P90 output

[freefrog]

Re: P90 output

Anybody has experience with Duncan's Hot P90 ?

I am thinking of replacing PRS SE Soapbars with those...

FYI, PRS SE P90's seem to have been designed to be brighter than vintage correct ones : they contain relatively light stamped keeper bars, short A5 magnets and short screw poles. I've swapped these parts for 2 RC A4 mags, a milled keeper bar and 6 regular screw poles in one of these puppies once. The result has been pleasing enough to avoid the purchase of a new P90.

FWIW.

Non related footnote: in a P90, Id avoid to mary an A3 mag to another mag made of any other alloy. AlNi3 retains a much weaker charge than AlNiCo 2, 4, 5, 8 and IMHO, this difference is not a promise of stability for a design in which magnets repell each other. YMMV.

[Coachmoe]

Re: P90 output

I put an A8/A4 magnet combination in bridge P-90's, which increases output, mids, and warmth. Much fuller, richer sound than the stock A5's. Balances better with the neck. A common observation about Gibson P-90's is that the neck usually seems louder, or that the bridge is bright & thin compared to the neck. A magnet change can fix those issues. When you buy new pickups hoping for the best, you can spend a lot of money and still have the tones you were trying to get away from.

UPDATE!!!!!

Blueman335, Just did the A8 / A4 swap in my Goldtop and what you said above is EXACTLY how my Goldtop changed.

I used it on my gig last Saturday night and it sounded pretty good having did some pickup height adjustment per Zombiwoof's suggestion.

However, after the magnet swap it's like having a brand new guitar. When I bought the magnets I ordered 2 A8's because I had a new SG Special coming in. I'll be swapping the magnets out in that one as well.

Thank you so much for all of your assistance. As I said previously, a magnet swap was much better than buying a new set of pickups.

Also thanks to everyone else that contributed to this post.

[Laughing Kookaburra]

Re: P90 output

Anybody has experience with Duncan's Hot P90 ?

I am thinking of replacing PRS SE Soapbars with those...

I've used the same as Blueman, the SP90-2 and SP90-3 in a couple of Hamers. I sold one of them for reasons other than the pups, still have them in the second recently purchased one. They do sound good for hot ceramics; I like them better than many hotter humbuckers. I enjoy the "getting out the rawk" attitude that they have.

However, they don't clean up well, unlike the A5 P90 in my LP Jr. And that lower output Jr P90 can rock in its own way just as well. Much more versatile.

[Laughing Kookaburra]

Re: P90 output

UPDATE!!!!!

Blueman335, Just did the A8 / A4 swap in my Goldtop and what you said above is EXACTLY how my Goldtop changed.

I used it on my gig last Saturday night and it sounded pretty good having did some pickup height adjustment per Zombiwoof's suggestion.

However, after the magnet swap it's like having a brand new guitar. When I bought the magnets I ordered 2 A8's because I had a new SG Special coming in. I'll be swapping the magnets out in that one as well.

Thank you so much for all of your assistance. As I said previously, a magnet swap was much better than buying a new set of pickups.

Also thanks to everyone else that contributed to this post.

Good to hear! I may have to pursue a similar solution with my ceramics.

[blueman335]

Re: P90 output

I've used the same as Blueman, the SP90-2 and SP90-3 in a couple of Hamers. They do sound good for hot ceramics; However, they don't clean up well, unlike the A5 P90 in my LP Jr. And that lower output Jr P90 can rock in its own way just as well. Much more versatile.

That's something that a lot of us have run into, ceramics don't have the tones we're looking for. Sound harsh & stiff, and don't clean up well. For me, putting an alnico in place of a ceramic has always improved the tone. Alnicos can 'rawk.'

[ItsaBass]

Re: P90 output

[Ceramics] sound harsh & stiff, and don't clean up well.

This is so often repeated, but it's just not true. All magnets really do is provide a field of a certain strength. They don't have a "tone" of their own. It's a designer's job to build a pickup around a certain magnet strength.

Written by arguably the biggest guitar pickup genius we have ever known: http://www.billlawrence.com/Pages/Pi...gy/magnets.htm

[Mincer]

Re: P90 output

A lot of the single coil-sized humbuckers use ceramic magnets, but they don't have 'typical' ceramic sounds.