Single coil P90 in a humbucker neck cavity?
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Wound_Up
New member
P90's fit very specific specifications. If it will fit in a humbucker route, it's not a P90 no matter what it sounds like. It's a humbucker sized single coil. P90's are wider from left to right and narrower from top to bottom than a humbucker, IIRC. Going by memory so I didn't look at any pics for reference before making this comment.
its true a p90 has a different size housing, but i have some old gibson p90s and there is plenty of room to cut off some bobbin at the ends without messing with the coil. the base plate is metal and there are other differences, but the coils could be just about the same if the winder wanted
eclecticsynergy
Well-known member
A few pickup makers build them that way, true P90 coils with cutoff bobbins.
ThreeChordWonder
New member
The fundanental difference between regular single coils and P90s is that regular single coils have individual magnets as the pe pieces whereas P90s use two bar magnets with magnetized not self magnetic pole pieces resting on a spacer between them and at 90 degrees (which is where the 90 comes from) to the magnets' largest facets.
Nuanced differences in the coil shape / geometry may have some effect on the sound, and purists will insist only a regular P90 sounds like a P90.
SD make humbucker sized P90s and the P-Rails, a P90 and half a humbucker in one unit.
Single coil:
P90:
Nuanced differences in the coil shape / geometry may have some effect on the sound, and purists will insist only a regular P90 sounds like a P90.
SD make humbucker sized P90s and the P-Rails, a P90 and half a humbucker in one unit.
Single coil:
P90:
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ThreeChordWonder
New member
Something screwey going on.
This is a single coil:
This is a P90:
This is a single coil:
This is a P90:
ThreeChordWonder
New member
Just to clarify, with a P90 the pole pieces are the long screws. Those are magnetized by the metal spacer in the middle, which in turn is magnetized by the two bar magnets.
It's this screwey design that gives P90s their distinctive tone, especially when the sound starts to break up when driven hard.
It's this screwey design that gives P90s their distinctive tone, especially when the sound starts to break up when driven hard.
eclecticsynergy
Well-known member
Technically P90s are singlecoils too, because there's only one coil of wire (cutaway drawing above doesn't show the actual coil, of course).
But they differ so significantly from Strat/Tele pickups that we seldom call them singlecoils, despite the use of a single coil in their design.
To make things even more confusing, a few makers offer P90 type coils with rod magnets in them instead of the bars underneath.
There tend to sound fatter than Strat types, but typically have a more immediate attack and a little more chime than traditional P90s.
Almost as if you took the characteristic "bark" of a P90 and shifted its frequency a little higher.
I have one that Jerry Sentell wound for me years ago and I like it. I think Pete Biltoft (Vintage Vibe) and a few others make them too.
Staple P90 pickups are in a similar ballpark tonally IMO; they allow balancing the volume on individual strings too.
There are also Strat & Tele pickups made using the original P90 model, with pole screws & twin mags underneath.
These are Fender-sized (narrow/deep coils) so they can be drop-in replacements for a Fender.
These types also sound fatter then rod-mag pickups, but I think they have tighter focus than wider/flatter P90 coils.
Harmonic Design makes very well-regarded versions of these for either Strat or Tele.
I've got a set of Vintage Vibe SP90s. They're beefy but still have a bit of Strat flavor in their personality.
ThreeChordWonder
New member
^ Agree with all oof the above. Of course a P90 is a single coil pickup, it's just not a "regular" one.
