Dr. Lo
New member
I've fallen in love with my Les Paul again. I've had such an ambivalent relationship with this guitar, having tried so many different types of pickups in the hopes of getting a powerful, mids-present (throaty) sound that would also sound good clean, with the right balance of highs and lows (neither shrill nor muddy). I recently installed Phat Cats in a last ditch attempt to achieve this goal. I have to say that I was quite uncertain of the outcome considering several posts I had read on this forum suggesting that, with their stock magnets, they would sound thin in the bridge and muddy in the neck. Well, all I can say is those descriptions do NOT apply to my experience with them. Both pickup positions sound big and crisp, and much livelier than the various PAF-style pickups I had put in that guitar in the past (such as the DiMarzio 36th Anniversary PAF in the bridge, the SD Jazz in the neck, the DiMarzio Humbucker from Hell in the neck, etc, etc.). There are so many variables at play that can influence one's appreciation of a pickup's sound (e.g., playing style, string gauge, amp, pedals, guitar type, etc, etc.) that it's almost futile to do so. I wanted to post my experience simply to share that I (among others) am VERY happy with the Phat Cats, even with their stock magnets.
For those who may be interested in the other rig-related elements that could have influenced what I hear with the Phat Cats, I installed the them in my 1989 Gibson Les Paul Standard, which I play through a ZVex Distortron (set for moderate drive, and that I boost with a TS808 for heavier sounds), which feeds either a Vox AC15HW1 (Normal channel, bright switch off, channel volume up 1/3, cut control off, and master volume bypassed) or a VHT Special 6 (tone up 1/4 and volume up 1/3).
Enjoy!
For those who may be interested in the other rig-related elements that could have influenced what I hear with the Phat Cats, I installed the them in my 1989 Gibson Les Paul Standard, which I play through a ZVex Distortron (set for moderate drive, and that I boost with a TS808 for heavier sounds), which feeds either a Vox AC15HW1 (Normal channel, bright switch off, channel volume up 1/3, cut control off, and master volume bypassed) or a VHT Special 6 (tone up 1/4 and volume up 1/3).
Enjoy!
