

Excellent work thank you very much. I preferred the 6800 with your setup as
i was hearing some nice resonances as the frequencies were reduced and was
a nice subtle taper to my ears. Love the cap rig, shows how important it
is, if you can to customise your caps.

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Andrew Zeleno
December 19, 2013 @ 3:57 am

John, When all knobs on 10 is there any difference in sound with different
capacitors? And Does different Potentiometers on 10 make sound different?

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Andrew Zeleno
December 19, 2013 @ 4:04 am

Look, I have Gibson LP Traditional 2011. It sounds too shiny on highs. Also
bridge pickup dosn’t have enough low. I’m talking about 10 knobs positions.
I thought about changing 57 pickups to burstbuckers. But some guy had the
same problem and it didn’t help. I think it’s in the electronics. So my
previous question about this.

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Forest McCoy
December 19, 2013 @ 9:21 pm

Thanks you!

If you are using a 250k pot and go through this process with the tone pot
on 10, do all the different capacitor values sound the same when the pot is
totally open (on 10)? Example: If I have a telecaster with a .022 cap on
a tone pot on 10, will it sound the same as the same tele with a .047 on
the tone pot on 10 as well?

thanks!

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Andrew Rincon
December 23, 2013 @ 12:06 am

Hello, I have the following to update a epiphone les paul standard:

– Seymour Duncan Hot rodded Humbucker(SH-4 and SH-2). – Potentiometers CTS
with values: 542k, 542k, 560k, 534k.
– Orange Drop capacitors , i bought two 0.022uf and two 0.047uf.

My question is, what potentiometers should I use for the volume and tone?
Should I use the potentiometers with larger values for the volume? And for
the tone what capacitors should i use ?… thank you….

kind of things that I play:
The strokes, Nirvana, Red hot chili peppers, Audioslave, Muse, Pearl Jam,
Radiohead….

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Eddy Priest
February 11, 2014 @ 10:18 am

Great Demo!

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RASP SCRAPE
February 18, 2014 @ 9:49 pm

How about output differences with the switch…I modified some pickups and
I noticed more than before when I switch (5-way) from positions some
positions drop off considerably (especially position 2 Humbucker bridge and
North single coil neck combo)…is there a way to keep the switching and
output uniform without effecting the tonal qualities? Love the mod and the
sound it produced…essentially replaced the Alnico V mag. from the bridge
and placed it into the neck and conversely to the Ceramic (ferrous) mag.
from the neck and placed it into the bridge…AWESOME results!!

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Dan M.
February 19, 2014 @ 7:59 am

excellent demonstration !!

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Chris Colon
February 22, 2014 @ 10:46 pm

thank you

Reply
ZoD1ACBeA5T
February 23, 2014 @ 10:43 am

Your videos have helped me immensely with understanding my guitar!
You are amazing and I hope you enjoy life knowing you’ve done things to
better the world!

Reply
TAB442
February 25, 2014 @ 12:24 pm

That was really helpful, thanks!

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rohan leach
March 7, 2014 @ 11:18 pm

I love your videos – thanks

Reply
gjw45
March 21, 2014 @ 5:26 am

I stumbled across this by accident whilst browsing youtube. So glad I did,
what a brilliant explanation you give of everything. You make it very easy
to understand. Thank you

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Alex Geary
April 7, 2014 @ 10:37 pm

Great job, I will share this with my physics students. Thanks

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slick mick
April 21, 2014 @ 8:03 am

Great Vid. Right to the point,and easily comprehended.thanks.

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Anthony Skellern
May 1, 2014 @ 10:42 am

Brilliant experiments – exhaustive, well explained and strangely hypnotic!
Very useful information, I commend you for your tireless dedication to
tone, John!

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endtropi
June 2, 2014 @ 9:19 am

Great tutorial man! You are an excellent teacher.Thank you for the
knowledge. Now i am gonna make my guitar more brighter using a smaller
value capasitor

Reply
Chris Levesque
June 27, 2014 @ 12:57 pm

awesome video man!!

