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Inside a Bumble Bee: A cap inside a cap...

pepejara

Active member
Joined
Sep 6, 2003
Messages
2,242
After the Radiographs affair, and being minimally injured in the hand by a needle, (I could not play the guitar yesterday:bh) I decided to resolve my curiosity about the bumble bee reissue. I read all the articles you posted at this respect, even Gibson's manager article about the reissue... none of them cited the brand or model of the cap...

This is the inside of one Bumble bee reissue:

WescoCap.JPG

IMGP1985-1.jpg

Wesco2.JPG


WescoAbierto.JPG


As you can see is a "Wesco" polipropilene cap, rated 400 volt, marked "223J", described in this page:

http://www.wescocap.com/32pl/32pl.htm


and this:




http://www.wescocap.com/32pl/pg19.htm

Just for fun:salude
 
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porras

New member
Joined
Jul 10, 2002
Messages
9
pepejara, we truly appreciate your investigations about those caps, thanks for the time, knowledge and skills you freely share with us. ;)

Buy the way i´m wondering to upgrade my cheap epiphone Les Paul copy with two of those wesco cap, do you think it will sound like a GLP Reissue after the mod ? :spin

Regards Pacop
 
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Gold Tone

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 2, 2002
Messages
6,825
Too funny!! At least they could have attempted a closer cap match by using polystyrene! Too funny!
 

kt66

Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2001
Messages
285
Interesting !!! Didn't the gibson custom shop mgr claim that they did tons of research and had a vendor custom build a cap for them until it was the sonic equivalent of BBs? Well, it looks pretty clear that this is just an off-the-shelf polyprop cap, which isn't even close to being the original dielectric. More BS from Gibson...imagine that!
 

blauserk

Active member
Joined
Mar 12, 2002
Messages
1,778
kt66 said:
Well, it looks pretty clear that this is just an off-the-shelf polyprop cap, which isn't even close to being the original dielectric.

Just going on memory, that doesn't sound like what Gibson said the capacitor type was. What was the dielectric in the original bumblebees? I thought they were paper or maybe mylar/polyester.
 

hoss

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Joined
Aug 1, 2004
Messages
6,748
Isn't the US of A the dream country for customer lawsuits...?
 

bvmjethead

New member
Joined
Dec 10, 2004
Messages
794
So basically it's some tin foil wrapped around a wire and then put in a bigger box with some pretty stripes painted on it.......

Does that pretty much cover it?

Henry.................. :toobad
 

hunkowood

New member
Joined
Jan 10, 2005
Messages
18
Yeah,I went though a bunch of crap with Gibson over the Bumblebees.No aftermarket sales,etc.They act like they are the Holy Grail or something.Just a marketing gimmick.Maybe they should start selling them to pay for the lawsuit we all should file against them.WTF!
 

jrock1

Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2004
Messages
438
Aren't the Hovland caps from the RS Kit polypropylene and film also? Wouldn't that make them the same as the RI "Bumblebees" as described in the first item on this thread? Someone, please tell me there is a difference?
 

Kluson

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Joined
Jan 21, 2003
Messages
1,317
just so everyone knows , I work for the World's largest producer of Capacitors, We make around 25 Billion pieces per month.
The problem here is not what kind of cap is used, but the fact that Gibson came out with such clear BS from day 1. As you can see from the quantity that we and our competitors produce, Gibson is not a large customer to any manufacturer of caps. We were never going to see them tell the truth. R+D my Arse, they spent 10 mins going through the Farnell catalog, or Rs or Premiere or whatever you guys call them, and found the closest fit. I would bet they carried out no test at all, just what they could get away with.
If we as a manufacturer did something like that we would be prosecuted here in the UK undert the Sales of goods act. In the USA I guess we would be sued.
It is outrageous that Gibson should come up with such a line of crap just to try to justify a few extra dollars. Knowing caps, I don't care what they put in the historics, I'll take em out and replace the electrics which are rubbish in any case, just don't try to trick me and treat me like an idiot.
I love my historics , but I have had trouble with at least two of them having poor fret work and one had to have the nut replaced it had been cut so badly, In the Custom shop, !!!!!! maybe the nut was cut by the Capacitor expert when he had finnished his R+D, sorry for long post and rant. but I feel we must look at the real problem and that is Gibson. They have turned exactly to type as they were before ,this is like the 70's all over again, change the name to" Bean counter Inc" and have done with it. Logo would look great on the peg head. maybe drop the Inc.
 

Mike R.

Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2002
Messages
321
Amazing. Simply amazing. Kind of sad as well.

I remember reading that article where they said they researched until the found the blah blah blah...What crap.
 

Great King Rat

New member
Joined
Apr 3, 2003
Messages
330
holygrail said:
pepejara - Thanks ! :salude

Gibson's Smoke and Mirrors Link :ha!
http://www.gibsoncustom.com/bumblebee/index.htm

I've got a good supply of vintage BB's
but where'd you get those NOS BB's that you have ? :hmm

I just read the page. They out right lying if this is the case. I can not belive a big company like gibson would do such a thing. I think we should forward this tread and see what they say.
 

jrock1

Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2004
Messages
438
led zep fan said:
All the more reason to get an RS kit.

Does anyone know the difference between the Hovlands in the RS Kit and the RI Bumblebees - since the first post on this thread states that the BBs are polyproyplene and film and I think thats what the Hovlands in the RS Kit are?
 
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