P-Rails or Phat Cat for JD Tele

[radekvitr]

I have a JD in the bridge with a tele routed only for humbuckers in the neck. Now my current humbucker is still too dark in contrast to the JD, so I'm looking at the Seymour Duncan P90 options that fit in the humbucker route. I have 500K pots with a 270K resistance parallel from the JD hot wire to ground.

Would the P-rails be a better option than the Phat Cats? While the extra humbucker or parallel humbucker modes would be an advantage (and I already have a push-pull in the guitar), I'm only really interested in the P90 sound. What I'm concerned about is the Phat Cat is supposedly borderline too hot for the JD, isn't the P-Rail even hotter with AlNiCo Vs in it? If not, I like that the P-Rail P90 is supposedly a little brighter than the PC...

Thoughts?
P.S. no mag swaps in the PC, stock options only...
P.P.S. other brands are fine only if they're at most as expensive as the SD stuff, and if it's easily available in the Czech Republic (there aren't many brands available)

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: P-Rails or Phat Cat for JD Tele

If your current humbucker is too dark, just try wiring it in parallel. That will brighten it up considerably.

If you are determined to have a P-90 in the neck (which is an excellent choice) you might consider the GFS Mean 90. It's a really great sounding P-90 in a humbucker sized cover (zinc, black, or gold), and it is very reasonably priced.

 

[radekvitr]

Re: P-Rails or Phat Cat for JD Tele

Thanks for the suggestion, but the GFS Mean 90 is not an option for me (as appealing as it sounds), as they don't ship here (I even asked them).

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: P-Rails or Phat Cat for JD Tele

Before you spring for a new pickup, try wiring the tone control so it only affects the bridge pickup. That will brighten it up considerably.

The other thing worth looking at is that if you want the bridge pickup to sound like it is wired to a 250k pot, you need either a 470k or 510k resistor. 270k is not enough to get the proper loading. This will darken the bridge a little (more in line with a standard tele's bridge tone) which will make the neck seem brighter than it is now because it will allow you to add some more treble/presence on your amp and get a more balanced sound. Actually, i would try this mod before you do anything else.

I did this with a tele loaded with a JD and a pearly gats in the neck. It sounded sweet as heck. The middle position sound was particularly stellar.

 

[radekvitr]

Re: P-Rails or Phat Cat for JD Tele

With the 270K it sounds like it's wired to a 175K pot (simple math, 500K and 270K in parallel), if I increased the resistance I'd actually make it brighter, not darker. (I didn't pull it out of a hat, I used the Fender U.S. Fat Telecaster wiring diagram).

It doesn't sound very muddy, I'm just looking for a brighter, nastier tone. The PATB-1N in the neck is just too polite for what I want.

 

[Mincer]

Re: P-Rails or Phat Cat for JD Tele

The Phat Cat would be my choice then, over a P-Rails here. The 'Cat can get pretty rude and nasty, and sounds wonderful in the neck of a Tele.

 

[radekvitr]

Re: P-Rails or Phat Cat for JD Tele

I got the Phat Cat and I'm ever so happy, I don't feel like changing the eq when changing positions... And the neck sounds lovely, I guess I just dislike the mushy low end I got with humbuckers...
And it's closer in output, which is a plus.

 

[Mincer]

Re: P-Rails or Phat Cat for JD Tele

Awesome! Happy it worked out well!

 

[Nostalgic Distortion]

Re: P-Rails or Phat Cat for JD Tele

QUOTE=Mincer;4011950]The Phat Cat would be my choice then, over a P-Rails here. The 'Cat can get pretty rude and nasty, and sounds wonderful in the neck of a Tele.[/QUOTE]

View attachment 74616

Tele's yeah it does!!!!

 

[Mincer]

Re: P-Rails or Phat Cat for JD Tele

Wow! Amazing color on that Tele! That is a Tele I'd actually play! haha