P100 Haters

[Alan Day]

Hi, guys. Seems like there is a lot of negativity towards P100 around which is odd considering how difficult they are to find.
I mean if people hate them so much they swop them out right? And no one buys them right? Or do they all get cast into the sea as fish lures & sinkers?
I have been looking for a dogear neck P100 for ages and only found one (seller let me down after saying he could ship to me) so still no luck. So where ARE all those unloved P100's ?
Anyone know of a pile of 'em lying about? Want to sell one?
Alan

 

[uOpt]

Re: P100 Haters

People are lazy and leave them in, either not playing the guitar or selling it, or just playing and complaining.

The routes for P-100 Gibsons are also quite a bit deeper so soapbars don't sit quite right.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: P100 Haters

The fitting of a P90 into a P100 rout involves the re-use of the stock height adjustment screws and longer springs.

I have the original soapbar P100s from my Gibson LP Junior Special. In my opinion, the word "pile" is entirely apt - as in steaming.

In standard wiring, Gibson P100 pickups singularly fail to deliver the true tone, dynamic responses and all-round juicy goodness of a single coil P90.

There used to be an Internet article that described how to reconfigure the stock parallel coils wiring to improve the sound. (If I can remember what this was, I shall add a hyperlink.)

It is possible that Kojak or blueman will have magnet swap suggestions that can compensate for the shortcomings of the stock pickup.

Let us be clear. The Gibson is not a bad pickup. All that it is is a bad P90.

 

[blueman335]

Re: P100 Haters

Hi, guys. Seems like there is a lot of negativity towards P100 around which is odd considering how difficult they are to find.

They're hard to find because Gibson puts them in hardly any guitars, and few are sold aftermarket (lots of better choices for less money). Not many P-100's around, and that seems to match the lack of demand for them. Not a PU that ever caught on. When the average player doesn't like the way his guitar sounds, he sells it, rather than buying new PU's. I wouldn't expect to see them for sale on the used market on any kind of a regular basis.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: P100 Haters

I could sell you my Gibson P100s. They are unmodified and in the soapbar format. These pickups never had metal baseplates to begin with - one reason why they never sounded right. It should be easy to purchase and fit your own "dogear" format baseplates, covers, screws and height pads.

 

[Alan Day]

Re: P100 Haters

I could sell you my Gibson P100s. They are unmodified and in the soapbar format. These pickups never had metal baseplates to begin with - one reason why they never sounded right. It should be easy to purchase and fit your own "dogear" format baseplates, covers, screws and height pads.

Thanks but am looking for a drop in Dogear. The baseplates are even harder to find - eg suppliers typically only have the Soapbar baseplates and I really don't want to risk breaking the wire or I would have put a coil tap on the bridge pup already. Depth is not an issue as I am looking to put it in a Cassino / 330 type guitar made by Peerless. Hence, the lack of bottom end is not an issue either. (currently have a Gibson '70s mini humbucker in the neck position - which sounds quite good and a bit "Stratty" now I have the hight right.
Alan

 

[Alan Day]

Re: P100 Haters

The fitting of a P90 into a P100 rout involves the re-use of the stock height adjustment screws and longer springs.

I have the original soapbar P100s from my Gibson LP Junior Special. In my opinion, the word "pile" is entirely apt - as in steaming.

In standard wiring, Gibson P100 pickups singularly fail to deliver the true tone, dynamic responses and all-round juicy goodness of a single coil P90.

There used to be an Internet article that described how to reconfigure the stock parallel coils wiring to improve the sound. (If I can remember what this was, I shall add a hyperlink.)

It is possible that Kojak or blueman will have magnet swap suggestions that can compensate for the shortcomings of the stock pickup.

Let us be clear. The Gibson is not a bad pickup. All that it is is a bad P90.

I agree that they sound somewhat flatter than some other pups out there, but the one I have at the bridge in my Peerless Songbird sounds nice enough for me to want to try one in the neck. I suspect that too many people compare them with P90's which is just not fair.

