noiseless P90s?

[Supernautilus]

I had a couple questions about this topic:

Do the noiseless P90s on offer from SD "sound" like regular P90s? If so, how do they manage this while also being noiseless? If not, what is the difference sonically between regular P90s and noiseless P90s?

Also, what is the difference between the P90 stack and the P90 silencer? They both say they eliminate the hum, but I assume they do it in different ways. So how do they differ, and how does that difference affect them sonically?

Just curious about these lately, feel free to educate me. Thanks.

 

[Mincer]

The Stack and Silencer differ in construction. Honestly, the Silencer sounds very very close to a regular P90..maybe 95%. The Silencer is the one to get IMO. No way I'd go back to hum. This video might help- it is about the Hot version, but lots of good info.

 

[switchman]

Well..I can tell you more about the Silencers because I've used those recently.

To my ears the Vintage set sounds pretty convincing to a more modern P-90 but more compressed with less pick attack dynamics at breakup volume levels. At higher gain this may be unnoticeable. Side by side with a true Vintage lower output 50's style or aged P-90 like an Antiquity they have more upper midrange (presence).

The Silencer design is unique. It was discussed in a thread about the Phat Cat Silencers, which are the same design but under a metal humbucker cover. Instead of a Stack which is more or less a regular short P-90 bobbin with (usually) Alnico magnets and polepieces over top of a dummy coil, the Silencer splits up the hum-canceling function to two coils on either side of the main string sensing coil with ceramic magnets.

Stacks - all of them not only P-90s - are subject to low end phase cancellation between the two coils. So they're usually wound to higher output with thinner gauge wire to compensate. But then this can reduce treble which is what I hear with them.

This is a pretty basic explanation... There are several other designs out there all with their pros and cons.