Thoughts on a P-90 style pickup...

[JF Omalycat]

Well, after jamming on a buddies old Les Paul with the P-90 soapbars, I pretty much feel in love with them. I'm not sure how much of it had to do with the guitar as opposed to the pups, but I've played 'Pauls before and never went "WOW" the way I did with the P-90's.
I guess it was one of those moments when you go "That's what I've been looking for!!"

Only problem is that none of my guitars will accommodate them without routing. So I thought I'd experiment with an Epiphone SG I've got, hearing you could get P-90 type pups in a humbucker configuration.

I've heard good things about the GFS Mean 90's, as well as the ones from Lindy Fralin. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I'm not savvy with guitar electronics.

Any thoughts or recommendations would be highly appreciated.

 

[RR]

You do realize there's humbucker size P90s out there, don't you?

 

[JF Omalycat]

So I thought I'd experiment with an Epiphone SG I've got, hearing you could get P-90 type pups in a humbucker configuration.

Yes. That's the whole point of the post, otherwise I'd just pop the soapbars in. All of my guitars are single coil, other than the SG, which has dual humbuckers.
I've heard negative reviews of the P-94 and want to try something more true to the original.

 

[RR]

Opps sorry

Yeah, I don't have any experience with Rio Grande's *******, or Seymour Duncans Phat Cat™ SPH90-1 ... and what not.
Here's some thing Intersting from Seymour Duncan.

 

[mikeyp]

Well I was gonna suggest P-94's. I have them in my cheapo and they are nice pups. The balls of a bucker but more clear. I've only heard good things about them btw.

 

[DeFrag]

Look at Duncan's P-Rails:
http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/humbucker/progressive/prails_shpr1/
Humbucker/Single-coil/P-90 all in one wonder.

 

[edgarallanpoe]

The Rio Grande is a very nice pickup. Big, fat, and ballsy. However, I am currently using Haeussel P90s in my guitars and I am completely blown away by this pickup. They are expensive, but I have tried all of the big boys, Fralin, Voodoo, Lollar, Duncan, Rio, etc... and the Haeussel P90 is the best i have heard. I have both the normal P90 and the HB sized P90. I am using my RKI and the tone is spectacular. Everyone who hears these guitars with this amp raves about the tone I am getting.

Here is Harry's site...mostly in German.

http://www.haeussel.com/

You can get the pickups from this dealer, Paul is a fellow Hamer USA and Nik Huber lover. Tell him Poe sent ya over...

www.ugroove.biz/haeussel.html

Here are the guitars I am using with these pickups...

 

[Don]

P-90s are the ultimate pickup, as long as you don't have concerns about hum.

They have the perfect combination of single coil articulation and humbucker fatness.

Of course, that's just my opinion.

 

[Don]

Look at Duncan's P-Rails:
http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/humbucker/progressive/prails_shpr1/
Humbucker/Single-coil/P-90 all in one wonder.

That's an exciting new pickup. If they sound as good as the concept, they'd be incredible in my ES-135.

 

[BobL]

The GFS pickups leave a lot to be desired, actually they suck, and the Fralins sound good but lack a certain amount of chime. I tried a number of P-90 types in both an LP and SG standard before coming around to a matched set of P-94s. Almost identical to a P-90, all the extra grit and harmonics, but without the hum. And of course, the fit was perfect

 

[edgarallanpoe]

I tried a number of P-90 types in both an LP and SG standard before coming around to a matched set of P-94s.

Tone is in the ear of the beholder. I found the P94s to be the absolute worst of the bunch. The fact that they didn't hum was about the only good thing I could have said about them. That being said, the right guitar makes all the difference. I had a Heritage 575 that had the cheap Schaller pickups, and **** that guitar sounded great. I wouldn't have dreamed of touching it. LOL!!!

 

[Rocky]

Same here. I tried P94's and thought they were absolutely terrible.

 

[BobL]

Well, you need more than just the pickups regardless of type. In my case all of my Gibsons have CTS pots and bumble bee caps in them as well.

 

[edgarallanpoe]

Well, you need more than just the pickups regardless of type. In my case all of my Gibsons have CTS pots and bumble bee caps in them as well.

The guitars I tried them in already have top of the line components, so it wasn't like I dropped them into a Hondo or something. LOL!! Like I said...sometimes, certain pickups just work for a specific guitar.

BTW Doesn't it drive you Gibson guys crazy when you have to change the entire gut in their guitars? Man, that would drive me nuts if I spent the kind of cash that LPs are going for and had to replace the components. JMHO.

 

[Rocky]

I change the caps in my Les Pauls but leave the pots stock...they are fine. I do upgrade caps where I feel an instrument needs them but the whole 'bumblebee' thing is overdone in my opinion.

Just because something is old spec doesnt mean it is better.

 

[BobL]

Well, you need more than just the pickups regardless of type. In my case all of my Gibsons have CTS pots and bumble bee caps in them as well.

The guitars I tried them in already have top of the line components, so it wasn't like I dropped them into a Hondo or something. LOL!! Like I said...sometimes, certain pickups just work for a specific guitar.

BTW Doesn't it drive you Gibson guys crazy when you have to change the entire gut in their guitars? Man, that would drive me nuts if I spent the kind of cash that LPs are going for and had to replace the components. JMHO.

Actually it's no bother at all, just a matter of preference and I've never had to change the "entire gut" as you put it. The LPs I have are all historics so there's nothing left to do with them but listen to the amazing tone. As for the SG it had patent number pickups and the P-94s were a test. The sound was great and the reason I picked up a 59 LP special w/ original P-90s in it, more of a collection guitar than a player.

I'm not an old spec is better guy, however, bumble bees and black beauties are made using an older process that does not use metalized film. I have had to put them in a number of 335s, which is a pain in the ***, but well worth the effort. As for anything else it's much easier to put them into a Gibson solid body than a Strat, something else I have also done. Four screws, a soldering iron, and 15 minutes. 10 if you don't dtop to drink a beer.

 

[atlst7]

ok, i have an esp eclipse II that I swapped out the emg's for SD's and guess what... The phat cat is one of them. Its in my neck position and sounds amazing through my mk-iv. It is really cool to be able to switch from a high output humbucker (sh-5) in the bridge to a single coil in the neck. Very useful for cleans, ska, blues, and lower distorted tones to get that santana feel. overall I think they are great.

 

[Don]

I've got a set of Fralin soapbar P-90s coming for my cheapy PRS SE Soapbar II. I've had this guitar for a couple of years now and the only fault that I've found in this guitar is the bland pickups. I love the neck shape on this guitar.

I have and love their vintage style pickups in my Strta and Tele.

I can't wait to try these!