This auction is for Three (3) ZYW1S5 .05/150v tubular wax capacitor REPRODUCTIONS and one NOS 2.5k Carbon Comp resistor as used by Fender in the Single Pick-up Esquire from 1950 to 1951. Single Pickup Esquires from 1950 are rare indeed, but according to Nacho Baños they do exist and these are the caps you will find in the control cavity. Vintage wiring diagrams and instructions are included.

Construction: The caps are made with NOS paper in oil .047/100v Vitamin Q type capacitors. The large 1 watt-size 2.5k resistor is made with a NOS 1/2 watt 2.5k carbon comp resistor.

Wax Capacitor Replicating: Luxe reproduction wax capacitors are made with the same materials and methods as the original. The only difference is that instead of a foil and paper “slug” at the core, they use a NOS Vitamin Q type paper and oil capacitor. These were manufactured from the 1950s through the 1980s by various companies, like Sprague, for military and aerospace use. Unlike other types of capacitors, the dielectric and foil in these are sealed in a metal and glass tube, making them impervious to heat and moisture. They do not degrade with time and they do not drift in value. They have the added bonus of having an oil-soaked paper as the dielectric, which arguably has a more “musical” quality than any other dielectric. Luxe ensures that every cap made uses some raw materials from the appropriate era. Their recipes follow the same ones used by the original manufacturers, with a few changes. For example: Dykanol is not used in their capacitors. Most capacitors made before 1956 were coated with a blend of pitch and petroleum jelly, this is the nasty sticky stuff that radio guys hate, Luxe uses pitch and beeswax. It looks the same, but it doesn’t get all over the place.