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bass mentality
June 28, 2014 @ 10:51 am

so for a bass what caps pls?

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Alan Jones
July 2, 2014 @ 9:23 pm

Excellent presentation! Thanks for the info. For about six months in 2012 I
had a severe case of “Ebay Teisco Fever”. (Also known as Guyatone gout,
Harmony hepatitis, Tulip Tuberculosis, etc.) By the time the “fever” broke,
I had acquired an array of 60’s Japanese electric guitars. Of course, some
of them had no redeeming tonal qualities, so they became wall decorations.
Eventually, I began pulling various parts from them to make one extremely
unique Frankenguitar. This is when I began to wonder how the cap/resistor
values affected tone. Now I know! And knowing is half the battle! Now all I
have to do is wait for a perfectly positioned bolt of lightning . . . I
will let you know how it turns out. Hopefully!

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arjlxv
July 13, 2014 @ 3:33 pm

Great information + excellent presentation. Many thanks!

Reply
Jyme Bale
July 16, 2014 @ 4:19 pm

I agree, excellent presentation, too many long time techs don’t think there
is a lot of difference in the sound but this sure proves them quite
incorrect. Thank you.

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Cityj0hn
August 11, 2014 @ 6:47 pm

hehe “it depends on how you use your nob”

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rhoddity
August 22, 2014 @ 12:29 am

Ow wow, you just cleared up something I’ve had difficulty understanding for
two years! =D Thanks!

Reply
한결 임
October 1, 2014 @ 12:24 pm

오 goodgood video

Reply
Brenno Ciuffo
October 3, 2014 @ 4:13 pm

I would like to thank you. Your videos are amazing , and helped me a lot.

Greatings from Brazil.

Reply
Paul Uhl
October 14, 2014 @ 9:09 pm

THIS IS THE BEST VIDEO PRESENTATION RELATED TO GUITAR AUDIO THAT I HAVE
EVER SEEN.

Thank you, John!

Reply
Michon de villiers
October 19, 2014 @ 12:40 am

Thank you. Good videos.

Reply
Cory M
November 10, 2014 @ 6:15 pm

love your Vids!

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Mick Kennedy
November 28, 2014 @ 9:55 am

At 3:53 you say ’47’ for a 250K pot and ’22’ for a 500K pot — I was told
it’s the other way round?

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DamageIncM
November 30, 2014 @ 10:48 pm

You make a good point that most tone-controls, in their standard
configuration, are pretty useless in terms of range, as often going beyond
halfway down it already tends to become pretty much.
I’ve never used my tone-controls that much, but there have been cases that
I could find a nicer sound with it turned down only a fifth or so from all
the way open. In effect I only kind of use 2 or 3 positions.

So, this brings me to a question; Couldn’t I just replace the tone-pot with
a toggle-switch? For example, one position is like the pot would be all the
way open, and another position would be like when the pot would be a
quarter down or something like that.
Or say maybe even a 3-way switch, where position 1 would be no cut-off,
position 2 would be like a value of 3300pF all the way active, and the 3rd
could be 1000pF

If this is a possibility; Would I need to use 2 or 3 capacitors to hook up
to a switch (in which case the switch would probably be used like a
“channel”-switcher), or could I use the capacitor with the largest range
and have a special switch that decides the values like a pot would (but of
course in steps instead of a sweep)?

I would really like something like this, cause using a rotational knob
isn’t that accurate on-the-fly. It might be accurate to find the exact
point you like, but you’re not going to do that while playing actual music.
I’ve tried, and have never been able to really get the right position,
often ending up tinkering with the knob for the rest of the passage in
which I needed the high-cut.
I found a similar problem with this guitar I have that has pots to turn
humbuckers into single coils, which is just so slow compared to a push/pull
or push/push pot. Sure, you get a larger range of sounds with a pot’s full
sweep, but it’s impractical when you’re in the middle of playing music.

