I am writing this in response to some concerns on both the UNOFFICIAL LES PAUL FORUM and the Gibson Custom Shop Discussion Forum about the bumble bee caps and their authenticity,construction, specifications and the approach to reissuing any hardware on Historic Product. First of all, to all of the guys that are experts about capacitors just work through the first part of this with me because there are so many people that I have heard toss around descriptions like ceramic, oil filled, foil, mylar,teflon, and paper I feel a little general information is necessary to clarify. The actual definition of a capacitor is: An electronic circuit element used to store charge temporarily, consisting in general of two metallic plates separated by a dielectric. One of the main differences between the various styles of capacitors is the dielectric medium used. In a ceramic capacitor the dielectric is ceramic. The parts used in this style of capacitor consist of the metal plates which have the solder leads attached to them and the dielectric which is ceramic. This is also the most inexpensive capacitor available with the poorest ability to hold a charge. The next one is a mylar capacitor. With this one, it also consists of two metal plates which are the points that you solder and the dielectric which in this case is mylar. The capacitor with the highest quality material and performance is a teflon capacitor.
So many times when I R & D parts or models for reissues I get assistance both positively and negatively from many sources and all input is appreciated. But in addition to this input I also have access to a vast amount of engineering documents,blueprints, and purchasing records dating back to the '40s, '50s, '60s etc. So many times when it appears that someone at Gibson has not reissued a part or a guitar to a particular individual's idea of what it should be, the closest most realistic information from a manufacturing standpoint is the documentation that we used to make the parts/guitars originally (even though sometimes there are variations between what the blueprint says and what the part ends up looking like).
Three of
the capacitors were right on with what I had found in our records and
with what the capacitor was supposed to be spec wise according to the
color bands on both the original and the new. It was very easy to see
but we still ran the test to make sure the color bands were actually what
the part was. For those of you who do not know how to read the color bands
on a capacitor, (it is different than a resistor), I have attached a sheet
explaining. Next I discussed the actual construction, material and dimensions.
I wanted the wire size on the leads, shape, color bands, tooling marks,color
and all to be as close as possible but most importantly it had to be a
foil capacitor with a dielectric at least comparable to the original brown
craft paper and the specifications had to match the original bumble bees.
On the reissue bumble bees the dielectric material we ended up going with
was a poly film that exhibited the same properties as the craft paper
did. This decision was made based on numbers and manufacturing issues.
It is simple math, if one material conducts at a certain rate then if
you find another comparable material and make the necessary adjustments
be it in size, thickness, or turns the you end up with the same desired
result. On the first samples they sent me they were plain without the
shell just the foil and leads showing so that I could approve the construction.
Next came the outside shell with the color bands and tool marks. Finally
came the finished part.
Earlier on in this I said I appreciate all input and I do; it helps all of us at Gibson make better decisions about the product. But I still find it amazing that some people still think that someone is out to get them. I remember '80s Les Pauls that were not even the right shape, had the wrong necks, peghead shapes, routes, made from African Mahogany not even the same species, wrong binding size, wrong hardware and at that time this is what the company offered as a reissue style guitar! Yet now in 2003 when we go through the greatest lengths to make the guitars correct, when we use the highest quality materials ever in the company's history, the body shapes, necks, pegheads, neck tenons, pickups, pots, capacitors, and aluminum stopbars are more accurate and close to an original that ever, there are still individuals that feel we are out to pull one over on them. The things I mentioned above are the most important elements in any guitars sound and playability, except for one thing I left out..... the guy playing it.
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Edwin Wilson Historic Program Manager Gibson Custom, Art & Historic Division |