What's all this gubbins inside my Strat?

RandallFlagg

some weird looking bits and bobs on the controls of my Strat, what are those big things? Capacitors?

http://i.imgur.com/qaLCX18.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/a9QIZN9.jpg

Bridgehouse

Mojo Cannisters. 

RandallFlagg

I don't really understand much about what goes on underneath or inside guitars

richardhomer

The biggest things are pick-ups - these turn the mechanical movement of your strings into electrical signals.

The rest are 'electronic components'.

Now put it all back together and stop worrying about it....

JookyChap

Yeah, posh capacitors which now you know they are there will definitely make your Strat sound better

RandallFlagg

richardhomer said:

The biggest things are pick-ups - these turn the mechanical movement of your strings into electrical signals.

The rest are 'electronic components'.

Now put it all back together and stop worrying about it....

Can someone throw @richardhomer a kipper for being a clever boy?

FelineGuitars

Looks like a treble bleed, neck/mid tone control and a greasebucket circuit on the bridge p/u
Treble bleed Cap is quite big 

octatonic

Pretty clean wiring job.

Jack_

Looks like they fitted a flux capacitor, for those back in time vibes.

richardhomer

Jack_ said:

Looks like they fitted a flux capacitor, for those back in time vibes.

Is that the one that looks like it should have baked beans inside it?

MtB

and the Royal Horticultural Society have given it a clean bill of health - no plants or trees were destroyed in the making of the components.

RandallFlagg

MtB said:

and the Royal Horticultural Society have given it a clean bill of health - no plants or trees were destroyed in the making of the components.

I wondered what that sticker meant, I'm so pleased that I can sleep peacefully knowing that no turnips or aspidistra were needlessly slain to make this guitar.

richardhomer

RandallFlagg said:

MtB said:

and the Royal Horticultural Society have given it a clean bill of health - no plants or trees were destroyed in the making of the components.

I wondered what that sticker meant, I'm so pleased that I can sleep peacefully knowing that no turnips or aspidistra were needlessly slain to make this guitar.

Don't think you're off the hook - Sting has rerecorded an early solo hit in your 'honour':

'Trees trees, save de trees'
'Oh oh....'

guitars4you

large ones are blue ajax vintage style caps - the one on the volume pot is a treble bleed cap to preserve highs as you roll off te vol pot - the other one is the tone cap - The disc caps are a grease bucket mod - http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/12311-mod-garage-the-fender-greasebucket-tone-circuit rather than me trying to explain

ICBM

Joking aside…

The big fat one is a treble-pass cap - it would never normally be that big, it's a very small cap value, but Fender have used a fancy-pants type for added mojo/marketing. They must have got them cheap.

The slightly smaller - although much larger in value - white one with the Fender logo is the neck/middle pickup tone cap, which is also a fancy type.

The two yellow/orange ones are the 'Greasebucket' tone control system for the bridge pickup, which is a bit of an odd arrangement where the effective capacitance is reduced at the same time as the control is turned down. These are cheap ceramic caps.

And after all that, none of it makes any difference if you leave the controls turned up full, and a vintage Strat with a single cheap ceramic cap (that's what Fender used in the 60s) still sounds better if you don't.

Fuengi

I wouldn't want to risk taking that on a plane!

Gassage

richardhomer said:

The biggest things are pick-ups - these turn the mechanical movement of your strings into electrical signals.

The rest are 'electronic components'.

Now put it all back together and stop worrying about it....

You got him off his 'guard there.

slacker

Cap in hand

p90fool

I'd be interested to know the value of the treble pass cap.  
I put a 330pf on my Strat but I'd like to know their take on it. 

axisus

Seems pretty regular to me. Three sound picker-uppers, a noise-loud twiddler, two de-shriller knobs and a switchy stick. Everything else is decorative.

steer

If I had massive fender own label caps like that, I would want a clear pickguard to show them off.