Capacitors for SE Mira?

[DECEMBERmusic.org]

I have an SE Mira. Does anyone know what the stock capacitors are? There are 2 on the tone and a different 2 on the volume.
I don't know anything about caps but I need to replace the pots and switch. The push/pull tone no longer does the coil-split and I hate the audio taper volume; no matter how slow you turn it there's still a spot where it suddenly gets way louder.
And I put Seymour Duncan Pegasus/Sentient in it and would like some caps that would compliment those well.
I'm getting A500k push/pull tone and B500k volume. I like it bright but not harsh. Sparkly cleans and heavy distortion.
What caps would you put?
Thanks for the insight.

 

[aphantomvaper]

I just picked up an 2022 SE Mira and had to replace the tone cap. The single tone cap I used was .022 uf and the stock one had no markings on it to reveal its value. I used the wiring ref in the PTC thread to determine the value used.

There are capacitors for the treble bleed also, I think there is one, and the other two devices you see on the sides of the tone coil split switch are resistors. I think those are used for the coil splits to decrease volume drop when split.

I know this only because I was in the guts a few days ago, and also posted a NGD with some pics of the guts. https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/ngd-red-mira.52982/#post-747792

More knowledgeable persons should chime in.

 

[DECEMBERmusic.org]

I just picked up an 2022 SE Mira and had to replace the tone cap. The single tone cap I used was .022 uf and the stock one had no markings on it to reveal its value. I used the wiring ref for n the PTC thread to determine the value used.

There are capacitors for the travel bleed also (.033 pf?) I think there in one, and the other two devices you see on the sides of the tone coil split switch are resistors. I think those are used for the coil splits to decrease volume drop when split.

I know this only because I was in the guts a few days ago, and also posted a NGD with some pics of the guts. https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/ngd-red-mira.52982/#post-747792

More knowledgeable persons should chime in.

Mine doesn't have the same ones as your pic. Has a different switch, too. I'll get some pics this weekend when I open it up.

 

[ViperDoc]

Standard tone caps are .022 uF. Larger values will drop more highs when you roll the tone down, lower values less. The treble bleed caps are usually between 100 pF and 500 pF, season to taste. There is a three number code on the cap that will tell you the value in pF. "223K" for example will mean 22000 pF (3 means "three zeros"), or 22 nF, or .022 uF (all the same value). The letter usually means a tolerance level. The kind of cap is really not going to matter inside the guitar. I find Mallory caps to be the easiest to maneuver in a guitar cavity. Emerson are also very good.

 

[aphantomvaper]

Standard tone caps are .022 uF. Larger values will drop more highs when you roll the tone down, lower values less. The treble bleed caps are usually between 100 pF and 500 pF, season to taste. There is a three number code on the cap that will tell you the value in pF. "223K" for example will mean 22000 pF (3 means "three zeros"), or 22 nF, or .022 uF (all the same value). The letter usually means a tolerance level. The kind of cap is really not going to matter inside the guitar. I find Mallory caps to be the easiest to maneuver in a guitar cavity. Emerson are also very good.

Cool. None of the caps in my guitar had values on them so I don't know what the current stock capacitor values installed were at all. Thanks doc, hope this helps OP!!!

 

[ViperDoc]

Cool. None of the caps in my guitar had values on them so I don't know what the current stock capacitor values installed were at all. Thanks doc, hope this helps OP!!!

In the event you don't see a label on the capacitor (it's possible it's on the underside or out of sight--but let's say you don't have one), you can always disconnect one leg of the capacitor and test the value with a digital multimeter (which anyone who's trying to make a difference in any electronic circuit should have).

(In the style of Les...)

"When I turn my tone knob, I don't like what I'm hearing."

"What are the values of your tone capacitor and pot?"

"I dunno, the cap is yellow and the pot is full of chili that I made last night."

"Damn, that's sounds good, is it spicy?"

"Yeah, but not enough for my taste. Let's try the blue cap instead."

"I thought they were called blue chips?"

"Well yes if we're talking stocks. But I don't make that until the night before Thanksgiving, and let me tell you, that brine is dynamite."

"Well, dynamite shrimp is too spicy for my taste."

"Me too. Maybe we should try vegemite instead."

"Is that the tan cap, or the one that looks like a bumblebee?"

"Yes."

 

[aphantomvaper]

I've a multimeter and worked with circuits for a while. There were no marks on the tone cap at all I promise and it was dead. Thanks for the Les-like prose

 

[Tone-y]

I'm not sure about the SE models, but for core PRS seems to use 0.033uf for tone and 180pf for the treble bleed as standard.
I have swapped my 0.033 to a 0.022uf

 

[jamrcat]

I am replacing a bad original volume pot in my CE24. Ordered the original 500k pot, but the treble bleed cap is blue not orange like the original. Dealer said PRS can't get the original orange capacitors from China so they are substituting them with the blue upgrade! Any thoughts?

 

[Tone-y]

I am replacing a bad original volume pot in my CE24. Ordered the original 500k pot, but the treble bleed cap is blue not orange like the original. Dealer said PRS can't get the original orange capacitors from China so they are substituting them with the blue upgrade! Any thoughts?

I don't expect it will make the slightest difference, as long as the value is the same. I've actually just ordered a 500k volume pot from the UK PRS site for my Strat. Will be interesting to see what it turns up with (I'll be de-soldering it whatever)

 

[jamrcat]

Let me know what you get please!

 

[DECEMBERmusic.org]

I am replacing a bad original volume pot in my CE24. Ordered the original 500k pot, but the treble bleed cap is blue not orange like the original. Dealer said PRS can't get the original orange capacitors from China so they are substituting them with the blue upgrade! Any thoughts?

The treble bleed in my SE Mira is small, round and brown. I transferred that over to the new pot and replaced the tone cap with a .022uf orange drop. I didn't put the resistors on the new tone pot.
The Seymour Duncan Pegasus/Sentient do sound better now. I put a linear volume pot. The stock was audio taper and no matter how slow you turned it, there was a spot where it suddenly jumped up in volume. The linear pot has a nice smooth increase. I think I'd rather have a linear tone pot, too. With the audio taper pot, most of the change occurs in the last 10-15% of it's range and that last part is unusably dark, muddy and distorted. I didn't have the volume pot grounded right at first so it was also doing tone and I liked what it was doing better than the tone pot. The whole range was usable.

 

[jamrcat]

The treble bleed in my SE Mira is small, round and brown. I transferred that over to the new pot and replaced the tone cap with a .022uf orange drop. I didn't put the resistors on the new tone pot.
The Seymour Duncan Pegasus/Sentient do sound better now. I put a linear volume pot. The stock was audio taper and no matter how slow you turned it, there was a spot where it suddenly jumped up in volume. The linear pot has a nice smooth increase. I think I'd rather have a linear tone pot, too. With the audio taper pot, most of the change occurs in the last 10-15% of it's range and that last part is unusably dark, muddy and distorted. I didn't have the volume pot grounded right at first so it was also doing tone and I liked what it was doing better than the tone pot. The whole range was usable.

What exact linear pot did you use?

 

[DECEMBERmusic.org]

What exact linear pot did you use?

CTS B500k for volume. 3/8" wide 'short' shaft, but it's still a little taller than the stock pot was (the knobs have more space between them and the pickguard now).
Bourns A500k push/pull for the tone. Also 3/8" wide shaft but I had to get a reamer to make the hole bigger because the stock tone pot was 5/16".
I'd put pics but this one only lets you put a link for a pic.

 

[Tone-y]

Let me know what you get please!

It is a blue cap

 

[jamrcat]

It is a blue cap

Thank s for taking the time to let me know. The dealer here said it was an upgrade. I don't know if all blue caps are the same, but I'll measure it to see what it is!