"Derwin" wrote in message
news:yl6Nh.5912$6z3.687@edtnps82...

Hello, I have an old 70s-era 5-band equalizer made by Realistic (radio
shack),
which I like to use in my guitar effects chain, and I opened it up the
other
day just to see what it looked like inside, and I noticed that there are
two
large electrolytic capacitors. They look fine, and the unit sounds OK,
but
given that it is probably at least 30 years old now, and may have sat
around
for many years not being used before I got my hands on it, could I expect
improved performance if I were to replace those two big electrolytics with
new
ones?

Thanks for any advice!

Probably not. If it sounds OK with no signs of hum, then it's likely that
the caps are still working up to spec. If you have access to an ESR meter,
you could check them, or if not a meter, you could look at the ripple across
them with a scope. I'm a great advocate of " if it ain't broke, don't fix it
" - a philosophy that has served me well for 35 years in the business.
Shotgun replacement of components, or replacing just for the " might be "
hell of it, often results in problems that weren't there in the first place,
in my experience. If they are really easy to get at, and you can get
replacements with similar or better specs, and are determined to put your
stamp on it, as it were, then go ahead and replace them. It won't do any
harm.

Arfa