Rangemaster project question

[B9 Robot]

I am currently gathering the parts to build my second Rangemaster clone. I was wondering if I could use tantalum capacitors in place of the two electrolytics in the circuit? Would there be any advantages to doing this? A friend of mine suggested this, but I thought I would ask for opinions here before I proceed.

Thank you.

[petemoore]

Look to other areas for influence int he sound of the Rangemaster...you may detect some slight difference changing to tants...but arent they bipolar?

[B9 Robot]

I believe most if not all of the tants I have come across have been polarized, but I could be wrong since I am really just beginning to get my feet wet with this hobby.

[will]

Hi,

Tantalums are extremely polar, reverse voltage kills them in seconds , however they excel in power supplies for high frequencies. This is why many computer mother boards are filled with them. They are not all that good for coupling capacitors. Look for polystyrene or polypropylene for best sound. Polycarbonate next tier. The cheap Mylar (green caps) are just fine in the limited response of guitar effects yet are way better than electrolytic and/or tantalum.

Regards,
Will

[bwanasonic]

They are not all that good for coupling capacitors. Look for polystyrene or polypropylene for best sound. Polycarbonate next tier. The cheap Mylar (green caps) are just fine in the limited response of guitar effects yet are way better than electrolytic and/or tantalum.

But these are not typically found in the 47uf variety, are they?

Kerry M

[B9 Robot]

Don't these particular caps have to be polarized, or can I just replace them with film capacitors of the appropriate value. Would this provide better tone?

Thanks again!

[will]

Hi,

Large film capacitors are very expensive, thus often hard to find above 1 uf in size. In those cases best to use an electrolytic with a good film capacitor like .1 uf to bypass the electrolytic.

I just took a look at the Rangemaster again.

The Rangemaster uses .0068uf for input cap and .01uf for the output caps. These are the most important caps regarding the sound. It also used a 25uf for the power supply and a 25uf for bypassing the emitter resistor to increase the transistor gain. You can use electrolytic or the tantalums in these positions.

Actually for this circuit tantalums would be superior for the large caps as they have a much longer working life as they don’t dry up like the electrolytic do. Sonically to subtly to improve the sound you can bypass the emitter cap with a large as you can find film as well. This would be very subtle maybe not noticeable as you typically go into a distorted amp afterwards.

Regards,
Will

[bwanasonic]

The Rangemaster uses .0068uf for input cap and .01uf for the output caps. These are the most important caps regarding the sound. It also used a 25uf for the power supply and a 25uf for bypassing the emitter resistor to increase the transistor gain. You can use electrolytic or the tantalums in these positions.

From what I could find, the original used .005uf for the input cap and the two electrolytics were 50uf. Most schematics I've seen have 47uf for the electrolytics. You certainly want to socket the input cap, and it is pretty interesting to listen to the effect changing this cap has. Try everything you have between .0047uf and .01, including ceramics. I finally settled on a .0047uf foil, YMMV.

Kerry M

[RDV]

.0068uF is a nice compromise for the incap.

Regards

RDV