Dimarzio "Rails" for Strat & Tele

[25%moreCOWBELL]

Does anyone have any positive or negative experience they can share about using Dimarzio rail humbuckers to replace single coil pickups in a strat or tele?

What's the tone like coming out of these pickups? Does the guitar sound more like a crunchy rock humbucker or are you getting a twang and quack strat/tele sound without the hum?

If you change out your single coil pickups for rails should all of the pots be pulled and replaced at the same time with 600k versions?

[Panamark]

Seymour Duncan HotRails are awesome.
I was looking for a pickup that sounded like an Invader,
yet only occupied a single coil spacing.. (For a strat)

If you like the sound of an Invader, then this is a great
choice... I couldnt be happier. In fact I now play that guitar
more than my others.

[stratovarious]

I know that on the SD forums you are advised to use 500K pots with the Hot Rails

[sethfle]

I used a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails in the bridge position of a Strat for years. The only reason I sold it is because I wanted to put my Strat back to stock. It sounded good, but was one fucking hot pickup....it pushed most amps into distortion pretty early. It definitely sounded like a humbucker. You can probably get most '80's tones and/or modern tones with it pretty easily.

[Panamark]

Originally posted by stratovarious
I know that on the SD forums you are advised to use 500K pots with the Hot Rails

Who gives a fuck about pots when you always choose
zero resistance !

Pots suck, they detract from the tone too much..
I would be just as happy with an on/off switch...

Its not like I play Cathedral everyday..
(Or want to)

[kentuckyklira]

Originally posted by Panamark
Who gives a fuck about pots when you always choose
zero resistance !

Pots suck, they detract from the tone too much..
I would be just as happy with an on/off switch...

Its not like I play Cathedral everyday..
(Or want to)

Dito!

As we say in Germany, some people can hear the grass grow! If you´re one of those, change the pots, if not, fuck them!

Back on topic,

the DiMarzios will definitely not sound twangy or quacky. But they will also not have the chunky humbucker sound and output of the SD Hotrails.

It all depends on what you want. My favorites are original OBL dual rail single coil sized humbuckers. But that´s because I want my Strats to keep sounding like Strats.

[stratovarious]

just a suggestion :P

[Panamark]

Originally posted by stratovarious
just a suggestion :P

No worries mate !

Probably a good suggestion too..
I find with myself, its either all the way on, or
all the way off. So the ohms dont really bother
me, (unless the standard pots have a few ohms
when fully on ?)

If yes, damn those pots to hell !@!

[kentuckyklira]

Originally posted by Panamark
No worries mate !

Probably a good suggestion too..
I find with myself, its either all the way on, or
all the way off. So the ohms dont really bother
me, (unless the standard pots have a few ohms
when fully on ?)

If yes, damn those pots to hell !@!

Throw out the tone pot and install a killswitch!

[Nitro Express]

I use vintage 68 pickups. I liked the sound Hendrix was getting with those. You get all the pops, farts, and buzz but who cares, it's all part of the fun. Run it though a good fuzz face and amp and roll the volume down for clean and it's magical fun and sounds sexy as shit!

[Panamark]

Originally posted by kentuckyklira
Throw out the tone pot and install a killswitch!

LOL, sounds like a cool idea. The only prob is I like keeping
my guitars looking somewhat original. Do they have em
in vintage style, that actually look like pots ??

[ELVIS]

Actually a 250K pot bleeds off some of the high sizzle to ground leaving a slightly warmer tone which I prefer...

[ELVIS]

I think I was starting to sound like Wayne L. there for a second...

[ELVIS]

Originally posted by Panamark
LOL, sounds like a cool idea. The only prob is I like keeping
my guitars looking somewhat original. Do they have em
in vintage style, that actually look like pots ??

There is a push button pot that accepts a normal knob that you can wire up to be an on/off switch...

[Panamark]

Originally posted by ELVIS
There is a push button pot that accepts a normal knob that you can wire up to be an on/off switch...

'

Do they come with switch bounce circuitry ??

(ie: a cap and resitor to kill the initial surge)

I could probably hook that up myself, but then you
are back to having resistance in the tonal chain..

[kentuckyklira]

Originally posted by Panamark
'

Do they come with switch bounce circuitry ??

(ie: a cap and resitor to kill the initial surge)

I could probably hook that up myself, but then you
are back to having resistance in the tonal chain..

There definitely are switches that look like pots. They´re just not as common as push/pull pots. Some stompboxes have them so you might find them at one of the "make your own stompbox" shops. Some guitars, mainly in the 60s and even Gibsons, had them, usually with a chicken head knob on them.

[25%moreCOWBELL]

I went with the Seymour Duncan Hot Rail in the bridge and the Lil'59er in the neck and middle of my strat copy(made by strat copy). You guys are right....these little things rock man, all kinds of humbucker crunch. They sound way better than I thought they would. I also changed the 250k pot to 500k so I'm not sure what effect that is adding but to my ears so far it's all good.

[Panamark]

Good Choice 25% !!


Those Hotrails are awesome.

How easy it to get a pinched harmonic happening ??
Fookin wails !!!

[DLRdelight!]

i was thinking of also getting a telecaster soon

[ELVIS]

yeah, I read that somewhere...

Check out the examples on eBay...

[indeedido]

I put a Dimarzio Tele Super Distorion in my telecaster. It is a single coil rail that sounds like a humbucker. I love it. I can get a thick humbucker sound out of it. I was so surprised after I wired it in. I think it's great. Pretty crunchy through my JSX.