Capacitors in Tone Circuits

[recsec]

if I were to not put a capacitor in a tone circuit on an older guitar after changing the tone pot to a 500k oyt what would be the result?

[Ryan H]

Capacitors are high-pass filters. They block lows, and let highs through. If you put a capacitor between your volume pot and output jack (in series), you'd roll off bass frequencies, and the higher frequencies pass to the amp. In a tone control, you're connecting a cap from the wiper (the second lug) to ground, so the high frequencies pass through, to ground (hence why a tone control rolls off treble). The higher the value, the darker it gets. For example, 0.047uF (or 47nF) is often used in single-coil guitars (Strats, Teles) because those guitars are bright by nature. 0.022uF (22nF) are often used in Humbucker guitars to maintain more high frequencies. Sometimes a 0.015uF (15nF) cap is used for the neck pickup tone control of a Les Paul to brighten it up a bit.

 

-Ryan

[badbluesplayer]

I think that if you removed the capacitor and replaced it with a jumper wire the sound would be trebly, like as if you used a really small capacitor. The tone control would just change the volume some as you rolled it on and off, but wouldn't change the tone. :unsure:

 

The size of the tone pot would just effect how much it changed the volume, but wouldn't effect the tone.

[recsec]

I think that if you removed the capacitor and replaced it with a jumper wire the sound would be trebly, like as if you used a really small capacitor. The tone control would just change the volume some as you rolled it on and off, but wouldn't change the tone. :unsure:

 

The size of the tone pot would just effect how much it changed the volume, but wouldn't effect the tone.

 

 

Thank you all for your help this clarifies what I am attempting to do.