Picking a P-90 Guitar

T

TNTales

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I'm in the market for a new guitar here in the next couple of months and I want to go p90. I've looked at Phat Cats and PRails but I'm thinking a proper P90 would be better. I have some questions about pickup changing. I'm angling for something to play things like Queens of the Stone Age and other fuzzy thick stoner stuff. I've narrowed it down to a few options.

1) If it comes with dogears do I have to buy a Dogear pup or is it like a cradle and you can put any p90 you want in it?

2) One of the guitars is a Epiphone Wildkat which has top mounted p90s. How difficult is it to change pickups in a semi-hollow (I've never had one)? Would it be easier/better to try a magnet swap in the dogeared pup?

3) The other is an Ibanez Chris Miller and it's a solid body with a humbucker bridge with a p90 neck. Should I go with a p-rail or something more modern and ballsy (think Super Distortion) to have versatility? lt has a standard soapbar so I'm guessing any will fit.


Finally if you have any other p90 guitar recommendations (<$500 can be used) let me know. Which do you think would best match the style I'm going for?
 
Re: Picking a P-90 Guitar

I have very little insight to offer. Except that Wildkat is a cool guitar.
 
Re: Picking a P-90 Guitar

- You have to stick with the P-90 configuration the guitar comes with, dog ear or soap bar. They're not interchangeable.

- Yes, magnet swaps are easy and recommended to get the tones you want. You can mix and match different kinds. I especially like an A8/A4 in the bridge slot for more warmth, midrange, & output.

- For P-90 guitars I'd look at an Epi 339 (semi) and a Casino (hollow). Since you can put HB-sized P-90's into an HH guitar, your choices open up significantly if you go that route. A popular one here is GFS Mean 90, which sounds like a true P-90 (Phat Cats don't).
 
Re: Picking a P-90 Guitar

Modern Player Jaguar? Blacktop? For me it's not a tough transition to play 24" scale. The profile/width of modern Jaguar/Mustang necks seems to make it feel more like playing with a normal, 25.5" neck capoed at the first fret (which equals 24 ...). As opposed to even some 24.75" necks which due to profile/narrowness are uncomfortable to me. It's all in the carve... Many people step the strings up a gauge, I just keep nines on mine and enjoy the bending.

Jaguar/Jazzmaster shape is among the most comfortable to me overall though, perfect placement of the bridge and strap buttons.
 
Re: Picking a P-90 Guitar

Hmm I have a soapbar P-90 under my dogear cover, Did need to open up the cover a bit to accomadate the pole spread. I've also interchanged them between guitars so YMMV
 
Re: Picking a P-90 Guitar

The baseplate is what changes between soapbar and dogear. The latter having mounts which are outside the pickup rout so therefore impossible to fit inside the rout. Conversely the soapbar is mounted with 2 screws between polepieces....the dogear doesn't normally come with these holes so cannot have the soapbar arrangement below it in normal circumstances.

There are perhaps only 1 or 2 boutique winders that get a humbucker size to sound anything like a p90, so proper p90 size is needed if you actually want it to be p90 tones.

I'm not sure on prices, but see if a LP special or Jr (Gibby or epi) secondhand fits the bill. Those slab body p90 guitars are really something special. The stock Gibson p90's are perhaps the least in need of immediate upgrade of any stock Gibson pickup IMO, so its likely a stock unit would fit the bill.
 
Re: Picking a P-90 Guitar

ESP viper 2somethingnrather... Black, w/ 2 P90s...

PRS SE 245, has 2 P90s...

Both of them can be found very reasonably priced.


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Re: Picking a P-90 Guitar

Agree Wildkats are pretty good. I replaced one of the A5s in the bridge P90 of mine with an A8 and it was a big improvement. Sounds great now, quite a bit ballsier. This model plays well, and they look pretty darn cool too. My only issue with mine is neck dive; a wide leather strap keeps it in position just fine, but it's still heavy at the headstock.

When you're looking at dual-P90 guitars I'd also suggest considering a Les Paul Special- they have a pretty unique mojo, are available in singlecut or doublecut versions, and genuine Gibsons can be had relatively cheaply used.

I love P90 neck tone, and if you buy a model that has one with something else at the bridge, I'd strongly urge you to give it a chance before you decide you want to replace it. Okay, they can be noisy at high gain. But to me they represent a pretty special midpoint between the worlds of humbucker & singlecoil that's especially wonderful in neck position. All the fast attack of a single, most of the balls of a humbucker, a great throaty lead tone, and they clean up really well with the volume knob. Plus, they combine very well with other types. I have an LP that has a bridge humbucker with P90 neck and they work really well together. Middle position rules. Also have a Tele with P90 neck & a Li'l 59 at the bridge and that combination rocks too.
 
Re: Picking a P-90 Guitar

"Fuzzy thick stoner" would be better with a semi-hollow or hollow. Solid body with P90 is bright and Fendery, IME. Hollow, like Casino+P90 is clear but can do a real pleasant and satisfying flabby fuzzy bass. But there's less sustain with a hollow, so even though it can be fat, it doesn't get too muddy, IME. But play your target instrument through the amp you plan to use before you buy. Make sure it does what you want.
 
Re: Picking a P-90 Guitar

View attachment 74742

I paid $575 shipped for this.... It was in mint condition, came with a OHSC, has amazing P-90 tone, & it's the real deal! (if that matters to you)

Shop around on reverb & comparable sites, make low but still reasonable offers... I bet there's someone out there right now who has exactly what you want & is hurting for cash? I'm sure they will take $100-$175 less for the guitar if they are in that position & want it to move....

It's food for thought anyway....
 
Re: Picking a P-90 Guitar

There are several Godins with P90s. Some with set necks, and there's one with a bolt that has a kind of LP junior-ish vibe. Pretty good prices for a new North American guitar. Some of them even come with Seymour's P90s.
 
Re: Picking a P-90 Guitar

The Asian-made PRS guitars with P90s are good. Be aware they they only fit US made soapbars without the cover, though.
 
Re: Picking a P-90 Guitar

I love P90's so much. The Epiphone Casino is a really great choice (WildKat is also killer). Godin is a great way to go, to.

One of my favorite gigging guitars is actually this super cheap Axl Marquee. It's an offset Fender-ish design with EMG designed P90's that are actually really killer.
 
Re: Picking a P-90 Guitar

The Gibson 50s Tribute SG is a pretty righteous P90 guitar. It just calls for Sabbath riffs.

The old PRS SE Soapbar II is one of the best-bang-for-buck guitars around. The stock pickups are just fine, and the neck is nice and chunky.

Casinos and Wildkats are indeed very cool. They require special care when swapping pickups b/c evidently those dogears aren't standard size: http://www.lollarguitars.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=p90-dogear-sizing-notes

The various Melody Makers I've played with P90s have all had major mojo.

The new Billy Corgan signature Reverend model is very interesting in that it seems to basically channel Sabbath-size P90 tones - but noiseless.
 
Re: Picking a P-90 Guitar

For a semi hollow I would recommend an Epiphone es339 p90 pro. For a solid body an Epiphone les Paul gold top with p90s. It would probably be easier to change the pickups on the solid body but I don't know why you would want to on either they both sound really good, but different from eachother what with one being a semi hollow and one being a solid body. I also have a guitar with mean 90s in it too and they are good as well, maybe a little darker, but that could also be the guitar they are in. For $500 or less I don't think you can go wrong with the p90 epiphones. I don't know about the wildkat though since I don't have one.
 
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