A little demonstration of the Seymour Duncan P-Rail Pickups as installed in my Godin Icon Convertible. No endorsement or paid advertising, just my personal opinion.
The S.D. P-Rails, especially when paired with the triple shot rings are a very beginner friendly pickup. I catch slack for saying that as people assume them to be so advanced. I say this not meaning a beginner guitarist but a beginner in tone shaping. The pickup itself is a jack of all, master of none. It's good for easily finding a tone you like and going from there to a more dedicated sound. There is nothing wrong with using one at any time, I just think the dpdt, split/tap, versatile pickups are more for finding a tone rather than being a one-size fits all mentality. We all know that a humbucker being put in single coil mode via pish/pull, or whatever, is NOT a single coil sound. It can be close, it can be laughably far away, but it is different enough from humbucker that someone could use it and decide that a true single coil sound is right for them. That's just my (long and bloated) opinion. Also someone could love the artificial tones those pickups deliver, who am I to say.
Although I agree to most of this, the P-rails don't behave like split Humbuckers. They are two single coils which can be paired..as y can clearly hear in the demo, the artificial sound is the humbucker sound. Anyway, I get great tones from this guitar. But I run it in one of the single coil mode mostly. This guitar simply works for a plethora of situations. It's one of my studio mainstays and there hasn't been a producer who objected to this guitar or its pickups.
If you want a little secret. Look at the single coil and p90 windings info and output levels. Then consider humbucker design. Then consider pick up route placement. Custom shop. Order them with the single coil side like the hot p rails and the p90 side like a normal p rail. So like 6.5k and 7k or 7k and 7.5k ish. More equally matched. Humbucker sound should be better. Albeit alot higher output. Due to position placement the single coil sides on the outside of the pick up fixes those tones to be netter. The p90 will be affected less then the single coil side. Wont be perfect but for a bit of extra cash and throwing in a good noise gate and eq pedal. Plus the wiring mods. Its like 5 pickup comvos in one. Add in a single coil middle pick up and you're set. Either with push pull pots. Triple shots. Or my plan dip switches on the rear of the guitsr inside the rear cavity after a magnetic cover mod. 1 mini 3 way switch. P90 mode single mode or humbucker mode. A single 2 way for series vs parallel. And a second 2 way for in and out of phase wiring mod. Add in a 5 way switch. Plus the single coil middle. On either a gibson or fender scale length or something in the middle you should decently replicate all the tones well enough for live playing and recording. Bridge, bridge +middle, middle, middle plus neck, neck. P90 plus middle single. Singles all over. Hsh.
I will suggest that you flip bort pickups, så that the rail-pickups are furthest away from eachother. The will give a way better "Strat/Tele-like" singlecoil sounds. The humbucker and P90-sound will not be affected.
@@sergeyv4908 Maybe not in the bridge, but definately in the neck. My experiense is the bridge in normal, will simulate a stratsound and in reverse, a telesound.
Such a great pick up just a few issues in the design IMO. The single coil and p90 side are too different in output levels. In theory not that hard to fix if you order custom shops or know someone who can wind that side custom. However the single coil side being placed on the inside of the pickup is a missed opportunity to make them even better. Flip the sides and theyll do fender like tones better. Better windings being matched better helps the humbucker tone. P90 should be affected less in both regards. Essentially my idea to make em even better. Then drop em in something ridiculously versarile. Sophia with the wheel adjustment block and drop d lever or similar brudge or like a floyd with a tremelno and a evh drop d tuna. Potentially in a strandberg or like a modified parker fly. But wiring mods as well. Push push pots. In normal mode just standard wiring Essentially functions kinda like a blower switch mod but leaves you with the knobs you want. Dip switches on the back inside the rear cavity. Magnetic cover. Add in the phase wiring mods. Also gonna do it in something gibson scale length as well. Probably both with middle single coil pick ups or maybe one single coil other p90. But, in and out of phase. Series and parallel wiring. 3 way switch lets you select the second mode. D tune option gives you 2 tunings in one guitar. Add in a detailed eq pedal and noise gate and you should be good. Hum eliminator at most as a 3rd option. Studio monster and touring monster of a rig. Throw a n tune tuner pot or something like a built in distortion or other effects circuit. Modify the bridge with piezo bits. And even more versatile but not even needed. Add in the carbon rod supported necks. On something light weight. With a wide enough band eq and the right other pedals you can get it to sound exactly as needed. Using amp and cab sims also helps.
