Guitar and Bass Tone Capacitor Chart

Tone capacitors effect when you roll the tone knob down and how drastic the highs and high mids are cut.

I used to just leave the tone knob fully on until I discovered it can be made useful which in turn opened up all my guitars and basses to infinite tone possibilities I could actually use.

The higher the value, the darker the instrument becomes.When a tone knob is fully 100% on, the entire signal is allowed to pass to the amplifier or DAW. Removing the cap leaves the instrument fully 100% tone from the pickup.

The caps are soldered one end to tone control other end to ground on volume pot.

Here is a chart that illustrates what the commen capacitor values do to a guitar or bass .

Blue represents what is allowed to go to the amplifier or DAW.

A.022 uf capacitor makes instruments “bright” because more bass and lo mid frequencies are sent to ground.

I just soldered a socket inside all my cavities and can just swap caps to suit my needs without soldering Everytime I decide to change.


[img]https://www.talkbass.com/attachments/tonecapsfreqchart-jpg.2834153/[/img]

[img]https://www.amprepairparts.com/guitarelec_06.jpg[/img]

[youtube]iqLEaN163m8?si=ef-2Mqi9N-uZHMwr[/youtube]

---

If you keep your tone knob always rolled up 100% because otherwise it sounds muddy, you would benefit from a tone cap replacement.

It’s very confusing at first but there’s only 5 or 6 options for caps.

If in doubt order Orange Drop style caps. They look orange. They offer clarity and stability in the low end .

If you want to keep a vintage sound then Paper in oil caps or bumblebees however they drift over time.

If you currently have say a .047 uf cap and you think your tone knob makes it muddy , try a .033 or a .022 uf cap.
The lower the number the brighter the sound.
It opens an entire world of tone for you. By brighter that means rolling off the tone knob it is less drastic and you eliminate high and high mids but avoid the dark muddy sound.
Your original guitar sound is always there it’s just how drastic do you want to cut the highs and mids.


This explains it
It requires soldering skills but any guitar shop can do it .

https://northwestguitars.co.uk/blogs/blog/unveiling-the-world-of-guitar-capacitors-understanding-their-role-function-and-variations#:~:text=Choosing%20the%20right%20cap%20value,more%20noticeable%20tonal%20roll%2Doff.

---