Re: has anybody used a PATB3 as a neck pickup?
There was a bunch of discussion of using it as a neck pickup opposite of the PATB-2 Parallel Axis Distortion, but I can't recall if anyone reported in who had done it, or if they had tried it with other pickups. Don't have time to fiddle with google to try to trim the astounding amount of irrelevant garbage it's finding...
Lots of people like it in the bridge, there it's like a Brobucker with extended presence. Or a higher output '59 that didn't get darker with the extra winds. Very flexible, great PAFlike tones, but with a bit of extra output. Not harsh high end or presence, though. In the neck, the presence may make it work better than a similarly overwound PAF would, but it might just have too much lower mids/bass, hard to say. Only way to know for sure if it will work for you is to try it.
I have a PATB-1b, which I still love, but sometimes mildly regret not going with the PATB-3 as I want better cleans now, changing tastes (and a rig with better cleans), heh.
If you like a hot neck pickup, it seems worth trying!