Cheap P90s for someone who might not like p90s?

bbill335

I have a Vintage [brand] SG with p90 routes but the stock ones were rubbish, stacked coil thingies. It's a nice guitar and I'd like to get it sounding good at minimal cost/effort. I am also very unfamiliar with p90s other than hearing them sound great in the hands of better players than me. Is there a budget P90 that accurately captures the idiosyncrasies of the pickup design? 

Failing that, what cheap minihums are people liking these days?

ab2017

Have a look at the tonerider ones

Funkfingers

I used to have a shedload of PRS SE Korean P90s. Three of them went to HarrySeven in a modified Hohner JT-60. I should have a couple more somewhere.

I digress.

What output cable format do those (Wilkinson?) stacked coils pickups have?

• Single conductor in braided shield 
• Two conductor + shield
• Four conductor + shield

The latter is ripe for wiring modification. Shorting out the series link between the two coils of each pickup to ground should leave just their upper coils providing a signal. If you are feeling especially clever, it would be possible to make the coil splits variable via a trim pot.

As for interesting mini-humbuckers, in your position, I would try and find somebody off-loading a pair of Oil City Winterizers. You would need to mount these via P90-sized plastic surrounds.

paulnb57

Entwistle?

bbill335

Funkfingers said:

What output cable format do those (Wilkinson?) stacked coils pickups have?

• Single conductor in braided shield 
• Two conductor + shield
• Four conductor + shield

The latter is ripe for wiring modification. Shorting out the series link between the two coils of each pickup to ground should leave just their upper coils providing a signal. If you are feeling especially clever, it would be possible to make the coil splits variable via a trim pot.

I just have the stock bridge pickup fitted at the minute (like a botched SG junior) and I think it's wired up as you described. It doesn't sound particularly nice and the string-to-string balance is way off on the plain strings.

Thanks for the suggestions. keep 'em coming if you've got 'em.

TTony

bbill335 said:

Is there a budget P90 that accurately captures the idiosyncrasies of the pickup design? 

My budget-brand of choice was Iron Gear.  They have a decent range at sensible prices.

Ro_S

War-thingy whatever it called

edit: Warman Pickups

TheMarlin

Tonerider Vintage 90’s are great.  

Funkfingers

bbill335 said:
I just have the stock bridge pickup fitted at the minute (like a botched SG junior) and I think it's wired up as you described. It doesn't sound particularly nice and the string-to-string balance is way off on the plain strings.

It is possible that the coil split has left only the lower coil of the stack operational. That would sound pretty feeble.

It is also possible that the Wilkinson W90SK is designed to have its coils interconnected in series where Gibson P100 and Duncan P90 Stack coils are in parallel. Hence, on the Wilkinson, the D.C. resistance per coil could be a modest 4kOhms or lower.

It is also possible that the W90SK is plain crud. 

Duncan Designed true single coil P90s are pretty darned juicy. 

pintspiller

My 1974 SG was lifeless with the stock mini-humbuckers. Just as lifeless with the Seymourised Mini.

Until I bought an unnamed P90 from Ebay. I suspect it was Artec or Guitar Fettish and cost under a tenner.

The guitar is now a monster.

bbill335

TheMarlin said:

Tonerider Vintage 90’s are great.  

Yeah, they might be winners. Slightly more expensive than other options but they seem very "genuine".

pintspiller said:

My 1974 SG was lifeless with the stock mini-humbuckers. Just as lifeless with the Seymourised Mini.

Until I bought an unnamed P90 from Ebay. I suspect it was Artec or Guitar Fettish and cost under a tenner.

The guitar is now a monster.

I'd like to try firebird pickups in it but there don't seem to be many particularly budget options for that, just lots of minihums.

Corvus

I put an IronGear in a cheap Epi slide thing, it's OK but not brilliant. Warman - ordered some, nothing arrived for a while, sent follow-up emails, then a 'refund me please', not a single one got replied over a period of weeks. Until I started a process with the bank, bingo the refund appeared in the account still without a single email from them.
This guy has done some excellent pickups for me, but not had any P90s, same price zone as Tonerider - https://www.fletcherpickups.co.uk/p90s

Funkfingers

bbill335 said:
I'd like to try firebird pickups in it but there don't seem to be many particularly budget options for that, just lots of minihums.

P90 routs remove wood exactly where a Firebird pickup metal surround needs its mounting screws to go.

bbill335

Funkfingers said:

bbill335 said:
I'd like to try firebird pickups in it but there don't seem to be many particularly budget options for that, just lots of minihums.

P90 routs remove wood exactly where a Firebird pickup metal surround needs its mounting screws to go.

I think there are adapter mount rings that work, you just drill two different holes for the mount/height adjustment screws

MartinB

If the goal is specifically to try something with a classic P90 flavour I'd avoid the Warmans.  They're probably fine, but they use ceramic magnets in everything which is a departure from the usual recipe.