Matching Neck P90 with Bridge Humbucker

lovestrat74

Going to install this configuration in a Tele build. What do I need to look for in order to get a good match?

dazzajl

I can’t give you the technical reason why they work so well but I think that combo on my Duesenberg Caribou are spot on. The hb at the bridge is hot and biting with a snap that cuts through a mix beautifully. The P90 is warm, thick and smooth with a little less eagerness to push the amp as much. I think there must be some clever wiring because the central position is not really a combination of the two but a different, deeper and layered sound that’s more like a very beefy neck HB tone. 

lovestrat74

I guess getting a good DCR combination is key

Alegree

lovestrat74 said:

I guess getting a good DCR combination is key

Guess again. DCR does not equal output.

TTBZ

The bridge humbucker needs the be quite bright, punchy and open sounding for it to work imo. I've currently got a Bare Knuckle Mississippi Queen neck and Warpig bridge and the neck still sounds louder and more authoritative than the bridge which sounds subdued in comparison when you switch between the two. The Warpig is pretty high output but I guess the fatness and compression make it appear quiet compared to the neck. I will probably eventually replace it with another Mississippi Queen bridge as switching to the neck really opens up the guitar. I'd hope the bridge one is just as fat and raw sounding. I also struggled to get a good balance with a hot PAF style pickup. This is in an SG though.

Neck P90s are way better than neck humbuckers btw  

lovestrat74

^^ yeah this was the reason for the question @TTBZ ;

Dont want your scenario. Matching outputs correctly and or magnet types etc. That was the info I was looking for

5redlights

I recently acquired a guitar with an Alchemist p90 in the neck and Blues Engine in the bridge, which sounds very nicely balanced. 

I think magnets are a key consideration. I'd avoid Alnico 5 for the neck P90, can be a bit too muddy. Alnico 2 is the happy spot. 

Consider having the option to coil split the humbucker. A split humbucker sounds really nice with a neck P90 I've found. 

p90fool

5redlights said:

Consider having the option to coil split the humbucker. A split humbucker sounds really nice with a neck P90 I've found. 

Depending on their relative outputs it can sound uncannily like a Strat middle pickup too, with more forward presence and less hollowness than you usually get combining neck and bridge pickups. 

lovestrat74

5redlights said:

I recently acquired a guitar with an Alchemist p90 in the neck and Blues Engine in the bridge, which sounds very nicely balanced. 

I think magnets are a key consideration. I'd avoid Alnico 5 for the neck P90, can be a bit too muddy. Alnico 2 is the happy spot. 

Consider having the option to coil split the humbucker. A split humbucker sounds really nice with a neck P90 I've found. 

Damn just missed that same P90 on the bay 

RandallFlagg

The Haussel pickups Nik Huber use in his Krautster II's are quite balanced, 

TTBZ

lovestrat74 said:

^^ yeah this was the reason for the question @TTBZ ;;;;

Dont want your scenario. Matching outputs correctly and or magnet types etc. That was the info I was looking for

Yeah I think the output/DC Res can be misleading for this. The MQ is about half the DC Res of the Warpig but still sounds much broader, brighter and more present. The MQ neck I believe is alnico 4, the Warpig bridge alnico 5. But again could just be my guitar or SGs in general, I always struggle with bridge pickups in this guitar. To be fair it's not actually an official Warpig, it's a copy Alegree made when testing stuff out I believe, so may not be 100% accurate.

The Yamaha Pacifica I tried with bridge hum/neck p90 matched really nicely.

mbe

TTBZ said:

lovestrat74 said:

^^ yeah this was the reason for the question @TTBZ ;;;;

Dont want your scenario. Matching outputs correctly and or magnet types etc. That was the info I was looking for

The Yamaha Pacifica I tried with bridge hum/neck p90 matched really nicely.

Yes, I was going to suggest that you try a Yamaha Pacifica 611HFM if you can get to a shop that stocks them.

The bridge humbucker is a Seymour Duncan Custom 5 that has a nice scooped sound that doesn't sound brittle. The Seymour Duncan Vintage P90 is a great match for the Custom 5.

HAL9000

TTBZ said:

The Yamaha Pacifica I tried with bridge hum/neck p90 matched really nicely.

Presumably the Pacifica 611H which has a Seymour Duncan Custom 5 (a higher output version of the '59) at the bridge, and a SD SP90-1 at the neck. I'd agree these are well matched (unlike the Pacifica 311H with G&B HB and P90 which really don't work too well together).

Edit - Oops, just seen @mbe has beaten me to it.

TTBZ

Yeah I think it was that one, a purple flame one. Really nice playing & sounding guitar.

Just remembered I used to have the Mississippi Queen in my old Les Paul with a Pig 90 bridge. Matched really well. I know it's not a humbucker but with the volume all the way up it basically sounded like one with a bit more of that singlecoil "give" and looseness. Roll off the volume for more of a P90 twang, sounded awesome. Another one of my silly impulse sales!

Yamaha77

mbe said:

TTBZ said:

lovestrat74 said:

^^ yeah this was the reason for the question @TTBZ ;;;;

Dont want your scenario. Matching outputs correctly and or magnet types etc. That was the info I was looking for

The Yamaha Pacifica I tried with bridge hum/neck p90 matched really nicely.

Yes, I was going to suggest that you try a Yamaha Pacifica 611HFM if you can get to a shop that stocks them.

The bridge humbucker is a Seymour Duncan Custom 5 that has a nice scooped sound that doesn't sound brittle. The Seymour Duncan Vintage P90 is a great match for the Custom 5.

If you also want a beefier humbucker swap the A5 for a ceramic mag to turn into a custom or an A2 for a softer attack and mid shift, more (diver down evh type thing) to make it a custom custom. I wasn't a fan of Custom 5 as was too hollow in the yamaha but sounded nice in a Les Paul