November 15, 2009

Connecting the Tone Cap

Guitar Circuit Wiring Electronics, Video 118

This is part 4 of the video series on wiring up guitar electronics.

In this one, I show how to wire up the tone capacitor to the tone pot. I’m using a .01uF Orange Drop, which I selected for a slightly narrower range compared to the typical .022uF. I never turned the tone all the way down with the .022, since it turned the sound into mud. So with .01uF cap, it won’t be as dull when turned all the way down – making the full range of the pot more useful.

118 Comments

Antonio Ruiz
November 10, 2010 @ 1:08 pm

@johnplanetz thanks i did look for one and found it hahahaha and i fixed it
thanks

Reply
tanner pid
November 10, 2010 @ 7:38 pm

Haa dont worry bout it I had the same prob, just giving you a hard time,
sorry bud

Reply
nymetsrock
December 17, 2010 @ 1:46 pm

you take alot of precautions with those alligator clips, ive never done
that and never had problems

Reply
Levi L
February 6, 2011 @ 10:08 am

really good videos 🙂

Reply
brainiestben
February 27, 2011 @ 8:37 pm

@Guitarstring187 will a tone pot work as a volume pot? cheers 🙂

Reply
Drblooter99
April 4, 2011 @ 7:06 pm

Can you help me with a small problem? I installed a rotary selector switch
in my bass guitar. To it I attached 6 capacitors, from 0.033uF up to 0.47uF
(for a lot of bass!). I connected a choke in series with the 3 higher value
capacitors. I am happy with the improved sounds, but I get electronically
amplified clicking when I switch between rotary positions. Do I need to put
in a resistor somewhere?

Reply
SmileysRevenge100
May 15, 2011 @ 12:52 am

Dude. I love you for doing this.

Reply
artmiller
June 20, 2011 @ 9:57 pm

Very helpful video–thanks!

Reply
longwhip
July 23, 2011 @ 9:01 am

.01 mfd is a better choice for the orange drops. You can run your tone
knobs higher on your amp than you would normally play and roll the tone pot
back to halfway with .01mfd caps, and have your regular tone and when you
want to SOLO you dime the tone knob and the huge apparent frequency shift
is like kicking on a boost pedal and RIGHT OFF your guitar. It really is
the mod to do for the guitars normal frequency range. You can also turn the
tone knob OFF and still have a great sound! Try it!

Reply
MrMutron
August 31, 2011 @ 6:18 pm

@johnplanetz Do you use Flux? I use Paste Flux, and NEVER had a problem.
However, alot of people are telling me not to because it “Corrodes” the
Connections…over time. Your Thoughts?

Reply
John
September 1, 2011 @ 3:57 pm

@MrMutron – i don’t have a preference, but even if i did, it may not match
your preferences, so try both. they’re cheap! 🙂

Reply
John
September 14, 2011 @ 10:29 am

@smartsump – haha! is that a good thing or a bad thing!? 🙂

Reply
Cody Carrig
November 25, 2011 @ 4:46 pm

Where can you buy a tone cap?

Reply
Randy Lott
December 27, 2011 @ 10:57 pm

Great video! The only problem is that the flux burns off well before the
solder melts. This is used to clear oxidation from the solder joint. It’s
much more difficult or sometimes impossible to solder by putting solder on
the tip without additional flux. Most professionals would say to heat both
materials that are being fused, then apply the solder between the materials
without touching the tip. The flux lowers the melting point of the solder
and keeps the surface clean. I’ve been there a

Reply
5150stephen
January 1, 2012 @ 9:36 pm

@johnplanetz awesome, i did notice u hesitated a few times when u said it in the vid, u should just say it how u want, im sure everyone will understand from the context of wiring a guitar, by the way do u happento know anything about wiring a double neck the gibson way ?

Reply
John
January 2, 2012 @ 9:06 pm

@5150stephen – I’ve never worked on a double-neck guitar. I found a schematic for the Gibson Felder EDS-1275 which should help you out. I’ll send you a link.

