After a short time of adjusting and assembling guitars, you come across items and products that is built up with hype with a tagline like "Like The Old days when it was better". Most of these products is almost completely derived within Vintage and Replica parts. Here is the first thing i come accross
50's style Phonebook OIP Capacitors If there is one thing that technology has helped us improve on, it is the capacitors. back in the 50´s, capacitors where made in oil filled paper-foiled caps sealed with wax (today called "Phonebooks"). These were very primitive back in the 50´s era of Fender where caps were in the 0.1 Uf range.
Not only were they large, but they had their duration of working life before they started to leak. (By leaking, i don't mean oil, but they would pass more DC trough it)
In the 60´s, Dime capacitors came on the market with Orange Drops following swiftly in toll.. They were smaller, more durable, more consistent DC rating. And they were pretty much unaffected by humidity and temperature with no microphonic issues. Quite a leap i would say. They quickly outdated the OIP caps.
In todays vintage correctness of relics, the Paper foiled OIP caps is brought back to life, albeit they never went away really. And all this vintage revival crazy, they have been on the market for some time where the manufacturers and afficionados swear they are the best sounding to use. And you will be fed with slogans that the OIP sounds better and warmer than modern dime and orange drops. After the OIP caps were made obsolete, Tin film encasing instead of paper foil for longer durability. There a few variants out there like the Vitamin T and those Russian Military NOS caps. Some still believe that the oil in these are the secret ingredient to a warm tone.. But the fact is, i hear no difference in a Phonebook or an Orange drop. The only reason why you would want to use a Phonebook today is simply because of the look and "Vintage Correctness". Most out there are actually just wrapped to look like it's vintage, while the inside is of modern construction. Even Fender themselves produce the phonebooks to fool vintage and relic heads. So far, only Luxe Radio are know to make the Real Deal. The prices for these in the last few years have seen the prices for these just explode. $70 for a cap is mad lunacy to spend for a part you don't see, and don't really hear the difference in. a Dime cap is the best "vintage cap" you can get. Some things are better remained in history, and 50´s capacitors are it..