Hot rails or Cool rails?

[rudygeorge]

I can't decide whether to get Hot rails or Cool rails for the middle and neck position of my strat with a JB in the bridge. I really like rock and blues but I also like the Iron Maiden sound. Which pickup is better suited for the middle and neck position?

Rudy D.

 

[Robert S.]

Re: Hot rails or Cool rails?

I would use either two Cool Rails or a Cool Rail in the mid and a Hot Rail in the neck.

The Hot Rail neck model is a bit hotter and somewhat darker than the Cool Rail. If you like a thick neck pick with plenty of output go with the HRn in the neck position.

 

[Young Angus]

Re: Hot rails or Cool rails?

I agree with robert...and would go the middle cool rails and the neck hot rails for that extra thick neck when you want it.

 

[Rainmaker]

Re: Hot rails or Cool rails?

I'd agree with both.

Keep in mind that Murray uses a Hot Rails in the neck for his lightning fast solos... it's been characteristic of him for quite a while, I think.

 

[Artie]

Re: Hot rails or Cool rails?

Here's another thread, with another point of view that might be worth perusing.

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=12052

 

[rudygeorge]

Re: Hot rails or Cool rails?

What do Hot Rails sound like clean? Do hot rails sound better with 250k pots or 500k pots?

Rudy D.

 

[Rainmaker]

Re: Hot rails or Cool rails?

Not sure, but 250k for Single, and 500k for hummers... which would point you in the 500k direction.


Don't rely on that though - wait for someone with experience to come.

 

[rudygeorge]

Re: Hot rails or Cool rails?

Thanks. I read some reviews on the hot rails and one guy said that he found that the 250k pots in his strat made the hot rails sound very dark and not clear. So he switched to 500k pots and it made the hot rails sound much clearer and not as dark.

Rudy D.

 

[Robert S.]

Re: Hot rails or Cool rails?

I prefer 500k with the lil/jr/rails pickups as well.

 

[Boston Joe]

Re: Hot rails or Cool rails?

I prefer the persussive nature of 250k pots, so I tend to completely disconnect the tone controls to eliminate any bleed of the high end. I find this works well for the Hot Rail as well as single coils.

 

[Travis]

Re: Hot rails or Cool rails?

The Hot Rails is not a great clean pickup. It is so powerful that it will distort at clean settings. I don't know about how it would sound split, however. The Cool Rails is a much better clean sounding pickup than the Hot (although I think that the Vintage Rails has the best clean of the three).

 

[Sweet Leaf_Sabbath]

Re: Hot rails or Cool rails?

I would use either two Cool Rails or a Cool Rail in the mid and a Hot Rail in the neck.

The Hot Rail neck model is a bit hotter and somewhat darker than the Cool Rail. If you like a thick neck pick with plenty of output go with the HRn in the neck position.

I also agree with Robert. I played this custom strat that a guy that worked at my local guitar center had and it had a cool-mid and hot-neck. I liked it alot...I think it works the best

 

[rudygeorge]

Re: Hot rails or Cool rails?

The Hot Rails is not a great clean pickup. It is so powerful that it will distort at clean settings. I don't know about how it would sound split, however. The Cool Rails is a much better clean sounding pickup than the Hot (although I think that the Vintage Rails has the best clean of the three).

So Hot rails are not good clean because it is very powerful. I guess I will have to go with the Cool Rails because they are great clean and distorted. Should I get 500K pots for the Cool Rails? Is it true that the JB is also good for cleans?

Rudy D.

 

[psy]

Re: Hot rails or Cool rails?

The Hot Rails is not a great clean pickup. It is so powerful that it will distort at clean settings. I don't know about how it would sound split, however.

The split HR sounds like a high-quality SingleCoil. Not as glassy as a Strat, but very warm and versatile. I love it in combination with split JB-bridge.

 

[Robert S.]

Re: Hot rails or Cool rails?

The bridge version of the Hot Rail is very hot and the statement that the cleans are not steller is very true when compared to the Cool Rail. The Hot Rail neck model has specs much closer to the Cool Rails neck and the lack of solid cleans is not a concern as it is with the HR bridge model.

 

[Fusion1]

Re: Hot rails or Cool rails?

I'm probably in the minority here, but I have used a Hot Rails tele in the bridge of 2 guitars and I don't find the cleans THAT sterile. I know there is better out there for sure, but it's really not that bad if you set it up with your amp and some tweaking with the height to balance out the other pickup(s).

 

[Robert S.]

Re: Hot rails or Cool rails?

I played a gig 3 weekends ago with a guy that had a Tele with a Hot Rail in it. He was getting absolutely killer tone from that guitar both clean and under gain. Then again he was playing through my Mesa rack and the clean channel of that rig has alot of headroom. The Duncan Distortion, the X2N and EMGs all sound very nice clean through that amp. Unfortunately most people don't have amps with that much headroom.

As a rule pickups with words like Distortion or Hot in their name are not best suited for clean work and are designed to hit an amps pre section hard. That doesn't mean they can't be played clean with good results but if cleans are a priority a lower output pickup is usually called for.

Most SD neck pickups are spec'ed to a range and their output can't be inferred from their sometimes much hotter bridge counterparts.

 

[rudygeorge]

Re: Hot rails or Cool rails?

I played a gig 3 weekends ago with a guy that had a Tele with a Hot Rail in it. He was getting absolutely killer tone from that guitar both clean and under gain. Then again he was playing through my Mesa rack and the clean channel of that rig has alot of headroom. The Duncan Distortion, the X2N and EMGs all sound very nice clean through that amp. Unfortunately most people don't have amps with that much headroom.

As a rule pickups with words like Distortion or Hot in their name are not best suited for clean work and are designed to hit an amps pre section hard. That doesn't mean they can't be played clean with good results but if cleans are a priority a lower output pickup is usually called for.

Most SD neck pickups are spec'ed to a range and their output can't be inferred from their sometimes much hotter bridge counterparts.

Thanks. I am thinking about coil tapping the JB and the Cool rails. Is this a good idea? I am also thinking about switching the 250k pots in my strat to 500K pots. What will this do to the Cool Rails? Is this a good idea?

Rudy D.

 

[Imp]

Re: Hot rails or Cool rails?

hot rails neck, set right down in the scratchplate (plastic about 2mm showing) is the BEST funk guitar tone i have EVER found - with two coils... if you get the chance to try it, play fingerstyle and have a bit of reverb... buying the HR has changed my playing style a hell of a lot man

tapped, it sounds very similar to the stock strat SC it replaced, but because its set lower, it sounds a bit less bell-like. i love the cleans i get with either mode

 

[Robert S.]

Re: Hot rails or Cool rails?

Coil splitting the JB and the CR is not a bad idea, I just don't normally do it so I don't have a performance review for it.

I prefer the CR with 500k pots, they have better clarity that way.