P-rails as a single pickup

[Chorndog]

What position would a P-rail work best in as the only pickup in a guitar?

 

[Mincer]

Welcome to the forum!

In a single pickup guitar, it would most likely be the bridge. If the guitar has just a neck pickup, it is most likely something like an archtop, which really only needs 1 great sound, like a PAF.

 

[hamerfan]

As single pick up I would place not too near to the bridge or/and face the P90 towards the bridge. The rail tends to be hard and brittle facing towards the bridge.

 

[Artie]

I would think it would depend on what you want to play. For rhythm, jazz and blues, then maybe the neck. For screamin' leads and country, then maybe the bridge.

 

[Aceman]

It depends on what you want to play in what guitar....

I could see a P-Rail totally working in the neck if what you want there is a P90 for Rawk rhythm and fat blues, a single for cutting Strat tones, and a Parallel HB for jazzier clean stuff.

But yeah - Any one HB guitar that I have that specifically NOT for Jazz, I'm going bridge, and in the case the 18k HB setting is a phasor set to KILL!!!!! So metal/hard rock totally in scope too.

 

[Mincer]

It would be odd to pick out the pickup before the guitar, though.

 

[Aceman]

It would be odd to pick out the pickup before the guitar, though.

I can imagine pickups I have wanted guitars for....but I knew what guitar and why!

 

[Chorndog]

Here is my guitar that I’m asking about the single P-rail for. I have two Golden Age P-90s that I bought for it, but I’m having second thoughts. I want a rocker but also some clarity and warmth when I want to play clean. I want to keep it simple and I think the single P-rail may give it some versatility.

 

[Dudeman7]

I have a P-Rail in one of my ESP Ltd Hybrids. It is wired with a push/pull to split the HB to the P90 coil.

So far, I haven't found anything this pickup doesn't do well. The guitar also has a Quarter Pound Tele in the neck but it gets used about 1% of the time I play that guitar.

P-Rail in the bridge with split to the P90 could easily make a single pickup guitar very versatile and sound great.

 

[alex1fly]

I think the answer depends on what you want to do. Mimic most other one-pickup guitars? Go bridge. Be jazzy? Go neck. Be experimental? Go neck or middle. You can certainly rock out on a neck or middle pickup... don't worry too much about pigeonholing certain styles to certain pickup positions. But traditional would be bridge only. Sounds fun! I bet the P Rails is a great one-pickup option especially with all the switching.

 

[Mincer]

It would actually be cool between the bridge and tailpiece. Set that through its own output & pedals, and you got something cool.