Thank you, I am learning more all the time. I a bit ashamed I never bothered before, but life, wife and kids. Being old I get more time cos people expect less of me !
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fender jazz tone cap history
- Thread starter dmp
- Start date
Has anyone ever seen what they consider to be an authentic use of the .02 (SX) red dime cap in a 1963-65 Precision Bass? Was Fender pretty consistent about the .047?
From my experience, you rarely see the word "consistent" used in the same sentence with Fender.
Saw a 1964 P-bass in Arlington once that sure looked original, but there was a disagreement about the .02 cap.
From my experience, you rarely see the word "consistent" used in the same sentence with Fender.
Saw a 1964 P-bass in Arlington once that sure looked original, but there was a disagreement about the .02 cap.
IMO most Ps were .05 but I feel certain that if they ran out
Leo would use .02s from a J before he'd let production stop.
Leo would use .02s from a J before he'd let production stop.
As well as running Warehouses, and holding professional qualifications in Logistics. I am/was a qualifies and experienced >Lecturer in an adult college in S.England. Leo Fender had to learn on the job. He didn't have computers he would have used a Rollerdex and learnt to employ smart people who enjoyed stock control on a day to day basis. If he ran out it would have been the suppliers fault. Leo was about the money and you don't make money running out of parts. He was a smart man that knew the more he bought the cheaper they came, but it didn't stop him substitution any parts that suited his objectives. So yes they are always the same and often different! Frederick34 I am a little confused by your question. Of course stock for any model is standardized- Sometimes a cap might fall from one builders tray to another, (So what, build it and see what it sounds like). According to age my earliest P Bass has a phone book wax cap. then various forms of wax caps. Then the red Dime 50 Volt as in Fender 62 P Bass. The yellowish Dime 50 as in my 1966 p bass harness.
The question was just whether anyone had ever seen a .02 cap on a Precision (that they considered untouched). Everything I've ever seen or read was that all Precisions 'should' have the .05 (.047). I came across one instance (at a guitar show) that appeared to be an original, untouched Precision with a .02 tone cap... thought it was odd.
Not worried about the voltage, from my experience, all were 50v until about 1971, when they transitioned over to 100v caps. But, during the transition (I'd say it went on for about a year or two, 71-72), you can find either 50v or 100v. I have no doubt it was that situation where there was just a bin that said ".05 tone caps" on the assembly line and the new order of 100v Circle D was dumped in there with the older stock of 50v Circle D. By 1973, I believe all .05 50v had been used up, and it was 100v for the remainder of the decade.
Not worried about the voltage, from my experience, all were 50v until about 1971, when they transitioned over to 100v caps. But, during the transition (I'd say it went on for about a year or two, 71-72), you can find either 50v or 100v. I have no doubt it was that situation where there was just a bin that said ".05 tone caps" on the assembly line and the new order of 100v Circle D was dumped in there with the older stock of 50v Circle D. By 1973, I believe all .05 50v had been used up, and it was 100v for the remainder of the decade.
I think the early 60's (maybe 64) was when the P bass changed to .05 caps. Prior to that, they were .1 caps, going back to the first incarnation. I can't speak for the Strat or Tele, but they may have used higher values prior to that as well. As far as I know, the only stock values ever used for P's were .1, .05, and now the ubiquitous .047 (essentially the same as a .05 for all intents and purposes).
To my research, .1 caps were used for P basses from 1951 on ...
There was no change in the mid 60s. .05 were the regular caps, but .1 caps were also used all the time ...
It think this is a "tradition" which goes back to the time of Fender Lap Steel guitars (the "father" of the P51 electronics).
There was no change in the mid 60s. .05 were the regular caps, but .1 caps were also used all the time ...
It think this is a "tradition" which goes back to the time of Fender Lap Steel guitars (the "father" of the P51 electronics).
There was an endless thread on this forum from a knowledgeable guy who swore that his 0.022 cap made his bass sound different from a 0.047 even when the tone was not rolled off...It was interesting and led to a lot of fights and name calling LOL!
My preference goes to 0.022 for the 70's jazz bass sound as it just rolls off the highs gently and 0.1 on a PBass as you can squash the nasal mids by just rolling it off a tad (great for Reggae). And that is pretty much how Leo had done it in first place. I never cared much for the resonant frequency of the now ubiquitous 0.047 cap
My preference goes to 0.022 for the 70's jazz bass sound as it just rolls off the highs gently and 0.1 on a PBass as you can squash the nasal mids by just rolling it off a tad (great for Reggae). And that is pretty much how Leo had done it in first place. I never cared much for the resonant frequency of the now ubiquitous 0.047 cap
Why they now use PIO or waxed caps in their AVRI/Amrican Original models if it seems they have always used crappy ceramic materials?
Nothing crappy about ceramic caps.
Correct, also because I recently discovered that was-filled caps are only used for Am. Original 50's P basses, whilst my beloved Am. Original 60's jazz bass, which is characterized by a true, 60's vintage tone, is equipped with a ceramic cap!!! Many thanks to the PV '64 pickups
Kind of an old thread but in the current thread about the 1959 prototype Jazz that is selling for the price of a house on Reverb the bass has a 0.1 uf cap. I put one in my Jazz also to get rid of the nasal tone. I really like it and it can get almost as deep as an old P bass with round wounds and can get very trebly if I want it. I want to be able to go from deep bassy to trebly in my basses. My bass is an AVRI '62 RI and it came with a .022 which I really hated as it barely cut the treble at all, I then put in a 0.047 cap which was an improvement but still didn't cut enough treble for my taste so I put in the 0.1 cap in it, the voltage rating of a cap does not matter at all in a bass as there is so little voltage coming from a pickup. Incidentally I got the idea from a reviewer in Bassplayer mag reviewing a Jazz copy that had a similar cap in it (he hated it
)
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I did a comparison on a 60-ies Jazz bass: the original ceramic disc (± 0.02 uF), vs. replacement orange drops (Polypropylene film): 0.022, 0.047, 0.01 uF. In order to try to get more of a live situation you hear mainly the miked cabinets.
I have a '62 AVRI bass but it was made for the Japanese market so is VVT. Like you I put the 0.1 uf cap after trying both caps you tried (0'022 and 0.047 uf) and like it the best also I usually do not crank the tone all the way off when playing in a live situation but it is nice to have a nice wide range of tones to pick from. I grew up playing P basses and always missed that nice deep warm tone and realized I could get it out of a Jazz just by switching tone caps. Of course a Jazz is never going to get that wall slamming very present tone a P bass excels at but this is a great idea for a P bass player who wants his J to be able to sound somewhere in the same territory as a P. Nice video and great playing by the way.
Would very much appreciate any information that might identify the year model of these stack knob pots.
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And then there's this set of stack knobs with what appears to be nothing stamped on the bottoms.
