GFS Dream 90's and Mean 90's, they any good?

[FuelGTRX]

I was looking to get a P-90's in a humbucker housing for my Les Paul Standard. So far, I have yet to find anything that wasn't expensive or had the authentic P-90 sound. I love the way the SD SP-90 Vintage pickups sound in my Les Paul Special and I was wanting something close to that. So I was thinking of picking up a GFS Mean 90 bridge and a Dream 90 neck to tryout in my LP Standard. These pickups any good?

 

[jimijames]

Re: GFS Dream 90's and Mean 90's, they any good?

Well, it's for a les paul standard, so if it were me, I'd call the Seymour Duncan custom shop and shell out to get what I wanted the first time. GFS pickups are good, but I wouldn't put them in a Gibson les paul standard.

 

[blueman335]

Re: GFS Dream 90's and Mean 90's, they any good?

Look online to get some used high quality American-made P-90's. They'll probably cost about the same as GFS's.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: GFS Dream 90's and Mean 90's, they any good?

I've got a Mean 90 (black plastic cover). It weighs in at about 8.5k and sounds pretty thin and twangy for that spec. The top is pretty clear, pretty good for such a cheap pu, but there's very little mid and no bottom at all.

 

[jimijames]

Re: GFS Dream 90's and Mean 90's, they any good?

I've got a Mean 90 (black plastic cover). It weighs in at about 8.5k and sounds pretty thin and twangy for that spec. The top is pretty clear, pretty good for such a cheap pu, but there's very little mid and no bottom at all.

+1 I've got a set of mean 90's in my schecter and they have lower output than any other pickup I've tried and don't sound particularly great. But they're cheap as dirt so they work well in that capacity.

 

[bluefrog]

Re: GFS Dream 90's and Mean 90's, they any good?

yes they are worth every penny . I had them Dream90 in cheap 335 copy. awesome, but in LP gibbo. maybe you spent some extra for a SD phat cat.

 

[wanmei1]

Re: GFS Dream 90's and Mean 90's, they any good?

Here's my two cents for what it's worth.

I have Phat cats n, a DREAM 90n and MEAN 90n.
(with another MEAN 90 on order. )

The DREAM 90s compared to the MEAN 90s are two totally different animals and in fact can't be compared !

Both are quoted as having around 8.2 Neck and 8.4 Bridge winds.


The DREAM 90 is available with plastic coloured pearl and plain tops and sounds very little like a real P90 !
In my opinion the DREAM 90 sounds no better or worse, than a Phat Cat, just a different flavor of the pseudo P90 epidemic that has gripped the pickup world.
They are both Humbucker cased single coils that have very little in common with a P90 sound.

The MEAN 90 is a totally different animal and is NOT available with a plastic top.

The MEAN 90 uses a fatter bobbin than the DREAM 90 which uses a standard single coil bobbin.

The MEAN 90 uses aged A5's as opposed to the standard A5's of the DREAM

The Mean 90 uses Formvar 42 gauge as opposed to standard 42 gauge.

The MEAN 90 uses a different base plate to the DREAM 90.


The MEAN 90 sounds Fat, smooth, warm, full with great bass extension and rich prominent mids. It sounds exactly like a P90.
It sounds nothing like it's DREAM 90 counterpart at all.

The DREAM sounds thin, twangy, harsh and cheap. - Exactly what you would expect from a 30 buck pickup.

The MEAN 90 sounds like a P90 and is a damm good pickup at any price.

Bottom line......be sure not to confuse the DREAM 90 for the MEAN 90.

 

[wanmei1]

Re: GFS Dream 90's and Mean 90's, they any good?

I've got a Mean 90 (black plastic cover). It weighs in at about 8.5k and sounds pretty thin and twangy for that spec. The top is pretty clear, pretty good for such a cheap pu, but there's very little mid and no bottom at all.

If it's got a black plastic cover top then you've got a DREAM 90 not a MEAN 90.

MEAN 90's don't come with plastic cover tops, only DREAM 90'S.

Dream 90's were released in 2005 and like P94's, Phat Cats and most of the other wanna be P90's in a humbucker case, got it wrong.

Late 2007 GFS released another humbucker sized P90 and this time they got it right.

Thin and twangy.....that's a DREAM 90.

A MEAN 90 is Fat, rich, full, creamy, smooth....nothing at all like a DREAM 90.

 

[hamerfan]

Re: GFS Dream 90's and Mean 90's, they any good?

I read some reviews on the Mean 90, which said that the neck is a kind of thick. I thought about downwinding it a little - i did it with great success before. Are they potted?

 

[wanmei1]

Re: GFS Dream 90's and Mean 90's, they any good?

