Bigger caps = brighter tone when on 10?

SunDevil

In a spirit of exploration, a few weeks ago I wired up a LP with 0.0022 caps rather than 0.022

This was obviously entirely intentional and not a symptom of the idiocy which has followed me around like a shaggy dog since I were but a child

Today (..also in the spirit of exploration you understand) I put 0.022 caps into the same guitar

As expected, I get a lot more roll off when I roll down the tones, but I'm also pretty certain that the tone on 10 is also brighter (and better for it)

Is there some 'capacitance in circuit changing resonant peak type thing' going on here? ..can anyone explain it in language that someone who puts the wrong caps into a guitar can understand?

Plectrum

It's probably your ears playing tricks on you as the relative difference between 10 and say 2 will be more noticeable with a larger cap.

ICBM

It's your ears playing tricks because of the comparatively greater roll-off when you turn down. On 10, the larger cap will still give a *very slightly* duller tone.

You can actually test this very simply by fitting a small SPDT switch in the back of the guitar so you can select the two different caps on the fly. If you flip back and forth with the tone control turned up full you will hear a small difference.

SunDevil

Thanks Gents 

..trust your ears they say - phaaa!

ICBM

You can trust your ears.

It's your brain that's the devious bugger .

This is why I like to set up direct-switching tests, comparing two sounds instantly on the fly and while the sound is actually continuous - that way, you are able to hear if something changes even slightly (or not) and the brain doesn't get as much of a chance to interfere...

Roland

SunDevil said:

... I'm also pretty certain that the tone on 10 is also brighter (and better for it)

Does it have a treble bleed capacitor fitted to make it brighter when not on full volume?

thegummy

One way to look at it - if the difference is so subtle that you're not sure if it's there when actively listening closely specifically for that, no-one (including yourself) will ever notice a difference when listening to the music. 

Funkfingers

Frankie says ...

https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/23145-cap-and-pot-trade

Falbo used to work for Seymour Duncan Incorporated. Now he is a consultant with Fishman and a luthier in his own right. He might know what he is talking about.

prowla

The typical passive tone has a potentiomenter (eg. 250 of 500 k resistor) in series with a cap (.022 or .047 uF) between the signal wire and earth.

The assertion is that the pot when full on blocks the capacitor and that sub-circuit has no effect. I don't know whether that is absolutely true.

The only way to be completely block it would be to switch it out of circuit, maybe with a push-pull pot.

That would be an experiment to try.