P-rails VS Humbucker Size

JaySwear

Hero Member
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i'm planning a build, and due to the top wood i'd like to use i switched my plans from a tele deluxe to a soloist (if i'm going to spend the money, i should see the wood detail, right?  :icon_biggrin:)

that being said i won't have a pickguard to mount my pickup on (just planning a bridge P-rails)

would mounting a P-rail in a soloist prove to be a problem? i'm planning on a Recessed Tune-o-Matic and low action. i'm afraid the taller P-rails might prove to be TOO tall, but possibly this would just mean i wouldn't have to put as many wood shims underneath the pickup. (as a side note, i'd like to mount the pickup to the body, without a pickup ring which would probably keep this from being a problem at all).

if it proves to be a problem i might have to change my bridge idea, or use a pickup mounting ring, but what do you guys think? any experience with P-rails? i know i've seen a few projects around with them!

3532555166_41bb8c3f03.jpg


hard to see, but the p-rails is about 15/16ths of an inch, and the humbucker is about 13/16ths of an inch. (60/64 ths VS 52/64 ths)

3532555190_ba1c1c3cda.jpg


another measurement picture. those didn't turn out quite so well  :sad1:

3532555008_f1f0de151d.jpg


this picture doesn't show it very well, but the two pickups are almost the exact same width and length.

thanks for any help / advice!  :icon_thumright:
 
Worst case, you put a guitar pick as a neck shim, crank up the bridge height a tad, and you're good, plus you've got more break angle at the saddle. That thing looks giant next to a hb, but I think you could definitely get a HB down 1/8 lower. Mind you, I've never tried any of this and never seen a P-rail. Hope you don't take my advice and screw up your build plans!  :eek:ccasion14:
 
sure they'll work. I have them, and they work just fine. don't forget that they won't be really FLUSH with the body, they'll be a bit higher. as every humbucker.  besides, I don't think that seymour duncan would make humbuckers that wouldn't fit in every humbucker equiped guitar...
 
if you havnt got the body ordered yet you could ask warmoth for the rio grande tallboy rout which is 1/8 deeper than standard .

Brian
 
You could always get rid of even the small leg that they have on there (flatten out).

Without leg the P-rails isn't any higher than a short-leg standard humbucker.
 
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