Reply
- GreetingsFromOz
  June 4, 2012 @ 6:09 am
  
  Hi John, any chance I could grab a copy of the Felder EDS-1275 wiring schem pretty please? the only one I’ve been able to find is the standard 1275 (single out) 🙂
  
  Reply
  - John
    June 4, 2012 @ 3:09 pm
    
    Hey there,
    Sorry- I just rechecked and that schematic was the single-output version:
    http://www.gibson.com/Files/schematics/EDS-1275sch.PDF
    
    To make master tone and bridge/neck volume knobs, but with individual outputs, I guess you’d need to use dual-gang volume and tone pots, and a 4-pole 3-way switch like this one:
    http://www.guitarelectronics.com/product/SWT36-17/3-Way-4-Pole-Guitar-Toggle-Switch-Chrome.html
    
    Hope this helps,
    -John
    
    Reply
1273seant
January 8, 2012 @ 4:54 am

hii which pot do u coonect to the one in the middle or the one near the input jack-sean

Reply
- John
  January 10, 2012 @ 9:44 am
  
  @1273seant – depends on your guitar’s control configuration. You need to look at some wiring diagrams and think about your circuit. Take a look at the wiring diagram archive at the guitarelectronics website (search or use the link at my blog at planetz).
  
  Reply
ethanstephenson
January 15, 2012 @ 1:20 am

hey, im trying to hook up an amp to my home surround sound, it has up to 180W going to the sub and i have spliced into that to make a (pre-amp) for my new 3000w (350Wx2ch) amp but i dont want to fry the inputs with the 180w input, so im trying to install a “pot” to turn down the input into the new amp. im wandering if there is a formula to tell me how many ohm pot i need to splice in? any clue?? i dont even know it this will work. any hints?

Reply
MichaelSeanHarrell
January 24, 2012 @ 10:04 am

@5150stephen can’t even tell you what all annoys me about brits.

Reply
- 5150stephen
  January 24, 2012 @ 1:18 pm
  
  @MichaelSeanHarrell yeah brittish are fuckin annoyin with their pussy accents and their head-up-arse ways, should be shot the lot of them, and they all think they’re too good for fucking life, now the scottish, those are the folk u wanna associate with, we will get u out of trouble and drink our way back into it, and we dnt give a shot what any other cunt thinks, freedom for the win 😀
  
  Reply
  - MichaelSeanHarrell
    January 24, 2012 @ 2:01 pm
    
    @5150stephen I’m only responding to the comment made about americans and the way they speak.I came to this video to learn a little about guitar electronics,and not to bitch about the way some one speaks.i am of strong irish decent,and damn proud.i do not care if some one pronounces a word differently than i do.MUSIC and the joy it brings is why i am on here!but ,I RAISE MY GLASS TO THE SCOTTISH!!!now back to the subject at hand : WIRING GUITAR ELECTRONICS.thanks for the tutorial JOHNPLANETZ.
    
    Reply
    - 5150stephen
      January 24, 2012 @ 2:12 pm
      
      @MichaelSeanHarrell americans have the best stuff, its just that one word :L i love jack daniels, gibson guitars, fender guitars and amps and all other cool stuff americans have invented 🙂 and the accent is awesome, i’ve only met like 4 americans, 3 of them were mormons, they were pretty cool, and the 5th guy i dnt talk to much, but he’s good friends with my other friend and he’s pretty cool 🙂
      
      Reply
      - MichaelSeanHarrell
        January 24, 2012 @ 2:40 pm
        
        @5150stephen im not just american I’m Texan.and proud of my accent.i tend to leave a lot of letters out of words when i speak.lol. PEACE FROM TEXAS!
        
        Reply
        
        MichaelSeanHarrell
        January 24, 2012 @ 2:43 pm
        
        @MichaelSeanHarrell any way why are we discussing this B.S.on this video?i think i will go check out your channel 5150.cya there.
        
        Reply
        
        5150stephen
        January 24, 2012 @ 2:43 pm
        
        @MichaelSeanHarrell all americans are awesome, although i would rather live in tennessee, for jack and gibsons, and the great weather, funny thing is the whole of the uk is a bit smaller than Texas haha peace from scotland man, and keep on rockin’
        
        Reply
    - 5150stephen
      January 24, 2012 @ 2:13 pm
      
      @MichaelSeanHarrell *4th
      
      Reply
MichaelSeanHarrell
January 24, 2012 @ 2:01 pm

one of the best tutorial vids on guitar repair i’ve seen.good job john!