 

[Alan Day]

Re: P100 Haters

While I'm on the topic, can anyone discuss which is better Gibson P100 or Gibson mini humbucker? and most importantly why? (without using the cliché phrase "P100s suck"?)

 

[jeremy]

Re: P100 Haters

assuming you are talking about the mini-humbucker? i think they are great pups, at least the old ones. the mini-humbuckers are like little paf's in design but sound brighter with more clarity and less meat. firebird pups are the same size but different design and have a different tone altogether. the p100 is just kinda blah compared to a real p90.

 

[Alan Day]

Re: P100 Haters

assuming you are talking about the mini-humbucker? i think they are great pups, at least the old ones. the mini-humbuckers are like little paf's in design but sound brighter with more clarity and less meat. firebird pups are the same size but different design and have a different tone altogether. the p100 is just kinda blah compared to a real p90.

Thanks. I do want a guitar with some humbucking ability
Yes, it's a genuine Gibson mini-humbucker that I'm using, and I like it. I have 4 choices:
1: Leave the Gibson mini-humbucker in the neck position and the P100 at the bridge (present configuration, not bad)
2: Find a P100 dogear for the neck position and keep the P100 at the bridge.
3: Leave the Gibson mini-humbucker in the neck position and put a Duncan Antiquity mini-humbucker at the bridge. (or find a reasonably priced Gibson MH)
4: Give in and put in a pair of Bare Knuckle Blue Note P90's with RPRW on the neck pup.
Alan

 

[Aceman]

Re: P100 Haters

They are hard to find because people don't look for them in land fills.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: P100 Haters

If you want that clear, slightly Stratty sound, go with two mini-HBs. If you want the P90 goodness, get P90s.

A friend of mine has a vintage Gibson ES-125TDC. Fully hollow, dual P90s, tone for days. It took me five years to crowbar a P90 Goldtop Les Paul from his grasp. He will never let the 125 go.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: P100 Haters

without using the cliché phrase "P100s suck"

They are hard to find because people don't look for them in land fills.

Well done, Acebob. Do you win a prize?

*

It might be interesting to research whether Gibson P100 pickups amount to nothing more than two regular production P90 bobbins and coils, assembled in a stack, with the bar magnets sandwiched between. In that eventuality, it might conceivably be worth the effort of separating the bobbins, then buying the additional magnets, baseplates and covers to turn each P100 into two working P90s.

Recycling is usually preferable to landfill.

 

[blueman335]

Re: P100 Haters

I suspect that too many people compare them with P90's which is just not fair.

Fair? Come on, P-90...P-100. Gibson themselves made the comparison when they named them, implying they're a noiseless P-90, even perhaps an improved P-90. In retrospect that was a major blunder, because the expectation is that they sound similar to the P-90's that so many players love. If Gibson wasn't trying to pass them off as another P-90, they would have used a totally different name. You don't like that players compare P-100's to P-90's? Point the blame at Gibson. Players are rightfully disappointed.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: P100 Haters

+ 1,000,000

 

[uOpt]

Re: P100 Haters

P-100 guitars are also reasonably rare.

For fans of P-90 guitars they look common because Gibson unwisely messed up so many non-top LPs with them, and did it when they sold a lot of guitars in general. But the percentage of p90/p100 guitars in the market was still low.

Also, from my observation regular humbuckers and Strat pickups are much more likely to be exchanged in the first place. Guitars with other pickups including p90s, Teles, Jazzmasters are much more likely to stay as built in the factory forever.

 

[Gibson 1964]

Re: P100 Haters

They also flooded the used market a few years back. I think the ones that were swapped out got swapped out.

 

[htwheelz67]

Re: P100 Haters

Heres a set for 70.00..............http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/msg/5370681363.html I think I threw mine away...........

 

[Aceman]

Re: P100 Haters

What is it worth to you if I have mine??? Send a PM.

 

[Aceman]

Re: P100 Haters

I mean - they just don't sound like P90's.

Plus - as Humbuckers go, they are incredibly blah. I mean, they might be ok for some kind of smooth jazz…but otherwise all they have going for them is quiet….