Phat Cats: PG Review "bright and clear" ????

[ruger9]

OK, so- I've been reading for years (mostly here) that the Phat Cat neck is "muddy". PG seems to seriously disagree, calling it the brightest/clearest HB-sized P90 in a recent shootout.... so which is it? Here's my dilemma....

I've been trying to find the right neck pickup for my Epi Peerless Broadway.... this guitar puts out alot of warmth and mids, even electically, so I need a really clear, maybe even mid-scooped?, pickup.... The Mean90 I have in their now actually sounds good, very fat and snotty, but it's not the sound I'm after. I'm thinking I need something very low wind (or voiced very clear) to get the woody clarity I'm after?

It needs to be humbucker-sized, which limits choices considerably. So far, without going to custom-wound route, I have found these:

Mojotone P90, wound to 7.4K

Kent Armstrong Ragtop Convertible, wound to 7.8K

GFS Surf 90, which advertises "no amp-searing midrange"... attempting to copy the Dynasonic sound, they will be mid scooped

SD Phat Cat.... torn on this one: the recent Premier Guitar Review of HB-sized P90s said this one was the brightest and clearest, but for years I have read people complaining that the PC neck pickup is muddy...?
"If your humbucker guitar sounds like it’s trying to sing with marbles in its mouth, a set of Duncan Phat Cats will make it spit ’em out, pronto. They excel at styles that demand crisp precision, and they’re a fine option for darker-toned guitars. " [this sounds EXACTLY like what I need, but all those forum user reviews have me hesitating...]

If I bump up the cost, I head into TV Jones territory (all his stuff his mid scooped), but I don't want this guitar to sound like a Gretsch either....

If it helps at all, and I know this is a ridiculous thing to aspire to, this video of a vintage Zephyr Regent with a Tone Spectrum pickup is the tone I'm after... or at least in that ballpark... I know, I'm dreaming....

 

[Aceman]

Re: Phat Cats: PG Review "bright and clear" ????

EXactly how many people are saying it is muddy?

It isn't exactly as crisp and bright, IMO, as the say the vintage, but I wouldn't call it muddy at all.

Again - beware of frequency bias; One or two gripers can beat that horse until we all think it is dog food. Doesn't mean the rest of us are eating it.

 

[ruger9]

Re: Phat Cats: PG Review "bright and clear" ????

EXactly how many people are saying it is muddy?

It isn't exactly as crisp and bright, IMO, as the say the vintage, but I wouldn't call it muddy at all.

Again - beware of frequency bias; One or two gripers can beat that horse until we all think it is dog food. Doesn't mean the rest of us are eating it.

I guess that's possible. I just have memories of googling "Phat Cat reviews" and ending up on this forum, where people (maybe just one guy, repeatedly??? IDK) wee complaining how muddy the A2 magnets in the neck Phat Cat were, and how they should be A5s....

 

[audiocheck]

Re: Phat Cats: PG Review "bright and clear" ????

consider the StagMag?

Great clarity in the neck, plus the bonus of more clarity when split to single coil.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Phat Cats: PG Review "bright and clear" ????

OK, so- I've been reading for years (mostly here) that the Phat Cat neck is "muddy". PG seems to seriously disagree, calling it the brightest/clearest HB-sized P90 in a recent shootout.... so which is it?

Its only really one particularly vocal forum member who consistently disses the phat cat, which due to his repetitive and critical posting has skewed the perceptions of casual readers. He also often uses phrases like "many of us here feel that..." and "it is a general consensus that.." to add substance to his opinions. Its a shame because it puts a lot of people off trying something that most likely be an excellent choice for them.

Having said all that....i think the pickup that best describes what you are after is the phat staple. Staple pickups are THE choice for real vintage hifi acoustic like clarity.
http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/custom-shop/humbuckers/phat_staple_1/

 

[ruger9]

Re: Phat Cats: PG Review "bright and clear" ????

Its only really one particularly vocal forum member who consistently disses the phat cat, which due to his repetitive and critical posting has skewed the perceptions of casual readers. He also often uses phrases like "many of us here feel that..." and "it is a general consensus that.." to add substance to his opinions. Its a shame because it puts a lot of people off trying something that most likely be an excellent choice for them.

Having said all that....i think the pickup that best describes what you are after is the phat staple. Staple pickups are THE choice for real vintage hifi acoustic like clarity.
http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/custom-shop/humbuckers/phat_staple_1/

Thanks for that. Having had a REALLY BAD experience with the SD custom shop recently, I'm not eager to repeat it. The Phat Staple is a CS only, no?

[not to mention the INCREDIBLE price difference between Cats and Staples]

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Phat Cats: PG Review "bright and clear" ????

Exactly how many people are saying it is muddy?

I reckon that they can be counted on the thumbs of one hand.

 

[ruger9]

Re: Phat Cats: PG Review "bright and clear" ????

I reckon that they can be counted on the thumbs of one hand.

Oh boy.... seems I've been caught in the "casual reader" trap!!! LOL

 

[JOLLY]

Re: Phat Cats: PG Review "bright and clear" ????

Blueman seems to think that they are muddy or whatever he says about them. I have some in an all mahogany Gibson Explorer and they sound great in it.

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: Phat Cats: PG Review "bright and clear" ????

It's not like the Phat Cats are the only game in town either. You can find humbucker sized P90's from a number of manufacturers.

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: Phat Cats: PG Review "bright and clear" ????

Looks like Blueman's done been called out.

 

[ruger9]

Re: Phat Cats: PG Review "bright and clear" ????

It's not like the Phat Cats are the only game in town either. You can find humbucker sized P90's from a number of manufacturers.

yeah, but I'm looking for underwound/clear ones..... meaning, not the hot/snotty P90 everyone loves (including me, just not on THIS guitar).

Just ordered a Phat Cat neck.... if I like it, I'll order the bridge. If I don't, I may look into the Phat Staple, but they are stupid expensive, and with my already mentioned nightmare experience with the custom shop.... since staples were direct copies of Dynas, it would be cheaper to do a TV Jones w/an english mount....

 

[tubecrunch]

Re: Phat Cats: PG Review "bright and clear" ????

Can't say it was muddy, I never played it with high gain. I would call it very, very spongey. Not bright. Unique sound with a weird upper mid contour. Nothing like any p90 I've ever played.

 

[tubecrunch]

Re: Phat Cats: PG Review "bright and clear" ????

Just watched the video. Was about to say "that sounds like a single coil". Then the player said it.... I had a dmz humbucker from hell that got into that territory. Or, why not try a split humbucker?

 

[elelpe]

Re: Phat Cats: PG Review "bright and clear" ????

Hope you'll like Phat Cat neck. It's a great pickup for jazzy stuff in the neck. That said, if you somehow find it doesn't work for you, I'd suggest Wilde L90 by Bill Lawrence. The lower Henries is P-90-ish and the higher Henries are more PAF-ish. You'd get high quality pickup with clear-clean tone at an affordable price.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Phat Cats: PG Review "bright and clear" ????

yeah, but I'm looking for underwound/clear ones..... meaning, not the hot/snotty P90 everyone loves (including me, just not on THIS guitar).

The BKP manhattan fits that role much better than the phat cat does... but since you already have the phat cat on order give it a bash... if it doesnt blow your skirt up maybe look into the bkp

 

[blueman335]

Re: Phat Cats: PG Review "bright and clear" ????

Can't say it was muddy, I never played it with high gain. I would call it very, very spongey. Not bright. Unique sound with a weird upper mid contour. Nothing like any p90 I've ever played.

+1. That's one of the points I try to make, so people know that going in. They don't sound like P-90's, which can be a good thing or a not so good thing, depending on what you're after. The A2's can make the neck very warm, especially in warm woods. In bright woods this wouldn't be an issue. Zhang said the neck model was wound too hot for the magnets, and took 1K of windings off to get more treble and clarity in his.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Phat Cats: PG Review "bright and clear" ????

I reckon that they can be counted on the thumbs of one hand.

Ha ha, pile on boys. Well, I'm not the 'one' as I haven't said they're muddy, I've said the neck model is very warm for me. But what do I know, I've only owned half a dozen neck PC's. Pales in comparison to your guys experience with them in a variety of guitars.

 

[ruger9]

Re: Phat Cats: PG Review "bright and clear" ????

Just watched the video. Was about to say "that sounds like a single coil". Then the player said it.... I had a dmz humbucker from hell that got into that territory. Or, why not try a split humbucker?

I never thought of that. The pickup in the video is a Tone Spectrum, sometimes referred to as "new yorker", and were very low wind... 4K-5K from my research. There isn't much known about them other than they weren't around long, and they are very hit-or-miss when you find intact examples today. But a split PAF may indeed get me closer to that tone than a single coil can... hmm.... very interesting....

 

[ruger9]

Re: Phat Cats: PG Review "bright and clear" ????

Hope you'll like Phat Cat neck. It's a great pickup for jazzy stuff in the neck. That said, if you somehow find it doesn't work for you, I'd suggest Wilde L90 by Bill Lawrence. The lower Henries is P-90-ish and the higher Henries are more PAF-ish. You'd get high quality pickup with clear-clean tone at an affordable price.

Someone else on the jazz forum also recc'd a BL, right alongside a Vintage Vibe CC by Pete Biltoft.