Artie
Peaveyologist
You made me think of something. They do Lil' versions of full size humbuckers. What if they did the opposite?
I wonder what a full size Cool Rails might be? :scratchch
A question about Rails humbuckers....
- Thread starter Mincer
- Start date
You made me think of something. They do Lil' versions of full size humbuckers. What if they did the opposite?
I wonder what a full size Cool Rails might be? :scratchch
Artie
Peaveyologist
Since I have both, I suppose I should try them back to back.
I am not sure. That's the thing- are rails fundamentally incompatible with a tradition PAF humbucker sound? Most rails I've seen are on the bright side of things, where I tend to favor mids and low mids. I generally dig pickups like the Seths and Alnico II Pro.
Masta' C
Well-known member
Agreed, no reason you can't approach "vintage' winds with rail pickups. Bill Lawrence is rolling in his grave, LOL!
Is it going to yield a slightly different sound and response than a classic screw-slug design? Yes, to an extent.
But you can play around with a lot of other characteristics of the wind and construction to make up for that, as well.
Is it going to yield a slightly different sound and response than a classic screw-slug design? Yes, to an extent.
But you can play around with a lot of other characteristics of the wind and construction to make up for that, as well.
I wonder if anything about the BL design is proprietary. Or under some patent protection.
BTW, reading more into the Jazz Rails, it specifically and continually makes the point that it is for high gain applications.
Clint 55
OH THE DOUBLE THICK GLAZE!
I'd fully stick an A2/A5 hybrid double thick mag in there and use it for clean trad jazz.
Securb
One of Jerry's Kids
The rails are definitely different. SD rails are flush with the bobbin, BL are raised above the bobbin.
Teleplayer
New member
I agree with both points. The screws in the lil 59 make it warmer. However Dimarzio achieve a similar thing with their blade designs. So IMO it comes down to the properties of materials and construction, not an inherent limitation.
freefrog
Well-known member
To have a clue about the first question, one can type "Willi L. Stich" (aka Bill Lawrence) in Google Patents... or consider a Dimebucker, which is essentially a customized Duncan version of a BL humbucker.
[BTW, Securb: rails are not protuding in all Bill Lawrence HB's: I've here BL USA and Wilde humbuckers whose rails are flush to the bobbins.]
About the 2d statement: rails certainly cooperate spontaneously with high gain because of how they convey the magnetic field. But a mastered use of Foucault currents, for instance, easily gives a warm sounding rails pickup. A now retired winder for whom I've worked did exactly that, FWIW.
Also, the monstruous Charlie Christian pickup was a blade single coil and I'm not aware of anything more vintage sounding than this. ;-)
Anecdotically, and about the idea that blade pickups are inherently bright: a DiMarzio X2N is a blade humbucker and has one of the lowest high harmonic content that I've ever measured, because of its super high inductance. A Duncan Hot Rails has an even higher inductance and the same kind of low pitched resonant peak / low harmonics. What makes these models perfect for high gain is precisely their super high inductance + a powerful magnetic field due to ceramic bars, not the rails by themselves (even if these rails contribute to rise the inductivity, as I said somewhere above).
I've a Wilde L500L in neck position of a 24 frets guitar: it's not a bright pickup. And it's not at all limited to high gain - Willi Stich was initially a jazz player, after all...
Artie
Peaveyologist
Yeah, it seems like SD offers both types of Rails. What is interesting to me are the adjectives used for current SD Rails models. All mention high gain, and all mention 'clarity'. Now go to the traditional PAF-type pages, and see words like 'warm', 'sweet', 'vintage'. 'dynamic', and 'smooth'. In the SD world, these seem to be the opposite to me. It is also what led me to believe that a pickup would have to be radically re-designed to look like a Rail pickup. (baseplate, bobbin size, rail) but sound like a PAF. Could it be done? Maybe I will send a message to MJ or Derek.
GuitarStv
Sock Market Trader
I don't think 'warm', 'sweet', or 'smooth' are good descriptors of pretty much any low output PAF bridge humbucker I've tried.
I don't think 'warm', 'sweet', or 'smooth' are good descriptors of pretty much any low output PAF bridge humbucker I've tried.
I'd say it describes the Seth and Alnico II Pro.
Ashurbanipal
New member
While I don't have any, I do like the concept and look of pups with other than traditional poles, so rails, staples (Gibson or Parallel Axis) etc. are cool to me.
The BL (Wilde) L90 has been mentioned. These days you can order them with five different inductance levels, according to one's beef preferences.
The BL (Wilde) L90 has been mentioned. These days you can order them with five different inductance levels, according to one's beef preferences.
Securb
One of Jerry's Kids
Clint 55
OH THE DOUBLE THICK GLAZE!
It's marketing.. The rails will intrinsically be a little smoother everything else remaining equal. Continuous pole with no irregular geometry. While either system isn't the be all of the humbucker's resultant tone.
