Phat Cat + humbucker?

[Tumblinman]

Hello

I'm thinking of putting a Phat Cat in the neck of my new Ibanez Artcore AK85 (hollow jazz guitar) and leaving the stock bridge pup. The thing is I have heard somewhere that a P90 and a humbucker sounds bad together (in the middle switch pos). Is this true?

If I was to mount two humbuckers in this guitar instead - what Duncan pups would you recommend if want to split them and use one coil of each in the middle switch pos?

Thanks! / Tumblinman

 

[Artie]

Re: Phat Cat + humbucker?

Hmmm . . . I wonder if someone used the term "bad", when they meant "noisy". A P90 and a humbucker won't be hum-cancelling, but a P90 is just a hot single. Think how many HSH and HS guitars there are out there that sound great.

I would think you'ld be ok as long as the outputs aren't radically different.

 

[theodie]

Re: Phat Cat + humbucker?

I wouldnt personally really worry what so ever! P-90's sound GREAT IMO!!!

 

[Tumblinman]

Re: Phat Cat + humbucker?

Ok. Then maybe I'll go with a Phat Cat in the neck. By the way, is there some way to measure a pickups output (kOhm) without disconnecting them from my guitar? I have heard that you can measure directly on the guitarcable, but wouldn't that mean that you measure the whole circuit. That is, all the pots and condensators and so on.

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Phat Cat + humbucker?

Yes you would, but go figure: 5 kto lets say 16k resistance for the pup and 125 to 500k for the rest of the circuit. The measuring current is going minimum 90% thru the pups. Not to bad!

 

[jeremy]

Re: Phat Cat + humbucker?

i have a phat cat in the bridge with a pg in the neck, the combined tone is wonderful

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Phat Cat + humbucker?

i have a phat cat in the bridge with a pg in the neck, the combined tone is wonderful

I definitely see why! I love mine too. I am using a phat cat bridge with a PAF clone (timbucker) in the neck.

B :beerchug:

 

[Tumblinman]

Re: Phat Cat + humbucker?

Thanks for your replies.

I've just measured the resistance in the Artcore pickups and the results are a little weird. When measuring the neck pickup (all pots on full and selector in the right position) I get 8.45 KOhm which seems reasonable, but the bridge pickups measures 15.6 KOhm. And there's no real differens in perceived output when you play the guitar. Both pickups sound like low-output pickups to me.

Just to be sure I measured the Gibson 57's I have in my Epi Sheraton II and they both measures something like 8 KOhm. That's consistent with the specs on Gibsons website.

Sounds like the 15. kOhm bridge pickup might be hard to combine with a Phat Cat in the neck? At least as far as DC resistance goes.

 

[flank]

Re: Phat Cat + humbucker?

i use a phat cat bridge and Seth Lover neck and it sounds great in the middle position

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Phat Cat + humbucker?

The thing is I have heard somewhere that a P90 and a humbucker sounds bad together (in the middle switch pos). Is this true?

It isn't true at all. Phat Cats sound almost like a humbucker (hence the name "phat"). As it is, I have an underwound (7.0k) Phat Cat and it sounds great together with my Jon Moore Big Dog (11.2k) in the bridge. I used to have it in my 355 with a Custom 3 (14.2k) in the bridge and it sounded great in the middle position there too.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Phat Cat + humbucker?

Thanks for your replies.

I get 8.45 KOhm which seems reasonable, but the bridge pickups measures 15.6 KOhm. And there's no real differens in perceived output when you play the guitar. Both pickups sound like low-output pickups to me.

Ideally, that's sort of what you want. The bridge pu has to be stronger to compensate for the relative lack of vibration near the bridge compared to where the neck pickup is.

Otherwise, it could be that either your neck pickup is too close to the strings or your bridge pu is too far away -- or some combination thereof.

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Phat Cat + humbucker?

Thanks for your replies.

I've just measured the resistance in the Artcore pickups and the results are a little weird. When measuring the neck pickup (all pots on full and selector in the right position) I get 8.45 KOhm which seems reasonable, but the bridge pickups measures 15.6 KOhm. And there's no real differens in perceived output when you play the guitar. Both pickups sound like low-output pickups to me.

Just to be sure I measured the Gibson 57's I have in my Epi Sheraton II and they both measures something like 8 KOhm. That's consistent with the specs on Gibsons website.

Sounds like the 15. kOhm bridge pickup might be hard to combine with a Phat Cat in the neck? At least as far as DC resistance goes.

Do not mind the differences in the resistance values. It means that your neck pickup was wound with #42 AWG wire and your bridge (probably) with #43 AWG (just like Customs). And comparing resistance values to match differences in output between pups wound with #42 versus #43, is not that justified. Apples versus oranges. See?

A standard HB bobin measures like 5.00K when wound fully with #42 AWG wire. Thus, the highest you could go is something like 10.00-11.00K with #42. I have to admit that I do not know how hot this would be with #43 wire. But that would have given us a basic reference.

B

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Phat Cat + humbucker?

Do not mind the differences in the resistance values. It means that your neck pickup was wound with #42 AWG wire and your bridge (probably) with #43 AWG (just like Customs). And comparing resistance values to match differences in output between pups wound with #42 versus #43, is not that justified. Apples versus oranges. See?

A standard HB bobin measures like 5.00K when wound fully with #42 AWG wire. Thus, the highest you could go is something like 10.00-11.00K with #42. I have to admit that I do not know how hot this would be with #43 wire. But that would have given us a basic reference.

B

The same DC resistance would have more lows and low-mids with #42 wire because the coil would be bigger and therefore sense a larger portion of the string.