OK, so nobody told me Rail pickups sounded "normal"

[ImmortalSix]

I always figured rails pickups sounded very different from regular pole-piece pickups.

This is not the case.

I was thinking they would sound more hi-fi or ceramic, but sure enough, the one I just put in sounds just like a regular old humbucker.

I am very pleasantly surprised. The only other rails pickup I ever had before was a Dimebucker, that's likely why I though they sounded too hi-fi and ceramic --- I had the one that was designed to sound that way :laugh2:

Who else agrees?

Disagrees?

-Hunter

P.S. The pickup I just installed is an old-style Hot Rails into the bridge position of an MIA Strat. It sounds exactly like a full-sized hot humbucker, very natural and earthy, not at all what I was expecting; it's better!

 

[velorush]

Re: OK, so nobody told me Rail pickups sounded "normal"

Hey, that's great news to me. Mine should be in as soon as the triple shots ship out. I was pretty anxious about them sounding too off kilter. Thanks for posting.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: OK, so nobody told me Rail pickups sounded "normal"

Hey, that's great news to me. Mine should be in as soon as the triple shots ship out. I was pretty anxious about them sounding too off kilter. Thanks for posting.

Assuming you are installing P-Rails, I will add that I am now more likely to try P-Rails than I was before.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: OK, so nobody told me Rail pickups sounded "normal"

I think that the mini rails are very 'buckerish as far as tonality goes,, but I have noticed that full sized rail loaded 'buckers do have a wider frequency response than their fillister/slug loaded bretheren.

 

[velorush]

Re: OK, so nobody told me Rail pickups sounded "normal"

Assuming you are installing P-Rails, I will add that I am now more likely to try P-Rails than I was before.

Yes, sorry. I saw "rails" and my one-track mind took over. REALLY anticipating the P-rails getting shipped and I wasn't very careful in discerning that you were talking about a different pickup.

 

[MikeS]

Re: OK, so nobody told me Rail pickups sounded "normal"

Rails coils... neither better or worse... just different.

The CRn remains one of my favorite neck pickups. The only neck pickup I might like better is the 59n in my Studio. They aren't comparable, no more so than apples and oranges, but both tones have a lot of things going for them, and I really love the singing tones from both.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: OK, so nobody told me Rail pickups sounded "normal"

See, in my experience, the Hot Rails sounds an awful lot like a regular old humbucker to me.

I like the sound a lot --- I used it clean for bluegrass last night, it's very full.

 

[Karmadog777]

Re: OK, so nobody told me Rail pickups sounded "normal"

asfar as humbuckers go
Ever since I had my '85 Ibanez Proline 1660 (Rhoads V) with Ibanez V5's I have prefered Rail pups XL500s ,X2Ns and my El Diablos .... to my ears and playing Rails have always sounded bigger,bolder,better.......until I got my Blackouts that is

 

[Diocletian]

Re: OK, so nobody told me Rail pickups sounded "normal"

I never really thought of them as being different to "normal" pickups.
Different pickups sound different - even the likes of a JB and a 59 sound somewhat different yet similar. So it's no surprise a blade pickup is the same, yet different.

If you see what I mean.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: OK, so nobody told me Rail pickups sounded "normal"

Yup. I have a Hot Tele Stack (with a single big blade magnet) in the Canadacaster, and - surprise surprise - it sounds like a Tele bridge pickup.

The one thing I do notice with this one versus regular single coils is that I don't get that output fade-out when I bend.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: OK, so nobody told me Rail pickups sounded "normal"

I am interested in more Rail pickups now, now that this Hot Rails sounds like a regular old humbucker.

Rail90 for Forum Pup 2009! :laugh2:

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: OK, so nobody told me Rail pickups sounded "normal"

In this alder/rosewood US strat, I've got a C5/59 hybrid and used to have a vintage spec A5 in the neck. 3 way toggle. I got to thinking I'd rather have the sound of a humbucker in the neck on this guitar, so I threw one of the new style Hot Rails necks into it. In the past, I always thought of Hot Rails as slightly muddy, but for some reason the new style sounds great in this guitar....not muddy at all. Sounds just like a 59n.

 

[Curt]

Re: OK, so nobody told me Rail pickups sounded "normal"

I should be receiving a Hot Rails to pop in my 84 fender so hearing that it sounds very normal humbucker like, and is very full on the cleans really makes me more comfortable installing this in my strat, I heard from one person that it sounded thin and dull, but I think their guitar was basswood or agathis because it was a cheap ESP/LTD guitar.

Thank you ImmortalSix for putting me at a greater ease when it comes to dropping this in my strat.