P90 or humbucker

Tat2dstesh

So I'm looking at changing my sg special pickup and stuck between a humbucker or p90. 

The musicians player is heavy rock and normally gravitate between a SD custom or dimarzio sd

Love the sg but have never been 100% happy with the sound I get compared to my midtown with oil city scrapyard plus and my flying v with dimarzio distortion.. had a Les Paul with a custom which sounded great but sounds a bit bright in the sg 

What would you do humbucker or try a p90  

Fez

My vote would be Humbucker probably Bare Knuckle perhaps a Crawler.

Sassafras

I don't much like humbuckers so I'm bound to say P90s.
They can easily handle heavy rock as well as more subtle forms.

Phil_aka_Pip

with all the "gain" you heed for heavy rock, I'd go for the humbucker. The clue is in the name, and it was invented for a reason.

Danielsguitars

P90's sound absolutely fantastic with heavy distortion, probably better than a humbucker  

I'm making a dc junior with a dog ear for a stoner rock band that play in c sharp, just my opinion anyway 

clarkefan

Sassafras said:

I don't much like humbuckers so I'm bound to say P90s.
They can easily handle heavy rock as well as more subtle forms.

Not in my experience they can't.  You could argue they have a place in the neck position, but rock is a bridge position sound.

TTBZ

P90s can absolutely handle heavy music. I recorded this clip years ago with my bridge P90, though to be fair it's a Bare Knuckle Pig 90 which is an absolute weapon of a pickup, I reckon it sounds great.

However in an SG, unless mine's the exception, I think you need a pickup with a lot of output otherwise it can get thin in the bridge position. Mine has a humbucker bridge and P90 neck at the minute. I really wish I could find a P90 I liked in the bridge though, I even found the Pig 90 a bit anemic.

clarkefan

That's what I was getting at, the sound of rock is a bridge position humbucker.  No offense meant about P90s, just that rock = bridge humbucker.

FastEddie

P90.

I don't play heavy rock. A thought is that to get heard amongst all that distortion, could a powerfully punchy P90 push through?
My Martyn Booth Special has the BK P90's built for Martyn. They have a real clarity and punch. 

Just a thought moving away from the distortion type products.

Tat2dstesh

I've considered putting the dimarzio distortion in to give that a blast and see what it's like. Don't know why I keep wanting to try a p90 maybe it's cause I've always wanted a Les Paul junior double cut 
If I stay with the humbucker I would be looking something to fatten her up.

UnclePsychosis

P90 for me.

Took me a long time to realise it but humbuckers just aren't my thing. 

Danielsguitars

Tim Sult from Clutch sounds huge and heavy on a junior, it's a great tone

CountryDave

UnclePsychosis said:

P90 for me.

Took me a long time to realise it but humbuckers just aren't my thing. 

I keep buying humbucker equipped guitars and usually sell them on.
I'm in agreement here. P90 all the way.

TTBZ

customkits said:

Tim Sult from Clutch sounds huge and heavy on a junior, it's a great tone

Yep. I would guess a lot of riff/stoner bands use P90s. It's great for that sort of thing. I like the slight looseness they have to the sound, works really well for that. Mine was in an all mahogany LP, sounded massive.

Tat2dstesh

anyone try the Oilcity supermassive p90

mgaw

p90 for me too. love them

TTBZ

Tat2dstesh said:

anyone try the Oilcity supermassive p90

That's on my list to try I'll probably get the neck one first to replace the Axesrus one I have. The axesrus is not bad but a bit too thin and twangy.

ToneControl

Tat2dstesh said:

So I'm looking at changing my sg special pickup and stuck between a humbucker or p90. 

The musicians player is heavy rock and normally gravitate between a SD custom or dimarzio sd

Love the sg but have never been 100% happy with the sound I get compared to my midtown with oil city scrapyard plus and my flying v with dimarzio distortion.. had a Les Paul with a custom which sounded great but sounds a bit bright in the sg 

What would you do humbucker or try a p90  

what amp, how much distortion, do you play on the neck or bridge and when?
bright sound or dark. Do you like crisper or fatter?

My thoughts are - did you try a p90 on the neck and HB on bridge?

You could always try the EMG 89 in both positions, as is supplied as default on some guitars

pintspiller

Is this the reissue of the 70s Special? If so, then P90. It's what I did with mine.

57Deluxe

you try harder/play harder with a P90 and get rewarded with buckets of tone.

HBs often just SHOUT VERY LOUD AT YOU...

MichaelAT

What about both? I recently installed a HB-sized P90 to the neck position of my LP & I love it so far. I play mostly clean or slightly OD with the neck p'up, and full force with the bridge pickup. FWIW, I use a Bareknuckle Rebel Yell bridge, and it balances nicely with the P90 neck.