Humbucker Sized P-90 to Pair With a 59?

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Hyperborea

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I'm thinking about putting a P-90 style pickup into the bridge of an LP style guitar and pairing it with an SD 59n. I'm looking for a more classic P-90 - blues, jazz, 60's rock when pushed.

Which of the humbucker sized P-90's would you recommend for that role and to match with the 59n? Phat Cat? Fralin P92 (what wind too)? Gibson P94? Something else?

Thanks for any help.
 
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Re: Humbucker Sized P-90 to Pair With a 59?

Phat Cats use A2's which makes them a little weak and thin in the bridge; P-94's use A5's which makes the tone bright and sharp and powerful, and Fralins use A4's which have a balanced EQ and a fuller midrange. I have a Rio Grande 'Bastard' (A5's?) that has a nice full tone. All are high quality PU's. First question: are you open to swapping magnets? If so, you can adapt any of these to what you want. If not, you live what the manufacturer put in, and you may or may not be thrilled with it.

Swapping magnets takes minutes, no skills, and only a few dollars. Because P-90's have two standard HB magnets, you can match up different ones to dial in your sound. In the bridge, I use these pairs in my P-90's:
- A8/A5 - high output, ample mids, a moderate amount of treble.
- A8/A4 - high output, ample mids, and a little less treble than the above pair.
- A4/A4 - moderate output, in a Fralin P-90. Nice balance of warmth & bite.
- A8/A8 - high output, with lots of mids and muscle.
The few P-90's that I have swapped magnets in are the Fralin and Rio Grande, because they have a balanced EQ.

Keep in mind that P-90's don't have the midrange push of an HB, and are usually brighter in the bridge slot, and that your neck PU may seem very warm in comparison. In my bridge P-90's I use two 250K's (volume and tone) and warm-sounding magnets to tame the treble and increase the mids. I like a rich, full tone, but some guys like it brighter and thinner.

With stock magnets, if you're a 'bright and thin' guy, a P-94 would be best. If you're a 'warm and full' kind of guy, a Fralin or Rio Grande would be better. I have more Phat Cats than just about anybody here (9), and I've taken out the A2's in every one of them. Just the wrong magnet for me. Some guys like them with the stock magnets, some don't. If you get one, don't be surprised if you end up changing a magnet or two. But you might want to do that with any P-90. No reason to settle for a tone that isn't quite what you want. Sure beats buying and selling PU's in the hope you'll stumble across the right one for you.
 
Re: Humbucker Sized P-90 to Pair With a 59?

Great info blueman. Thanks.

I haven't decided yet whether I'm going to make the swap but this will help a lot if I do. Maybe a Fralin for me or maybe a Phat Cat with an A4/A4. What about an A4/A5? I'm not averse to swapping magnets but I haven't done it yet.
 
Re: Humbucker Sized P-90 to Pair With a 59?

Swapping mags in a P-90 is very easy. They sit side-by-side, repelling (not attracting). The pole pieces separate them. I haven't tried an A4/A5 yet, but you'd get some brightness and low end from the A5, with less of a scooped sound from the A4's mids. Since this is for a bridge PU, I'd use roughcast magnets, however you pair them up (they're very cheap).
 
Re: Humbucker Sized P-90 to Pair With a 59?

I tried a Mean 90 from Guitar Fetish that really sounds great. It is my favorite bridge pup for an LP. I paired it with a Pearly Gates neck. It's got great bite and clarity with a good midrange, handles distortion very well. Sounds, to my ears and taste, a bit better than the P-90 in the P-Rails. And it's only $35!!!

It's got 2 A5 mags, so there's plenty of room for experimenting with mag swaps if you so desire. I've been wanting to try the A8/A5 combination in it, but It sounds so good the way it is I just haven't had the motivation to mess with it, even though I am very curious about how it would sound. I just can't help but feel that it would be the panacea tone for me.
 
Re: Humbucker Sized P-90 to Pair With a 59?

Hyperborea said:
I'm thinking about putting a P-90 style pickup into the bridge of an LP style guitar and pairing it with an SD 59n. I'm looking for a more classic P-90 - blues, jazz, 60's rock when pushed.

Which of the humbucker sized P-90's would you recommend for that role and to match with the 59n? Phat Cat? Fralin P92 (what wind too)? Gibson P94? Something else?

Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...

You may be happier trying it the other way . . . P90 in the neck will brighten up a dark position and the HB in the bridge will be less shrill. It might be hard to set your amp to a tone that you like if you go through with your current plan.
 
Re: Humbucker Sized P-90 to Pair With a 59?

GuitarStv said:
You may be happier trying it the other way . . . P90 in the neck will brighten up a dark position and the HB in the bridge will be less shrill. It might be hard to set your amp to a tone that you like if you go through with your current plan.
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+1. This is what I have on a few guitars, P-90 necks and HB bridges. I think it works out best considering each PU's inherent qualities.
 
Re: Humbucker Sized P-90 to Pair With a 59?

Howdy,

I tend to agree with GuitarStv and blueman335: A P-90 would probably be better in the neck w/ a good HBer in the bridge. Eddie Cochran did that with his Gretsch back in the day..either way good luck!
 
Re: Humbucker Sized P-90 to Pair With a 59?

However, the P-90 in the bridge with a little distortion or overdrive gives such a great classic rock tone with way more clarity and bite than you can expect from most humbuckers. It is a superb tone for 60s rock..
 
Re: Humbucker Sized P-90 to Pair With a 59?

I wonder about the Phat Cat with an aged A5 mag, ala the Brobucker.

Bill
 
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Re: Humbucker Sized P-90 to Pair With a 59?

There you go again trying to smooth out the tone of a deliciously bright sounding PU.
 
Re: Humbucker Sized P-90 to Pair With a 59?

GuitarDoc said:
There you go again trying to smooth out the tone of a deliciously bright sounding PU.
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Phat Cats? 'Deliciously bright?' With the stock magnets, the neck is virtually without any treble, and the bridge is puny and thin. A2's have to be the worst magnet for a P-90.
 
Re: Humbucker Sized P-90 to Pair With a 59?

blueman335 said:
Phat Cats? 'Deliciously bright?' With the stock magnets, the neck is virtually without any treble, and the bridge is puny and thin. A2's have to be the worst magnet for a P-90.
Click to expand...

I was actually not referring to the Phat Cat specifically as being bright, but rather P-90s in general.

And I was mainly referring to the use of roughcast mags, which tend to smooth, as opposed to polished mags.
 
Re: Humbucker Sized P-90 to Pair With a 59?

Hyperborea said:
I'm thinking about putting a P-90 style pickup into the bridge of an LP style guitar and pairing it with an SD 59n. I'm looking for a more classic P-90 - blues, jazz, 60's rock when pushed.

Which of the humbucker sized P-90's would you recommend for that role and to match with the 59n? Phat Cat? Fralin P92 (what wind too)? Gibson P94? Something else?

Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...

95LPSTD---PhatCatB---59N---.jpg


95 LP standard, Phatcat in the bridge (9.00K) and 7.50K 59N with an a4 magnet in the neck.

Sounded phenomenal (I sold this guitar, because having 4 les pauls was sort of an overkill :P ).

B ;)
 
Re: Humbucker Sized P-90 to Pair With a 59?

GuitarDoc said:
I was actually not referring to the Phat Cat specifically as being bright, but rather P-90s in general.

And I was mainly referring to the use of roughcast mags, which tend to smooth, as opposed to polished mags.
Click to expand...

Ah, that's different. Yes, P-90's have a 'delicious' bright, open quality that you just can't get from a HB.

Have you been using roughcasts, and if so, how do you like them?
 
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