Black beauties

[passfan]

I've got a handful of .047/400v beauties and I'm going to use one in a Tele I just picked up. I'm wondering what the single red stripe signifies on one end and which direction this should go?

[Phil_S]

The stripe is likely the outer foil indicator. Read here:
http://www.aikenamps.com/OutsideFoil.htm

[billyz]

That's what I have in my Nocaster, wondeful. I don't think in a Tele it really matters which way you put them in. The stripe may or may not tell you which end is what anyway. you would have to test them.

If you think it matters then clip them in and switch it around a few times to determine the best sound.

Better pots which make a huge difference too. I tried a few sets of CTS pots and none really did it for me until I put in a set of Alesandro PEC pots. Now volume and tone swells do the Magic stuff along with the BB cap.

CE electronics has the 1 w pec's now too, which should fit and perform like the Alesandro's.

[vibratoking]

Wow...I checked out the Alessandro website. Can't wait to pay $50 for a pot and $20 for a cap. Am I out of touch or are those prices a blatant ripoff?

[Structo]

Just buy the PEC.
I have a suspicion that is all the Alesandro pots are anyway.

[M Fowler]

.....and don't forget the Alessandro special wire to go along with those customy PEC pots.

[billyz]

The Alessandro's are stupid expensive but. I just was not happy with everything else I tried. I even contacted PEC to have some made and they were just as expensive . That was then, now the 1 watters are available thanks to CE. And they did make a difference , unless you just set em and forget em. I look at it this way, on a 2 or 3k guitar, $50 for the best pots ( which get worked a lot) is a small thing.

If you are trying to get the Roy Buchanan thing, you will appreciate a great pot taper.

[selloutrr]

this will help

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP6ZIHXq6Yg

[martin manning]

Nevermind.

[BobW]

I look at it this way, on a 2 or 3k guitar, $50 for the best pots ( which get worked a lot) is a small thing.

And that's exactly what they are hoping you'll think.

[jelle]

In that view, I wouldn't mind to pay 10 bucks per screw 'since these hold all the pieces together'.

[solderstain]

I don't think in a [anything] it really matters which way you put them in. The stripe may or may not tell you which end is what anyway. you would have to test them.

If you think it matters then clip them in and switch it around a few times to determine the best sound.

It's simple: It doesn't matter. Sprague Black Beauties aren't polarized and the signal coming out of a guitar is a passive AC signal.

[Jana]

I don't know what the marking on the Black Beauties signifies. Most times it represents the outer foil--you will have to test that to make sure.

It does matter which way they go, not from a tonal perspective or electrical polarizing issue, but for noise. The outer foil should be connected to the lower impedance connection. For a tone control in a guitar this would be the grounded side. If it was a cathode bypass cap, once again, the grounded side. If it was a coupling cap between stages then it would be connected to the plate--the plate is the lower impedance side compared to the grid of the following stage. It's purely for noise issues and having the outer foil connected to the lower impedance side of the circuit to act as a shield.