P90 fans, I need your help

Re: P90 fans, I need your help

Chris-

I just sold my R7 back to the guy I bought it from and got a used Historic 57 LP Junior TV. I like it a lot...nice big neck and plays great. There aren't a ton of them around, but used they are in your price range. So are the Historic Specials. Mine sounds great with the stock pickup, but because I am a freak I will probably put either an Antiquity or a Fralin in there at some point sooner than later.

A few years back, I had the Hamer P90 Special and it was nice. It had a dead spot @ the 12th fret on the third string, though. I ended up selling it after a while. It was my second Hamer with that dead spot, so be careful...if you get one that doesn't have it, you'll have a nice guitar.

The older singlecut Gibson LP Specials (early 1990s) were nice, too.
 
Re: P90 fans, I need your help

Just felt like throwing in two more cents before this party ends.

The Hamer guitars with soapbars are truly AWESOME if you can find them. All of them. They are just insane. They have Duncan P90s in them actually . . . I guess those Godin's do to, but wut hurts them isn't the pickups, it's the guitar itself. I gaurantee, as I have lots of experience with Godin *makes face*.

If you get one of those doublecut fadeds, power to you. They're cool. Just, for the love of everything, make sure you play it first. I mean the actual guitar you are buying! There is sooooooo much variance between Gibsons these days. They still make sum tres nice guitars, but QA seems to have been sliding lately.
 
Re: P90 fans, I need your help

SingleCutDude said:
Just felt like throwing in two more cents before this party ends.

The Hamer guitars with soapbars are truly AWESOME if you can find them. All of them. They are just insane. They have Duncan P90s in them actually . . . I guess those Godin's do to, but wut hurts them isn't the pickups, it's the guitar itself. I gaurantee, as I have lots of experience with Godin *makes face*.

If you get one of those doublecut fadeds, power to you. They're cool. Just, for the love of everything, make sure you play it first. I mean the actual guitar you are buying! There is sooooooo much variance between Gibsons these days. They still make sum tres nice guitars, but QA seems to have been sliding lately.


I wont' try to compare a 350 buck Godin to a nice Hamer, but for 350 bucks, you'll be hard pressed to find a better overall guitar than the Godin LGP90. I spent 2 hours at my office hammering away on mine this afternoon and it's a find instrumnet. I'd take it over any MIM Strat I've ever touched.
 
Re: P90 fans, I need your help

when I think of P90's, I see Scott's face on the pickup package... eerie.
 
Re: P90 fans, I need your help

If you're looking for a kilelr set of P-90 pups check out Vintage Vibe Guitars.

I got a set about a month ago for my Les Paul Custom and they're amazing sounding. They're hand-would so I'm assuming that doing a set to your own specs would be easy enough. The specs on mine are a little hotter than I typically like but there's enough tone there to keep me satisfied.

And they'll run you a few bucks over a C-note for the pair as well.

Bets pickup deal I've found in a long while.
 
Re: P90 fans, I need your help

Thanks for the advice guys :)

I've decided that part of the reason I'm condensing down all my gear is that I just want a few high end pieces. While I'd love to shell out the money on a Korina Baker BJ with P90s, it's just not gonna happen, so the next best thing... a Historic Gibson. I'm glad that the Les Paul Faded DC was sold that day. The Historic 1960 Gibson Les Paul Special Doublecut will definitely be my next purchase, I'm just going to have to find a place that will sell it for the right price. I found a place at a price I'd be willing to go up to, but they just sold their last one, so I'd have to wait a few months before they come in again.

Hey Scott, what dealers on your Gibson list can I trust to deliver a well made Gibson unseen? I sent a few e-mails out there, but I want to know if there are any in particular that are better than others.

Thanks again guys (and yes, I did look for Hamers in the area) :)
 
Re: P90 fans, I need your help

Chris-

I think it is safe to trust any of the dealers who advertise on the LPF, and Dave's too.
I have had nothing but great experiences with Marks Guitar Loft.

I am sure there are others, too, of course.
 
Re: P90 fans, I need your help

Not too sure about most of the ones listed above....what I will say is the Dillion Goldtop I have w/the SD Custom-3s rocks out!!!

First P-90 guitar I've ever played & had........LOVE 'EM !!!! :32:

Good luck in your quest my friend!!!
 
