P-90 with 3K resistor in series?

Lowatter

New member
Hey all...this is a first-time post for me. Please forgive my noobesence(and I hope that this isn't a rediculous idea), but is it unheard of to place say a 3K resistor in series with a P-90 pup to boost the resistance for more edge? My P-90 ohms out at 8.9K ohms and sounds a little benign for effects-less overdrive, even through my homebrew SE combo I built that has dual gain and a master volume. I was thinking/hoping that I could install one in series and make it switchable with a push-pull volume pot on the '59 Junior I built...sort of like a passive boost or faux coil tap. Also, would the placement of the resistor be best pre or post of the pup. Any input would be appreciated-Lowatter

pics of my Junior and the amp I built-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10000602@N04/

"Develop your talent, man, and leave the world something. Records are really gifts from people. To think that an artist would love you enough to share his music with anyone is a beautiful thing."

-- Duane Allman
 
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Re: P-90 with 3K resistor in series?

I use a small resistor in series with the hot lead for some distortion class pickups. It removes some of the ZZZZZZZZTTTT and makes the sound more punchy.
 
Re: P-90 with 3K resistor in series?

I've used magnets to get a gutsier tone from my P-90's & Phat Cats. A single coil bridge always seems a little thin & weak to me, so I boost it with an A8/A4 magnet combo. More volume & mids.

When you have twin P-90's or Phat Cats, you can use a push-pull for linking them in series/parallel (diagram on this forum). I've done all of the above to an LP standard (twin Phat cats) and it really sounds full & nice, with more versatility & punch than you normally get from two single coils.
 
Re: P-90 with 3K resistor in series?

Beautiful work on that Junior you built!!
Loved the pics of the build and welcome!
 
Re: P-90 with 3K resistor in series?

Thanks Will. I appreciate it. The Junior feels and plays great. Just like an old friend that I just met! I still have a little setup to do, but it's real close. I'm still trying to track down some single-ply dark brown tort pickguard material to make another pickguard for it as I'm not thrilled with the way the one I made out of epoxy came out. It's fine for now however and if I never get around to it, I'll live. I only have $150 into the entire build. I did install a 5K resistor in series like I was asking about and it really brought the P-90 to life. I have to drop it down to a 3K because when I turn the dual gain and master volume above 12:00, it makes my tube combo really squeel and whistle. I plan to track down a push-pull 500K volume pot and have the flexibility that should give me more options for a single P-90. I love the simplicity of the Junior however.
 
Re: P-90 with 3K resistor in series?

Thanks to you Blueman. As a noob I have to ask about the A8/A4 magnets...where to find them and approximate price. I'm using a GFS alnico. Best wishes from SC
 
Re: P-90 with 3K resistor in series?

Hey man, enjoyed the pics. Good job! BTW, I stole your pic of the kid. It's gonna be my new avatar (hope you don't mind).
 
Re: P-90 with 3K resistor in series?

Hi, lowatter i really love your guitar - its georgeous. I was always a fan of Les Paul Special and Juniors. I would really would love to send you 500 bucks or something for building me such a nice guitar.
You can fight the squeel and whistle think by dampening your tubes. There are tube dampers availiable or get some special silicone which is used with chimney. It works up 120 degree Celsius. I personally use a double side sticking tape which i also useable up this temperature. Stick it around the tubes in 2 small rings.
If you bridge your 3 or 5 k resistor with a 120 pF condenser, you will have the full highs while bringing down the volume. I love the full highs of a P90.
 
Re: P-90 with 3K resistor in series?

Thanks guys...the '59 Junior has always spoken to me for some reason. It was a good choice for me for a first...and last build effort. It takes alot of time, paitence, resolve and a hella-lot work to build guitars. It WAS alot of fun too. My hats off to guys that do it full-time and make a living at it. I have a Melody Maker RI and that's about the only real Gibson I could afford(sweet guitar BTW). I'm a family guy with a tight budget and wouldn't even consider justifying the costs of a Gibson or US Fender. I drive my poor beautiful wife crazy enough with my musical hobbies. I did want to try my hand at building a decent guitar and amp I wanted affordably. Neither are Gibson or boutique quality, but close enough for me and my budget. I only have $300 into both.Countless hours, however.
I also really enjoy the process of building my tube combo amp. I have learned alot through these build processes...enough to know that I'll leave it to the pros and not take all of this too seriously because it's all soo time comsuming and not very profitable if you want to try to eek out a living doing builds. I probably have 200 hours from scratch to final on the Junior which would pay only about $5.00 an hour if I was to ever sell it...not-gunna-duit. Granted, At 48 yrs. old I have no visions on grandeur of become a guitar hero or a builder. I just like to jam as a hobby.
I need to address some hum and grounding issues with my Motone amp as well. Such as placing an isolated input jack, a negative feedback loop, shorten some wires, tweak some values, try different speakers, add bias controls etc. to get some better noiseless results. It'll always be a work in progress.

...back on subject, I will try placing a bridging cap with a 3K resistor and see what I come up with(thanks Hamer). I also would like to learn more about switching alnico magnets. I'm using a GFS P-90. Are there magnets available that I could use for it as well?. I know that this is a SD forum and I hope that I don't offend anyone.

I'll be working on some of this stuff over the weekend and I'll let you know what I come up with and try to do a couple of clips for reference. Thanks again and best wishes from SC-Lowatter
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10000602@N04/

BTW...pzaxtl I can't remember where I got that pic of that kid, but it always cracks me up when I see it. It probably is someone else's avatar so consider that. No dis-respect to the kid or his parents. He's a cute kid. He just looks like he's pack'n-a-load or something. While we were in the process of adopting, I would ask our family and friends if they would like to see a picture of the kid we were thinking about and pull up that pic for a giggle.
 
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Re: P-90 with 3K resistor in series?

I'm leaving the 5K in place. It was squealing and whistling because I was playing behind my amp(...doh!). That's a total of 13.9K ohms resistance which is right about where the hotrod single coil on my Melody Maker is from the factory. I had the amp turned around because I had the back off for deciding what I needed and where to place the mods I'm planning to do to it. Anyways...it really saturates now and makes the combo sound like a stack when I drive it. I'm stoked. I also played my step-son's modded Squier '51 through the amp for volume comparisons and my Junior now sounds far better for overdrive tone than the factory HB in the '51. The treble is fine for now, but I may try to add a push-pull tone control as well that switches a bright cap in/out too. I'm really trying to keep the original look of the Junior without adding any additional switches/bells and whistles. What do you guys think?
 
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Re: P-90 with 3K resistor in series?

Hi Lowatter,
Firstly ´fraid I can´t help you with your question as I´ve never tried it, but thanks for posting the link to those pics.

It´s really interesting to be able to follow the process and by the looks of the pics I´d say it was worth every cent of that $300 and the countless hours ...and then some.

From the pics it looks like you´ve taken the time to do things right.

Well may they wear
 
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