PHAT CATS!!! Curious about these things...

[Maximusgordon 2.0]

The new Phat Cats have caught my eye lately and ive been trying to found out more about them. I know that they are P90s in a humbucker size and everything, but when looking at the specs i see that they are quite a bit different than other P90s. They have a lower dc resistance and use Alnico 2 magnets unlike the A5 or Ceramic that others use. They obviously arent your standard sounding P90 or P90 wanna-be. How do they differ from other P90 style pickups tonally? I have little experiece with P90s and im not to familiar with them, but i do know that i have liked the few guitars ive played with them, though i dont remember much other than that it sounded cool and made me play some stright up riff rock!... How would they compare to PAFs and Strat pups? What do you like about them?

Im looking for pups for my Les Paul and if i got Phat Cats that is were they would go. How do these sound in a Les Paul? Does is still sound like a good ol' Les Paul?

 

[Tweed]

I have a set, but haven't had a chance to put them in. Neck is 8.0, bridge 8.5. That's in the PAF range and is pretty typical for a P90. A good P90 will smoke many a mighty PAF clone, but that's just my opinion. I've heard clips of the PCs and liked what I heard, so I snagged a pair. P90s have great clarity and articulate very well. Open and more airy than PAFs with a nice midrange. They sound great clean, and really snarl and grind when pushed. They clean up nicely when you back off the volume knob. Yeah, they hum, but not when you're playing so no biggie. Famous players who have used P90s...Wes Montgomery, Freddie King (LP), Leslie West (LP Jr.), Carlos Santana (LP w/P90s...early records), Neil Young (LP) and many others. That covers a pretty good chunk of sonic territory. Much bigger and fatter sounding than a strat-type pup. Check with John at Blackrose. That's who I buy from. He has the best prices, best service, and he's a good guy to boot

 

[Lewguitar]

I have the Phat Cats in stock but haven't had time to try them yet. I will soon. I'll put a set in my '92 Hamer Studio and compare them to the Fralin P90's in my '95 Hamer Studio. Regarding P90's in general: they're a single coil and have a tone closer to a paf then a Strat but kind of between the two. Brighter than a paf but fatter than a Strat. They're a single coil that will still get that fat tone and sweet sustain of a paf. A good paf will be stronger and push the amp into overdrive faster than most P90's tho. Lew

 

[Maximusgordon 2.0]

Ok, cool. But how are these different sound-wise with other P90's? it specs seem to be quite different than most...

 

[Tweed]

The Antiquity and Vintage P90 are about the same as the PC as far as DC resistance goes. I'm not sure what other specs you're referring to, but...
The coil would have to be of a different size. A P90 coil is not going to fit under that cover. Taller than a P90, maybe more like a tele coil. I'd guess from what I've read that the PC is probably wound with 43-gauge wire, not 42-gauge like a regular P90. I'm no expert on winding pups, but that will (or should) effect the sound. The PCs use Alnico II magnets, which is good. But without having my PCs wired up, I can't give you any results of a taste test. I just know that I've read very good reviews about their P90 sound. I'm not big on sound clips for hearing what a pup really sounds like, but to get a ballpark idea they are fine. What I heard was enough to convince me buy a set. I'm sure Seymour's got the PCs sounding nice. He's not going to release a pup that doesn't deliver the goods. There's a forum member named HHB...good player. I think he has some clips of PCs posted someplace. You might give him a shout. I heard them, and thought the P90 tone was happenin'. P90s sound great in Lesters and also mix and match well with humbuckers.
The other SD P90s are wound hotter. Maybe that's what you mean when you say the specs are so different? I like P90s in the 7.5-8.5 range myself. As the winds get hotter, I think you lose some of that open "stratty" top end that makes them so cool sounding. P90s are a real wild-child...lotta personality, for lack of a better word. Polite one minute and raising hell the next. You should probably try a set, you can always return them if they don't suit you, right?

 

[Scott_F]

I have a set of Phat Cats in my PRS. Except, mine were customwound. I have an A5 mag Vintage neck in the neck and a Ceramic Custom neck in the bridge. (you read that correctly)

One of them is rwrp and I love em. Hot as hell.

I'll be trying a set of a2 PCs at some point.

 

[Byakhee00]

here's a question for the folks at SD - When (if ever) are we gonna be able to see Phat Cat stacks? (aside from the custom shop, of course)

 

[Stratman]

Re: PHAT CATS!!! Curious about these things...

I have a set of Phat Cats in my PRS. Except, mine were customwound. I have an A5 mag Vintage neck in the neck and a Ceramic Custom neck in the bridge. (you read that correctly)

One of them is rwrp and I love em. Hot as hell.

I'll be trying a set of a2 PCs at some point.

So how do these custon Phat Cats stack up against Z90's?

Scott: We need to compare these pups and our various amps...
Should I fly back to Houston?