P-Rail coil direction question!

[rmcfee]

I'm sure someone has asked this already but - has anyone installed these so that the single coil section of the pups are facing away from each other?
Mine are installed so that the singles are facing in towards each other and I thought that it might make sense to do the opposite and get better single coil sound. I know someone must have done this! Thanks.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: P-Rail coil direction question!

Without magnet swapping, putting the rail coil of the bridge closest to the bridge makes the output really low when split to that coil. There is no issue reversing the neck though, you may or may not prefer the tone that way.

 

[rmcfee]

Re: P-Rail coil direction question!

Thanks Christopher. Next string change I'll probably reverse the neck pup direction.

 

[Blille]

Re: P-Rail coil direction question!

I did like the neck prail reversed.

So much that I got the next one from the Custom Floor Shop with the logo the other way around so that it wouldn't look weird

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: P-Rail coil direction question!

They can be turned any way you like them. I settled on having both rail coils toward the neck. This maximizes the brightness of the P90 coils while minimizing the brightness of the rail coils – both good things IMO.

FWIW, I use two neck models to make the set, and I wire them to be run mainly as P90's, with a switchable "boost" by adding the rail coils. I also removed the logos, which eliminates any odd cosmetic affects that flipping the pick ups might have.

 

[rmcfee]

Re: P-Rail coil direction question!

Hey thanks ItsaBass. Why use 2 neck units? Did you find the bridge one to be too hot?

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: P-Rail coil direction question!

You're welcome. I find the bridge model too hot for the way I like to have my pickups balanced. I prefer a more old-style pickup balance, with non-calibrated pickups. Some people like to use the bridge pickup for a more compressed, fatter sound. I like the opposite. I like the bridge pickup to be trebly, cutting, and not too thick, and the neck pickup to be creamy and a bit thick/warm. The way I rig my P-Rails, I basically view them as a vintage style P-90 setup (like an SG Special), but with a hum canceling feature that can be engaged from time to time (switch over to SG Standard when needed). I don't bother with the parallel or rail-only settings on them. They can be put to good use, but I personally don't have much use for those tones in what I play.

 

[Blille]

Re: P-Rail coil direction question!

I'm sure someone has asked this already but - has anyone installed these so that the single coil section of the pups are facing away from each other?
Mine are installed so that the singles are facing in towards each other and I thought that it might make sense to do the opposite and get better single coil sound. I know someone must have done this! Thanks.

Btw, the point of having the rails inside is to have some quack when engaged together.

 

[rmcfee]

Re: P-Rail coil direction question!

Blille - The 2 pups together in single mode do have a great Strat quack. I wouldn't want to lose that. Maybe it would lean more to Tele tone if I switched it?
ItsaBass - I see your strategy. That makes a lot of sense. I don't recall P-90s being that hot. Some of the best P-90s I've heard have been the Duncan vintage models with "vintage" output.
I see some reviews of people saying the P-Rails are a compromise of the tones but I disagree - the tones are great. The humbucking mode in series gets a hot Van Halen tone easily and the series bucker tone is clear and very good IMHO.
Versatile little buggers!

 

[Blille]

P-Rail coil direction question!

Blille - The 2 pups together in single mode do have a great Strat quack. I wouldn't want to lose that. Maybe it would lean more to Tele tone if I switched it?

I think you'll lose the quack but not sure you'll get tele since the tele bridge sound is so characteristic, even when combined.