bumblebee tone caps

[slagg]

could someone inlighten me on these caps,whats special about them and why do they cost so much?and what caps are in your les paul?

[Nickblues1]

could someone inlighten me on these caps' date='whats special about them and why do they cost so much?and what caps are in your les paul?[/quote']

 

The only thing special about some of them is the amount of money they rip off you.

 

Some have reported that they are closer to spec.

 

I have seen some x-rays of modern bumblebee caps and they just have a modern cap surrounded by a bumblebee type outer cover. Let the buyer beware.

[hbucker]

I believe Vitamin Q caps are actually closer to original, paper & oil spec. They don't look like Bumblebees but they perform more like the originals from what I understand.

 

These pots are reported to let more of the pickup tone through as you pot of the volume or tone. I've been told that unless you use your tone pot or turn down your volume a lot, you probably won't notice a difference. If you still would like to check them out, I'd recommend looking at the different styles of wiring: 50's vs. modern. That would also affect their performance.

 

After all this, if you're currently using stock Epi pickups, I'd recommend changing those out first. This will give you the biggest tonal difference of anything you can do to your guitar. IMO Epi pickups are fine but there are much better. Anything from GFS to DiMarzio, Duncan, all the way up to custom winders will give you improvements on your tone. It just depends on what tone you're looking for and how much $$$ you want to spend. Price does not always equate with "that" tone though.

 

Epis are the perfect LP to hotrod so I like the way you're thinking. But beware of anyone who makes grandiose proclamations about how much any one new component, other than pickups, will change your life.

 

Good luck.

[slagg]

yes i have changed out my pickups.but i alway have my tone pots dimed wide open.i'm wondering if there is any mod to make them i don't know"more useful"just curios.

[TWANG]

yes i have changed out my pickups.but i alway have my tone pots dimed wide open.i'm wondering if there is any mod to make them i don't know"more useful"just curios.

 

"always", sort of means to me that you are probably also adding treble at your amp..

that is, at least sometimes you should find your guitar too bright...and tone it down at the guitar pot.

 

but it's hard to say if you should do anything or not.. I mean, if you are happy, then who needs more usefullness?

 

if you have 250K pot.. put in a 500K.. which will be brighter..

or if you have .022 caps lower the value a bit and see if you like it..

 

IF you think you really need this use.... see, if you like it, then what the heck why change it?

 

I crank my tone pots down on both pups, sheri or lp, for different tunes.. even if they are rock, etc., and not clean..

because the difference between treble up on guitar and treble up on amp is a difference I like to play with.. and because I have p90s.. pretty bright.. and because the tune calls for less treble..

but if you're playing a lot of the same material.. not changing much tonally.. then I sort of suspect you're just in the habit.. or you're doing all your tone mods at the amp..

 

I never used to touch my tone pots when I had humbucks except on the neck for smoother warmer jazzier tones..

and then very little.. with the p90s I find a lot more use for the tone pots.

good pots make a difference, too.. if yours are stock, just replace with a CTS or Alpha and you could hear a difference right there.

 

 

nobody who's helped me learn about amp mods has had good things to say about paper/oil caps.. hovland or Q.. for guitar or amps.. they all seem to feel they're overpriced.