p90's for a custom guitar

mrfjones

mrfjones

New member
I am currently working out the specs of a guitar with blueline. The basics are as follows:

all mahagony body, carved top single cutaway
mahagony neck, ebony fretboard.
single volume and tone probably 500k pots
graphite nut and graphite saddles on a wrap around bridge.

I want to use the p90 antiquities as i love the other antiquities i own, but since there is no maple to brighten up the guitar i am wary about using alnico 2 pickups in it. What do you guys think? Anyone have the ant buckers in an all mahagony les paul custom? or anything similar?

my other options are to call MJ (which i already have once) and she can wind a set with alnico 5 magnets or with the specs make a set calibrated to my guitar but both a a bit more expensive than a set of antiquities. So my question is what do you guys think i should do, Darrin, Lew, Doc?

Blueline i will call you tonight about this.
 
Re: p90's for a custom guitar

I played a LP Custom 68 RI from Gibson's historic line and it sounded great with the Alnico II BB!/BB@ set that was in it. I think that the ebony board might add enough brightness to the mahogany body, though, I could be wrong.
 
Re: p90's for a custom guitar

mrfjones said:
I am currently working out the specs of a guitar with blueline. The basics are as follows:

all mahagony body, carved top single cutaway
mahagony neck, ebony fretboard.
single volume and tone probably 500k pots
graphite nut and graphite saddles on a wrap around bridge.

I want to use the p90 antiquities as i love the other antiquities i own, but since there is no maple to brighten up the guitar i am wary about using alnico 2 pickups in it. What do you guys think? Anyone have the ant buckers in an all mahagony les paul custom? or anything similar?

my other options are to call MJ (which i already have once) and she can wind a set with alnico 5 magnets or with the specs make a set calibrated to my guitar but both a a bit more expensive than a set of antiquities. So my question is what do you guys think i should do, Darrin, Lew, Doc?

Blueline i will call you tonight about this.
Click to expand...

Hey Scott,

Good question. I dunno. Hear's my take: I have two Hamer Specials (like LP Double Cut's, just in case you didn't know), both guitars are mahagony with a rosewood board, no caps. In one of them I have a P90 Hot/Custom setup (ceramic mags) & the other P90 Stacks (2 A5's). These pups came in the guitars when I bought them. As you would expect the H/C pups have more "liveliness" to them, I like 'em. The Stacks are a little darker but still retain that P90 grit we all like. Also, I have Ant. Hums in my Les Paul Std. (maple cap, rosewood board) & absolutely love 'em. Just what you'd expect from an awsome PAF. I know, none of this matches exactly what you're doing, but IMO I think the ebony board & 500K pots would help any downfall of the A2 mag in the Ants. I believe if it were me, I would go with the Antiquities, they just gotta sound great. Don't you think? We love every other Antiquity Seymour & MJ put out, can't see the P90's being any different. Good luck, Scott, I don't know if this was any help, but I try.

Peace,

Darrin
 
Re: p90's for a custom guitar

My guess (and that's all it is) is that most P-90s are bright enough for an all-mahogany guitar. I had a Rio Grande Bluesbar/Jazzbar set in an all-mahogany Les Paul Special, and I think those are A5, but they're overwound and pretty dark, and they still had nice highs and tight lows. I'd go with the antiquities.

It's not like all-mahogany=low thudding ooze either. Most SGs and Les Paul Jrs. and Specials have plenty of highs (I don't know how much this has to do with the thinner slab bodies, though. You might want to consider this when choosing body thickness/weight). Many Les Paul Customs are all-mahogany with an ebony fingerboard and a carved top, and those aren't considered prohibitively dark either.
 
Re: p90's for a custom guitar

thanks alot guys, i really appreciate the feedback. unless someone has thought of something else i think i will just try the antiquities and if it turns out to be too dark for a2 mags then i will either switch pickups or magnets (if i can).

Yes Darrin you helped.
 
