A Capacitor's Effect on Tone
- To understand a capacitor’s effects on tone, we should briefly discuss what a capacitor is in the first place. It is a component used in a tremendous variety of electronic devices, and basically stores energy in an electrostatic field. In electric guitars, capacitors leverage that function to filter between low-frequency signals and high-frequency signals, which is why they are central to the functioning of tone controls.
- Capacitors are measured in microfarads, which are abbreviated with this symbol: uF. Most guitars function with capacitors rated from .10uF down to .01uF, with the most common sizes being .022uF and .047uF. These common sizes are far from being the only sizes you can use for altering your tone control, however. In fact, sizes such as .0068uF and .033uF can have a tremendous effect on your tone as well as the response range you get when rolling your tone control up or down.
- The value, or capacitance, of a capacitor is what has a direct effect on your guitar tone. Larger capacitors have a higher value than smaller ones. Relationally, larger capacitors allow for a warmer and darker tone common in jazz music, while smaller capacitors facilitate a brighter, punchier tone found most common in rock and pop music. This is significant as different guitar woods have their own characteristics that also affect tone, and knowing how the relationship of tone-affecting factors work can save you some time in trial and error when testing new capacitors.
- When you decide to tinker with different capacitors in hopes of getting that perfect tone, you might get a little overwhelmed at first. That’s because there is a seemingly infinite number of capacitors out there. To get you pointed in the right direction, though, some of the most well-recognized capacitors for guitars include: Black Beauties, Bumblebee, Tropical Fish, Flat Disc, Orange Drop, Mallory, Silver Mica, Styroflex, Oil-Paper, Vitamin Q and Mustard.
