Phat Cat Supremacy: Fans unite!

[dr.barlo]

Hey Gang,

Lately I've been playing a lot with my local band. We go for tunes from blues/jazz of 40's and 50's, and have a great keyboard player, bass player and singer. Anyways, in that band of ours I always go for clean tones unless called for (sort of to imitate brass' I crank up the volume, turn off the tone on the neck pickup).

I am using my 95 LP standard setup for clean stuff. The amp is a celestion G12H30 and JJ tubes modded fender blues jr. (US model made in 98), and only use a delay pedal. I have a phat cat bridge and alnico 4 59n.

I turn up the volume on the amp quite a bit, like 7-8. But on the guitar I set the volume to 5-6 (audio pots ). The tone I get from the bridge is sooooooo good! If I wash off the mids on the amp, I can swear that you'd think that it is a tele! When the mids are on, it sounds like a good old p90. And if I were to turn up the volume on the guitar, and roll off the tone I get into PAF bluesbreaking terriroty. The middle position is excellent as well. The wound strings sound very clear, highs aren't irritating, ...

As you can see I am very happy with the phat cat bridge.

I think the a4 59n is the by far the most clear HB I have ever used. But I think I am gonna change it and get my self a phat cat neck, especially after seeing what it can do in the bridge. The neck (afterall it is a HB) does not have that nice sound on the wound strings. It is not boomy and all, it is just not a single coil pickup.

For the last 6 months we've been playing in places with lotsa neon lights and all. And guess what, I never had a hum issue with that phat cat bridge of mine. God I love that pickup!

I cannot believe how I could miss the p90s up until recently. That phat cat I think is definitely the most versatile bridge pickup I have ever used. Feels like I'd been looking for this pickup for a very long time (like 10 years!).

I am definitely ordering the neck version pretty soon.

Best,

B

[flank]

i completely agree man. i had a phat cat (which is currently for sale) in the bridge of my Tokai Les Paul. It was such a versatile pickup, and i could play anything and everything in my band without ever having to switch from that pickup. With the guitar vol. down, it gets chimey,jangly, and similar to a tele like you say. with the volume up the overdriven sound is so clear and responsive that its just a comfortable sound for the ears. I couldn't believe the clarity under overdrive it had after trying a few bridge humbuckers in that same guitar, and yet, the Phat cat was still as gutsy as any of those humbucker, and still being able to have twice as better clean tone

[Benjy_26]

I love the Phat Cat set that I have in my Epi Sheraton. Like you said, they'll do anything from jazz, blues, country, funk, rock, and even metal with these pickups.

Everybody should have at least one guitar loaded with them.

[cheezemaster]

Phat Cats rule. I was struggling for years to get a tone I liked out of my SG. The Cats nail it. I can get that early Angus tone down pat (even though he used 'buckers) - chords sound full and ring out beautifully. Great for classic rock, blues rock, old punk rock tones. The neck version is killer for Stones-y rhythym tones as well.

[Narcosynthesis]

I am very tempted to get a phat cat, the only problem being the colour - a nickel pickup would look a bit silly in my guitar - trivial, but it makes a difference

anyone know if I would be able to pop off teh cover and put on somehting like this? http://wdmusicproducts.co.uk/Merchan...duct_Code=MPCB

David

[flank]

I am very tempted to get a phat cat, the only problem being the colour - a nickel pickup would look a bit silly in my guitar - trivial, but it makes a difference

anyone know if I would be able to pop off teh cover and put on somehting like this? http://wdmusicproducts.co.uk/Merchan...duct_Code=MPCB

David

i've never heard of anyone taking the cover off of a phat cat. i think Rio Grande makes a pickup that is similar to a phat cat (same shape as well) in colors like creme and black

[Frebnedzo]

Another highly regarded P90-in-humbucker-form-factor is the
Harmonic Design Z90's. They come in tortoise, and Rio Grande
has something like that too.

[dr.barlo]

It is great to see fellow PhatCat lovers!

I heard that z90's sound very similar. Yet they are told to be a little bit more noisey than PhatCats.

B

[Brett Valentine]

my favorite pickups these days

[jafo]

I recently put one in the bridge of my Santana SE (mk I), and I just can't believe how great it sounds! The stock pup was highly usable, but kind of generic and bland. The PC is so much more alive and versatile -- everything from clean to filthy, always clear and present and alive. It may be a bit more buttery than a normal P-90, but that just makes it more flexible, and there's still plenty of edge. I love it to death. It has it all -- singing clarity, depth, warmth, edge, prettiness, toughness, sensitivity... I've always found that single coils just respond better to my playing than a humbucker.

Anyway, I'd also tried a couple of nice PAF-style replacements -- another fantastic choice -- but then I experimented with a P-90 loaded Les Paul... it felt just like going on an exciting vacation and coming home, all at once. Love at first sound. ;^)

And yeah, I'm waiting on the neck PC to arrive...