Hot Rail pickups? Yea or Nea?

Crazyblue1779

I’ve a lovely Squier CV strat which is a wonderful guitar save for the fact that I can’t get used to a SC in the bridge. 

It’s routed for a humbucker but obviously it’s handier to throw in a rail pickup ( probably Iron Gear). 

How do these compare tonally to something full sized?

I’m a bedroom player, and I’m developing a real love of blues (hence the strat), but I do still like to chug sometimes( think Lamb Of God, Machine Head, Slipknot etc). 

Will something single coil sized suffice? 

Funkfingers

Do you seek increased output from the bridge/Treble position or a specific tonal change?

Seymour Duncan Hot Rails pickups bring both. The polepieces prevent string alignment problems with cranky old vibrato bridges such as the Ibanez Power Rocker. 

I nearest thing I have ever heard a Li’l ‘bucker come to sounding like a full sized one is the SD Custom Shop Pearly Gates For Telecaster. The nearest thing to this in Strat format is their Red Devil model.

Thus, if you want the sounds of a “proper” humbucker, get one. 

Given that the CV pickups are made in the same factory as Tonerider, I would be inclined to try one of their products. My first choice would be a 9k Alnico 5 single coil. e.g. Tonerider City Limits model.

DeeTee

It won't entirely do the job, basically. I like a single coil sized bucker, and have three in my Strat. They just aren't quite the full thing though, more like halfway between single coil and humbucker. It'll do a decent enough job of a lot of things, but it won't really do that low down chug.

DrBob

A lot of people are really down on them in a 'neither fish nor fowl" kind of way but I've always liked them.ever since I first saw The Hamsters live !

kentuckyklira

I love my OBL L250s but they won´t do Lamb of God.

monquixote

They are sort of their own thing.

Because they are small you get a much more focussed sound like a Strat pickup, but you get the high output and the frequency cancellation of a humbucker.

I had a lil 59 in my Strat for years because I only had one guitar and it was fine, but not super chuggy.

I went to SSS when I got an HH guitar, but I'm actually thinking of going back because I don't think I really like the Strat bridge sound all that much.

I've still got the Lil 59 if anyone wants an SD for not too much cash. If I put one in it will be something hotter most likely.

Crazyblue1779

Hmm. Sounds like I may need something full sized. The whole point of this is to get the chug lol!

Philly_Q

I tried a Hot Rails in a Strat once and didn't like it at all, if I remember correctly it was surprisingly thin and bright sounding.  I took it out and replaced it with the Lace Sensor which was there before.

Maybe I should've given it more of a chance, they seem to work for people like Janick Gers.

Lestratcaster

I have the JB SH-4 humbucker in my Squier Strat and it definitely chugs! Before I put the JB jnr as it was conveniently single coil sized and it just didn't have the same power. Mind you I did change alot of other things on the guitar as well.

DeeTee

Philly_Q said:

I tried a Hot Rails in a Strat once and didn't like it at all, if I remember correctly it was surprisingly thin and bright sounding.  I took it out and replaced it with the Lace Sensor which was there before.

Maybe I should've given it more of a chance, they seem to work for people like Janick Gers.

They definitely need to be wired to the tone control to avoid sounding like a dentist's drill! Some of them are voiced for 250k pots as well. That causes problems when people (understandably) replace the pot with the 500k they'd normally use for a humbucker.

fretmeister

Even though it has a lower output, I think the Dimarzio Chopper is far better than the SD Hot Rails. Less string pull and just a more full sized tone.

TTBZ

The Chopper is pretty decent but too dull with 250k from what I remember when I had mine. I dont think they really sound like proper humbuckers but I actually kinda like the "halfway house" sound for what it is. 

ICBM

None of them sound like full-size humbuckers. They can be just as (or more) powerful and aggressive, but they're always more focused and tighter-sounding. It's inevitable with the narrow string-sensing length, the thinner-gauge wire and more powerful magnets they need to pack the same sort of output into a pickup half the size.

I've also come to like them - I've got a Chopper and a Fast Track in my 'Strat' and they sound great... not like a Les Paul, but a Strat-type guitar is never going to even with full-size ones.

monquixote

Has anyone tried an Injector?

I'm quite interested to try one as apparently they can do epic gain pretty well.

Jono111

I have recently installed iron gear rails into mid and neck. They aren't very humbuckery and no matter how I adjust them cant get them to sound like the sound clips on the website. They are nice though. More like hot p90. They will be staying in.

grungebob

I can’t remember the model number but the Billy Corgan Dimarzio bridge rails pickup was very good in my squire strat at adding up the beef for gain. You do lose some of the strat sound though if you like the in between settings. 

I only like a singlecoil in the neck on its own and a bridge humbucker. 

DrBob

monquixote said:

Has anyone tried an Injector?

I'm quite interested to try one as apparently they can do epic gain pretty well.

Yes a friend had a set of them in a Charvel Spectrum. I really liked them but they’re not exactly that 50s Strat sound. 

monquixote

DrBob said:

monquixote said:

Has anyone tried an Injector?

I'm quite interested to try one as apparently they can do epic gain pretty well.

Yes a friend had a set of them in a Charvel Spectrum. I really liked them but they’re not exactly that 50s Strat sound. 

That's fine with me as I have decided I don't really like Strat bridge sounds

ThePrettyDamned

Hot rails are crazy hot! They're genuinely very chugga chugga. Bright, tight and focused sound - personally, I love it, but it's not like having a classic PAF. 

DrBob

monquixote said:

DrBob said:

monquixote said:

Has anyone tried an Injector?

I'm quite interested to try one as apparently they can do epic gain pretty well.

Yes a friend had a set of them in a Charvel Spectrum. I really liked them but they’re not exactly that 50s Strat sound. 

That's fine with me as I have decided I don't really like Strat bridge sounds

Then you’ll like these.The Pickup I always always end up changing in a Strat is the bridge, The bridge Injector is great 

Rich210

I've got a set of factory installed Gotah hot rails on my legacy special, and I rate them. They are their own thing definitely. They don't have 'character' of something handwound with alnico's but with the PTB circuitry I can get a lot of really nice tones out of them so it's great for in the studio. I really love them for mellow playing, but they're equally equipped for lots of saturated fuzzed up stuff. 

I had thought about swapping them out a few times but when I have a play I tend to lock something really nice in and end up keeping them in.