SPRAGUE repro ”Black Beauty” capacitor, 160P (4TM-S20) – .022 μF

■ famous for their use in ‘58 and ‘59 Les Pauls
■ Bumblebees and Black Beauties seem to dampen some
high-end, making the tone softer, smoother, warmer and a
bit sweeter, with a rich singing sustain plus nice rounded lows
■ Black Beauties, however, cut off some bass frequencies
(think Eric Clapton and The Bluesbreakers)
■ manufactured by Cornell Dubilier Electronics, Inc. (CDE)
Both our Bumblebees and Black Beauties are replica’s, not NOS
capacitors; those can be found on eBay, for different prices…
Sprague’s Bumblebees and Black Beauties are the most discussed
capacitors ever. Although we’re not sure, some specialists believe
Black Beauties are responsible for the magical tone in Gibson’s
‘58 and ‘59 Les Pauls (plus Juniors and ES-335s from the ‘60s).