Re: Phat Cat in Neck?
I like an inquisitive mind. I was curious myself & have done it on a couple guitars (SG & 335). Works very well, with the exception of the neck Phat Cat being rather dark (which could encourage some muddiness). The easy fix is to replace one of the A2's with an A5, and that gives you treble and definition, which in turn brings out those nice open single coil sounds.
Use a dremel to cut the two solder blobs holding the cover on. You'll see two A2 magnets (opposite polarity) under the fat center coil. Slide one out halway and hold up the new one, so that the ends repel and sides attract. Then pull the old one out all the way, and slide in the new one. Doesn't matter which magnet you replace. Unlike HB's, there are no screws on the base plate to hold the PU together, so you'll need to resolder the cover on. You can do this whole procedure in 10 minutes or less (less time than it takes to respond to an email).
If your guitar's wood is pretty dark, you may want an A3/A5 pair, or an A4/A5. If it's a very bright wood, an A4/A2 or A3/A2 pair may do it. I think the two stock A2's aren't the best magnet choices in some (probably most) guitars, and the PU really needs more treble. But any 10-year old kid can swap a magnet, so its no big deal.
This is a great idea; each PU is where it's at it's best. The HB warms the bridge & keeps it from being too thin & trebley, and the PC opens up the neck. I think a lot of guitars should come from the factory with a HB/Phat Cat set of PU's, instead of the unimaginative & limited HH pair that everyone uses.