Reply
bestijarules
January 25, 2012 @ 12:42 pm

I have a pot with a plastic back, so where do I solder the ground for the cap?

Reply
- John
  January 25, 2012 @ 12:54 pm
  
  @bestijarules – first confirm that it’s not just a removable plastic cover. I’ve purchased some Alphas that came with plastic pot back-covers that are easily removed. If the pot body is really plastic, you can just find some other metal ground point to connect your grounds.
  
  Reply
bestijarules
January 25, 2012 @ 2:48 pm

Thanks , will try that out.

Reply
alvin10388
February 2, 2012 @ 6:27 am

Thank you for the helpful video,Are there any effect on sound if you use solid conductor wire instead of stranded?

Reply
1273seant
February 3, 2012 @ 1:41 am

hi-i have just done a few mods to my guitar-tone split mod and push pot pot—if fitting a tone cap to a push pull pot do you put the tone cap on the bottom half ie round section as normal and then loop a piece of wire from that to one of the lugs on the botton of push pull pot-ie one of the spare pins -also i bought some caps i meant to buy 0.033uf cap but bought 0.33uf instead -can i use the 0.33uf and what is the difference beween the two—thankss sean

Reply
- John
  February 9, 2012 @ 8:44 pm
  
  @1273seant – you can think of the push pull pot as a regular pot with a totally independent dpdt switch underneath, with the the pot-shaft as the actuator. You can see my blog at planetz. com/?p=1037 for more info on push/pulls, or visit the wiring diagram archive at guitarelectronics. com. A .33uF will not be useful as a tone cap – it will be waaay too dark. See my vids on tone capacitance values for more information.
  
  Reply
alvin10388
February 3, 2012 @ 7:13 am

thank you so much for the great video,just one question ,for your wiring experience,did you reccomend, unshielded single conductor wires? reason for this question,i have some high quality audio hook up wires ,and am planing to use them for guitar wiring,.really do appriciate if you can give me some advice.

Reply
krisjingle
February 12, 2012 @ 6:58 pm

hi , i noticed on your cap, it was rated for 600v. do you really think you would need that much or was it just a added value to have that much for the rated uF chosen ?

Reply
- John
  February 12, 2012 @ 9:21 pm
  
  @krisjingle – That’s the maximum voltage for the cap, above which the dialectric would break down. It’s essentially irrelevant for guitar applications, since guitar signals are generally well under 1 volt. I don’t consider voltage ratings at all when buying caps for guitar.
  
  Reply
  - krisjingle
    February 13, 2012 @ 5:03 am
    
    @johnplanetz thank you , i wasn’t sure but , good to know . i am refurbishing my ES-335 i am using 223m /100 v . thank you for your vid’s , they are well explained and truly helpful.
    
    Reply
MrGuitarbike
March 3, 2012 @ 2:02 pm

Would this work with a soldering gun? and to keep constant heat could I just tape the trigger?

Reply
- John
  March 20, 2012 @ 10:07 am
  
  @MrGuitarbike – soldering guns tend to have a very imprecise tip, and may generate too much heat for delicate or precise work. And taping the trigger is probably not a great idea. Probably better to invest in an inexpensive pencil style soldering iron
  
  Reply
tetra3000
March 22, 2012 @ 6:34 am

the wires from my tone cap broke off, didnt even notice for 3 months, interested to hear how it sound when its all reconnected

Reply
- John
  March 25, 2012 @ 10:46 pm
  
  @tetra3000 – I guess you don’t use your tone control much 🙂 You may find when you reconnect it that your sound is a bit darker. If so, you may consider a no-load tone pot (see my channel for that mod), or use a push/pull to switch out the tone when you don’t need it.
  
