'Oily Towers' ... all the latest from Oil City Pickups

HAL9000

Hi @theguitarweasel. I've got a hardtail Pacifica which currently has a humbucker in the bridge position. I am toying with replacing this with a humbucker-sized P90. String spacing, high E to low E, is as close to 2" as makes no difference. Would one of your Mighty 90s be a suitable fit? I assume the casings on my guitar will be a standard size? Also, could you give a bit more info on the differences soundwise between the standard and the 'Smooth' versions please? Many thanks.

OilCityPickups

You will have an issue with pole spacing: Nickel covers and our flatwork for bucker sized P90s are all 49.2mm vintage Gibson spaced. Your string spacing is 51mm meaning your poles won't be exactly in line with your strings. This will make bugger all difference sound wise, but it is a cosmetic issue.

My 'smooth' Mighty Nineties use a combination of lower power magnets ... alnico 2 and 4 to produce a less 'snarling' bass response and a more flute like top end than straight alnico 5. It's a small but noticeable difference to bog standard P90s.

HAL9000

Thanks. Not worried about the cosmetics. However, taking a squiz at the Pacifica it already seems that the pole pieces don't quite line up with the strings as it is. It appears that the pickup surround is perhaps a mm or so off so that none of the strings are directly over the poles. However they are at least all 'off' by the same amount. Unfortunately I think that although the slightly smaller vintage spacing will correct things for the treble side of things, it will only make things worse at the deep end. How far out can things be before it begins to make a difference? @theguitarweasel

OilCityPickups

Quite a fair bit is the answer! The old Tele Deluxe with the Wide Range used a pickup spaced for the bridge in the neck and both top and bottom E strings missed by miles! You should have enough wiggle room in the pickup surround to bend the mounting legs slightly to centre everything if that will help a bit.

HAL9000

@theguitarweasel Still prevaricating about the bush here. Hopefully not a dumb question, but the photo on your webbie and the mention of a 'full depth, specially designed bobbin' has got me worrying that your Mighty 90 might be deeper than a normal humbucker. Sorry to keep bothering you but this would be my first attempt at replacing a pickup so right now I am probably overthinking things and seeing everything as a potential problem. Thanks again.

OilCityPickups

I simply use up all the space in a standard height cover ... and I mean ALL the space ... so it ends up a minimum amount taller than a standard short leg humbucker with a nickel cover ... but is an absolute BITCH to solder the cover onto for me! :-) 

It is shorter than a 'long Leg' Gibson bucker by a fair way for example.

Normally at the bridge end the height thing is less of an issue anyway ... my standard height (5mm cranked) Blackbirds that are perhaps 3 or 4mm thinner than a Mighty 90 go into the neck position of Blackmachine B6s ... a guitar far thinner than a Pacifica in the body I believe!

OilCityPickups

Did a tough job a couple of weeks ago but it was dead worthwhile: one of my luthier customers did a restoration/mod on a 65 Tele. Already messed about with large routs under the scratchplate his client wanted a P90 neck pickup ... vintage wound, a medium/high output middle strat pickup ... all wound to compliment the original pre CBS bridge unit. The added complication was that the clearance for the P90 required a custom spacing bobbin fabricated and wound. His spec was for a cream ASL Custom Shop Jin-Go neck P90 and a black 'Triple Blues' middle. I think the result is really cool.

 

Roland

What switching options does the guitar have?

Hertz32

thats proper cool that is, like some kind of perverted stratele mashup. Quite why he didn't opt for a 6 saddle bridge is beyond me though :P

OilCityPickups

Roland said:

What switching options does the guitar have?

I don't know that one sorry ... if it were me It'd be a five way with a series option

mike257

Hi Ash - I've been looking at the Sunn Mustang hanging on my wall this week and wondering if it's a left-of-field candidate to become the P90-equipped guitar I keep thinking I'm missing.  If I get round to souping it up I'll be looking at a Mighty 90 to replace the bridge humbucker currently in there.  One thing I was wondering is if they come with anything other than nickel covers?  The rest of the pickups and plastics are all in an aged white (ahem... mucky yellow) and I'd quite fancy any replacement I drop in to match visually.  Not a deal -breaker though, I could live with a shiny one if that's all that's available!

OilCityPickups

All black is an option 

mike257

Cheers Ash, was hoping there'd be a white/cream option but I guess I'd probably go for the nickel out of the two. Thanks for your reply!

OilCityPickups

Well after a long gestation ... and several prototypes .... here is my latest P90.

I think I am right in saying it's fairly unique ... 

Powered by twin alnico 8 magnets, with high tensile steel poles for treble response ... and a specially copper clad and earthed bobbin shield to make it far quieter than many standard P90s.

Oh yes ... and it's 22k!

Designed for metal ... but actually quite at home with jazz or many other types of music ...

ThePrettyDamned

Holy cow!

Must build a p90 guitar...

Hertz32

ThePrettyDamned said:

Holy cow!

Must build a p90 guitar...

Ditto!

OilCityPickups

I've felt that a truly brutal P90 ought to be in the Oily line up for some while ... and this evil little bugger gives the front end of any amp a bloody good kicking! Interesting the way it delivers all that power ... really smoothly and with loads of string definition ... turn back the volume and you have a pretty normal P90 ... tune down and turn up ... and the forest comes alive and starts to walk! 

imalone

TheGuitarWeasel said:

Well after a long gestation ... and several prototypes .... here is my latest P90.

I think I am right in saying it's fairly unique ... 

Powered by twin alnico 8 magnets, with high tensile steel poles for treble response ... and a specially copper clad and earthed bobbin shield to make it far quieter than many standard P90s.

Oh yes ... and it's 22k!

Designed for metal ... but actually quite at home with jazz or many other types of music ...

Metal P90! What will they think of next?
http://www.oilcitypickups.co.uk/highoutput90.html "Object not found!" - followed the link for high output P90 in the drop down products menu on the main Oil City page. Others don't seem to have the link yet, maybe just enabled prematurely?

OilCityPickups

Indeed ... it will become 'live' later today.

In fact here it is

MattFGBI

Do you do anything like a JB Junior? I've got a little 59 in the bridge position on a Strat but it's lacking "balls" compared to the rather punchy single coils I have. I need something with more "throat" - an upper-mid punch and tight low end.