P90 pups

Conantroutman77 · January 04, 2017, 02:38:42 PM

What's everyone's opinion about p90 pickups? Thinking about throwing some in my SG. Wondering how they will handle the fuzz!! Let's hear!

Submarine · January 04, 2017, 11:22:48 PM

Love P90's for the heavy. I am beginning to think that they handle fuzz better than some humbuckers. I'll post a clip with an SG with P90s a bit later tonight.

Submarine · January 05, 2017, 12:24:43 AM

Here you go:
SG with P90s - Pharoah Fuzz into a Marshall JCM800 50watt with Celestion Greenbacks.
http://ampedelic.com/srlives/EarthSalami-P90.test.mp3

Instant Dan · January 05, 2017, 12:39:01 PM

Is your guitar routed for humbuckers? If so, you're better off using humbucker sized P90's instead of routing your guitar.

That being said, my SG Classic gets a lot of use. Fuzz and P90's are the bomb.

You can't even really go wrong with the standard Gibson P90's you can find.

amadkins · January 05, 2017, 01:25:09 PM

Love mine. Picked up a 2011 60s tribute special, and now my 2003 '61 reissue mainly sits.

It plays very nice with my OR15. I'm almost always on the bridge. Likes fuzz too (not that I need much with the OR15).

Conantroutman77 · January 05, 2017, 06:49:00 PM

Thanks for clip man, big help. Yea it's got him buckets in it now so I'm thinking about Seymour Duncan's phat cats or the cheaper GFS MEAN 90.

Conantroutman77 · January 05, 2017, 06:52:09 PM

Digging the Pharoh to. I got the Big Muff and the Lestr right now. But I'm definitely sold on throwing some p90 in. Now I just gotta find the right ones.

Submarine · January 05, 2017, 07:19:35 PM

Quote from: Conantroutman77 on January 05, 2017, 06:52:09 PM
I got the Big Muff and the Lestr right now.

The Lestr is a fun pedal. My Pharoah is actually the Sarcophagus which is the Pharaoh and Lestr in one.

Instant Dan · January 05, 2017, 10:02:41 PM

Quote from: Conantroutman77 on January 05, 2017, 06:49:00 PM
Thanks for clip man, big help. Yea it's got him buckets in it now so I'm thinking about Seymour Duncan's phat cats or the cheaper GFS MEAN 90.

Also consider the following humbucker-sized P90's

-Gibson P94's
-BG Pure 90's

I had both, I preferred the Pure 90's as they were slightly more versatile but the P94's are the real deal. Get them used though. Super expensive new.

Conantroutman77 · January 11, 2017, 12:44:58 AM

I'll definitely check them out. I'm thinking about getting a new guitar to. I been looking at the Guild S-100 cause I'm a sucker for the SG shape but I really been thinking bout the Gibson Firebird!!! Throw some P90's in that thing!!! Let's hear it!! Go!!

showdown · January 11, 2017, 03:50:43 AM

The GFS Mean 90 is a killer pickup, nut just for the price, but compared to the "expensive" alternatives too. Just as good as the Phat Cat IMO (I have both).

RacerX · January 11, 2017, 02:32:05 PM

IMO, the stock Gibby's can't be matched/beat without spending some extra scratch. I have them in my SG Classic. I wouldn't replace my Gibson P90s with anything but Lollars, but unless I hit the lottery, that won't be happening.

To my ear, the Duncans should be named "Tame Cats" and the GFSs "Somewhat Annoyed 90s." I have the Duncan in my Godin 5th Avenue, and it's just okay. Not enough honk & grunt.

If you already have Gibsons installed, you'll need to spend more $$ to beat 'em.

If you're not replacing Gibsons and you don't want to buy Gibsons, my advice is to leave the Duncans alone & buy the GFSs. Not a lot of difference in tone, but you'll save $$.