  Reply
thevicol
April 7, 2012 @ 12:15 pm

Bardziej chujowych lutów nie dało się zrobić? Nasmarkałeś tą cyną a nie przylutowałeś. I po chuj ci te krokodylki? Boisz się że orangedrop się stopi? 😛

Reply
JustAPuffin
April 11, 2012 @ 5:20 am

Hi, this may sound kind of silly but could you explain how to remove a capacitor? I have a 78 Fender Bass and I’ve heard that removing a capacitor that comes on it makes the tone much better. I’ve heard it on others and it sounds crazy. No idea why. I can see how it’s on pretty similar to the one you did in this video, I’m just worried about using to much force to take it off? Could I just use pliers or is there something I should be careful of? Any tips are much appreciated.

Reply
- John
  April 12, 2012 @ 2:46 pm
  
  Removing the tone cap can brighten up the sound a bit (see my video on making a no-load tone pot). The quickest way to permanently remove it would be to cut one (or both) of the cap leads, using wire cutters. Don’t use pliers to break it off as you may break the pot lugs. Better would be to use a soldering iron to melt the solder and remove the cap.
  
  Reply
starmanskye
April 12, 2012 @ 3:57 pm

Great tip on using something like alligator clips to act as a heat sink — I prob wouldn’t even have thought of protecting the cap!

THANX!!!!

Reply
- John
  April 12, 2012 @ 4:34 pm
  
  Honestly, I’ve never burned up a cap from solder heat. But I have good experience getting on and off there quickly, with just enough heat. I figured it was better safe than sorry here, with viewers who may have less soldering experience, and who may be working with expensive boutiquey caps 🙂
  
  Reply
bluesrhythmandroll
April 28, 2012 @ 11:59 am

Hi, there was a vid by rsguitarworks that explains how you should not sand the back of the pot… any thoughts? Cheers.

Reply
- John
  May 3, 2012 @ 10:46 pm
  
  I didn’t see that vid, but I’m guessing they’re just worried about getting metai dust into your pickups. (Metal shavings plus strong magnets = bad!) As long as you’re careful with that, you should be fine. It only takes a very light sanding to roughen up the pot back to make soldering a bit easier.
  
  Reply
huntdoguno
June 19, 2012 @ 4:01 pm

curious do you install a capacitor to each of your tone pots. Looking at my stat , I see 1 capacitor for both tone pots . Which way would be better 1 cap per pot or 1 cap per two pots or does it matter?

Reply
- John
  June 24, 2012 @ 9:08 pm
  
  Sharing a tone cap between two tone pots is ok, unless you want separate capacitance values (or types) for each pickup.
  
  Reply
MinusTheTbird
July 10, 2012 @ 11:09 pm

Whats the third post for, a ground?

Reply
- John
  July 11, 2012 @ 9:45 am
  
  On a tone pot, you only use the center lug and one side lug. The other side lug is unused.
  
  Reply
Maafa1619
July 31, 2012 @ 9:46 am

Why in the world would anyone put a 0.01μF cap on a guitar? There must be some muddy humbuckers on that thing.

Reply
- John
  July 31, 2012 @ 9:48 am
  
  watch?v=rR4maqK_IhQ
  
  Reply
  - Maafa1619
    July 31, 2012 @ 11:17 am
    
    Ohhhhhh. I didn’t realize that you were the Riviera/ test-board guy.
    
    Reply
MartinsGuitarChannel
August 8, 2012 @ 2:56 pm

Does it matter which lead goes where?

Reply
- John
  August 8, 2012 @ 2:59 pm
  
  These caps are not polarized. It doesn’t matter.
  Electrolytic and tantalum caps are polarized, but those aren’t used in guitar tone circuits as they are much higher capacitance.
  
  Reply
jerzdvt
September 21, 2012 @ 8:43 pm

John, you are awesome.

Reply
Hufuruk
September 27, 2012 @ 5:09 pm

Would a pair of pliers act as a heatsink as well?

Reply
- John Cooper
  October 2, 2012 @ 3:44 pm
  
  Sure, that would be fine.
  
  Reply
Mick
October 4, 2012 @ 2:30 pm

Hi, John…
I have a question,
how to make number 1,2,3 strings from bottom sound brighter while upper string 4,5,6 sound darker but not too muddy. Any info for cap size or how to connect between the cap to pot ideas ?
Thanks in advance.

Reply
- John
  October 9, 2012 @ 5:19 pm
  
  If you just mean “how can I roll off a bit of high end”, you could try wiring a cap from the signal to ground. A 1000pf cap would roll off just a bit of high end.
  See my video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR4maqK_IhQ for examples.
  
