Anyone tried to install a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails bridge humbucker blade Strat pickup in their P/J?

Discussion in 'Pickups & Electronics [BG]' started by NoiseNinja, Jul 3, 2021.

  1. NoiseNinja

    NoiseNinja Experimental-psychedelic-ambient-noise-drone Inactive

    Feb 23, 2011
    Denmark
    So I am playing with the thought of trying out a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails bridge humbucker blade Strat guitar pickup in the bridge J position of my 4 string P/J Ibanez Mikro Bass.

    The measurements should fit the cavity nicely (the overall length of this pickup is a bit shorter though, but I don't mind it not filling out the whole cavity, as it is now it is just left empty anyway) and the 2 blades should be sufficiently long enough to easily cover all 4 strings without issues, also the 16.6 DC resistance of this double blade Ceramic magnet humbucker seems to suggest that it ought be plenty powerful enough to easily compete with the EMG Geezer P pickup, which has a DC resistance of 11.20 and utilizes Alnico 5 magnet pole pieces, and which is the only pickup that I have currently installed in my bass, wired up directly to the output jack socket.

    I am actually really satisfied with the tone I get from the P Geezer, but am curious how installing the Hot Rails in the J bridge pickup cavity, with a volume control (though perhaps a tone control too) just for this pickup (leaving the Geezer P wired directly to the output jack socket, as it is now), wired in parallel with the Geezer P, to be able to blend in different amounts of the Hot Rails bridge pickup while the P stay full on all the time, could possible add to my current tone and give me more tonal options.

    What I am hoping to achieve from using this over a J pickup is a more powerful punchy and snappy midrange heavy tone from the bridge pickup, with a more typical humbucker characteristic rather than single coil, primarily to add a bit more snap and bite to the EMG Geezer P pickup I have currently installed.

    Also I am open to suggestions if people think I would get better results by connecting both pickups to a blend pot, so I could freely blend between them, even if my primary purpose just is to add additional color/flavor/snap/bite to the Geezer P pickup, which I wish to remain the dominant factor of my tone, so to speak for the bridge pickup only to accompany the P, rather than giving me radically different additional tonal options?

    Anyone with experience using a Hot Rails Strat guitar pickup in place of a J pickup?

    And I would be interested in hearing what anyone who upgraded the stock pickup in their Bronco bass with this pickup, which I know is a really common upgrade, has to say about it too?
     
    Last edited: Jul 3, 2021
  2. Smith357

    Smith357

    Jul 7, 2018
    OH
    No but I put one in a Bronco, it worked pretty well.

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