The Capacitor Mystique

There has been much written about the "sound" of various capacitors types used to build audio equipment. Guitar amp modders and builders have their own capacitor cults as well.

Thanks to Mark Durham, founder of the JTM45 Yahoo e-group, we present these pictures of popular capacitor types dissected to show their internal construction details.

1. The classic ceramic cap.
   Legend:
   47J
   N220
   1KV
2. A very unusual 2.1 nF domino cap.
   Legend:
   (Rd Bn Bk)
   (Gn Gn Bn)
   (2100 pF, 500v, 5%)
   MICAMOLD, Brooklyn, NY.
3. A "generic" yellow tubular cap.
   Legend:
   IC
   MW .022
   630 V/K
4. A Mallory 150-series yellow tubular cap.
   Legend:
   .047K
   400V EC1
5. An unusual tubular ceramic cap from a Marshall volume control.
   Legend:
   500 10%
6. An end view of this same cap.
    
7. A Japanese metalized polypropylene cap.
   Legend:
   334K
   250V
8. A modern silver mica cap.
   Legend:
   CMR06F471
   JODR JAN
   00863 SANG
9. A tubular "Mustard" cap - the "Holy Grail" of vintage tube amp tone.
   Legend:
   0.1uF
   +/- 10%
   400v
10. The popular Sprague Orange Drop 225 cap.
    Legend:
    SBE6PS-515
    153K 600V
    9846