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DIY Stompboxes => Building your own stompbox => Topic started by: warioblast on June 14, 2006, 04:17:38 PM

Title: [WAH] What's a good alternative to tropical fish & polystyrene caps ?
Post by: warioblast on June 14, 2006, 04:17:38 PM
Nuff' said.
What easy to find caps sound good in a wah ?
Title: Re: [WAH] What's a good alternative to tropical fish & polystyrene caps ?
Post by: John Lyons on June 14, 2006, 04:37:20 PM
Mouser has polysterene caps...
You really will not hear a big diference between these and film I don't think.

John

Title: Re: [WAH] What's a good alternative to tropical fish & polystyrene caps ?
Post by: Ed G. on June 14, 2006, 04:38:00 PM
I read somewhere that the 'orange drop' caps were the caps that took the 'tropical fish' caps' place. They look similar in size and shape except for the markings.
Polystyrene caps are clear and smooth to my ears. Mouser has 'em in the values you need for wah (.01, I think?)
Title: Re: [WAH] What's a good alternative to tropical fish & polystyrene caps ?
Post by: jonathan perez on June 14, 2006, 04:41:25 PM
ive got both if you want...most people think im full of MOJO
Title: Re: [WAH] What's a good alternative to tropical fish & polystyrene caps ?
Post by: warioblast on June 14, 2006, 04:53:27 PM
Oops  :icon_redface: I forgot to say I live in France. It would be good for me to save any fees (bank, customs...) for 2 caps.

I too wonder if there are some tonal changes.
Here's 3 inside pics of the fulltone clyde, all different  :icon_mrgreen:
(http://fabrice.detang.club.fr/DIY/clyde01.jpg)
(http://fabrice.detang.club.fr/DIY/clyde02.jpg)
(http://fabrice.detang.club.fr/DIY/clyde03.jpg)
Title: Re: [WAH] What's a good alternative to tropical fish & polystyrene caps ?
Post by: LoudGreg on June 14, 2006, 10:55:37 PM
For what it worth, I did change mine to tropical fish caps. But there was no big huge dramatic difference in sound (that I could tell). 

After I did all the mods (Tropical Fish caps, Vocal, Mid, Bass, Q-mods) then I could hear a difference. Then after the Inductor & transistors were changed I had a different pedal altogether.

But Tropical caps by themselves are not a big noticable improvement.  So the Polystyrene caps I think would be fine.













:icon_mrgreen: But I'm keeping the Tropical Fish caps in mine cause their cool !!!!
Title: Re: [WAH] What's a good alternative to tropical fish & polystyrene caps ?
Post by: Pedal love on June 15, 2006, 04:36:04 AM
.
Title: Re: [WAH] What's a good alternative to tropical fish & polystyrene caps ?
Post by: alderbody on June 15, 2006, 09:50:26 AM
I use Mallory 150's and they sound great!
(Fulltone pot and inductor)

Fulltone is known to put whatever seems to sound good in his pedals...

btw, i once tried some WIMA polypro and they sounded horrible in my Wah.
(but mine were different types than the ones shown in the pic) (the green .01uF must be the 2.5% tolerance MKP)

I'm about to try a .01uF polystyrene and a 4uF electro.

Title: Re: [WAH] What's a good alternative to tropical fish & polystyrene caps ?
Post by: nightingale on June 15, 2006, 09:45:28 PM
I always thought the tropical-fish were mylar caps?
I have allot of tropical fish caps.  My local supplier [JB Saunders: Boulder, Co] has allot of neat surplus stuff. I have never noticed anything special,  Except that the leads break off of the caps really easily.


Title: Re: [WAH] What's a good alternative to tropical fish & polystyrene caps ?
Post by: Ashurbanipal on June 15, 2006, 10:23:33 PM
Has anybody tried paper in oils in circuits like a wah that affect tone heavily? I've tried them in tube amps in some coupling positions and on tone controls for guitar and bass, and they're noticeably better than orange drops. So now I'm wondering about wahs and envelope filters.