What magnet swap to give a Phat Cat bridge a more Ric Hi Gain like character?

[Swing604]

Hi all. I'm looking to swap the magnets out on a SD Phat Cat which is currently in the bridge of my Godin Dorchester (https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/Godin_Richmond_Series_Belmont_Dorchester_Review?page=2) to help give this guitar a more Ric like character. I'm a big fan of Peter Buck's (R.E.M.) early sound & while Its true only a Ric sounds like a Ric, My big hands just can't get along with those narrow necks! Like a Ric, the Dorchester is a semi hollow guitar with a maple centre section. Unlike the Ric the Godin has a long 25.4 scale, bolt on neck & stop tailpiece. The Phat Cat is a nice pickup but I'm finding the big mids & loose bottom end aren't ideal for the music I play. I'm looking for jangle & chime that can still get "Kerrangy" with open chords that still sound defined when overdriven. I have a second Dorchester which has a GFS Dream 90 in the bridge & while this pickup gets me close to the Ric thing, I like the higher output, punch & dynamic range of the PC.
I'd like to try a magnet swap to hopefully get the best of both pickups & I'm curious what magnets I should first try? I believe the the Ric Hi Gains (not a big fan of toasters) have a single ceramic magnet & are wound around 11k. The Dream 90 has Alnico 5's (I think) but again, has a noticeably lower output compared to the PC. I've got some Alnico 4's & 5's on order & am thinking of starting with a couple of A5's to replace PC's stock A2's. Any & all suggestions would be most appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Mincer]

Re: What magnet swap to give a Phat Cat bridge a more Ric Hi Gain like character?

Welcome to the forum!

Well, logically, the A5 or ceramic would help that out. They won't give it more power, but they will radically change the EQ, which seems like there is more power. BTW, my favorite Ric tones were from Yes' first guitarist, Peter Banks. He really tore it up.

 

[Swing604]

Re: What magnet swap to give a Phat Cat bridge a more Ric Hi Gain like character?

Welcome to the forum!

Well, logically, the A5 or ceramic would help that out. They won't give it more power, but they will radically change the EQ, which seems like there is more power. BTW, my favorite Ric tones were from Yes' first guitarist, Peter Banks. He really tore it up.

Thanks Mincer! The output on the Phat Cat bridge matches up very nicely to the Dorchester's stock Lace Alumnitone neck so a pair of A5's might just do the trick. Always liked a lot of Yes's stuff over the years & I'll be sure to check out their early music with Peter Banks. I was actually just listening to a nice Yes cover featuring another of my faves, Mathew Sweet https://youtu.be/bFI-4d9gPhA.

Cheers!

 

[Mincer]

Re: What magnet swap to give a Phat Cat bridge a more Ric Hi Gain like character?

Thanks Mincer! The output on the Phat Cat bridge matches up very nicely to the Dorchester's stock Lace Alumnitone neck so a pair of A5's might just do the trick. Always liked a lot of Yes's stuff over the years & I'll be sure to check out their early music with Peter Banks. I was actually just listening to a nice Yes cover featuring another of my faves, Mathew Sweet https://youtu.be/bFI-4d9gPhA.

Cheers!

Great cover!
If you find you like early Yes, check out Peter Banks solo albums, and his band Flash, all of which features the sound of his Ric in a non-jangly way.

 

[Swing604]

Re: What magnet swap to give a Phat Cat bridge a more Ric Hi Gain like character?

For anyone who might be curious, I did the A2 to A5 magnet swap on the Phat Cat bridge & found the sound to be a little too shrill with the A5's. I guess I'll try a different magnet combo down the road. I'm actually digging the lower output GFS Dream 90's quite a bit so I'll stick to them in my #1 for the time being. I have a set of ultra affordable Warman HBP90's on the way with ceramic magnets (like a Ric Hi Gain) so it'll be interesting to compare them on my second guitar with the Dream 90's in my main axe. Cheers!

 

[Clint 55]

Re: What magnet swap to give a Phat Cat bridge a more Ric Hi Gain like character?

It's a sad thing that the Phat Cats are both 8k instead of 7 and 10.

 

[socalscott]

Re: What magnet swap to give a Phat Cat bridge a more Ric Hi Gain like character?

For anyone who might be curious, I did the A2 to A5 magnet swap on the Phat Cat bridge & found the sound to be a little too shrill with the A5's. I guess I'll try a different magnet combo down the road. I'm actually digging the lower output GFS Dream 90's quite a bit so I'll stick to them in my #1 for the time being. I have a set of ultra affordable Warman HBP90's on the way with ceramic magnets (like a Ric Hi Gain) so it'll be interesting to compare them on my second guitar with the Dream 90's in my main axe. Cheers!

A2/A5 bar mix since '00. I bought only two 2 bars, as I'm cheap. It was a happy accident. I have a normal 8.5-ish set with ceramic bars and I actually like the big SC, no Honk factor. I utilize a cap only treble-bleed, so it gets fender-y below 5 on the git volume and roll up for increasing mids. 250k pots keep hi's and output in check. This is on an Rondo SX Strat clone and with git on 2, it nails the Strat neck and bridge eq.
A3 should be considered as well. It will cut down on Honk and output. Extend the possibilities with mixing mag types for sure. Can't rule out bass-cut, a la G&L/Reverend. Good luck

 

[socalscott]

Re: What magnet swap to give a Phat Cat bridge a more Ric Hi Gain like character?

It's a sad thing that the Phat Cats are both 8k instead of 7 and 10.

A3 mag swap for the neck pup will bring some balance.
DIY de-wind 1k off is not more than an afternoon of time. 7.3k is pretty sweet.

 

[dystrust]

Re: What magnet swap to give a Phat Cat bridge a more Ric Hi Gain like character?

For anyone who might be curious, I did the A2 to A5 magnet swap on the Phat Cat bridge & found the sound to be a little too shrill with the A5's. I guess I'll try a different magnet combo down the road. I'm actually digging the lower output GFS Dream 90's quite a bit so I'll stick to them in my #1 for the time being. I have a set of ultra affordable Warman HBP90's on the way with ceramic magnets (like a Ric Hi Gain) so it'll be interesting to compare them on my second guitar with the Dream 90's in my main axe. Cheers!

If you're looking for a bit more mid & less bright, A5/A4 is a popular combo. If you want a lot more output & mids, A5/A8 is a popular bridge position combo.