  Individually processing each string isn’t so easy, unless you use a hexaphonic pickup and process the 6 signals independently.
  
  If you have individually adjustable pole pieces on your pickups, you could try adjusting the heights individually, which can provide different brightnesses.
  
  John
  
  Reply
Josiah Hodge
October 14, 2012 @ 12:45 pm

What wire are you using there?

Reply
- John
  October 15, 2012 @ 3:19 pm
  
  shielded circuit wire. See stewmac item 1586, for example.
  
  Reply
  - Josiah Hodge
    October 15, 2012 @ 7:19 pm
    
    Thanks, I’ve been having a hard time finding shielded wire, but I had forgotten to check those guys.
    
    Reply
pandamarxx
October 30, 2012 @ 2:20 pm

It’s not very pretty But if it works Cool.
Thanks!!!

Reply
Ethan Prince
November 4, 2012 @ 7:12 am

hi -i have a telecaster middle position out of phase -do i just reverse the wire at the base of the pickup to fix it or do i do the mod and cut the jumber on the base of the picup and ad a thied wire and ground that—thanks sean

Reply
Ethan Prince
November 4, 2012 @ 7:12 am

hi -i have a telecaster middle position out of phase -do i just reverse the wire at the base of the pickup to fix it or do i do the mod and cut the jumber on the base of the picup and ad a thied wire and ground that—thanks sean

Reply
Ethan Prince
November 4, 2012 @ 7:14 am

hi -i have a telecaster middle position out of phase -do i just reverse the wire at the base of the pickup to fix it or do i do the mod and cut the jumber on the base of the pickup and add a extra wire in the middke and geound that one to cavity—thanks sean
Ethan Prince 1 second ago

Reply
IRONnTiTAN
November 6, 2012 @ 10:51 pm

FLUX DAWG! You need flux and those connection we get nice and shiny much easier 🙂

Reply
- brando555555
  March 27, 2013 @ 2:05 pm
  
  I use a 40 watt iron and rosin core lead solder and that works good too… IMO the key to soldering the back of pots is having a hot enough iron… 25w doesn’t work
  
  Reply
Ian Eisenberg
December 24, 2012 @ 4:41 pm

Why do you wire the cap to the middle lug? If you’re holding the pot with the middle lug at 12 oclock, my diagram for an upcoming project indicates wiring the cap to the left lug, using the middle as input and leaving the right lug alone. Does it matter?

Reply
- John
  December 30, 2012 @ 10:10 pm
  
  It doesn’t matter- you’re using center and side lug as a variable resistor. So you have a cap in series with a (variable) resistor to ground. It doesn’t matter which comes first- the resistor or the ground.
  
  Reply
100chuckjones
March 24, 2013 @ 8:01 pm

whats that noise ? every time you go to reach for your soldering iron I hear a noise like guitar strings being strummed ? great vid’s by the way, thank you for posting these.

Reply
- John
  April 7, 2013 @ 9:21 pm
  
  Haha- that’s the the sound of me putting my soldering iron back into its base/receptacle. It does sound a bit like a strum! I use the Weller WES51 soldering station, which comes with the Weller PH50 tool stand.
  
  Reply
Lord Jock
March 30, 2013 @ 2:03 pm

Why do you call it sodder when it’s Solder ?

Reply
- John
  April 7, 2013 @ 9:03 pm
  
  I have no idea why it is pronounced “sodder” in the USA – but that’s the way it is. I have Australian parents, and always pronounced it “sole-der” growing up, so I have to really TRY to say “sodder”. Crazy.
  
  Reply
omegadeth06
March 31, 2013 @ 4:03 pm

when i wire guitars like stock wiring there is stll static but if i wire the hot wire from the pick up to the capacitor then to the ground no more static like 1 lug the hot from pick up 2 hot out to the jack then 3 ground and a capacitor from the 1 lug then to ground I GET WAY LESS STATIC COULD IT BE THAT STOCK WIRING HAS THE CAPACITOR IN THE WRONG SPOT? IVE REWIRED ABOUT 6 GUITARS THIS WAY AND PLAYED AROUND WITH ONE TWO AND THREE POTENTIOMETERS AND FIND THAT THE CACITOR SOUNDS WAY BETTERTHISWAY

Reply
- John
  April 7, 2013 @ 9:06 pm
  
  Huh, it really shouldn’t make a difference whether the capacitor or resistor comes first… It could be an EMI/shielding issue- if the overall length of unshielded wire changes when you interchange the parts.
  
