# Traynor YGL3a Mark 3 Filter Caps.



## Wileyone (Jul 23, 2011)

I have a Mark 3 with the 2 original 40uf x 40uf/450 volt "dynamite stick" filter caps. I wish to change these out as I am getting some unwanted noise. Would I be better off to go with the stock 40/40 values or go with less filtering 32/32's or the more filtering 50/50's? And what effect would the less vs more have on the overall sound of this old girl? Thanks


----------



## Cups (Jan 5, 2010)

If the old caps are going caput you'll hear a difference in sound anyway but usually filtering to a lower value (32/32 for example) will give you a subjectively looser bottom with a little added grit in the bottom end. Kind of the secret to the sound of tweed Fenders. Going higher (50/50) will subjectively give tighter bottom. 


These differences will not be night and day: not like kicking in a tubescreamer or anything. But it is an effective way to "voice" an amp. All these little things add up. But one change alone doesn't always change as much as you think.


----------



## Wileyone (Jul 23, 2011)

Thanks for the reply. I am by no means an Amp tech. but i am good with a soldering iron and know how to drain the caps. The new caps i will be using will be the F&T 50ufx50uf/500v can type (I need my bottom tighter ). There are 2 neg leads and 1 pos. Does it matter which neg lead goes to which terminal?


----------



## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

Nope. Neg is Neg.


----------



## Cups (Jan 5, 2010)

If it's a 50/50 then there should be two pos and one neg.


----------



## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

Nope. Pos is Pos.


----------



## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

double packaged parts are just packaged parts. There is nothing special in that. Two or three caps in a can is simply a space saver. Same idea for rectifiers though you have a + and - out, the two AC in are interchangeable and two or four individual diodes is the same as the packaged "bridge" or "half wave".


----------



## Wileyone (Jul 23, 2011)

Cups said:


> If it's a 50/50 then there should be two pos and one neg.


Yes sorry you are correct.


----------



## Cups (Jan 5, 2010)

edited.
concept explained.


----------



## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

Exactly. The "can" was done to save space and job steps on assembly lines (non-switchmode power supplies also being fairly unchanged in the past 60 years too). If you bought two individual caps, twisted the negs together, and held that up, you would have exactly what is in the can.


----------



## Wileyone (Jul 23, 2011)

So as long as the 2 pos. leads go to the 2 pos. terminals on the new can and the neg. goes to it's terminal I am good to go?


----------



## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

that you are! 

I know, when I first encountered canned caps I had NO BLESSED CLUE about them. Took me a fair bit to get a handle on it at first, it just didn't 'seem' right. However, that is the case. When companies were installing 1000's of "filters" in 1000's or home electronics and they had a dozen product lines but each line used the same value caps these cans were a cost and time saver and that was why they caught on and were used. You can just as easy use two individual caps if you wanted too there would be no difference in the end result


----------



## Wileyone (Jul 23, 2011)

keeperofthegood said:


> that you are!
> 
> I know, when I first encountered canned caps I had NO BLESSED CLUE about them. Took me a fair bit to get a handle on it at first, it just didn't 'seem' right. However, that is the case. When companies were installing 1000's of "filters" in 1000's or home electronics and they had a dozen product lines but each line used the same value caps these cans were a cost and time saver and that was why they caught on and were used. You can just as easy use two individual caps if you wanted too there would be no difference in the end result


I think that is what Traynor originally did on the early Mark 3's. I think the early ones had four of the Dynamite stick F caps and the later ones had 2. Correct me if I am wrong.


----------



## parkhead (Aug 14, 2009)

if you really want tighter bottom end double the first one to 100 
then use 32's for the rest of the amp 


p


----------

