Electronic components for audio circuits

[johnwilliamhunter]

Hi All,

My first post here, I've been into music and electronics for many years but never really put the two together, except for building a dick smith (australian version of radio shack) amplifier kit years ago. I studied electronics at high school and electrical engineering at university.

I've just build myself a fuzz face following a schematic I found on the net and with cheap parts, it works well.

I've been reading things on the internet about guitar amps and components and I'm confused as to why people insist on using carbon comp resistors and orange drop caps and sprague electrolytics etc. and other things like 1% resistor tolerances.

I've always been under the impression that a resistor is a resistor and a capacitor is a capacitor etc., and that resistor tolerances aren't worth worrying about.

So I was wondering if anyone could point me in the direction of a good resource that explains the quality of components that should be used to build good audio circuits and why.

I'm guessing that the types of components do matter since so many people who have experience in this field say they do, but they don't explain why and I just don't like believing things without understanding them for myself.

Thanks,

John.

[Sweetfinger]

R.G. Keen's Geofex site has plenty of info on exactly that kinda stuff:
http://www.geofex.com/

[Enzo]

And keep in mind that this sort of thing involves a WHOOOOLE lot of Mojo.