Re: P90s vs. Mini-humbuckers
Hey, Fatty....
I am currently using minihumbuckers, Firebirds, and a Phat Cat in various guitars.
The minihumbucker is bright and thin, especially the bridge. I should say that this applies to the original Gibson (there are a lot of different versions, some of which have a ton of output). The bridge was too thin for me with my Les Paul Deluxe. It was also microphonic in a bad way. The neck pickup, however, is a my favorite of all time. Its bluesy and screams. More fullness and richness than a Fender, less bloopy and sloppy than a humbucker.
The Firebirds are bright and gritty. The bridge is more aggressive, with a steely top, and more clearly defined lows. Its bright, but not ice-picky like the mini bridge was. I am using Antiquity Firebirds in one of my guitars.
The P90, or in this case, the Phat Cat, is warmer. It has more output. The P90 has a dynamic character where you can play clean with a light touch, and then drive the preamp into overdrive with heavier playing. The upper mids emphasis is pronounced, and that helps it to cut through the mix, certainly more aggressive sounding with an overdriven amp. Some neck position P90's can be very smooth and jazz-ish, which is kind of an interesting contrast from the bridge position pickup, which is generally recognized as being a great rock type of sound.
output levels:
minihumbucker @ about 6.5 kohm
Firebird @ about 7.5 kohm
P90 & Phat Cat @ about 8.5 to 10 kohm, depending on the individual piece.
Randy