P90 question

TimmyO

have been enjoying my gorgeous McSoapbar today and have a question for the P90 savvy among you (it's actually my first ever time owning a P90 equipped guitar) - I seem to get a lot of treble roll off when turning the guitar volume down even a little - is this a P90 thing or more likely how my particular guitar is wired? 

Fifty9

well according to joe bonamassa, you probably don't have much treble in your fingers...

Collings

If this is an older McCarty soapbar they don't have a treble bleed and use modern wiring for the tone control as opposed to 50s so some percieved treble roll off is expected.

I my experience P90s are usually better in this regard than humbucker equipped guitars.

TimmyO

Collings said:

If this is an older McCarty soapbar they don't have a treble bleed and use modern wiring for the tone control as opposed to 50s so some percieved treble roll off is expected.

I my experience P90s are usually better in this regard than humbucker equipped guitars.

2000 (although I've not opened it up to see how original it is in there) 

uncledick

On my McSoapy std the volume pot died so I bought a new new genuine PRS pot.  This came with a treble bleed cap which I cut because I thought it sounded better.  Having said that, I am using Oil City Jingo-Bas which moved the whole guitar to a new level.

Clecko

Didn't notice any treble loss when rolling off the volume on various P90 Reverends on our little jaunt. I always check for that as I've come a cropper with this before - though in my case on a much cheaper guitar with standard single coils. That said, there's also quite a bit of treble loss on the neck pickup of my 1994, stock LP Standard. I must get round to changing those pickups...

Funkfingers

TimmyO said:

have been enjoying my gorgeous McSoapbar today and have a question for the P90 savvy among you (it's actually my first ever time owning a P90 equipped guitar) - I seem to get a lot of treble roll off when turning the guitar volume down even a little - is this a P90 thing or more likely how my particular guitar is wired? 

A bit of both. Make a feature of it. Winding up the volume pot maximises the high frequency overtones. B.. b.. b.. bad to the bone.

For the record, the stock pickups in the Paul Reed Smith are Seymour Duncan SP90-1N and SP90-3N models. (Both neck position pickups.) I "borrowed" this idea for two of my guitars.

Clecko

Funkfingers said:

TimmyO said:

have been enjoying my gorgeous McSoapbar today and have a question for the P90 savvy among you (it's actually my first ever time owning a P90 equipped guitar) - I seem to get a lot of treble roll off when turning the guitar volume down even a little - is this a P90 thing or more likely how my particular guitar is wired? 

For the record, the stock pickups in the Paul Reed Smith are Seymour Duncan SP90-1N and SP90-3N models. (Both neck position pickups.)

Ooh, that's interesting. I often don't get on with bridge pickups, especially when playing without accompaniment. This further fuels my desire to replace my stock LP pickups.

TimmyO

Funkfingers said:

TimmyO said:

have been enjoying my gorgeous McSoapbar today and have a question for the P90 savvy among you (it's actually my first ever time owning a P90 equipped guitar) - I seem to get a lot of treble roll off when turning the guitar volume down even a little - is this a P90 thing or more likely how my particular guitar is wired? 

A bit of both. Make a feature of it. Winding up the volume pot maximises the high frequency overtones. B.. b.. b.. bad to the bone.

For the record, the stock pickups in the Paul Reed Smith are Seymour Duncan SP90-1N and SP90-3N models. (Both neck position pickups.) I "borrowed" this idea for two of my guitars.

I like turning down for the cleaning up thing - but currently it goes all "Charlie brown's teacher" when I do - I shall investigate treble bleed mod 

BluesyDave

@TimmyO ; Take a look at the pot values.  Having just bought one of these myself this is of great interest to me.  Apparently 250k or 300k isn't unknown for P90 equipped guitars, but 500k gives a more open brighter result.  Perhaps one of our estemed  guitar builders could chime in?

guitars4you

@TimmyO ; - Sure that had no treble bleed mod on the volume pot - McCarty models did not have such tweaks as more the old school approach - Should be 500K pots - As @Funkfingers ; states above the pick-ups are courtesy of S Duncan

I personally I don't like the treble bleed mod, but appreciate many do - Easy to add if required - Even try with a couple of crocodile clips initially to test drive it, then solder up once happy with it 

Funkfingers

TimmyO said:

I seem to get a lot of treble roll off when turning the guitar volume down even a little

Through what sort of amplification are you playing?

How much gain have you dialled in?

Is that gain from the amplifier itself or overdrive/distortion pedals?

Do you connect to the amplifier via a cable or a wireless system?

TimmyO

Funkfingers said:

TimmyO said:

I seem to get a lot of treble roll off when turning the guitar volume down even a little

Through what sort of amplification are you playing?

How much gain have you dialled in?

Is that gain from the amplifier itself or overdrive/distortion pedals?

Do you connect to the amplifier via a cable or a wireless system?

I take your point, but this isn't my first rodeo.

Hamstead RT20

None - this is funk-clean

N/A

Cable 

Funkfingers

TimmyO said:

Hamstead RT20 … this is funk-clean

That isn’t really the forte of the P90. For me, they excel through filthy valve amp saturation.

guitars4you

Funkfingers said:

TimmyO said:

Hamstead RT20 … this is funk-clean

That isn’t really the forte of the P90. For me, they excel through filthy valve amp saturation.

I think it is the Jekyll/Hyde character of a P90 - jazzers love them and pre Elvis just about all blues/jazz/swing/jump 'n' jive etc was recorded with them - Yet equally they can rip it up

57Deluxe

The tapers on both the Tone and Vol on my PRS SEII soapy gives you millimeter precision over Tonal/Vol balance contrast across the dials. Other PRS models I have had the pleasure of playing have very different ie indifferent responses.