Praise For PRails

[Dejoblue]

I just wanted to pop in and speak of the virtues of the PRails pickups. I have a Carvin CT6 that I retrofitted with a Custom Custom in the bridge and a PRails in the neck. I was enamored with the posts about using different pickups, splitting them and getting mismatched windings and amazing tone but humbucking capability still. the PRails delivers. I assume of course that the windings of a single coil versus a soapbar single coil are different but the tone is amazing. the best neck tone I have had with a humbucker, and the single coil sounds are just amazing. REAL single coil tones.

I have her set up with the single coil under the 24th fret, no 5th fret harmonics and all, and the soapbar back further closer to the bridge. Volume push/pull splitter for the neck coil, tone push/pull splitter for the soapbar and when they are both up in parallels, amazing hum free single coil epic goodness.

I am now gasing for a Carvin CT6 with an alder body, swamp ash carved top and flame maple neck and fretboard with PRails in neck and bridge....gonna be awesome. Hopefull have the funds in 6 months.

Anyway I also have a question. I think i read that if you set up the PRails with both single coils in the middle, the soapbars close to bridge and neck, that you can get a quacky middle strat sound without needing a middle pickup. Anyone tried this? Is it possible, that is all I am missing. i do not like the look or the extra routing of a single coil in the middle.

Thanks for reading, hope to read some of your experiences with PRails soon

[PunkKitty]

Re: Praise For PRails

I set the PRails in my Heritage H-170 up with Duncan Triple Shot rings. The blades are facing the middle of the guitar. I get a reasonably good Straty quack sound out of them. I really like the PRails.

[jimijames]

Re: Praise For PRails

I have a dual humbucker jazzmaster with two p-rails - it gives a pretty good stratty sound with the single coils on in the middle position. I also have a strat which has had the antiquity II surfers as well as Strabro 90s (currently) and can tell you that the p-rails is close, but it's more subtle somehow. The in-between position on strats has a real exaggerated 'whahka' sound to it, the quack if you will. Now, it may be the rosewood board (jazzmaster has that; strat has maple) but other than that (alder body, 6 point vintage tremolo, brass saddles under the plain strings and steel under the wound) the guitars are essentially the same.

I've found with the p-rails (which I adore) you can get a lot of 'really close' tones. You can cop a p-90 tone, a strat tone, and pseudo-humbucker tones. Obviously in series and parallel the sounds aren't exactly what you'd expect from a vintage or hot p-90 because they're made completely unlike any humbucker, period.

I did find that degaussing the neck slightly helped to sweeten the high registers like those antiquity II surfers had. That helped out a lot with the neck p-rails, but not so much with the bridge. I think I settled on bridge full beans, neck degaussed slightly.

Honestly, the P-90 sound is closer to the phat cat (that is to say, very p-90 like but somehow not quite all the way there), and the rail coils are like having two middle-ish coils on a strat. I don't want that to be taken the wrong way, but the neck rail is sweet without having that bell-like chime you hear from a really good strat neck, and the bridge isn't as treble-y as most of the strat bridge pickups I've played.

If I have to get pretty darn good strat, tele, LP junior, and SG tones from only one guitar, it's without a doubt the p-rails equipped axe. But if I'm going for maximum middle position quack, a strat with < 7k ohm single coils has to get the nod.

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Praise For PRails

I've had P-Rails ever since they first came out and have tried them mounted every possible way with just about every magnet combination. I've found that you're not really going to be able to duplicate the typical Strat in-between position quack. You can get kinda close, but that's it. That's why I have at least one real Strat in my collection.

So...since you're not going to get that sound anyway, might as well mount the P-Rails for the greatest versatility and put the rail coil next to the bridge. It doesn't significantly affect the tone of the P-90 coil (its position doesn't change much whether it or the Rail is mounted closer to the bridge), but the Rail's position changes dramatically and has a definite affect on its tone. The Rail next to the bridge gives better Tele and Strat bridge tones. The Rail coil is a little anemic next to the bridge, but an A8 mag next to the Rail (A5 next to the P-90) cures that.

I always use Triple Shot mounting rings with my P-Rails.

[Dejoblue]

Re: Praise For PRails

Yea I noticed off the bat that the p90 position doesnt change much and to place the blade close to the neck in the neck position. I guess I will do the same with the bridge close to the bridge in the bridge position.

Thanks for the help guys!

[JGarofalo3]

Re: Praise For PRails

I have a set of P-Rails with Triple Shots in a project Gibby LP I got and for sure the P-Rails are seriously badass but man, you just gotta love the versatility!! As a singer who also plays guitar I love the variety of tones I can get from my guitar and very easily and simple. Going to be putting them in another guitar because I dig them so much......bravo!

[Snoogles]

Re: Praise For PRails

Yea I noticed off the bat that the p90 position doesnt change much and to place the blade close to the neck in the neck position. I guess I will do the same with the bridge close to the bridge in the bridge position.

Thanks for the help guys!

how do you position the neck pickup? with the P90 towards the neck, or the bridge?
and will these pickups fulfill my need for a single-coil sound?
i'm installing these in a 22-fret guitar

i already have the A8 in the bridge pickup

[charliePRailcrazy]

Re: Praise For PRails

I currently have an entry level tanglewood hollow body ES335 style with 2 sets of prails installed, and I love it. soapbar p90 facing out and rail facing in. with the hollow body it does sound like a classic tele thinline when both rails are on. you get that classic quack sound and it does sound awesome.

I've only just put it back in the shop to get some slight changes though. regretted only putting in one 3 way switch, so couldn't mix and match the different pickups, such as a p90 in the neck with a humbucker in the bridge position, or rail in the neck with the p90 in the bridge. with 2 separate 3-ways I should now be able to get 15 different variations of pickups instead of the 9 I was getting before. haven't heard it in action yet so don't know if it was worth it. anyone else got this set up?

also decided to switch the main 3-way pickup selector for a blend pot instead which was something I always wanted to try, especially since this guitar only has the 1 master volume control. the prospect of being able to go 35% rail on the neck with 65% p90 on the bridge gives me goosbumps. the galaxy of variations at my finger tips... but now I fear I'm boarderline guitar mod geekage.

on another note, for a cheap guitar with these pickups I gladly place this guitar alongside my new hofner verythin any day. thank you p-rails.

[MisterE]

Re: Praise For PRails

I'm still on the honeymoon phase with the P-Rails and I certainly agree with everyone here, you can get an almost Strat quack tone out of it but for maximum versatility you need the Triple Shot mounting ring to get the best out of the P-Rail.

One thing is for sure, it has replaced my beater Strat as my #1.

[Baltar]

Re: Praise For PRails

I use PRails in the neck position of my les paul clone. I like the P90-coil most - it's great! Bucking is very good. The coolrails imo still ok. I'd buy it again, but would'nt wire an option for coolrails anymore

[jimijames]

Re: Praise For PRails

Am I the only one using the volume/tone with two push-pulls setup?

You can't mix and match p-90 with rail or humbucker, or whatever, but I just find myself using just one of the modes at a time anyway.

For me at least it's a lot more simple than having two 3-ways or the triple shots. I feel like if I got used to the triple shots that would change though.

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Praise For PRails

The Triple Shots are just sooo easy to use, and you always know exactly which mode is active. Once you get used to the TS, it becomes second nature to use (like switching the three-way between bridge and neck pups).