Tone-pots are so “primitive” in use. An alternative must be possible, no?

Reply
John Cooper
December 2, 2014 @ 3:03 pm

@DamageIncM- what you’re describing is basically a Varitone- a
multi-position switch with a different capacitor at each switch position.
Famously used on BB King’s Lucille, but easy enough to retrofit in any
guitar. Search for Varitone

Reply
ben inglis
December 7, 2014 @ 4:43 am

Subscribe/fave/like 🙂

Reply
ben inglis
December 7, 2014 @ 4:43 am

Subscribe/fave/like 🙂

Reply
Mick Kennedy
December 7, 2014 @ 4:47 am

“It depends on how you use your *knob.” — euh, yes. :))

Reply
Mick Kennedy
December 7, 2014 @ 4:47 am

“It depends on how you use your *knob.” — euh, yes. :))

Reply
Gerard Callaghan
December 8, 2014 @ 9:13 pm

Excellent! Very useful and a great little tutorial. Well done!

Reply
Angus Dorbie
December 14, 2014 @ 4:04 am

You cap explanation is a bit off. The cap stores and discharges back into
the circuit electric potential, this spreads and eliminates higher
frequency variations in potential.

Reply
funkybioped
February 19, 2015 @ 7:02 pm

How do people know all this stuff! Lol. Thanks. Sheds some light but I’m
still in the dark. I’ll watch this a few times trying to enlighten myself.

Reply
Mohamed Almonajed
February 23, 2015 @ 5:59 am

Thank you a lot for the pretty informative video series.

Reply
Aei Ou
March 3, 2015 @ 9:03 am

Can I just solder the two wires together without a cap between them.. does
this do anything.. or is it harmful at all

Reply
LKJDFDG
March 12, 2015 @ 2:00 pm

Thanks very helpful

Reply
Dirtyharry70585
April 25, 2015 @ 7:06 am

great job john, as the higher caps tend to cause almost a ringing or
second, third harmonic

Reply
jamblam
July 22, 2015 @ 8:08 pm

How incredibly useful this info is. I work on guitars and instead of trying
to explain this type of stuff to people I can just refer them to this
video! I worked on a Gibson varitone just the other week for the first
time. Cool guitar but man what a bunch of knob turning ridiculousness that
was! One of the most useful things I’ve ever used to get the right “boxy”
sound I prefer is by leaving a wah pedal engaged wherever my foot decides
it sounds best. I’m surprised more people don’t do this! Again, great
video. KUDOS

Reply
Crazy Tone Thing – Planet Z
May 2, 2017 @ 9:02 pm

[…] of different dialectric material types to see how they change the character of the sound. In part 2, I’ll cover how different capacitance values affect the range and usefulness of the tone […]

Reply
Tone Caps Follow-up – Planet Z
May 2, 2017 @ 9:04 pm

[…] I’ve received a lot of questions and comments about my tone cap videos part 1 and part 2. […]

Reply
robert
February 16, 2019 @ 6:38 pm

Thanks for this video – helped clarify some things for me. I do have a question though – in general would 3300pf (bridge) and 4700pf (neck) be a strange pairing for a large hollowbody with tv jones classics and 500k pots? I really want to retain the highs and eliminate mud when I use the tone control.

Thanks!!!

Reply
- John Cooper
  February 17, 2019 @ 11:51 am
  
  Hi Robert- I don’t think it would be strange- but there’s only one way to find out if you like it! As always, I recommend experimenting with alligator leads before soldering, to make it easy to swap components to find out what you like.
  Enjoy the process!
  -John
  
  Reply
  - robert
    February 20, 2019 @ 2:23 pm
    
    Thanks – your video REALLY helped:)
    
    Reply

Crazy Tone Thing 2: The Sequel

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