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Re: P90 fans, I need your help

the_Chris said:
Thanks for the responses so far guys. My other guitarist in my band actually has a Godin, but I don't care too much for the pickups in it :smack:

The Ibanez had some nice pickups (like the Gibsons, I've played... I dug those too), but the neck was a bit too small for my liking. It was built well though!

I love the looks of the Les Paul Faded DC, so I may have to wait until one of the smaller dealers in my area gets one so that I make sure I get one built right with good wood.

I shouldn't say that a double cut is imperative, but it's more of the look I'm going for. I'm still surprised how much I took to p90s... I didn't expect it at all :saeek:

Was the custom set too hot for your tastes?

Luke
 
Re: P90 fans, I need your help

Falstaff said:
Chris-

I think it is safe to trust any of the dealers who advertise on the LPF, and Dave's too.
I have had nothing but great experiences with Marks Guitar Loft.

I am sure there are others, too, of course.

Thanks!

I'm glad to hear that all of the dealers across the board are good to deal with and offer great products. :)

I didn't like the Godin because it was a bit too "raw" for my taste. I guess I really liked the P90s on the Joe Satriani Ibanez model and the P90s that Gibson uses on their Faded line. I like a warm, fat neck with sparkly, thin middle tones and a crunchy bridge. I was amazed how much I liked each position and how much it all fits the different types of playing I do (while I do a lot of melodic rock with my band, I also love playing jazz and blues). The Godin pickups didn't have quite the "life" or "response" I was looking for. I'm not a fast player, so I like to really feel each note I'm putting out and if the pickup shows any signs of being "cold" or "sterile", I won't use it (which is typically how I feel about any ceramic pickups, not just the ones in the Godin).

The stripped down look of stuff like the Gibson LP Double Cut Specials really appeals too. It looks like a workhorse and sounds like a dream. It's first axe that I've ever played stock that felt at home and allowed me to play like myself.

I'm GASing hard for this one and I'm glad I'm one step closer to my final gear setup :) I've got a Grosh, an Ovation (don't regret buying this one at all) and soon, a Historic Gibson :32: I better be getting close because at my age, I'm running out of money for this stuff. ;)
 
Re: P90 fans, I need your help

Chris, there's a guy selling a LP Special (early 90's) on the Gear Page, just FYI.
 
Re: P90 fans, I need your help

Yeah, and his price isn't exactly cheap...but I figured on this forum a pickup change would be inevitable!
 
Re: P90 fans, I need your help

Falstaff said:
Yeah, and his price isn't exactly cheap...but I figured on this forum a pickup change would be inevitable!
Yea, but like you said, he's asking top market price comparing what tohers have gone for. And he's right about the other going in that price range (I've been watching these P90 specials for a while now), but he's not taking into consideration that those others already have P90's. It's gonna take $150-$200 to change those out so if he were to lower his price accordingly it would be sold by now (I know, because I would have bought it, LOL).
 
Re: P90 fans, I need your help

Falstaff said:
Chris, there's a guy selling a LP Special (early 90's) on the Gear Page, just FYI.

Thanks for the info, but I've been there done that :) I sent the guy a PM or two and he hasn't responded. I haven't seen him bump his thread either so I'm taking the hint that he backed out.

Besides, if a used one is around $1200, I don't mind spending $1500 to buy brand new from a dealer that is trusted (whereas online, I don't know if I'll always get what I pay for).
 
Re: P90 fans, I need your help

I'd check out a s/h McCarty Soapbar. I recently compared one with an R6, and it was every bit as good an instrument, with a touch more articulation.

Man, I love p90 guitars.
 
Re: P90 fans, I need your help

the_Chris said:
Besides, if a used one is around $1200, I don't mind spending $1500 to buy brand new from a dealer that is trusted (whereas online, I don't know if I'll always get what I pay for).
The used hitorics go for around $1200, the regular production models from the mid 90's go for around $850. New the historics will run you around $2000.
 
Re: P90 fans, I need your help

TattooedCarrot said:
The used hitorics go for around $1200, the regular production models from the mid 90's go for around $850. New the historics will run you around $2000.

Check around bro; I just picked up a new '60 RI Historic Les Paul Special DC for $1590. :dance:

There's one guy on eBay selling a used one for $1650; I just don't see many deals around on there anymore.
 
Re: P90 fans, I need your help

That's great, Chris...fill us in as to how you like it. I'm loving my TV Jr.
 
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