250k 0r 500k for phat cat?

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davesowden

New member
i know as a rule of thumb 500ks tend to be used with HBs and 250ks with SCs but what; as p90s; would you recommend with phat cats. i,m currently using 500ks vol and tone with a phat cat in the bridge of a les paul and it sounds great but i was wondering what difference to the sound 250ks would make?
 
Re: 250k 0r 500k for phat cat?

you would have less high end. i use 500k volume and tone with my phat cat in the bridge
 
Re: 250k 0r 500k for phat cat?

HB's have a strong midrange, SC's don't. Even a P-90 is much more open-sounding than an HB. For the neck that treble's good and 500K's work well for HB's & P-90's, but in the bridge you might get more treble than you want, especially compared to the neck. A bright bridge PU isn't a problem with a LP or SG jr, or if you primarily play the bridge PU. You dial the amp EQ to one PU. But if you want to use a neck PU equally, then you have to put more thought into it.

How does your bridge PC sound compared to the neck PU? Maybe that thick magogany body 'fills in' the tone (it didn't in my LP's & SG's). If it's too bright, I'd use a 250K or two, they bleed some treble to ground, and to my ears, they take off the worst of the treble on a bridge PU, the annoying part. But your gear, or hearing, may be different.

I don't like the PC's twin A2's in the bridge or neck (and I have a bunch of them). I use an A5 or two to brighten the neck, and an A8/A4 to give the bridge some mids & output. Those options are available to you if you think you need them.
 
Re: 250k 0r 500k for phat cat?

500K.

If I remember Evan's post from a while back correctly, the Phat Cats use real Duncan P90 bobbins with the bobbins trimmed a bit to fit under a humbucker size cover.

They are alnico 2 magnet pickups which give them a little less treble and a little more mids than alnico 5 vintage style Gibson P90's.

The Phatcats are not super bright pickups like an a5 Strat or Tele pickup.

I believe they would sound weaker, duller and muddier with 250K pots bleeding highs and output to ground than they would with 500K preserving the output and harmonics.

For those reasons, I've always used 500K pots for volume and tone with Phat Cats.

Lew
 
Re: 250k 0r 500k for phat cat?

yeah, i just installed my 1st phat cat recently. i used 500k pots and it sounds fantastic. not too bright or piercing at all.
 
Re: 250k 0r 500k for phat cat?

i have put a phat cat in the neck of a telecaster as well and i,ve got a good tone out of that but i hadn,t considered the pot value- i imagine it would be a 250k. would changing that to a 500k brighten it up a degree?
 
Re: 250k 0r 500k for phat cat?

yes, but if like most teles it has master vol/tone, it will also make your bridge brighter. What is your bridge PU?
 
Re: 250k 0r 500k for phat cat?

davesowden said:
i have put a phat cat in the neck of a telecaster as well and i,ve got a good tone out of that but i hadn,t considered the pot value- i imagine it would be a 250k. would changing that to a 500k brighten it up a degree?
Click to expand...

The best solution for a neck Phat Cat is taking out the A2's and putting in A5's, for a brighter Gibson P-90 sound.
 
Re: 250k 0r 500k for phat cat?

GINGREL-the bridge pup is a seymour duncan STK-T1b. its actually not very bright but i dont know if i would want to inadvertently brighten it so maybe changing the magnet as
BLUEMAN335 suggests is the way to go. never tried that before so hopefully i won,t destroy the pup!!!! time to search the forum for advice on the best way to go about it, i suppose!
 
Re: 250k 0r 500k for phat cat?

Changing magnets in a Phat Cat or P-90 is easy. They have two HB-sized magnets, positioned so they repel each other.

Loosen the strings & unscrew the PU form the guitar. Cut the two solder points that hold the PC cover on (I use a dremel, other guys do it other ways). One end of the cover will lift up, the other won't because a ground wire is attached. Slide one magnet out halfway and hold the new one up to it to orient it (ends repel, sides attract). Slide the new magnet in. Repeat for the other side. Resolder the cover. Takes a minute or two. More time is spent loosening & retuning the strings. This is low tech as it gets baby. Like changing a light bulb.
 
Re: 250k 0r 500k for phat cat?

I don't like the PC's twin A2's in the bridge or neck (and I have a bunch of them). I use an A5 or two to brighten the neck, and an A8/A4 to give the bridge some mids & output. Those options are available to you if you think you need them.

Ok baby i,ll give it a try. Can i just clarify by A8/A4 you mean a combination of these 2 magnets as opposed to a pair of one or the other- don,t mean to ask a dumb question but i,m new to this.
you are right in a previous comment; as much as i like the trebly biting tone i,m getting from the bridge phat cat it is proving hard to find settings which suit both the bridge and neck positions- theres no real middle ground so i think taking a little harsh treble from the bridge and boosting the mid range should help to even things out a little.
thanks for the help
 
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Re: 250k 0r 500k for phat cat?

When I swapped one of the A2s, it was a pain in the a$$ with a solder gun. :eyecrazy:[/QUOTE]

time to buy a Dremel, i think!!
 
Re: 250k 0r 500k for phat cat?

davesowden said:
When I swapped one of the A2s, it was a pain in the a$$ with a solder gun. :eyecrazy:
Click to expand...

time to buy a Dremel, i think!![/QUOTE]

There was a post last year about different ways to do this, some guys use an exacto knife. Sometimes the solder blobs are small enough that you can pop them loose with a flathead screwdriver. Dremel is the best choice though.
 
Re: 250k 0r 500k for phat cat?

blueman335 said:
time to buy a Dremel, i think!!

There was a post last year about different ways to do this, some guys use an exacto knife. Sometimes the solder blobs are small enough that you can pop them loose with a flathead screwdriver. Dremel is the best choice though.
Click to expand...

I think so too, how much do dremels run for?

As for the screwdriver, there's too little room for error. You can scratch up the baseplate. I should know....: private:
 
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Re: 250k 0r 500k for phat cat?

davesowden said:
Ok baby i,ll give it a try. Can i just clarify by A8/A4 you mean a combination of these 2 magnets as opposed to a pair of one or the other- don,t mean to ask a dumb question but i,m new to this.
Click to expand...

Right an A8 and an A4, making a pair (remember they sit repelling, not attracting). Much better than two A2's. Feel free to ask questions, that's how you learn.
 
Re: 250k 0r 500k for phat cat?

blueman335 said:
Right an A8 and an A4, making a pair (remember they sit repelling, not attracting). Much better than two A2's. Feel free to ask questions, that's how you learn.
Click to expand...

thanks man-you,re currently helping me out another similar post (but you already know that!!)
 
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