Blueman, or any a5/a8 P90 users...

St-Jimmy

St-Jimmy

New member
I'm gonna end up trying it anyways, but I just wanted to get some hands on knowledge first. Ive read about them in threads about being thicker in the midrange and rounded highs, and having said that, I was curious if that trebly P90 snarl/growl/bite will be tapered off because of this. And which SD p90 pup have you or any user tried this in and liked?

I am playing a supposedly "rare' Epi Les Paul Special SC in TV Yellow with 2 P90s. They've done me well, but I noticed that they are sort of hum-cancelling, and though jangly, kinda dark and tend to "chew" more than "bite". Wanted to do a mag swap on the pickups, but when I opened it, the freakin magnets were glued onto the plate and I didn't want to deal with it (ended up chipping of a small amount, but didn't affect the tone.) Was thinking of going for an original gibson P90 for that classic P90 tone, but I saw on ebay a SD vintage p90 and a Custom soapbar for cheap.

Ive read on here that the vintage is a little thin sounding, and I read Cheeze's custom 5 P-90 and that sounds really enticing. Would the a5/a8 combo in an SD Vintage Soapbar cure that thin sound, yet still keep that classic high end snarl?
 
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Re: Blueman, or any a5/a8 P90 users...

Nice guitar you've got. The stock Epi P-90's are decent (better than their HB's), but you will hear more definition & clarity with a high-quality P-90.

I have an Epi double cutaway LP Special and I put in a Duncan #2 P-90 set, with small ceramics. I wanted a warmer, alnico sound, so I took the magnets out & put an A5/A5 in the neck and an A8/A5 in the bridge. Nice clear neck with some bite, and a powerful, full-sounding bridge. Better for the Chicago blues & classic rock I play. I think a Duncan vintage set would work well too, maybe even better for the neck slot.

Gibson also has great P-90's, as do some other makers. Look for used ones online; you can usually get them for about half price. I always put an A8 in a bridge P-90 or Phat Cat; just too thin & sharp to me without it (remember it's a single coil, and doesn't have the midrange of a HB). In the neck, I like an A5/A5 or an A5/A4.
 
Re: Blueman, or any a5/a8 P90 users...

Awesome, thanks for the info Blue! Does the A8/A5 in the bridge lose some of the original high end bite or does it stay with the addition of a more fuller tone due to the mids and lows the a8 brings?
 
Re: Blueman, or any a5/a8 P90 users...

A8's have some treble to them, so you still have a good amount of high end to cut thru. They do add mids though and balance the EQ. Two A5's in a bridge single coil with 500K's is treble squared, & pretty thin. Too shrill for me.
 
Re: Blueman, or any a5/a8 P90 users...

I recently put a GFS Mean 90 in the bridge of my LP. Sounded so good I bought another Mean 90b (A5/A5) to put in the middle position of my SG Custom. This sounds even better. Very huge and in-your-face-good.

So I was thinking about making the Mean 90 in the bridge of my LP an A5/A8 to beef it up even more. I couldn't have imagined that the stock A5/A5 could be improved, but after hearing how huge it sounds in my SG I'm thinking that maybe it could be improved with the A5/A8 mod.
 
Re: Blueman, or any a5/a8 P90 users...

I've modded a Gibson P-94 set, and the best magnet combo I've found was A4/A5 for the neck and A5/A8 for the bridge.

I think the Mean 90 set sounds excellent as it is, at least in that particular guitar (Squier JAG II).
 
Re: Blueman, or any a5/a8 P90 users...

Wow, just made an a5/a8 P-90 from the SD Vintage and this thing sound really nice! I had no problems with the regular vintage soapbar, and it took gain pretty well, but I wanted to see how much the a8 would transform it. I'm quite impressed; seems more alive, still has the p90 growl and high end that I love, just more presence, louder and a bit ruder. Handles gain much better! :-)
 
Re: Blueman, or any a5/a8 P90 users...

Thought you'd like it. So far everyone who's tried an A8 in a bridge P-90 has liked it. Beefs it up & balances better with the neck PU.

I hadn't liked bridge Phat Cats at all and thought other bridge P-90s were a little thin, so it finally dawned on my to swap magnets, and that they didn't have to be two of the same kind. Once I put in an A8, I had to tell the forum about it. Now I love my Phat Cat & P-90 bridges. Thinking about it, a P-90 has 2 magnets per coil, while an HB has 1/2 per coil. Magnets play a much bigger part in a P-90's tone. Having twin magnets gives you more combinations to try.
 
Re: Blueman, or any a5/a8 P90 users...

Absolutely! Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it. I really like this forum because the majority of you guys are very helpful and share valuable knowledge, and I admit to learning just about everything I need to know from here. I probably wouldn't have done magnet swaps, experiments and learned simple tech info if not for this place.
 
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