  Reply
iwan remuk
April 11, 2013 @ 2:53 am

what is the function of green chopsticks, thank’s

Reply
- John
  April 11, 2013 @ 10:28 am
  
  You mean the green alligator clip? I’m using it as a heatsink to protect the cap.
  
  Reply
- John
  April 11, 2013 @ 10:28 am
  
  You mean the green alligator clip? I’m using it as a heatsink to protect the cap.
  
  Reply
xxMrsGuitarxx
April 25, 2013 @ 11:09 am

Hi I did a really ugly mountain of solder in my volume pot because the solder wont stick, I get the pot really hot but it wont stay. Ive tried everything, sometime the solder wont even melt. I used silver bearing rosin core solder, flux and my iron is 40w, what you think it could be? 🙁

Reply
- John
  April 25, 2013 @ 3:18 pm
  
  Often the pot-back is coated with some oil. I show in my other video “Soldering Backs of Pots” (watch?v=EHA4SLN4qeA) how to scuff the back of the pot with sandpaper before soldering. Also, if your iron is only 40w, be sure to let it heat up for 10 minutes or so.
  
  Reply
Gizmologist1
May 3, 2013 @ 3:27 pm

I would suggest a slightly different procedure. I have been buillding and reapiring all types of audio equipment for abouut 40 years and rule #1 is to always make a good MECHANICAL joint before soldering and not depend on the solder alone to support the device. The lead going to the wiper lug should be wrapped through the lug and crimped snug. The cap should be glued to the pot using silicone adhesive and the other lead soldered to the can. Not supporting the component can fracture the solder.

Reply
- John
  May 7, 2013 @ 11:11 am
  
  Good suggestions, thanks.
  
  Reply
mjt11860
May 19, 2013 @ 8:21 pm

what’s ur opinion on using mogami wiring in an electric guitar?

Reply
- John
  May 21, 2013 @ 9:39 am
  
  In the guitar electronics cavity, you have very short runs of wire. It’s not going to make a difference. But if it makes you happy, then go for it.
  
  Reply
lordoftheriffs79
May 20, 2013 @ 11:16 am

Hi I recently installed two Philips 0.22 630V orange drops, over the stock epiphone alpha tone pots and while the taper from 10 to 2 is great, it abrubtly changes from 2 to 0, is this normal? Do these caps have any polarity?

Reply
- John
  May 21, 2013 @ 9:40 am
  
  No, these are not polarized, and just changing the tone cap should not change the taper of your tone control.
  
  Reply
slovan
July 23, 2013 @ 3:54 pm

Do you think 30 watt iron is enough to make an effect pedal?

Reply
- John
  July 23, 2013 @ 4:46 pm
  
  Possibly… you could start with your current iron and upgrade if you need to. I started with a cheap 40w iron, and upgraded to a 50w Weller WES51. The tip on the cheap iron corroded after a couple years.
  The new iron has easily changeable tips of different sizes, and also heats up and cools down much more quickly.
  
  Reply
sean sullivan
August 4, 2013 @ 8:56 pm

When you say “pot” it’s almost sexual. Say it again.

Reply
Keith Vachon
August 21, 2013 @ 5:40 am

hi im dying like there is no tomorrow, trying to wire my lefty using righty cts pots , is there a way to explain? as I think I have to wire opposite to the factory as they are lefty pots? it is a gretsch 5191 just so you know what im struggling with.

Reply
- John
  August 21, 2013 @ 10:14 am
  
  Pots aren’t inherently left handed or right handed. If you think of the 3 lugs as L,C,R (left, center, right), then as you turn the knob one way, LC will be increasing and RC will be decreasing. Turn the other way, and the opposite happens. Use a multimeter and verify how this works for yourself, and it should become clear how to wire your guitar. Also see my video “Potentiometers – How They Work, Disassembly and Exploration”.
  watch?v=rUkrpqEmXb8
  
  Reply
  - Keith Vachon
    August 21, 2013 @ 11:20 am
    
    thanks for getting me going in the right direction, I will get at it immediately!!great videos!
    
