Understanding the love for P90s

bodhi · April 2019

zepp76 said:

Charlie Starr from Blackberry Smoke uses P90 loaded Les Paul juniors, have a listen to any of their albums and rejoice!

Praise the lo'!!

SlopeSoarer · April 2019

HAL9000 said:

Also, check out...

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/146036/best-p90-tones#latest

Sorry missed that one!

Thanks for the other replies, there's hours of stuff to look at: )

Whose P90s are recommended? Any definitely to be avoided?

funhouse · April 2019

I would recommend Seymour Duncan Antiquity P90s, which sound fantastic but are not wax potted (and therefore prone to squealing through a high gain amp), and Bare Knuckle Nantuckets, which are great too. I was underwhelmed by the standard issue modern Gibsons and the other Seymour Duncans I've tried.

If you're looking to have a guitar with two P90s you can wire them so that they're hum cancelling in the middle position, which is a godsend if you're playing a venue where there's fluorescent lighting/electromagnetic interference. Happy hunting!

guitars4you · April 2019

Just about any recording pre Elvis and pre 57 and the birth of the humbucker - Early BB KIng etc as well - Grant Green + many more

I love the Jekyll + Hyde Character of a P90 - neck pick-up is velvet smooth - Lindt chocolate smooth - That is why so many jazz players love them - Cool and laid back - Bridge pick up can bite and kick down a barn door - Hence why the punk orientated players love them

Seriously under ratted combination IMO

Personally refer a slightly under wound option

TTBZ · April 2019

dindude said:

Whilst offsets are for people with beards who are (knowingly) cool. Guitars with P90's are for people with Beards who aren't at all cool. Still sound good though.
All you need to know really.

You've got that the wrong way round

I really like P90s, they are a middle ground but not really much of a compromise either. They sound way better and fatter than singlecoils but more clarity and character than a humbucker. When I put P90s in my Les Paul it was the sound I always wanted out of a strat but couldn't get it due to the weedy normal singlecoils.

Mike Ness' goldtop p90 tone is excellent.

SlopeSoarer · April 2019

TTBZ said:
Mike Ness' goldtop p90 tone is excellent.

I'd not come across Mike Ness until I watched this video (he's playing the guitar you mention, I think)

https://youtu.be/Xb0VIC_8uZU

Danielsguitars · April 2019

Tim Sult from clutch used a junior on earth rocker album, sounds absolutely fantastic, heavy and still clear with bite, drop d riffs on a p90 are one of my favourite tones

He went back to p90's from humbucker les pauls

TTBZ · April 2019

SlopeSoarer said:

TTBZ said:
Mike Ness' goldtop p90 tone is excellent.

I'd not come across Mike Ness until I watched this video (he's playing the guitar you mention, I think)

https://youtu.be/Xb0VIC_8uZU

Yep looks like it!

More P90 Social Distortion goodness here, not the goldtop this time

JezWynd · April 2019

guitars4you said:

Just about any recording pre Elvis and pre 57 and the birth of the humbucker - Early BB KIng etc as well - Grant Green + many more

I love the Jekyll + Hyde Character of a P90 - neck pick-up is velvet smooth - Lindt chocolate smooth - That is why so many jazz players love them - Cool and laid back - Bridge pick up can bite and kick down a barn door - Hence why the punk orientated players love them

Seriously under ratted combination IMO

Personally refer a slightly under wound option

Agreed. I’ve quite recently turned on to P90’s, having previously mainly used single coil telecasters. The P90s retain all the edge and bite but have a richer, more full throated sound and really react to digging in. The middle position on the ES-225 is a beautiful sound. The bridge gives a sweet treble ring, while the neck softens and enlarges the sound. The combination is heavenly; each individual pu sounds good but it’s when they’re blended together that the magic happens.

RandallFlagg · April 2019

TTBZ said:

SlopeSoarer said:

TTBZ said:
Mike Ness' goldtop p90 tone is excellent.

I'd not come across Mike Ness until I watched this video (he's playing the guitar you mention, I think)

https://youtu.be/Xb0VIC_8uZU

Is that Glen Matlock on bass/singing? Well blow me down

MagicPigDetective · April 2019

I’ve yet to try a P90 guitar, but it’s Stephen Malkmus’ goldtop tone that does it for me.

https://youtu.be/j_Ae4hR522I

https://youtu.be/PY28AL_xUfg

gringopig · April 2019

.

Greatape · April 2019

TTBZ said:

dindude said:

Whilst offsets are for people with beards who are (knowingly) cool. Guitars with P90's are for people with Beards who aren't at all cool. Still sound good though.
All you need to know really.

You've got that the wrong way round

I really like P90s, they are a middle ground but not really much of a compromise either. They sound way better and fatter than singlecoils but more clarity and character than a humbucker. When I put P90s in my Les Paul it was the sound I always wanted out of a strat but couldn't get it due to the weedy normal singlecoils.

Mike Ness' goldtop p90 tone is excellent.

https://www.guitar.co.uk/reverend-jetstream-390-rock-orange-roasted-maple-neck

Has a bass roll-off control.

Love their guitars. Wish they were more widely available here. I have one of the old US ones with p90's. Great guitars.

springhead · April 2019

gringopig said:

springhead said:

Have a look at @ivisonGuitars Made In UK thread. He's just posted this clip which has a P90 from @oilcityPickups
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgRfafjUQqU

Yes, I can really hear the distinctive upper mid-range character of the P90 in that clip! Quite a subtle difference but unmistakable.

Yes, well sarcasm aside, I didn't really hear much 'pickup'; more of a massively distorted amplifier and/or fuzzbox. That pickup could literally have been anything!

I just cannot understand the logic of demoing a pickup like that. It's bizarre. All you are hearing is the overdriven amplifier.

It's not a pickup demo. Or a demo of any sort. I didn't say it was! It's just a bloke enjoying a guitar made by a forum member here with a pickup made by another of our forum members. It's what a good Junior and P90 into a loud Marshall sounds like. Bridge pickup on a Strat or Tele doesn't sound like that.

Hootsmon · April 2019

anyone able to do a quick knock up of that TAB @ 0::24 ? It reminds me very much of the sorta thing Johny Hiland does

bbill335 · April 2019

I'm quite inexperienced with p90s but I find I have to run the tone pot down at like 4 or lower for regular rhythm sounds, in order to then get the right "pop"/attack on lead parts when the knob comes up to 7-10.

uncledick · April 2019

Buddy Whittington uses them in his post 'Strat' Lentz guitars. Early Santana is what put me onto the whole P90 thing. Love the Oil City Masterwounds in my McCarty Standard. Much more useable than the typically overwound PRS spec SDs it came with.

Typically through a Cornell Romany Pro and sometimes my AC15C1X.

tralfamadan · April 2019

I think early Freddie King was P90s too.

I like em. Nice and responsive. I think they sound better into Marshall type amps than Fender.

StuartMac290 · April 2019

Neck P90 - Another Brick In The Wall pt2 solo

Bridge P90 - Honky Tonk Women

They're probably my favourite pickups in combination too.

Stock Gibson ones are great, but particular favourites for me have been Klein Epic 57s and Arcane Sweet 90s

monquixote · April 2019

Really interesting.

I've always loved the brick in the wall solo tone and assumed it was a very fat sounding strat neck pickup.

Maybe I need a P90 guitar!

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Understanding the love for P90s

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