What are todays alternative to Tropical Fish caps

[chrisguitars]

I am working on a pedal that has the old tropical fish caps. Being a novice I was hoping you guys could educate me on todays equivalents. I am primarily looking for the sound and not so much caught up on looks. Thanks for anyone that can shed light on this subject for me. Have a great weekend.

[gez]

Today's equivalents?  Sustainable/farmed fish caps.

Unless the caps have broken connections or something, leave them alone (shouldn't be any need to replace them).  Otherwise, any polyester cap will probably do.

[Ed G.]

Orange Drops look similar in size and construction.

[chrisguitars]

Right, well I am planning on building a copy of a unit that has the rectangular tropicals. I just need to know what looks and acts the same. The ones in the pedal I am cloning are rectangular with rounded corners. What can I use to mimick the sound of the vintage tropicals?

[skiraly017]

I thought I had read somewhere that tropical fish caps became Sprague orange drops. Maybe? 

[R.G.]

What can I use to mimick the sound of the vintage tropicals?

Here's a pertinent question: what, exactly, is the sound of the vintage tropicals?

Are you certain you could pick them out by listening? Are you certain that everyone could?

[Krinor]

What can I use to mimick the sound of the vintage tropicals?

Here's a pertinent question: what, exactly, is the sound of the vintage tropicals?

Are you certain you could pick them out by listening? Are you certain that everyone could?

I'm sure noone could.

See this thread:

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=62661.0

[SonicVI]

I'm sure noone could.

I'll bet Noone could.

[Pedal love]

Vox used them along with with Arco blue capacitors in the 60's as they were easy to obtain for them. Few people said there was much difference then and I'll bet modern metallized polyfilm caps are similar in quality. Its mainly a status thing, like Rayban sunglasses.

[nightingale]

I thought tropi's were mylar?
Not like it really even matters.
regards,
ry

[chrisguitars]

I am just interested in what you guys would use for caps if you were building an effect that originaly used tropical fish.

[PerroGrande]

I would just use Mylars... 

[mojo_hand]

The old ones were Philips/Mullard polyesters, they were eventually replaced by sort of brick red designs, now sold as "BC Components" rather than Philips.


What would I use?  Some filmcap from a reputable manufacturer.  Lots to pick from!

[R.G.]

The "tropical fish" coloring was just a way of marking the capacitor's capacitance value, much like color bands on resistors. There's not much significance to the coloring other than it shows that they were made by someone (not just one company) long ago.

[momiel]

In a Ge Fuzz Face I built I had very similar sound using, for the 10 n output cap, an old tropical fish or a mallory, the yellow and tubular one.

[BubbaKahuna]

NOS Tropicals are not hard to come by.
I have a few hundred of them myself in lots of values.
I use them in anything they fit in requiring the values I have.
They don't sound different to me, but I think they look cooler. 

[gez]

The "tropical fish" coloring was just a way of marking the capacitor's capacitance value, much like color bands on resistors. There's not much significance to the coloring other than it shows that they were made by someone (not just one company) long ago.

You say that RG, but I used them in a wah once and I've noticed that women look at me in a different way now.  Then again, I do stuff the wah-casing down the front of my pants...

[DougH]

I am just interested in what you guys would use for caps if you were building an effect that originaly used tropical fish.

The answer is use whatever caps you like. There's nothing significant about the sound of tropical fish caps, contrary to some people's misguided belief. I usually like the "chiclet" caps as a good general purpose signal cap for a pedal.

[DougH]

The "tropical fish" coloring was just a way of marking the capacitor's capacitance value, much like color bands on resistors. There's not much significance to the coloring other than it shows that they were made by someone (not just one company) long ago.

You say that RG, but I used them in a wah once and I've noticed that women look at me in a different way now.  Then again, I do stuff the wah-casing down the front of my pants...

That, and a couple vintage fuzz faces in my back pockets usually does it for me...

[birt]

i use all kinds of caps, whatever i can get. there's tropical fish, orange drops and other big caps in amps and loads of different small caps in effects. i have a pcb right here and i count 7 different types. and elcos. there's also 8 different resistor types on that same PCB :p

if it works i like any type. (this also could have something to do with women, i'm not really sure)