Modding the Phat Cat into a metal pickup... worth it or just ditch it altogether?

Rex_Rocker

Well-known member
I dig the Phat Cat Neck on its own. It has nice spanky cleans, and it pairs extremely well with vintage output bridge pickups like the WLH or the '59B.

However, I have since moved on to the realm of high output pickups. I've got the Phat Cat in the neck position of a PRS SE baritone with a Black Winter in the bridge. On its own, it's a cool pickup and it's EQ'd well, but if I switch from the neck to the bridge on a clean setting, there is a HUGE volume jump. I've got the Phat Cat set a lot closer to the strings than I would normally set a neck pickup, and I've tried playing with the polepiece height, but the difference is so massive, even that has not helped. Even on the distorted channel, when swtiching between pickups, there is a pretty substancial difference. The neck position feels very dry and undergained.

So I'm thinking about dropping a pair of ceramic magnets in the Phat Cat, as well as some hex screws to counter the increase in low-end the ceramic magnets are probably going to yield, and a 250K volume knob to counter the added brightness. I don't want to radically transform the EQ of the Phat Cat, I just want to give it enough power to better match the Black Winter in the bridge.

Do you guys think it's worth doing, or would it be easier altogether to ditch it and find some other more modern neck pickup that better matches the Black Winter?

Thanks. :)
 
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Re: Modding the Phat Cat into a metal pickup... worth it or just ditch it altogether?

Should work. A8s are really hot also.

Another option would be to put a double thick A8 in the Black Winter which would drop its heat but still sound good.
 
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Re: Modding the Phat Cat into a metal pickup... worth it or just ditch it altogether?

Thanks!

Ohhh, no. I don't want to mess with the 'Winter. I love it the way it is! :D

What I'm worried about is ceramic would turn an already spanky, edgy pickup even with the stock A2 into a scooped, trebly mess. Scooped is the last thing I personally want neck pickups to be.

A8 could have the potential to be a bit bassy, on the other hand, no?
 
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Re: Modding the Phat Cat into a metal pickup... worth it or just ditch it altogether?

I don't think A8 would be more bassy than A2. It would just be hotter and grittier. The highs and mids balance out the solid bass. You could always drop the bass side of the pup.
 
Re: Modding the Phat Cat into a metal pickup... worth it or just ditch it altogether?

A couple A8s would be my recommendation. Ceramics would just open another can of worms that you'd have to "fix".
 
Re: Modding the Phat Cat into a metal pickup... worth it or just ditch it altogether?

Yeah, now that you guys mention it, Alnico 8 may be a better idea.

I'm still wondering, though... would it be worth the trouble or should I just sell the pickup and find something that's actually meant for metal?
 
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Re: Modding the Phat Cat into a metal pickup... worth it or just ditch it altogether?

I think the PC sounds really good under gain. In addition to its exceptional clean tone.
 
Re: Modding the Phat Cat into a metal pickup... worth it or just ditch it altogether?

why not leave one A2 and swap in a ceramic, many p90s have unbalanced magnets to get different textures and outputs
 
Re: Modding the Phat Cat into a metal pickup... worth it or just ditch it altogether?

why not leave one A2 and swap in a ceramic, many p90s have unbalanced magnets to get different textures and outputs
Wouldn't that degauss the A2 magnet?
 
Re: Modding the Phat Cat into a metal pickup... worth it or just ditch it altogether?

In theory it can. The mags still end up functioning fine.
 
Re: Modding the Phat Cat into a metal pickup... worth it or just ditch it altogether?

I think with a ton of gain, it would be pretty noisy, though...
 
Re: Modding the Phat Cat into a metal pickup... worth it or just ditch it altogether?

Wouldn't that degauss the A2 magnet?

the gibson tony iommi pickup has a central a2 mag and 2 spacer ceramics afaik and it sounds hell great
 
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