• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

.47 Orange Drop Cap???

E

EZ9R

Oct 28, 2008
190
4
56
www.jeffleebass.com
#1
I bought a pre-wired jazz bass harness from a reputable company and finally took it out and put my stock Fender back in.
To me, that big .47 Orange Drop Cap seem to suck highs when it was all the way up. I have Nordstrand nj4se pickups in an Amer. Jazz. It wasn't night and day, but I could hear a difference even in recordering.
Putting the stock Fender harness back in even sound louder.
Is this just in my head? I don't think so, but it seems like a lot of people pre wiring passive jazz bass harness are start using the that big Orange drop and I think it sucks tone when not intended to.
 
#2
The type of cap does not cause that effect--the value (in uF) of the cap, in relation to the values of the pots in the harness, and the interaction with the specific pickups in the specific bass, all cause that effect. Just pick a different value. Try smaller, like .33 or .22uF. Also be sure it is wired correctly.
 
#3
Personally, I like that it sucks out the highs, if it indeed does so. I wouldnt know as I have mine cut by almost half all the time.

Best cap I've ever come across. And one of the cheapest ways to make a bass sound really good IMO/IME. I have put one in every bass I have owned.
 
#4
EZ9R said:
I bought a pre-wired jazz bass harness from a reputable company and finally took it out and put my stock Fender back in.
To me, that big .47 Orange Drop Cap seem to suck highs when it was all the way up. I have Nordstrand nj4se pickups in an Amer. Jazz. It wasn't night and day, but I could hear a difference even in recordering.
Putting the stock Fender harness back in even sound louder.
Is this just in my head? I don't think so, but it seems like a lot of people pre wiring passive jazz bass harness are start using the that big Orange drop and I think it sucks tone when not intended to.
Click to expand...

The standard cap is .047 so that is ten times more. So sure it's going to roll highs (and more) like mad. As someone noted if you don't like it just play with the value. I'd also note that a normal capacitor-pot type tone control is never completely "off' unless you install a switch to disconnect the cap. Even with "tone" at minium highs are still reduced by an amount depending on the value of the volume control pot and the tone pot. With a huge value for the tone cap you'll notice the "always on" effect even more. If you don't like that, then just install a push-pull switch to take the tone cap out of the circuit (actually a nifty feature anyway as it allows a "bright" and "rolled off" sound as switchable selections.)

As for a .47 sucking highs, that is what it's supposed to do!
 
#5
bassbenj said:
The standard cap is .047 so that is ten times more.
Click to expand...

I can't imagine using anything more than 0.100 uF. 0.470's gotta be mud city. This is one case where a typo is fairly significant, if that's what it is. I use a pair of 0.015's in parallel on my fretless jazz with Dimarzio model J's, 0.030 is about right for it. You could save yourself some trouble and just wrap a few really really thick blankets around the front of your cab instead of using a 0.47 - that's a comparatively crazy huge amount of capacitance.
 
#7
Yeah, the .47MFD capacitor is way too large. Standard for most fenders is .047 and Gibson tends to use .022 on theirs to brighten the sound up a bit.

The pots can also cause some roll off. You may wish to try 500K instead of standard Fender 250K.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back