Custom Soapbar vs Hot Soapbar?

[VintageRocker]

Hey guys, I'm using some limited edition epi les paul that they made for awhile with mini-humbuckers in it, if I am not mistaken generally they are the same size as soapbars right? because I want to switch the bridge pickup out for either a Custom or Hot Soapbar. I want a slightly thicker tone because right now its pretty thin and airey and doesn't punch all that much. So what do you think?

 

[twoheadedboy]

Re: Custom Soapbar vs Hot Soapbar?

Well, I've tried both the hot and the custom. They certainly "punch" but the ceramic magnets get rid of some of what makes a soapbar a soapbar in my opinion. By design p-90s tend to have a fairly nasal midrange, and I think the ceramic mags in those p-90s accentuate that even more, which gets very grating on my ears. The "vintage" soapbar bridge is actually fairly hot by soapbar standards. It's 9.3k I think, which is louder than a lot of other vintage style p-90s which usually measure around 8.5. It's also A5, which helps it punch. Output-wise, it's like a slightly overwound PAF. There are other companies that make hotter non-ceramic soapbars too, like Lollar. If it's more output and not necessarily the soapbar sound that you want, SD and other companies offer hotter mini humbuckers too.