Can changing the stock capacitors on your “modern” electric
guitar make it sound as if it was built in the 1950s?
By: Ringo Bones
I recently discovered this “tweak” almost by accident near
the end of summer of 2017 after fixing – actually tweaking - a late 1970s Japanese
made Gibson Les Paul equivalent after the owner complained it started picking
up AM radio during high-gain settings of the preamplifier in use. It was late
Saturday night after all DIY electronic shops have already closed for the
weekend in my neck of the woods when the closest functioning 100-picofarad ceramic
capacitor to replace the one on the guitar that was essentially used to prevent
it acting as an AM radio with a detached lead which I replaced with one rated
at 2,000 volts and looks like it was manufactured from the 1950s. to my
surprise, The Japanese Les Paul replica’s DiMarzio Super Distortion humbucker
pickups started to sound slightly like a mid 1050s PAF (Patent Applied For)
humbucker pickups. And it ever sounded more vintage after I replaced the stock
0.1-microfarad 50-volt mylar capacitor used in the guitars low-to-high tone
control with one rated at 1,600-volts.
Given that most original Gibson Les Paul electric guitars
from the 1950s with original PAF humbucker pickups has now become “investment
grade musical instruments” that are now often speculated by anyone interested
in using musical instruments as investment tools – i.e. mid 1950s Gibson Les
Pauls with their original PAF humbucker pickups which are left unmodified or
has been properly maintained by collector standards now start at around 8,000
US dollars or more. While used pristine quality Japanese made replica Gibson
Les Pauls from the late 1970s hover around 300 to 500 US dollars on the used
market despite often used in classic rock gigs. So it makes perfect economic
sense to sell that heirloom Gibson Les Paul for around 12,000 US dollars or
more and use that money to buy more “tonally flexible” newer electric guitars
or one of those snazzy new recording equipment.
My uncle who primarily works as a guitarist in a Beatles tribute band found out back in 1998 that high voltage mylar and / or polyester capacitors in the 1,000-volt or higher range connected to the replace the stock mylar capacitor in the tone control of most Gibson Les Paul type electric guitars has the ability to make the sound of its more modern DiMarzio Tone Zone pickups from 1990 more akin to a mid 1950s era PAF - patent applied for - humbuckers. Might be something to do with the ESR - effective series resistance - characteristic of high voltage mylar and/or polyester capacitors in comparison to its lower-voltage counterpart?
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