Epiphone Casino P90s

OctopusRider

OctopusRider

New member
I want to upgrade the P90s in my 96 Epiphone Casino. I love the Beatles tone of the mid 60s but I am looking for more versatility--somewhere along the lines of Trey Anastasio's tone from the early to mid 90's. What do you recommend?
 
Re: Epiphone Casino P90s

Get a pair of Gibson dog ear P-90's. As wth any P-90, it's very quick and easy to change a mag or two (each P-90 has two mags) and dial in the tones you want. I usually use an A8/A4 mag pair in bridge P-90's to add some 'beef' (more mids, more output, and less treble).

I upgraded the P-90's in my Epi Casino with Duncan's, but they had ceramic magnets, which really aren't my idea of what a hollowbody should sound like, so I swapped out the ceramics and put in alnicos. That give me a richer, more complex sound.
 
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Re: Epiphone Casino P90s

If you can get a calibrated set, do it. I dont think gibson pups are sold as neck/bridge.
This might seem ridiculous but i put a pair of GFS dogears into my 1966 casino. They sounded really good - and the pole pieces actually lined up with the strings in both positions (unlike gibson pups). So whatever you get look for two things : correct string spacing and calibrated output. It makes a difference.
 
Re: Epiphone Casino P90s

if you want noiseless in a p90 shape, the gibson p-100 is a stacked p90 and sounds like a bucker
 
Re: Epiphone Casino P90s

to get trey's tone you really want humbuckers and two tube screamers
 
Re: Epiphone Casino P90s

jeremy said:
to get trey's tone you really want humbuckers and two tube screamers
Click to expand...
I'm good on the pedals. Some of Trey's tones from the late 80s and early 90s sound very P90ish to me anyway.

I like the idea of dropping something in it that will fit without altering the appearance very much. I will look into the Gibson P90s. That sounds like a good option. I have many left over magnets lying around too.

Thanks for all the advice!
 
Re: Epiphone Casino P90s

Measure your pole spacing. To fit a "good" P90, you may need to change out your covers as well. Not sure, but it's likely.

TMK, there are not any P90-sized humbuckers that fit a set of chrome, angled dogear covers. All of them are for the plastic flat covers, like on Juniors. Maybe you could find a set of undrilled P90 covers and drill your own holes, but I don't think I've seen them in chrome.

If you are okay with permanently modifying your stock chrome covers, you could cut out Firebird/mini-HB sized routs in them, and hang a Firebird pickup or a mini humbucker in one or both slots.

If you want a full hollowbody with humbuckers, I might look in to the Artcore line.

P100's are extremely flat sounding, and as I mentioned, probably won't fit the import covers anyhow.

If it were me, I'd just swap out for any of a number of USA made P90's, and install them using new USA spec'd covers.
 
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Re: Epiphone Casino P90s

ItsaBass said:
Measure your pole spacing. To fit a "good" P90, you may need to change out your covers as well. Not sure, but it's likely.
Click to expand...

Yes, the Epi pole spacing may or may not match up, but there are aftermarket metal dog ear covers, not sure of what they're made of.
 
Re: Epiphone Casino P90s

gibson175 said:
i put a pair of GFS dogears into my 1966 casino. They sounded really good - and the pole pieces actually lined up with the strings in both positions (unlike gibson pups). So whatever you get look for two things : correct string spacing and calibrated output. It makes a difference.
Click to expand...

For a budget P-90, GFS Mean 90's are above average and well-regarded here.
 
Re: Epiphone Casino P90s

I need to take the P/Us out tonight to look at what I'm dealing with. I've never heard of GFS but the idea of not having to drill more holes or do any cuts is very attractive to me.
 
Re: Epiphone Casino P90s

No need to take them out at this time. There's nothing to see in there that will help you pick out a replacement pickup. Just measure the distances between the centers of the two E pole pieces. It may be different for the bridge pickup and for the neck pickup (doubtful, but possible).
 
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Re: Epiphone Casino P90s

blueman335 said:
Get a pair of Gibson dog ear P-90's. As wth any P-90, it's very quick and easy to change a mag or two (each P-90 has two mags) and dial in the tones you want. I usually use an A8/A4 mag pair in bridge P-90's to add some 'beef' (more mids, more output, and less treble).

I upgraded the P-90's in my Epi Casino with Duncan's, but they had ceramic magnets, which really aren't my idea of what a hollowbody should sound like, so I swapped out the ceramics and put in alnicos. That give me a richer, more complex sound.
Click to expand...

I could stand to do this to one of my P90 guitars, but where can I get those magnets? And, which one goes closest to the neck and which to the bridge? Does it matter?
 
Re: Epiphone Casino P90s

sOME Epi casino's has an odd 48mm spacing in the neck & more of a standard 50mm spacing in the bridge (at least the chrome covered dogear type & most after market covers & pickups won't fit without modifications ,This is why owners of these guitars are forced to have the stock pickups rewound
 
Re: Epiphone Casino P90s

blueman335 said:
For a budget P-90, GFS Mean 90's are above average and well-regarded here.
Click to expand...

but mean 90s are humbucker sized. The OP can just retrofit some real gfs p90s into his casino easily. I like em. They smoked the vintage vibe handwounds that were in my axe. Also the calibration an string spacing was a win too.
 
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