Stack Plus: P90/Tele/Other?

Silence Kid

New member
So I've been on the Stack Plus bandwagon for a few months, long enough for it to occur to me; the tech. is yet only available on Strats, after existing for several years.

Apparently Duncan doesn't think there's a market for bringing the Plus design to Telecasters or anything else; fair enough. But consider: no one really likes the noiseless P90s available on the market at the moment, and P90s are susceptible to a TON of noise so... That one seems easy. But only the 'old' style stacks are produced. Wonder if anyone has successfully ordered a Stack Plus from the custom shop, for anything other than a Strat?

Hell, a Jazzmaster Hot Stack Plus would be a godsend, could easily be my go-to gain pickup and make Humbuckers obsolete...
 
Re: Stack Plus: P90/Tele/Other?

I have Duncan and Fralin P-90 stacks.... I love the grunt and grind of P-90s, but in this day and age there is no excuse for single coil hum. Don Lace makes a noiseless P-90, but I haven't seen any to try out yet. Of course - DiMarzio and others make a P-90 shaped humbucker which is a Minibucker in disguise, but they are not the same. Barden markets a 2 bladed P-90 which sounds great, but it's not a single coil - it's voiced.
 
Re: Stack Plus: P90/Tele/Other?

What's the difference between regular and stack plus stacks?

I have a set of p90 stacks from Duncan and I think they're great.
 
Re: Stack Plus: P90/Tele/Other?

You can totally order Stack Plus models for Tele. Just because they don't appear in the production line doesn't mean it isn't a great idea...deciding what goes into a regular production usually is a matter of several factors. Of course it would be a brilliant idea. I love the Strat versions.
 
Re: Stack Plus: P90/Tele/Other?

But consider: no one really likes the noiseless P90s available on the market at the moment, and P90s are susceptible to a TON of noise so..

My only experience with noiseless P-90's are the Gibson P-100's, Dimarzio's offering (mentioned above) and a Kinman. While the Dimarzio sounds great, it's (as mentioned) no P-90. I played a Stephens Extended Tele a few years ago loaded with P-100's. Quiet, yes, but to my ears it was nothing like a P-90.....lower output, anemic (OK, weenie) tone. The Kinman killed! I wish I could have spent more time with it, but the tones and feel were P-90....just with no noise!

Kent Armstrongs Stealth P-90 (about as expensive as the Kinman) has received excellent reviews. His offshore made models, the HP90 cost far less and also receive stellar reviews. Have not used them, so no personal experience. My experience with other offshore made KA's (vintage wind buckers, 12 pole low wind buckers, lip stick pickups, etc) has been good. For the money, (especially used) they are a not only a fantastic bargain, I find the tone and feel on par with more expensive pickups.

I just installed a Duncan custom shop antiquity P-90 in an old 63 Decca thin line hollow body. I left the original wiring harness intact as everything worked well. The feel of this pickup is amazing. In the top 3 of the most musical and dynamic pickup I've ever used. The way it responds to various picks, (I'll use ho-made wood picks, new Tusq picks, Various V Picks, two old real tortoise shell's, old celluloids from the 50's, Ultech's, Tortex, bread clips and 1,000 other picks in my collection) my fingers and touch is inspiring. In addition, judicious tweaks of the guitars volume and tone controls allow a veritable treasure trove of killer tones.

Is it noisy? Yes, it sure can be. Do I care? Nope! I cut my guitar teeth on a 57 Les Paul Special, so I learned early on to the guitars volume control was my friend! These days, I do the same, but mostly use my foot to lower my volume pedal. Bingo...no noise. If the trade off for the tone this beautiful pickup provides, I'll gladly put up with a bit of noise.

Good luck with your search!
 
Re: Stack Plus: P90/Tele/Other?

Lindy Fralin now has a hum cancelling P90.


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