20 year old Hot Rails with new Hot Rails?

[SimonHK]

Hi all, I have two old Hot Rail pups that i want to resurrect and put in my strat. I would need to add a new third one to make the set.
Would there be any/much/appreciable difference between the old ones and a new one? Same spec and number of windings etc?

Perhaps if there is any difference it would only be a difference and not a bad thing....


Has anyone else got a set in their strat with coil split? Happy with it?


Thanks all

Simon

 

[darthphineas]

Re: 20 year old Hot Rails with new Hot Rails?

at one point, they posted a frequency chart of the old style and new style on the website. maybe you can find it on the new site or perhaps someone has a copy of it. maybe Google for it

 

[Mincer]

Re: 20 year old Hot Rails with new Hot Rails?

It should be the same, though very old ones don't have a cover. They actually sound better in parallel than split- one of the few pickups where I prefer the parallel option.

 

[SimonHK]

Re: 20 year old Hot Rails with new Hot Rails?

Ah yes, found an old related thread,thanks. There is no sonic difference. There is a package difference - a plastic cover. I did wonder, I don't remember that my old two hot rails ever had a cover....

 

[SimonHK]

Re: 20 year old Hot Rails with new Hot Rails?

Thanks Mincer. I want the versatility to have them as single coil. I'll research some wiring options.....

When you say parallel, do you mean within the same pickup?

 

[darthphineas]

Re: 20 year old Hot Rails with new Hot Rails?

here you go: https://web.archive.org/web/2009010...images/products/redesign/hot_rails_bridge.pdf

 

[jeremy]

Re: 20 year old Hot Rails with new Hot Rails?

yes, putting the two coils of the same pup in parallel

 

[darthphineas]

Re: 20 year old Hot Rails with new Hot Rails?

 

[Mincer]

Re: 20 year old Hot Rails with new Hot Rails?

My ears aren't good enough to hear that difference.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: 20 year old Hot Rails with new Hot Rails?

They also look/fit different (triangle vs. rectangle base.)

 

[darthphineas]

Re: 20 year old Hot Rails with new Hot Rails?

They also look/fit different (triangle vs. rectangle base.)

That's handy when you have something like a Charvel or Jackson that doesn't allow for the "flange".

I've also had to "shave" down the outside of some new-style STK to fit in the same cavity that an old style would have fit in

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: 20 year old Hot Rails with new Hot Rails?

Yep. I had to shave the side of a triangle base because it wouldn't fit in the route.

 

[darthphineas]

Re: 20 year old Hot Rails with new Hot Rails?

What do you mean by "triangle"?

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: 20 year old Hot Rails with new Hot Rails?

The "flange." On the old model hot-rail, the baseplate was too thick to fit in the Strat single coil route of one of my guitars. This shouldn't have been an issue if the flange/pointed part of the baseplate hadn't been (apparently) oversized vs. a standard Strat pickup. Of course, as you state the new Hot Rail will fit a lot more guitars (such as Jaguars, G&Ls, Jackson's, certain Ibanez models) as well as a standard Strat.