PU Suggestions for ES-135 Swingmaster

[Redtop_58]

I am hoping to turn my ES-135 from a tone slacker into a vintage tone monster, but need some help with PU selection.

With the stock P-90s the tone has bite, but is muddy. I use it for jazz, blues and swing.

I am thinking about adding a SH-2 for the neck pickup to get a good clean jazz tone, but am not sure what would work best on the bridge position.

This particular model has a maple top, back and neck and ebony fingerboard with pearloid inlays.

I'm looking for a warm and clean jazz tone, and a vintage (but open) sound for blues and swing.

 

[bluefrog]

Re: PU Suggestions for ES-135 Swingmaster

I had a SH2Neck and a AlnicoPro Bridge in a EPI L5 Jazz guitar.
I was VERY happy with it - just that TONE! This cd be nice for you,too.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: PU Suggestions for ES-135 Swingmaster

Welcome to the forum.
Let me get this straight: You want to route out a P-90 equipped hollow body for 'buckers?

I'd advise against that. I would just give it a fresh set of 500k CTS pots, 50's wiring, .022mfd orange drops, and a set of Duncan's Vintage P-90's or Gibson's standard P90's.

 

[eggman]

Re: PU Suggestions for ES-135 Swingmaster

Howdy,

May I ask a seemingly dumb question: Are the stock P/Us P-100s? If so, almost any vintage style P-90 would be an improvement.
With that in mind, I replaced the stock P-100s in my Gibson LP Sp. with SD Vintage P-90s. Much better. Good luck!
Eggman

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: PU Suggestions for ES-135 Swingmaster

I would call Jason Lollar on the phone if I were you.

 

[RockStarNick]

Re: PU Suggestions for ES-135 Swingmaster

Those P90 ES135 were very midrangey guitars, full of great resonance, but you need the right pickups to match it.

Get 500K pots for sure. And Id use some underwound P90s to get less mids and more treble.

 

[ES350]

Re: PU Suggestions for ES-135 Swingmaster

Blues and swing = P90's. HB's are OK for the Hollywood Fats thing, but that has gotten more than a little old. If they are P100's lose them. Get some low wind good quality P90's and go to town (Fralin may have a leg up on the swing/jazz voiced stuff---that's his bag).

 

[Redtop_58]

Re: PU Suggestions for ES-135 Swingmaster

Those P90 ES135 were very midrangey guitars, full of great resonance, but you need the right pickups to match it.

Get 500K pots for sure. And Id use some underwound P90s to get less mids and more treble.

I want to thank everyone for their help and feedback.

As it turns out, it has P-100s instead of p-90s installed....which explains a lot!
This guitar is very mid-rangey, and is too muddy on the the bottom.

I spoke with Lindy Fralin today about getting a pair of under-wound P-90 replacements. He seems like a very knowledgable guy. Does anyone have experience with his work?

 

[blueman335]

Re: PU Suggestions for ES-135 Swingmaster

Welcome to the forum.
Let me get this straight: You want to route out a P-90 equipped hollow body for 'buckers?

I'd advise against that. I would just give it a fresh set of 500k CTS pots, 50's wiring, .022mfd orange drops, and a set of Duncan's Vintage P-90's or Gibson's standard P90's.

+1. Never covert a P-90 guitar to HB's!

 

[ES350]

Re: PU Suggestions for ES-135 Swingmaster

The P90 guitars we hear most often on the classic blues/jazz/swing recordings were late 40's/early 50's Gibsons (among other things, but these appear to be pretty common). Those P90's were anyplace from 5.6 to maybe 7K, a bit cooler than the later 50's stuff (my ES350 pickups come in around 6 to 6.4K). They are clearer and less muddy than the later stuff, kinda like the Franz P90 types you find on 50's Guilds (low winds, smaller magnets). These work great with cathode biased amps (less hit to the front end) and probably the reason they were designed that way. They can be a little bright through BF style amps (see Gomez's tone with the Paladins for an example), but they always have a certain clarity that's good for that style. Lindy likes that music a lot and knows how to get that tone, or as close as you are gonna get in a new pickup. I've had him rewind some stuff for me and it's good...