Vintage P90 Questions

S

stilwel

New member
I'm lucky enough to own a couple of really nice vintage LP Specials. One is a 1974 sunburst '55RI model the other is TV yellow from 1959 that was my grandfather's.

I've spent a fair amount of time playing both and of course comparing them tonally. Now I understand that the sound of the guitar is more than just the pickups, it's the age of the wood, the neck etc.
But...the '59 P90's have a thing going on that I can't duplicate with the '74, even after swapping the 300k pots for 500k and 50's wiring, which helped immensely.
The 300k pots were completely strangling the guitar. It was way too dark.

How different are the 59 vs 74 P90's? Are the magnets different?

Which Duncan P90's are closest in construction and tone to these 1959 P90's?

Thanks in advance...
 
Re: Vintage P90 Questions

First you should measure the 59's DCR with a multimeter, the coils were all over the map in the 50ies. Low 7 to 9k. My beginning 60ies P90 has 8.9, my '53 measures 6.9. Concerning the mags Gibson used everything they could obtain in this days like in PAF's. They used the same mags indeed. Reported and tested are Alnico 2, 3, 4 and 5.
The Duncan Vintage clones SP90-1 use A5s and are copies of a 50ies set that Seymour liked best. The Ants are similar built but use degaussed A2. The Ants have a tad softer attack, but sound strong, while the Vintage is growlier and briter.
 
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Re: Vintage P90 Questions

None of the current offerings will really get close even to your 74.

As to the older ones - Every part is different. The magnets got changed for short ones, alloys changed, wire insulation changed. And most importantly in the mid 60's the winding machines had there tolerances worked on for a more consistent wind
All of the little changes add up.


Vintage p90's are readily available for sale. Nobody has quite realised how good they sound, so for little more than what you'd spend on a Duncan custom shop wind you could buy your own old p90.
 
Re: Vintage P90 Questions

Ok, slightly different question. Are there any current production P90's specifically trying to capture the late 50's P90 sound?
 
Re: Vintage P90 Questions

Hamerfan noted winds from 7k -9k and magnets fromA2-5. So what specific late 50's P-90 sound are you expecting?
 
Re: Vintage P90 Questions

For mine.....Wizz or Throbak if you want those most adept at vintage cloning.

I have also had James from ReWind use old mags and some older wire (wasn't 50's....more like late 60's into 70's) to wind a p90 which currently sits alongside a 50's p90 in a goldtop. No obvious difference tonally where the newer one sounds flatter.
A further recommendation is Tysontone who has also wound a a great p90 for me using another set of vintage mags.
 
Re: Vintage P90 Questions

I bet MJ could wind them. Production-wise, the Antiquity P90s are more early 50s. But I bet those could be modified to sound closer to late 50s. Of if you had an actual late 50s P-90, it could be cloned by the guys and gals at the Custom Shop.
 
Re: Vintage P90 Questions

the wind on the antiquity p90 is great but the soft magnets arent for everyone. a pair of roughcast a5 magnets is a great match if you dont like the aged a2 that come stock
 
Re: Vintage P90 Questions

Yes, perhaps some non-aged A5 magnet would do the trick. I am not sure with which one, although I'd tend to agree with jeremy. I don't have enough experience with different magnets in P90s to know.
 
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