vintage capacitors
Hi Skip, where would be the best place in a circuit to place vintage caps to get the most benifit tone wise, tone controls and preamp plates or after the phase inverter going to power tubes? Assuming caps are good and proper voltage but only have enough for one or the other(preamp or power section). Thanks
I actually have a few vintage amps I was playiung around with, 50s gibson ga6, 50s danelectro centurion. They had the (new) mallory 150s in them but wanted to switch from the metallized polyester caps to polyester film foil types that are more closer to the caps that they org came with. The vinatge caps in question are the old orange drop 220p 6ps difilm types( N.O.S) I do have some modern CDE WMF film foil types also. I dont have a voltage checker but i know how to check for voltage with multimeter when in circuit, but Ill do as you advise and use the new stuff for the coupling. I really dig the pod cast your doing also! Thanks again!
All the caps you mention are VERY unlikely to be leaking DC, so I say forge ahead! However, they are all going to sound good in old beast like that GA-6. The differences may be very subtle..... Go with what YOU like.
Thanks Skip!
Thanks for writing! I wish I knew exactly what kind of amp we are talking about, but I'm betting that your goal with this question is to "improve" the tone of a modern amp. Harp players are usually looking for a warmer, darker, less ice-pick kinda sound.
I would advise experimenting only with caps involved in the tone circuit, not the coupling caps. Using vintage caps for coupling is risky unless they have been carefully checked for DC leakage.
If this amp has a printed circuitboard, changing parts can be tricky. You will need to have some good skills and there is really no guarantee of a postive outcome tone-wise.