I read some reviews on the Mean 90, which said that the neck is a kind of thick. I thought about downwinding it a little - i did it with great success before. Are they potted?

Yes they're potted and they are thick.(and full,rich,creamy,and smooth.)

 

[bluefrog]

Re: GFS Dream 90's and Mean 90's, they any good?

I had Dream 90 well I cd not AB check them with Mean 90 , the Dream 90 are still in the guitar i sold the guy who was the 335 clone was happy with it and me too. I regret having sold the guitar maybe I wd have tried the Mean90 which are thicker I already saw at GFS store. honestly I am thinking to order a mean 90 of curiousity. for a another semi...

from my memory they are likley potted

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: GFS Dream 90's and Mean 90's, they any good?

If it's got a black plastic cover top then you've got a DREAM 90 not a MEAN 90.

That's not what the box it came in or the invoice says.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: GFS Dream 90's and Mean 90's, they any good?

PART 2: Here's the link:

http://store.guitarfetish.com/me90glbltral.html

That's what I bought. Mean 90 does come in black plastic.

 

[Mononoaware]

Re: GFS Dream 90's and Mean 90's, they any good?

I suspect the difference in character from one Mean 90 to the next is due in part to wood, but also due to the fact that when you're buying a $30-$40 import pickup, you don't get the QC you'd expect from Duncan and others. They probably vary widely in sound.

I've had great experiences buying from GuitarFetish, but I doubt they do more than quickly check the resistance when these come in to the warehouse from overseas.

And, yeah, they've sold the black Means for quite a while.

 

[wanmei1]

Re: GFS Dream 90's and Mean 90's, they any good?

PART 2: Here's the link:

http://store.guitarfetish.com/me90glbltral.html

That's what I bought. Mean 90 does come in black plastic.

Sorry, I thought you meant it had a plastic top as in the pics. below of a Dream 90. Only the Dream 90 comes with a plastic pearl or plain top ( as in top insert. ) is what I was trying to say.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: GFS Dream 90's and Mean 90's, they any good?

That's the P94 style. The Pearl top thing there looks pretty cool with the gold and cream.

 

[wanmei1]

Re: GFS Dream 90's and Mean 90's, they any good?

That's the P94 style. The Pearl top thing there looks pretty cool with the gold and cream.

A few other variations available too.
I've been taking about a Neck Mean 90.
I take it you've been talking about a Bridge Mean 90.
If so then we may be comparing apples with cranberries.
Have you tried a neck Mean 90 ?

 

[wanmei1]

Re: GFS Dream 90's and Mean 90's, they any good?

I suspect the difference in character from one Mean 90 to the next is due in part to wood, but also due to the fact that when you're buying a $30-$40 import pickup, you don't get the QC you'd expect from Duncan and others. They probably vary widely in sound.

I've had great experiences buying from GuitarFetish, but I doubt they do more than quickly check the resistance when these come in to the warehouse from overseas.

And, yeah, they've sold the black Means for quite a while.

You may well be right re the QC.
I was told by a one pickup manufacturer that GFS are made by the Epiphone pickup manufacturer in Korea and share many internals.
Certainly the base plate is identical down to the letter "F" stamped on the back. So quality control sould be fairly reasonable if not perfect.
I think the difference in sound description is likely due to the fact that we may have been comparing a neck pickup to a bridge pickup.

 

[blueman335]

Re: GFS Dream 90's and Mean 90's, they any good?

I suspect the difference in character from one Mean 90 to the next is... due to the fact that when you're buying a $30-$40 import pickup, you don't get the QC you'd expect from Duncan and others. They probably vary widely in sound.QUOTE]

That's my concern with any Asian-made PU's, the lack of consistency, along with lower quality materials. While I haven't tried GFS PU's, I've had so many muddy Asian PU's that I'm gun-shy about all of them. I agree, some are better than others, but none have ever had the clarity & definition of a high-quality American PU. But then, GFS is competing on price, not tone. Their market is the guys who want a better sound in their import guitar than the stock Asian PU's, but don't want to spend the money for good ones. Like their target is a middle ground of guys willing to settle for less tonally. You may get lucky and get one that sounds as good as a Gibson or Duncan, but don't count on it.

I still think the best option is to get a used American-made P-90, so that you have some assurance of what you're getting. Not much price difference at that point. And if you happen to get a GFS that's not particularly well-made or good-sounding, what then? Buy another? Get a Duncan? Trying to get out of it cheap with a GFS may mean you end up spending more. Some guys like them, others don't. I'd rather not take the gamble myself.

 

[Mononoaware]

Re: GFS Dream 90's and Mean 90's, they any good?

I was told by a one pickup manufacturer that GFS are made by the Epiphone pickup manufacturer in Korea and share many internals.

Now that's an interesting little tidbit. :cool2: