ken374 Posted October 29, 2010 Share Posted October 29, 2010 I see the musician friend sell bumble bee caps for 112 for 2 wonder if it would help in the tone. Bad review on it though http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Gibson-Historic-Bumble-Bee-Capacitors-2pack?sku=H65441 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Plains Posted October 29, 2010 Share Posted October 29, 2010 What a joke. Gibson's Bees only look like the part but they are referred to as fake Bees because they're not paper in oil capacitors like the original ones Gibson used. If you want real PIO reproduction Bees, they cost around $40/pair and are a hundred times better than those. Google "Luxe capacitors". PIO Bees are an upgrade but they often have little to no effect if you keep everything on 10. They more so work their magic as you roll down the tone pots. Having said that, I replaced only the caps on two historic LPs and they made no difference on one guitar but a huge difference in the other (even with everything on 10). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted October 29, 2010 Share Posted October 29, 2010 ... Having said that, I replaced only the caps on two historic LPs and they made no difference on one guitar but a huge difference in the other (even with everything on 10). Try flipping them around (one at a time). While technically those caps have no "direction" do like some other electronic caps, there can still be a noticeable difference in tone between directions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakehaus Posted October 30, 2010 Share Posted October 30, 2010 I see the musician friend sell bumble bee caps for 112 for 2 wonder if it would help in the tone. Bad review on it though http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Gibson-Historic-Bumble-Bee-Capacitors-2pack?sku=H65441 I bought a set of vintage Bumble Bees for less than $50 about 6 months ago. Each are .022uF. They were installed on my '76 SG, but are now on my '82 LP. See 1st pic. I have the Luxe BBs and they sound great (on my '71 ES-175), but I learned thru trial that Russian PIO caps are just as good as Luxe at about a quarter of the price. There's a rumor about the similarities of the Russians and the Luxe... Second pic shows the Russians now on my SG. .015uF on the neck, .022uF on the bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Plains Posted October 30, 2010 Share Posted October 30, 2010 Try flipping them around (one at a time). While technically those caps have no "direction" do like some other electronic caps, there can still be a noticeable difference in tone between directions. I thought about doing that but don't think it would have made a difference. Either way, that guitar's long gone now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken374 Posted October 31, 2010 Author Share Posted October 31, 2010 I bought a set of vintage Bumble Bees for less than $50 about 6 months ago. Each are .022uF. They were installed on my '76 SG, but are now on my '82 LP. See 1st pic. I have the Luxe BBs and they sound great (on my '71 ES-175), but I learned thru trial that Russian PIO caps are just as good as Luxe at about a quarter of the price. There's a rumor about the similarities of the Russians and the Luxe... Second pic shows the Russians now on my SG. .015uF on the neck, .022uF on the bridge. so these do sound better then stock?, when the guitar is all the way up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakehaus Posted November 1, 2010 Share Posted November 1, 2010 so these do sound better then stock?, when the guitar is all the way up? IMO, it sounds way better across the range of the pot. Stock caps on the '76 SG were very small green cylinders - not sure what they were in terms of material and value. Stock caps on the '82 were little pink aspirin lookin' ceramics. Worthwhile to note that I changed the pots on each at the same time I changed the caps. - It demonstrates different cap materials and micro farad (uF) values. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverside Posted November 1, 2010 Share Posted November 1, 2010 Opinions about caps intrigue me. Give this a read - then break out the O-scopes: http://www.tone-lizard.com/Electronic_Parts.htm I suspect that if you spent >$100 for a set of caps, it had better sound better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken374 Posted November 2, 2010 Author Share Posted November 2, 2010 IMO, it sounds way better across the range of the pot. Stock caps on the '76 SG were very small green cylinders - not sure what they were in terms of material and value. Stock caps on the '82 were little pink aspirin lookin' ceramics. Worthwhile to note that I changed the pots on each at the same time I changed the caps. - It demonstrates different cap materials and micro farad (uF) values. thanks for the reply i just bought a new SG so im wondering what to do. I bought a Radial buffer/clean boost pedal, really brings out the pickups Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakehaus Posted November 2, 2010 Share Posted November 2, 2010 thanks for the reply i just bought a new SG so im wondering what to do. I bought a Radial buffer/clean boost pedal, really brings out the pickups There's a lot of no-cost things you can do before you acquire and install parts - like adjusting your pickup height (just turn the screws until you hit a sweet spot). You'll know it when you find it. Wrap the stop bar (push strings through the opposite side of the bar and wrap around the top, then onto the saddles to the tuner posts). Good luck, and good choice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voxampguy Posted November 8, 2010 Share Posted November 8, 2010 Anyone try the orange drop caps on an SG or LP with 57/57+? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Fog Experiment Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 FYI - LUXE Caps are Russian PIOs painted to look like the originals. They are K40y-9s - normally they use the 1000V series due to their size. I bought a bunch of NOS K40y-9s (200/400V) from Russia a few months back and have replaced all my caps in all my guitars and all my 'friends' guitars. I pickup up .022, .047 and .1s They really do make a difference if you know how to set your amp and use the tone knobs correctly. I also have a bunch of vintage Orange Drops from the 60's and 70's along with a few Chocolate Drops from the early 70's. They're good too - just not as woody. My SG has 'Blue Drops' from ITW Paktron in the .022 flavor. Nice sounding caps but like an earlier post said - if you don't move your tone knob from 10 - the cap isn't gonna make any difference. 50's wiring versus Modern Wiring does make a difference too and despite what other people say, I believe cloth wiring does add a little 'omph' to the sound. I recently rewired a guys Epi LP and left the Poly wire in it initially and he asked me to swap it out cause mine sounded much better and when I put the cloth stuff it - there was a little something more there. Just my 2 cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverside Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 ...and despite what other people say, I believe cloth wiring does add a little 'omph' to the sound. Golly. That's amazing. Who says it doesn't make a difference? Physicists? Electrical Engineers? People who test with oscilloscopes? What do they know? Does your guitar sound better with witch hats or speed knobs? If you've never slapped on some Chicken heads, you're missing out. I've also heard that the orange case-fuzz makes your guitar sound better than does the white. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakehaus Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 Golly. That's amazing. Who says it doesn't make a difference? Physicists? Electrical Engineers? People who test with oscilloscopes? What do they know? Does your guitar sound better with witch hats or speed knobs? If you've never slapped on some Chicken heads, you're missing out. I've also heard that the orange case-fuzz makes your guitar sound better than does the white. Pretty funny. I'll subscribe to what I know makes a difference based on my own experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted November 26, 2010 Share Posted November 26, 2010 Golly. That's amazing. Who says it doesn't make a difference? Physicists? Electrical Engineers? People who test with oscilloscopes? What do they know? Does your guitar sound better with witch hats or speed knobs? If you've never slapped on some Chicken heads, you're missing out. I've also heard that the orange case-fuzz makes your guitar sound better than does the white. but.....but.....my new SG has WHITE case fuzz, and it sounds great! especially since I adjusted the p'ups, did a proper setup on it, and replaced the SG TRC with a plain one....ohhhhh it's the TRC that made it sound better ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimbabig Posted November 26, 2010 Share Posted November 26, 2010 I love my cork in oil caps, I even sniffed them to ensure quality. With kidding aside I beleive that real paper in oil caps sound great, although I've never heard a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete c Posted November 28, 2010 Share Posted November 28, 2010 i dont get it why are they called bumble bees, i figured they would be black with yellow stripes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete c Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 is there a good web site on how to identify bumble bees, i have a ton of old non working stuff and would i like to identify these caps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakehaus Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 is there a good web site on how to identify bumble bees, i have a ton of old non working stuff and would i like to identify these caps Here's a color code chart that may begin to help: click Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete c Posted December 6, 2010 Share Posted December 6, 2010 Here's a color code chart that may begin to help: click thank you very helpful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGD Lutherie Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 What a joke. Gibson's Bees only look like the part but they are referred to as fake Bees because they're not paper in oil capacitors like the original ones Gibson used. If you want real PIO reproduction Bees, they cost around $40/pair and are a hundred times better than those. Google "Luxe capacitors". PIO Bees are an upgrade but they often have little to no effect if you keep everything on 10. They more so work their magic as you roll down the tone pots. Having said that, I replaced only the caps on two historic LPs and they made no difference on one guitar but a huge difference in the other (even with everything on 10). Both the Gibson and Luxe caps are fakes. Gibson is taking modern Wesco 32PL 223J Polypropylene caps and putting them in fake Bumblebee shells. So you are paying over $50 for a new cap in a fake old cap shell. And the Luxe caps are also not PIO. They are General Instruments GIAP009A1 metalized film caps. So everyone can save their money and buy two film caps for under a buck and get the same tone. Besides that, caps don't change the tone unless you have the tone control on zero. ;) http://www.kernelofwisdom.com/02-10/uncloak.html http://classicamplification.net/Guitar/reissueBumblebees.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken374 Posted January 13, 2011 Author Share Posted January 13, 2011 Both the Gibson and Luxe caps are fakes. Gibson is taking modern Wesco 32PL 223J Polypropylene caps and putting them in fake Bumblebee shells. So you are paying over $50 for a new cap in a fake old cap shell. And the Luxe caps are also not PIO. They are General Instruments GIAP009A1 metalized film caps. So everyone can save their money and buy two film caps for under a buck and get the same tone. Besides that, caps don't change the tone unless you have the tone control on zero. ;) http://www.kernelofwisdom.com/02-10/uncloak.html http://classicamplification.net/Guitar/reissueBumblebees.htm I seen that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fringe Lunatic Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 The placebo effect sells billions of dollars of useless (or dangerous) drugs, and it sells a sh*tload of guitar parts. True believers need not comment - I already know you're convinced, and that's cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakehaus Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Both the Gibson and Luxe caps are fakes. Gibson is taking modern Wesco 32PL 223J Polypropylene caps and putting them in fake Bumblebee shells. So you are paying over $50 for a new cap in a fake old cap shell. And the Luxe caps are also not PIO. They are General Instruments GIAP009A1 metalized film caps. So everyone can save their money and buy two film caps for under a buck and get the same tone. Besides that, caps don't change the tone unless you have the tone control on zero. ;) http://www.kernelofwisdom.com/02-10/uncloak.html http://classicamplification.net/Guitar/reissueBumblebees.htm Although I disagree with the 'tone control on zero' comment (I have a different experience), the links are interesting - presenting what appears to be authentic results. I'm sticking with true vintage bumble bees. They can be had for less than Luxe repros. Patience and persistence, if that's your taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sellen Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 are these any good?bumble bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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