Danny G · January 11, 2017, 05:42:22 PM

I would love to have an Iceman with soapbar P90s

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Danny G · January 11, 2017, 05:45:11 PM

*drool*

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Beta Cloud · January 27, 2017, 07:44:28 PM

hey man, my experiences with p90's, so it's all IMO.
racerx gave me some great advice a while back, so i scored a lester with stock p90's in it and LOVE the sound.
1. my belief is they don't sound like strat/jazzmaster/jag single coils. they are in the ballpark of a humbucker sound. by that, i mean fat, warm, and much more of a mid bite that i might associate with a bucker. but it the neck position with tube dirt, much like a smooth strat sound, but with more balls, (check the vid i'm posting below).
2. they are NOISY as fuck. so factor that into account; if you're not johnny on the spot with your pinky on the volume knob at all times, (ready to roll back when you're not playing), or don't have a 'non-tone sucking' noise gate and want it quiet... it's a no go. but if you really dont care about the hum, and don't care if the people listening have to hear the hum... fuckit'. let em' eat cake.
3. yes, i believe that they sound INCREDIBLE with fuzz. i'm a fuzz nut. they can accentuate even a lower gain fuzz into something unique and incredibly eclectic. each single note attacks and blooms like no other pickup can. and in the neck position w/tone rolled all the way back... pure bliss. one of my very favorite toanz evar.
4. know that the amp/guitar/pedals that you use will be everything in finding a great sound for yourself. an sg has much less body mass, resonance, and will be less brighter than a 11lb maple top les paul. a high gain amp with the dirt dimed can make the hum daunting. etc. i think that p90's are finicky, noisy little fuckers, but worth it in spades with the right combination of, and tweaking the gear involved, (again, check the vid i'm posting on the bottom as a 'start here' p90 guitar/tube amp sound).
5. some are better than others, (as danny and racer stated above), but the stock gibby's here are all 'ball park' and again; the sound is fuller than any other true single coils i've used. the stock gibson pups i have are a good starting point for me, but i may eventually put a higher gain 'pig90' or a hot GFS p90 in the bridge of my LP because i'm accustomed to a louder pup in the bridge. maybe not.

again, all my opinion.

so yeah, i pimped a vid i did a while back of my orange tiny terror combo when i retubed it. please pardon the fact that i talk so much, (my intent was to showcase the amp, which has a brit/medium-hi gain character),and fast forward to the playing parts as you need. also, i'm tuned to E440, (i tune my band stuff to baritone bflat), so it might sound a bit 'tight' if you tune low, but it sounds even better in lower tunings.
i think you'll hear how it can have the character of both humbucker, (bridge position with a lot of gain), single coil, (neck pickup, with some tone roll back), classic, modern, and yet a distinctive character that only a p90 can have... all in the same context.
enjoy and feedback to me as you wish-

Beta Cloud · January 30, 2017, 07:28:17 PM

sorry about the verbose nature of the above post, hah, and i did not supply fuzz content... so here's a vid i forgot about that i did with p90's and fuzz.
it's through a fender super reverb, and it's got a bit of reverb, but i use an MJM China Fuzz, (a pretty cool Superfuzz clone), on it.
you have to fast forward the vid to about 2:05, that's where i start using the fuzz. you can clearly hear how the pickups react to the fuzz; it's pretty cool.

BZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!

Volume · February 02, 2017, 09:44:56 AM

I agree with most people here, P90s work great with fuzz and Gibson P90s are great. I once swapped Gibson for Bare Knuckle in one of my guitars and honestly I couldn't hear a difference.

A question. I know some of you guys have BKP Pig90s. How are they supposed to sound? I recently put some BKPs in my 3xP90 Reverend Ron Aheton, Pig90 neck, Supermassive middle and Nantucket neck. The Pig90 sounds very muddy and lifeless compared to the others and not as hot as I thought it would be either. Did I do a bad soldering job, something wrong with the pup or is it supposed to sound like that?