Cool Rails VS custom Hot Rails

[Endrik]

I need some advice on pickups.
I really like SD Hot Rails for neck position, it sounds fat, smooth and has tons of sustain but it's too hot, I need something more dynamical.
Cool Rails is cooler and more dynamical pickup, I've only tried it once and I was impressed but I didn't had a lot of time to test different tones with it.
I'm not sure if the Cool Rails can deliver the super fat tone as the Hot Rails.
On the Seymour Duncan's homepage tone chart Hot Rails is: Treble 4, Mids 7, Bass 6.
Cool Rails: Treble 6, Mids 5, Bass 6
I like Hot Rails because it has tons of mids and more bass than treble.
Can I get almost the same tone with Cool Rails with LITTLE amp tweaking?
Or should I order custom made pickups from SD, so they would make me Hot Rails with lower output.

Or is there any other good single coil sized humbuckers that can give me the tone I need. Remember I'm looking for a fat humbucker tone for neck position (John Sykes, Gary Moore, Santana etc.)

Thanks!

[jgcable]

what do you have in the bridge?

[Endrik]

right now Duncan JB, I'm thinking about chaning it for Duncan Custom, it's an alder body Soloist.
Also I'm planning to order a custom Charvel w/ mahagony body, I need the right neck pickup for that too.

[jgcable]

If you want balance a JB jr would be a good choice. Personally, I like a fat neck sound. The Hot Rails would be perfect. I think the Cool Rails would be a tad thin and a little bright. The Fender Red Lace Sensor is another hot pickup.

[1trussell]

The Cool Rails will give you what you want with some amp tweaking. I've used both the Hot Rails and Cool Rails in the neck positions (still do) matched with a variety of bridge pickups. The Hot Rails is the fattest you're going to get from a single coil sized humbucker. I love the lead tones with it in the neck. The Cool Rails is going to be more like a PAF type humbucker in the neck. It reminds me more of a 59 than the Li'l 59 does. WITH THE RIGHT AMP, it can do anything.

[Sunbane]

If all you want is a little less output from the hot rails, couldn't you just try lowering them down a bit? I don't know how that would affect the dynamics (if at all) though.

Btw, why do you persist in using that dogawful font? It only turns reading your posts into a chore.

[1trussell]

I can read it just fine.

[Endrik]

Btw, why do you persist in using that dogawful font? It only turns reading your posts into a chore.

because I'm an ATTENTION WHORE

There are a couple of members who have complained about that, I really wouldn't care, but I'm bored of this text style so I'm changing it ahaaa

I'll keep the color tho.

[Bert]

yes please change it, that font is painful!

[Endrik]

1trussel, I really like PAF type of tone, if Cool Rails can give me that, then I'm happy.
I can always use the tone knob to make the tone fatter.

Sunbane, if I turn the volume lower, then it still responds differently than it would if it had a lower output.

Basically my perferable choice for my tone is a mahagony body, Duncan Custom in the bridge position(I like it because it sounds like PAF, only a little bit hotter, I would use the PAF reissue ('57 classic) but I play some agressive stuff too, so the Custom suits better, Duncan SSL-2 vintage for middle position (vintage strat tone for my Hendrix and SRV tones) and Duncan Cool Rails or low output Hot Rails in the neck position (fat, smooth and screaming lead tone and crystal clear cleans).

I need a very versatile guitar, I try to cover a lot of ground with one guitar.

Also I depend a lot on my hands, I have pretty good finger tone, also my picking attack is very heavy and also I like to fingerpick ala Jeff Beck.
I don't really like very hot pickups because I like the tone what is coming from the wood.

[Sunbane]

Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh, much better!

Sunbane, if I turn the volume lower, then it still responds differently than it would if it had a lower output.

That's not what I meant - I meant lowering the pickup into the guitar body - you know, adjusting pickup height. That would give you less gain from the pickup at the same volume setting. Possibly different dynamics as well (since the strings are farther out in the magnetic field), but I don't know if it would be a useful option for you.

[Endrik]

I have 'em as low as possible, also my strings have incredibly high action.
It helps a LITTLE bit, but not too much. But harmonics sound definetly better that way.

[DonP]

Maybe give the Jackson J200R rails a shot? I don't think they would cost too much. I like them a lot in my Charvel Fusion Deluxe, and I think I might be hearing what you are after. I mostly use the rails for the lead parts of Maiden solos.