Best P-90s

WoodyTone

WoodyTone

New member
Compadres, I have recently purchased an Epi Les Paul Goldtop with P-90s -- wasn't planning on it, just snuck up on me in the store. Never had P-90s before, and now I am a convert, big-time. Wow. Anyhow, been surfing my brains out for info re: upgrading the pickups and I'm really having trouble finding what I'm looking for, at least how things are described. So reaching out here. My Qs and observations:

1. I am looking for a pickup that has great string clarity with light-gauge strings (9s) but also balls. To clarify that: The ELP sounded great with 10s, but I lowered the action a little bit and put on 9s -- and string clarity noticeably decreased. Is that something particular to P-90s?

2. I'm not concerned with bottom end as much as mids and upper-mids. Just want the bottom and top to be balanced volume-wise, and definitely no mud. This guitar/pickups can get ballsy Tele-type tones and I'd like to accentuate those.

3. I'm really talking about the bridge pickup here, but if there's a P-90 that can get more Strat-like tones at the neck that would be cool.

4. I see a lot of "hot" P-90s. I'm not concerned with output -- I can get that from the amp (Plexi) and pedals. I just like that all-important string clarity, even with fuzz/distortion.

5. I didn't notice much hum from the P-90s (not like a strat) but was wondering if the SD P-90 stack sounds like a regular P-90 or loses something.

6. I would consider a custom wind.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something important, so ask away if you need clarification. Any advice/thoughs would be appreciated.
 
Re: Best P-90s

I was on a major P90 kick a ways back and tried a bunch of them.

My favorite is actually the regular Gibson P-90: nice and balanced. It has some cut and growl but it's not overly hot. It's also responsive to rolling back the volume knob and getting different tones. The Duncan Antiquities are nice too - a bit more mellow sounding due to the A2 mags.

The Duncan stack is supposed to be ok, but loses something compared to a regular P90. I've heard mostly bad things about the Gibson P-100 stacks, but some people like them.

I don't know if that answers your questions - just adding my $.02
 
Re: Best P-90s

most stacks lose something. the vintage p90 in the duncan line is cool and alnico 5, the antiquity is very sweet but a little warmer due to the alnico 2 magnets.
 
Re: Best P-90s

gibson's standard P-90's are cool as are Duncan's vintage style P90. Anything hotter is just overkill, IMHO.
 
Re: Best P-90s

You're really not going to find something that does P-90 better than the standard Gibson P-90.

I have one guitar with a real old one and one guitar with a new one and they both sound incredible through pretty much everything.

If they're wound too hot, they start sounding like flat, noisy humbuckers. If they're wound too light, they can sound more like Strat pickups. IMHO the Gibson P-90s (not the P-100s) embody the sound of rock and roll.
 
Re: Best P-90s

I have heard a lot of good about the PRS Soapbars.

I have a guitar with them in it, but I've never had any other P90's, so I won't give you a recommendation, as I have no comparison point.

I just know that the previous owner of my PRS had Duncans in it for a day and took them back out because the PRS P90's sounded better.

You can hear what they sound like in the video in my signature.
 
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Re: Best P-90s

The SE's use PRS's own wind and are made in Korea just like the rest of the axe. The US PRS uses a Vintage in the neck and a Custome neck model in the bridge.
 
Re: Best P-90s

Stacks must work much worse for P-90ties than they work for Strat pickups. In a Strat pickup you have a rod magnet that you can cut in half. In the P-90, how do you remove the magnetic field from the lower part when the magnet is on the bottom and you need a magnetized pole on the top?

I have some Soapbars that came out of a Gibson R4 or R6. Sound very good, warm, powerfull, hum a lot. I didn't like the SD vintage when I had one, it was too harsh. But I never tested it in a guitar that I had other pickups in.

For noiseless option, the only thing that I think has a chance of success is the Lace Sensor that has two non-pole coils next to each other and a polebar in the middle. But I didn't try that one yet.
 
Re: Best P-90s

Whatever you get, you can tweak the tone & output by swapping magnets. If a bridge P-90 is too bright or thin, taking out one of the A5's & putting in an A8 with boost mids & take off some treble, but still leave enough treble to cut through. Output will be strong with an A8/A5 pair. To take off a bit more treble and give more crunch, I use an A8/A4 pair in my bridge Phat Cats.
 
Re: Best P-90s

blueman335 said:
Whatever you get, you can tweak the tone & output by swapping magnets. If a bridge P-90 is too bright or thin, taking out one of the A5's & putting in an A8 with boost mids & take off some treble, but still leave enough treble to cut through. Output will be strong with an A8/A5 pair. To take off a bit more treble and give more crunch, I use an A8/A4 pair in my bridge Phat Cats.
Click to expand...

So the magnets in these P90's, are they humbucker magnets cut in half? Or 2 full sized humbuckers? Also, are the magnets set up to attract each other or oppose?
 
Re: Best P-90s

Benjy_26 said:
The SE's use PRS's own wind and are made in Korea just like the rest of the axe. The US PRS uses a Vintage in the neck and a Custom neck model in the bridge.
Click to expand...

True --- I didn't know this until you posted it (and still wasn't able to verify the Vintage neck / Custom neck in the bridge thing, but it turns out they are Duncans in the USA Paul Reed Smiths.



Thanks bro!


nbc_the_more_you_know.jpg
 
Re: Best P-90s

two fullsized bucker magnets that have the same poles facing each other so they repel, but since you put them against the pole pieces they stay put
 
Re: Best P-90s

sosomething said:
You're really not going to find something that does P-90 better than the standard Gibson P-90.
Click to expand...

Truth here. I own a Phat Cat and a GFS Dream-90 and love their tones (Dream-90 less output than the PC) but you're talking full-size P-90s here and the last guitar I played with a dog-ear P-90 was a '74 SG Jr. and it was a wonderful sound. I also like the P-90s in Jazzmasters, but I'm pretty sure those are based off the Gibson P-90.
 
Re: Best P-90s

jeremy said:
two fullsized bucker magnets that have the same poles facing each other so they repel, but since you put them against the pole pieces they stay put
Click to expand...

Very cool-Im really into the sound of these things lately. Its weird because Ive always thought of them as a mellow-bassy blues-only tone, but in reality these things sound like all-out midsy rock and roll. A great kept secret in my circle.. ;) TONE......It never gets boring ;)
 
Re: Best P-90s

SD Vintage P-90 is excellent, I have used some old Gibson P-90's and honestly I prefer Seymours. The Ants are real nice but I prefer an A5 mag, the Ant neck is pretty sweet though. I used the Stack and you can get some pretty good sounds out of it but not really authentic. P-100's are meh, you can tweak them a bit but they don't really excite me, better neck pups than bridge IMO.

When you put on 9's and lowered the action did you lower the pup at all to compensate?
 
Re: Best P-90s

Anyone tried both gibson and Lollar p90s and care to compare? I've hear much good talk about Lollar's 9k/8k set but some comments seem to indicate if anything they are too good - to smooth. Not raunchy enough. Anyone?
 
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