[NJARC] Those pesky Bumblebees (Was Hallicrafters SX-111 Mk. 1)

[Dave Sica]

On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 14:03:32 -0700 (PDT) john ruccolo <jr6v6gt at yahoo.com>
writes:
> All kidding aside, SAVE those used Bumble Bees. When
> you clip them out, try to leave as much lead on them
> as you can. Why, you ask??? Because there's a market
> for USED ones on ebay! I know it sounds ridiculous
> (and it *is*), but that's the truth. Certain values
> were used in vintage classic electric guitars and amps
> and command real money. 
 
I have to wonder if dealing with the mere millivolts output by the pickup
might mean that even a potentially leaky cap wouldn't be stressed enough
to matter. If the cap is rated for a couple of hundred volts, no matter
how deteriorated it was, it seems like it might continue to work just
fine at such a low voltage. If it leaked "linearly" then it would affect
the signal, but if the deterioration lowered the breakdown voltage, then
it shouldn't have any effect at all. And if it did leak, I wonder what
would the "real world" effect on the signal be? Maybe it imparts a
pleasing "patina" to the sound ;-)
 
--Dave