P90's and all their glory

Chalupacabra · October 05, 2011, 09:14:53 PM

I'm about to get a guitar with P90's and was wondering if anyone had any favorite P90's. I'm actually thinking of getting the Dimarzio DLX Plus or the Virtual P90 because it would be nice to have a humbucker in the bridge and P90 in the neck.

The Shocker · October 05, 2011, 09:17:12 PM

I'm not sure I've ever heard a P90 that didn't sound good.

VOLVO))) · October 05, 2011, 09:22:32 PM

Best user name ever - tortilla with cheese/meat/vegetable goat.

clockwork green · October 05, 2011, 09:23:49 PM

Lollar, Bare Knuckle, Wolfetone have all been good to me...Rio Grande blues dawg is a nice pickup for a little less.

Baltar · October 05, 2011, 09:24:30 PM

I second the p90's, never muddy. And second the user name award, instant classic. Good band name.

Cursed71 · October 05, 2011, 10:49:57 PM

Gfs mean 90. Sized to replace humbuckers. I use one in the neck of an sg currently but like it in either position.

mawso · October 06, 2011, 01:50:41 AM

I actually really like the stock '90 in my 2009 LP junior. I expected that I'd want to go for an aftermarket pup at some stage but I can't bring myself to take it out. Extremely unversatile but it does what it's meant to so well - gritty cleans and gnarly overdrives. For crystal cleans or crushingly distorted tones get something else. Supposedly they're a different beast to the originals tho.

Instant Dan · October 06, 2011, 09:44:31 AM

I have a P94 in the neck of my guitar which I love and plan to switch the bridge out to a P94T. Sounds heavy without being too bright.

Chalupacabra · October 06, 2011, 12:43:15 PM

Thanks SunnO))) and Baltar, I like the name as well Hahahaha.

Here is the guitar in question, some of you were suggesting P90's in humbucker form, but I was talking about humbucker "style" in P90 form.

Gein13 · October 06, 2011, 03:40:59 PM

I recently got the Goldtop 60's Tribute and I love it... and like you said, you can't beat the price.

EddieMullet · October 06, 2011, 08:17:50 PM

I have a 1997 Epiphone SG Junior that has an amazing P-90 in it.

Last year I got one of those PRS SE-Ones with the single P-90. (probably making me the only person in history to buy a PRS to use as a backup for an Epiphone)

Once you get used to them it's hard to get used to going back to anything else.

RacerX · October 06, 2011, 09:01:10 PM

Yeah, I like the stock Gibbys in my SG Classic just fine. Nice honkin' bark to 'em.

I had the Duncans in another guitar. They were okay, but a bit more refined tonally & higher output.

Fuhgawz · October 07, 2011, 05:48:32 PM

I have a Gibson SG Classic. LOVE the P90 sound, don't love the hum. When playing a high gain amp / 4x12 cab in a loud band the hum can get pretty bad in some buildings. I replaced the bridge P90 with a Dimarzio Virtual P90 and it really solved the noise problem. The Virtual P90 sounds like a P90 in the sense that it has similar output and frequency response to my original Gibson P90 with the same clarity and bark, although it does seem to have a bit more bass. I 'acts' as a humbucker though. It isn't as dynamic as a true single coil pickup and it doesn't have that typical growl/clean-up thing a real P90 has with gain. It does sound really good though, is hum free and is voiced perfectly for the SG bridge position to give it a nice and balanced sound. You should think of it as a (really good) humbucker acting like a P90 instead of like a true P90. You'll be happy with this pickup if you want something as close as possible to a P90 sound without the hum, but you shouldn't buy it if you want the EXACT P90 response. I still have the P90 neck pickup and it is indeed a good combination.

A friend of mine has Dimarzio Super Distortion P90-pickup, but that pickup sounds more like a fire breathing monster than like a P90. You should consider that one if you want a heavy sounding pickup in your P90 slot and don't care about approaching the P90 sound.

heytrid · October 08, 2011, 12:59:04 AM

I have a black 60's tribute... LOVE the sound of it.

cat shepard · October 09, 2011, 10:48:37 AM

P-90's really bring the tone to life. Like life energy.

Chalupacabra · October 09, 2011, 07:48:21 PM

Hmmmm, maybe I should just go with the Virtual 90's instead of a traditional humbucker style. To be honest, I've never tried a P90 through my amp, so I just don't know the sound that will come out. Guess I could just order the Virtual and if I like the traditional P90 and don't mind the hum I could send it back.

yesca · October 11, 2011, 12:58:45 PM

the p90's in my agile don't disappoint

Chalupacabra · October 13, 2011, 01:37:33 AM

After reading this it sounds like I should've tried a P90 a long time ago. Hahaha

Volume · October 13, 2011, 03:14:49 AM

If you've got two P90's in your guitar you can run them both for a fatter sound and less hum.

heytrid · October 13, 2011, 06:07:27 PM

I don't find them hum as much as everyone seems to think, that being said I know trying to record a clean track would be a little annoying with it.... i am not worried about clean tracks though.

I think the best of both worls would be something like this. a Seymour Duncan P-rail, gives you the best of all 3 worlds, that being said I have not tried them yet but I plan on ordering a set for my SG, then wiring with push pull switchs.