Humbucker sized P90s for SG

CodeDante

New member
So I've been missing the snap p90s have when clean and lightly pushed and how rude they get with distortion. Everyone seems to say that p90s are great in an SG
What are some good humbucker sized p90s I should look for?
 
Re: Humbucker sized P90s for SG

Phat Cats are pretty snappy in a solid body guitar. Some folks like to magnet swap them, but I think they sound great just as they come stock.
 
Re: Humbucker sized P90s for SG

Phat Cats are pretty snappy in a solid body guitar. Some folks like to magnet swap them, but I think they sound great just as they come stock.

I didn't care for the set I had in my SG. Phat Cats are a cool pickup, but they really don't capture the P-90 sound most people think of. That sound really requires an A5 or maybe an A4; I suppose you could get a Shop Floor Custom set built that way. For something off the shelf, I hear the Fralin humbucker sized P-90s are great, and they come stock with A4s.
 
Re: Humbucker sized P90s for SG

I had a pair of GFS mean 90's in a Les Paul copy I had. Sparkly clean when played soft / volume backed off on the guitar.
But lots of p90 snarle when guitar volume cranked up on drive channel.
Fairly transparent sounding too.
I liked them a lot.

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Re: Humbucker sized P90s for SG

I'd say just go for P-Rails and Triple Shots. You get P90s anytime you want, and a whole lot more.

+1

I have P-Rails in that SG now, and you really can't do a better humbucker-sized P90 without spending quite a bit more. The Fralins I linked are great, but they're pretty expensive.

I had a pair of GFS mean 90's in a Les Paul copy I had. Sparkly clean when played soft / volume backed off on the guitar.
But lots of p90 snarle when guitar volume cranked up on drive channel.
Fairly transparent sounding too.
I liked them a lot.

Sent from my SM-J320W8 using Tapatalk

I've never played the GFS Mean 90s, but I haven't been super impressed with the other GFS pickups I have played. They're good for the price, but usually leave me wanting more.
 
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Re: Humbucker sized P90s for SG

P-Rails neck models (in both positions) are easily the best sounding humbucker-sized P-90-ish pickups I've tried (and I have tried a fair number). Plus you can wire them for more stuff than the P-90, if you want to.

That said, the bridge model P-Rails is *not* a good P-90 sound IMO.
 
Re: Humbucker sized P90s for SG

I agree with either PRails or Phat Cats or any combination of the two. You could mix 'em up with excellent results. Try a Paht Cat in the neck and a PRail in the bridge.
 
Re: Humbucker sized P90s for SG

For a good P-90 sound, GFS Mean 90's have gotten a lot of positive comments here from owners. They have that crisp high-end and snap you're looking for.

I put a set of Phat Cats in an SG, going for that great P-90 sound. Unfortunately they weren't anywhere close to that. The neck was dark, like a blanket was over the speaker, and it overpowered the bridge. I started experimenting with a variety of magnets to get some treble in the neck, and a fuller sounding bridge with more output. After a number of combinations, my favorite is an A8/A4 in the bridge and an A5/A4 in the neck. Then my Phat Cats sounded balanced and nice. A number of forum members have since tried these magnet pairs, and variations on them. I've since gotten more Phat Cats and replaced the stock magnets in all of them. The wind is good, I just don't know about the magnet choice in warm woods. Pickup-maker Zhang said that the PC neck is wound hot, and he took 1,000 turns of wire off his to brighten it up. He described the bridge PC's output as 'weak.'
 
Re: Humbucker sized P90s for SG

Mean 90s are almost universally loved. Yes a GFS pickup.

BG Pups Pure 90 is another that gets pretty much 100% positive reviews. His is a real P90 squeezed into a HB size.
 
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