Your favourite pickup/switching config?

Andyjr1515 · August 2013

Hi

I fitted SD P-rails to two of my guitars - one a homebuilt:

and one an upgrade for an ESP LTD:

They both sound fantastic - the humbucker setting is a real humbucker and the P90 setting likewise (to my ears, anyway!). The switching options mean also you can mix humbucker and P90 too in either combination. The rails alone are not my favourite, simply because they are so much quieter than the other two settings.

If I get a chance, I'll try to record some comparative sounds...

Andy

Bidley · August 2013

Myself, I find loads of pickup/switching options is great in theory, but a bit redundant in practice. I rarely use coil splits or middle pickups, I could easily get by with a 'bucker at the bridge and a single or another humbucker in the neck.

Adam_MD · August 2013

Bidley;10521" said:
Myself, I find loads of pickup/switching options is great in theory, but a bit redundant in practice. I rarely use coil splits or middle pickups, I could easily get by with a 'bucker at the bridge and a single or another humbucker in the neck.

+1 I've done a few projects where I've added different switching options just because I could, I thought at the time it would be really handy to have the extra sounds but in reality rarely used them. I added the tele pickups in series mod to my cv 50s but just kept selecting the wrong setting all the time until I changed it back. I also added coil taps to my les Paul but couldn't tell you the last time I actually used them at a gig.
The only guitar I ever use the coil split on is my prs.

daveyh · August 2013

If it could only be one thing, then two splittable humbuckers wired out of phase would be it, that's what I have in my Ravelle. Currently got two Tonerider AlnIIs, although my taste/need is drifting and might swap to AlnIVs. Not interested in more expensive pups because as of yet no one has noticed.

octatonic · August 2013

I like HSH with a 5 way superswitch.

hotpickups · August 2013

I would say do it for yourself not some other heathens ears to criticise

It's all personal isn't it...tone etc

Andyjr1515 · August 2013

Bidley said:

Myself, I find loads of pickup/switching options is great in theory, but a bit redundant in practice. I rarely use coil splits or middle pickups, I could easily get by with a 'bucker at the bridge and a single or another humbucker in the neck.

Actually, I tend to agree... and I rarely use more than 3 combinations in a gig with my own guitars. On the other hand, which 3 of the number of options possible sometimes makes a difference...

The best example of this was one of the former Vigier professional show demonstrators (who I suppose should remain nameless) who once asked me to mod a Strat to the James Tyler config with circa 125 permutations. Against all odds, I managed to do it and he spent a whole day trying every combination again and again. He found, amongst them, two 'perfect' settings for the sound he wanted. When I queried it (as Bidley, Adam and I surely would :-) ) he said that the whole point of asking for so many options was to find the exact sound he wanted and with only five or so options he never could normally do that.

Having said that, I still sway towards Bidley's POV

Andy

mcsdan · August 2013

P90 in the neck and a humbucker in the bridge is a pretty good combo. Throw in some decent pots and 50s wiring and there is a whole range of sounds.

Chuffola · August 2013

I'm very tempted by a LTD PB-401 with P Rails that I reckon I can get for a decent price on the local gumtree. Not normally my sort of thing but the P Rails just seem so versatile and it's not the worst LTD shape I've seen and they're usually well put together.

Interested to hear the positive comments about the rails...

Andyjr1515 · August 2013

Chuffola said:

I'm very tempted by a LTD PB-401 with P Rails that I reckon I can get for a decent price on the local gumtree. Not normally my sort of thing but the P Rails just seem so versatile and it's not the worst LTD shape I've seen and they're usually well put together.

Interested to hear the positive comments about the rails...

Personally, I think they are great. They are not cheap but I have been impressed enough to buy a second set after being so impressed with the first. The humbucker and P90 settings (assuming it's been wired as recommended by SD) absolutely have the two characteristics of those p/ups and are useably different to each other. To my ears (and I mod and play a lot of different guitars) they are tangibly more versatile than simply coil cutting a standard humbucker. The humbucker in parallel option and the rails-only options I find less useful. I may run out of time, but I will see if I can do some sound clips - what general sound do you use (clean, overdriven, distorted , etc)?

OilCityPickups · August 2013

it's funny ... although I get asked about different wiring/switching combos by customers for my pickups ... with my own gigging it's mostly bridge pickup flat out that I use

Have to say that in my Tele Custom I either use the split OCP BrassKnuckle flat out as a single coil ... er ... or flat out as a bucker. Notice the pattern? Sadly I have no subtlety

Chuffola · August 2013

Andyjr1515 said
I may run out of time, but I will see if I can do some sound clips - what general sound do you use (clean, overdriven, distorted , etc)?

Kind offer, thanks, but no need. I'm on leave today and I'll either buy the LTD or something else. I've been faffing about for too long!

Andyjr1515 · August 2013

Chuffola said:

Andyjr1515 said
I may run out of time, but I will see if I can do some sound clips - what general sound do you use (clean, overdriven, distorted , etc)?

Kind offer, thanks, but no need. I'm on leave today and I'll either buy the LTD or something else. I've been faffing about for too long!

:-) - we all do that from time to time. That LTD model is a great guitar - I'd go for it if I were you!

axisus · August 2013

If I actually gigged, I'd probably keep things very simple with 1 or two sounds, but noodling around at home I'm really into switching around all the time for subtle differences in tone.

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