    Reply
Paul Hopkins
August 22, 2013 @ 1:32 pm

Those are some terrible looking solder joints. Watch this video for a proper solder connection and technique /watch?v=NUVX_RTS-Z8

Reply
Phil Cose
September 1, 2013 @ 9:35 pm

There is a contradiction here..!! In the opening video of this group its states to NEVER sandpaper the back of the pot, which I happen to agree with.

Reply
- John
  September 4, 2013 @ 3:33 pm
  
  Not sure which video you’re referring to. I stated to be very careful when sanding pot backs to keep metal filings away from pickup magnets.
  
  Reply
Andy Simpson
December 27, 2013 @ 1:32 pm

Thanks John for your video!! I was baffled thinking someone mickey moused
the guitar.. I notice on my bass the same pots 3 prong 250k is used for the
2 jazz pick ups control level and the volume control. I guess this ok it
looks original.

Reply
shutthefuckupdonny99
December 30, 2013 @ 7:19 pm

Does it matter which post you connect the cap to? I notice that Guitar
electronics’ wiring diagrams all show tone caps soldiered to the right post
(turning knob south) and the middle post wired to the vol. pot. Is this
wrong?? Duncan’s diagrams wire like you do. I’m a bit confused. Great
work, by the way!!

Reply
Lord Jock
January 17, 2014 @ 5:37 am

Hi My problem is I dont have a “Sweep” with the tone control .It’s sudden
. 0 to 2 is bassy then BANG it’s all treble .Is there a reason for that .Id
like to be able to use the tone control without the sudden change in tone
.The pots are 500ks and the caps are orange drop 0.015 uf the “Woman tone”

Reply
Lord Jock
January 26, 2014 @ 10:16 pm

All good now but I have a question . I copied the wiring for a Les Paul 2
vol 2 tone 3 way switch and wired the cap from the Vol to the Tone and the
result was crap . Couldent hear any difference in tone . So pulled it all
out and rewired it soldering the cap the way you showed in your video
.Result great . Can you tell me why this is so ? I used the same caps in
both 0.015uf . Thanks again for putting these videos up they really help .

Reply
3117ss
March 16, 2014 @ 7:38 am

I want to reduce the high end of my pickups. Can I just solder caps to the
volume pots to eliminate the higher frequencies? My guitar has 2 volume
pots and 1 tone pot.

Reply
John Cooper
March 20, 2014 @ 10:11 am

@3117ss- a cap from any signal wire, to ground will roll off high end.
Experiment with alligator leads. You can also accomplish a bit of
high-end roll-off by decreasing the resistance of your pots (e.g. use 250k
instead of 500k pots), which will increase the load on the pickups.

Reply
nefarious power
April 27, 2014 @ 12:55 pm

Hey John, thanks for the great instructional videos!!! I taught myself how
to solder 100% better after watching your videos.

Reply
Del Rei .
May 6, 2014 @ 11:58 pm

Hum… Nice video!! But why not soldering the cap on the 3rd lag of the
pot? What is the difference?

Reply
flashy5150
November 12, 2014 @ 1:00 pm

Gosh, I wish my iron worked as good as yours.

Reply
Allen Gresham
January 22, 2015 @ 6:56 am

I have what may be a completely noob question here, but I am about to
install new pickups in a PRS type guitar. It will be a p90 in the neck, and
a humbucker in the bridge position. 1 tone, 1 volume, 3 way switch. Both
pots are 500k, the cap is .022. Will installing a capacitor for the p90
also affect the tone of the humbucker? What would you recommend in such a
configuration?

Reply
Carlo Orbigo
March 16, 2015 @ 3:37 pm

sir, what volume and tone pots can you recommend for a les paul type
guitar? a warm sounding guitar? and what is the use of th capacitor?
thanks! =D

I have no any idea when it comes to electronics of the guitar.

Reply

Connecting the Tone Cap

118 Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply