quality components to use ??? suggestions guidance advice

[njkmonty]

I was hoping for a little guidance on basic parts selection, after a couple of years of confusion, have started to be able to digest "MOouser's" webpage and all the info!!!
currently Ive only been using the cheapest 1% meat film resistor from china (eBay), left over reduced polyester film from dick smith, cheap ceramic discs, and even cheaper "Joe Master" brand electrolytic s!
i was hoping someone could advise with a particular pecking order, for quality parts, now i dont want to buy a $5  riken gold plated resistor, or hand rolled oil/ waxed hifi goodies  this is what Ive read/seen etc please assist in correcting me!

resistors  (dont want to pay more than  20c each!)

1) vishay cmf55 presiscion 1%
2) vishay ccf55  1%
3) panasonic  er025 
4) ones from dick smith /tandy/radio shack


are these the ones to look at  any recommendations or have left something out??

electrolytics  (budget 40c max )

are panasonic ones the ones to get??? KA and Ks series? or something else?

i know they have different models re package size etc, but most i saw where +- 20%

small capacitance values??

is there something better than cheap ceramic caps???, ive seen in some build little blue looking caps, which ive looked up and they are called "monolithic multilayer ceramics"
are these an upgrade or for something else?  due to size i obviously don't want to use those big silver mica ones for amp building!

general caps

what are the best ones to get???
wima mk2 thingys?
Panasonic  ecq v
something else,
to be honest there are a lot of different types, am i headed in the right path???


when should i or shouldn't use tantalum's? they are nice and small, but is there a trade off??? (never used them before!)


If i am m saving $$$ by making my own gear , then im happy to upgrade to 10 x 20c resistors
as appose to 10x 2c ones
it really isn't a huge difference ( for me that is)!

[R.G.]

resistors  (dont want to pay more than  20c each!)

Vishay and Panasonic are OK in general. I use Xicon or Speer carbon film at $4.00 per hundred.
I do not trust anything Radio Shack sells. They have made a corporate decision to NOT be in the
parts business.

electrolytics  (budget 40c max )

I don't discriminate between the brands at Mouser. I use Xicon, Lelon and Nichicon indiscriminately
depending on which is the right size. I've used Samxon in volume without problems.

i know they have different models re package size etc, but most i saw where +- 20%

Electrolytics in general don't have tolerances better than 20%. If you want close tolerance caps, get film
or for small values (up to maybe 1000pF) COG or NPO type ceramics. Other types of ceramics have much
worse drift and tolerance.

small capacitance values??

COG or NPO type ceramics
Over 1000pF, polyester film.

is there something better than cheap ceramic caps???, ive seen in some build little blue looking caps, which ive looked up and they are called "monolithic multilayer ceramics" are these an upgrade or for something else? 

MLC (multilayer ceramic) caps are the standard for RF/power bypassing. The epoxy color may be anything, and has no bearing on the cap inside at all. ).01uF and 0.1uF MLC are what the world uses for low voltage power decoupling, about 1 per IC. Or should be using, anyway. The tolerance is bad. For frequency determining networks, use film or COG/NPO.

general caps
what are the best ones to get???
wima mk2 thingys?
Panasonic  ecq v
something else,
to be honest there are a lot of different types, am i headed in the right path???

As long as you're not getting floor-sweepings, the brand is immaterial. The capacitor business is very competitive. Any major brand is OK. Mouser carries no real junk that I know of.

when should i or shouldn't use tantalum's? they are nice and small, but is there a trade off??? (never used them before!)

There are places where tantalum is appropriate. But their use in build-it-yourself stuff is very iffy. Unless you already know a tantalum is needed, don't use tantalum. They can, if used incorrectly, burn up or explode; not generally a problem in 9V battery powered stuff, but it's part of the tanalum cap ethos. Avoid them if possible, just because they're tricky to apply well.

If i am m saving $$$ by making my own gear , then im happy to upgrade to 10 x 20c resistors

As I pointed out in the guitar effects FAQ back in the 90s, you will not, in general, save money building your own gear unless you accept a much lower standard of appearance and finishing. You can and may get the specific function you like, or something that is not available commercially, or just get a very personalized unit. But commercial effects (disregarding "boutique" effects and amps) will be cheaper per function, and many DIY things are simply copies of commercial units. For that matter, most "boutique" amps and effects are copies of commercial gear, perhaps slightly tweaked.

Do it because you like doing it and it makes you happy, not as a money saver.