P90 in a Tele.

robgilmo

I know its a fairly common thing, just wondering if its worth the effort?
Has anyone managed to get one in the bridge?

strtdv

If it's a Tele with an ashtray bridge I can't see you getting a P90 in without changing to a chopped bridge, a custom shaped pickguard, and probably some body routing. Even then you'll probably be able to see that it's non-original.
I'd put a neck P90 in and call it a day assuming it's a HS body route

robgilmo

Just checking some old photos of whats under the pick guard, looks like that was a short lived pipe dream!

Jonathangus

You could look out for one of these (Squier Tele Custom II P90):

jpttaylor

I'm sure I've seen companies like Creamery and Oil City do P90s in tele bridge sizes before.

lovestrat74

If you do not want to get busy with a router then @Jonathangus suggestion is a good cheap option.

EDIT:- Or one of these and swap out the WRHBs for P90s

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/263754/psa-a-couple-of-cv-squier-thinline-telecasters-on-sale/p1

4string

Jonathangus said:

You could look out for one of these (Squier Tele Custom II P90):

Bought one cheap 10 years ago. Pickups wern't up to much but the neck was a dream. The pickups are an easy fix - nearly all winders do good P90s, The neck is not a standard C (which I find a bit meh) but more of a hand full (I am mainly a bass player, which might explain that). Like the thicker Baja Telecaster neck. I found it a dream to play. Oh course, it ended up in the Oil City guitar collection and the neck is now doing duty on one of our standard tele demos.  

Offset

Whitecat

For me traditional Tele bridge pickup + neck P90 is where it's at. Superb combo.

strtdv

Is it a Vintera 50's Tele @robgilmo ?

Humboldt

I thought about installing a neck P90 but decided just to buy a cheap tele copy with one already as standard. This one was only £69 on ebay as they're not that expensive new (Fazley Sunset Tempest 90). It's rather good too.
https://i.postimg.cc/ZY3wM9hy/DSC01576.jpg

pluckbuddy

Whitecat said:

For me traditional Tele bridge pickup + neck P90 is where it's at. Superb combo.

Out of interest what pots do you go with in that scenario? 250k is usual for teles and strats, and I think 500k for P90s? Any compromises with that?

Jonathangus

lovestrat74 said:

If you do not want to get busy with a router then @Jonathangus suggestion is a good cheap option.

EDIT:- Or one of these and swap out the WRHBs for P90s

I suspect @lovestrat74 is referring to this post:
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/263754/psa-a-couple-of-cv-squier-thinline-telecasters-on-sale

lovestrat74

Jonathangus said:

lovestrat74 said:

If you do not want to get busy with a router then @Jonathangus suggestion is a good cheap option.

EDIT:- Or one of these and swap out the WRHBs for P90s

I suspect @lovestrat74 is referring to this post:
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/263754/psa-a-couple-of-cv-squier-thinline-telecasters-on-sale

Brain fog!

Whitecat

pluckbuddy said:

Whitecat said:

For me traditional Tele bridge pickup + neck P90 is where it's at. Superb combo.

Out of interest what pots do you go with in that scenario? 250k is usual for teles and strats, and I think 500k for P90s? Any compromises with that?

Pretty sure most guitars I've ever had with that combo have had 250ks. The neck is a little darker as a result of course but that's kinda what you want in that sort of guitar in most cases. 

I guess if you were clever you could wire it up with stacked pots? Fender does that on CS guitars I believe.

lovestrat74

pluckbuddy said:

Whitecat said:

For me traditional Tele bridge pickup + neck P90 is where it's at. Superb combo.

Out of interest what pots do you go with in that scenario? 250k is usual for teles and strats, and I think 500k for P90s? Any compromises with that?

500k pots and a resistor for the bridge pickup so it sees 250k

OilCityPickups

If I build another Tele for myself personally it will have a P90 in the neck and a Dynasonic in the bridge ... a la Eddie Cochran;s Gretsch ... though this beastie sounds the mutts nads with two Dynasonics. 

Funkfingers

robgilmo said:

just wondering if it's worth the effort?

looks like that was a short lived pipe dream!

Has anyone managed to get one in the bridge?

Obvious first question; what displeases you about the current pickups?

Several manufacturers now offer replacement pickups with overwound coils and dual narrow bar magnets intended to emulate P90s.

Your photograph appears to show the four-way selector and S-1 switches of a Baja or Vintera Modified model. With that circuit, the both pickups, linked in series and in phase combination should provide the sorts of louder, warmer sounds expected from a P90.

My recollection from briefly owning a Baja is that the stock pickups fell short of expectations. I cannot recall whether they were made in USA or Mexico. 

It is possible to fatten up either position with higher output pickups such as the Duncan Li'l Pearly Gates for Telecaster or DiMarzio Chopper T for the bridge position and the Duncan Hot Rails for the neck/Rhythm position. (The latter is a bit of a blunt weapon but works with 250k.)

Neilybob

I own/ used to own these two P90 teles, I still have the one the left (Fender Aerodyne 2007 tele) and regret selling the one on the right (Fender classic player black dove). 

The Aerodyne has a really unique in between tone .  The P90 in the neck is really fat sounding and the tele bridge pickup cuts through nicely. 

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50842823612_dcc5bfdd5b_c.jpg

robgilmo

strtdv said:

Is it a Vintera 50's Tele @robgilmo ?

Its a beaten up old Baja, needs a lot of work but the neck profile for me is spot on so its been my love/hate guitar for years now. Up until not long ago I had an Epiphone with p90's and loved the sound it made so figured a p90 in that might be a good idea.
Its not that I dont like how it sounds, more that I miss the P90 sound from the Epiphone.

robgilmo

Funkfingers said:

robgilmo said:

just wondering if it's worth the effort?

looks like that was a short lived pipe dream!

Has anyone managed to get one in the bridge?

Obvious first question; what displeases you about the current pickups?

Several manufacturers now offer replacement pickups with overwound coils and dual narrow bar magnets intended to emulate P90s.

Your photograph appears to show the four-way selector and S-1 switches of a Baja or Vintera Modified model. With that circuit, the both pickups, linked in series and in phase combination should provide the sorts of louder, warmer sounds expected from a P90.

My recollection from briefly owning a Baja is that the stock pickups fell short of expectations. I cannot recall whether they were made in USA or Mexico. 

It is possible to fatten up either position with higher output pickups such as the Duncan Li'l Pearly Gates for Telecaster or DiMarzio Chopper T for the bridge position and the Duncan Hot Rails for the neck/Rhythm position. (The latter is a bit of a blunt weapon but works with 250k.)

There is nothing I dont like asbout it, well , the worn frets and dodgy electrics dont do it any favours, I'm just missing the p90 growl and thought I could put one in the Baja, its not the end of the world that I cant.