P90 on steroids?

['59]

What humbucker set will get me a nice clear P90 sound for the neck, and a powerful bridge P90 sound that can hit the front of the amp pretty hard? Like a P90/Jazz ish sound from the neck and P90/Custom sound from the bridge?

This is for an Epi Les Paul with dual humbucker routes.

 

[zionstrat]

I'm having trouble understanding what you are looking for... If you up the output on a true p90, you will get lots of mids... It won't be clear.

As far as HBs, for me, customs and jazz don't have the p90 single coil tone. Can you give examples of the sound you are looking for?

 

[zizyphus]

Like zionstrat, I'm not 100% clear on how best to guide you

I think the dimzarzio bluesbucker is explicitly meant to be a HB that is P90-ish. Maybe that'll get you what you want?

You can also get hum bucker sized p90s

as far as a clear neck position pickup that fits a hum bucker route but gets you more of a jangly sound like you get from a non-hum bucker pickup, you could also consider the dimarzio air classic, or maybe, MAYBE the duncan Sentient (the sentient is advertised as a model high-gain pickup, but.... I think it can do many different things)

__PRESENT

 

[GuitarDoc]

No humbucker is going to get you a P-90 sound. Quarter Pounder is good sounding, but if you want P-90 tone you can get it in a "humbucker-sized" P-90.

 

[Mincer]

Maybe the P-Rails are something to investigate? There is a regular and a Hot model.

 

[marcello252]

I only used once a humbucker sized P90, and it was a dead cheap GFS Mean90, but I can say it sounded like a real P90, actually a good P90 (I did some magnet swap too), I think this solution (many PU makers do it now) is the one for you

 

[GuitarDoc]

I only used once a humbucker sized P90, and it was a dead cheap GFS Mean90, but I can say it sounded like a real P90, actually a good P90 (I did some magnet swap too), I think this solution (many PU makers do it now) is the one for you

I've got lots of those and they sound really good.
If you want a brighter sounding humbucker-sized P-90, try the "Dream-90"

 

['59]

I'm having trouble understanding what you are looking for... If you up the output on a true p90, you will get lots of mids... It won't be clear.

As far as HBs, for me, customs and jazz don't have the p90 single coil tone. Can you give examples of the sound you are looking for?

I'm looking for a neck pickup that lies somewhere between a Jazz and a P90 and a bridge pickup that lies somewhere near a Custom and a P90. I'm thinking possibly just a Jazz neck, 59/Custom Hybrid bridge with a trim pot to partially split?

I'll try to come up with some tracks that exhibit the sound I want.

 

['59]

Like zionstrat, I'm not 100% clear on how best to guide you

I think the dimzarzio bluesbucker is explicitly meant to be a HB that is P90-ish. Maybe that'll get you what you want?

You can also get hum bucker sized p90s

as far as a clear neck position pickup that fits a hum bucker route but gets you more of a jangly sound like you get from a non-hum bucker pickup, you could also consider the dimarzio air classic, or maybe, MAYBE the duncan Sentient (the sentient is advertised as a model high-gain pickup, but.... I think it can do many different things)

__PRESENT

Sentient sounds like it could work, I've heard it described as sounding similar to a 59/Jazz hybrid?

 

['59]

P-Rails and Dream/Mean90 look like they may be the play as well. What's the magnet situation look like on those? I'm pretty good at swapping magnets to get near what I want. Can a Phat Cat be mag swapped to get it to a clear and mid scooped sound with firm bass?

 

[zionstrat]

Phat cats can magnet swap. There are two, one on each side of the pole pieces.

Never done it before but it would be an interesting experiment. Let us know what you do!

 

[zionstrat]

I'm looking for a neck pickup that lies somewhere between a Jazz and a P90

Okay, here's an idea way out and left field.. I think this fits your tone but it's definitely an experiment.

Back in the dark ages when I wound pickups, my favorite to wind were variations on the classic firebird.

I made a couple of regular humbucker sized Firebirds.. One with standard firebird bobbins and another one that was overwound. Both included magnets inside of the coils.

To my ears, they sounded much like a regular firebird, which to my ears sounds like a over-the-top single coil. In my mind, that sound could be very close to the baby of a jazz and a p90.

A quick search of the web finds a couple of companies that wind the same pup.

 

[marcello252]

P-Rails and Dream/Mean90 look like they may be the play as well. What's the magnet situation look like on those? I'm pretty good at swapping magnets to get near what I want. Can a Phat Cat be mag swapped to get it to a clear and mid scooped sound with firm bass?

I'd say the mean over the dream at gfs home, the dream 90 doesn't sound like a P90 to me, is more a normal single coil but I haven't opened it

 

[GuitarDoc]

I'd say the mean over the dream at gfs home, the dream 90 doesn't sound like a P90 to me, is more a normal single coil but I haven't opened it

How can you say, "the dream 90 doesn't sound like a P90 to me" if you haven't even opened it? Are you saying you haven't opened the package? Or you haven't taken the pup apart?

The Dream 90 is not at all like a normal single coil. The poles are nickel, not magnets (like a single coil), and it has two opposing magnets, like every other true P-90.

I've got lots of Dream 90s and Mean 90s installed in many guitars. They both are true P-90s and sound like P-90s. But they sound different from each other. The Mean 90 has more mids/lower mids and more output. Excellent for bright sounding guitars. The Dream 90 is a bit brighter and more articulate, almost sounds a bit scooped in the mids. I love this pup in any guitar but especially in guitars with strong mids.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Remember that because both the Dream and Mean are P-90s, they have two magnets that can be swapped for fine detailing your tone.

 

[marcello252]

How can you say, "the dream 90 doesn't sound like a P90 to me" if you haven't even opened it?

because I had it, and it sounded like a standard single coil, the Mean sounded like a P90.

 

[marcello252]

GuitarDoc , I searched a bit, it seems we both were right :

https://surfguitar101.com/forums/topic/23311/?page=1#p317431

 

[GuitarDoc]

What you posted is one person's opinion of the sound of the Dream 90. He is no more an expert than you or I. He says that he thinks the Dream 90 sounds "somewhere in between a regular single coil and a P-90". No...it sounds like a P-90 because it is a P-90. There are lots of P-90s that have different sounds from each other, but they are still their own thing.

Yes, the Dream 90 sounds more like a single coil than the Mean 90 because it is designed to sound brighter with less midrange than the Mean 90. (A Pearly Gates also sounds more like a single coil than an Invader).

The size of the bobbin has very little to do with the sound of the pup. If it did, the SD Lil'59 would sound like a single coil pup. Not even close.

The main influence on the sound (comparing a single coil with a P-90) is that the single coil has the poles, as the magnets, within a single coil of wire, and the P-90 has nickel poles within a single coil of wire, and dual opposing flat bar magnets. (Of course, a humbucker, even the Lil'59, has steel poles between the two coils, and one flat bar magnet beneath the poles).

Like I said, and as you can see in the pics you posted, the Dream has one coil with the poles inside that coil, and two flat bar mags. If the Dream were just the same but the bobbins were wider, it would sound exactly the same.

 

[marcello252]

What you posted is one person's opinion of the sound of the Dream 90. .

actually two, since I do agree with this person soundwise (constuctionwise you are right, it is actually a P90 form, apart the coil dimension)

 

[marcello252]

BTW I still have in the drawer a couple of chinese HB sized P90s which have the same exact construction of the Dream 90 in the picture, they are so similar they could have been done by the same manufacturer, both have only a slight slight P90 vibe (if you ask me if I know the P90, answer is yes, I have a partcaster Tele and a Gibson LP special too with them)