Re: p90's for a custom guitar

first off
i'm very excited about this guitar
one thing scott left out is that this mahogany is ultra light and was originally destined for gibby's historic line (lets just say i know some people, who know some people, who robbed some people)

anyway
here's my take
options
ant 2
ant with alinico 5
which are just like the vintage p-90s but not wax potted so a litlt emore open
and then there's the plain vintage p-90s

i think either would be great but i think i might go alnico 5
and either get them potted or unpotted
could save some money and just get the vintage ones

up to you scott - we'll discuss more later
 
Re: p90's for a custom guitar

That guitar Wattage pointed out has a maple neck, an alternative that I was thinking about. Also a bone nut & steel saddles might be a touch brighter and ok for a fixed-bridge guitar. However, I defer to Aaron's judgement anytime.

Chip
 
Re: p90's for a custom guitar

the steel saddles and bone nut are a taken point
but i'm using graphite at both points
i'd rather change the pickups and keep the abilty to almost never break a string

honeslty - i think the guitar would rock with plain old SD vintage p-90s
however, i'm sure the antiquities would be pretty darn nasty
justa more mellow vintage voice
 
Re: p90's for a custom guitar

I realized the guitar had some different appointments but it is a real light piece of mahoagany and it did have an ebony board so it would share some similar characteritics I would think. The SD Ant's definitely sound great, I like the neck better than my SD Vintage neck in my LPS, it has more of an open sound to it. Bludave loves that guitar and could probably give a bit more in depth description of them. All the SD P-90's a good, really I don't think they make a bad one at all.

I've tried a bunch of different setups and I've settled in on a Custom bridge and a vintage neck in my Special which is a fairly heavy 2 piece of mahogany body and neck.

Sounds like a cool guitar you are building there.
 
Re: p90's for a custom guitar

I have not tried the Antiquity P90's. I have owned the same set Darrin mentioned: Duncan Hot & Custom P-90's. I had them in my Hamer Gold Top and I liked them alot for more of a rock/blues tone but changed them to a set of -10%/+5% Lindy Fralin P-90's which I felt gave me a clearer neck pickup tone and ballsy but more textured and complex bridge pickup tone...more of a blues/rock tone as opposed to the rock/blues tone of the Duncans.

I'd love to try the Antiquity P-90's as I have loved every Antqiuity pickup I have tried! I say go for the Antiquitys...they are batting 1000 in my guitars.
 
Re: p90's for a custom guitar

One more thing: the Alnico 2 Antiquitys I have tried (Tele, Strat and humbuckers) seem to have more treble and highs than one might expect from alnico 2. They do not sound dark or lacking in treble like some a2 pickups can. Lew
 
Re: p90's for a custom guitar

hahaha i was thinking the same thing. (lew has spoken)

besides, i did just play a les paul custom 68 with alnico 2 burstbuckers and they were everly bright in that guitar. I couldn't believe it but i had to turn the treble down on the amp and roll the tone and volume off to get a good usable sound, but those are also gibson pickups so i might have just gotten a really bright set. oh well

i also played a mcarty soapbar (with the maple top) and it too was really bright in the bridge position but the neck was usable at all settings, for me. I was really trying to get a good rock tone and then also a good bluesy tone. the bridge pickup just didn't do it for me. it was a bit too harsh in the highs.

lastly i tried out a 1956 historic gold top, i really liked the feel of the neck but that was about all i liked on that guitar. It was a decent guitar but uninspiring.

So after testing some pickups and guitars, it will be another good set of antiquities for this guitar. Also as lew said they are batting 1000 for me, one tele, one strat and my bluesbird have them. why not another.

thanks for all your help guys, i will report on the pickups and guitar in the months to come.
 
Re: p90's for a custom guitar

i've played a prs all mahogany mccarty with p-90s and i thought the tone was much more suited for the style you're after

i think they have a vintage neck in the bridge or something
anyway, the ants sound great
 
Re: p90's for a custom guitar

Blueline said:
i've played a prs all mahogany mccarty with p-90s and i thought the tone was much more suited for the style you're after

i think they have a vintage neck in the bridge or something
anyway, the ants sound great
Click to expand...


They have a Vintage at the neck and a Custom neck at the bridge. :burnout:
 
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