Hot P90 or a P100 pickup for my JS700?

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dbphotodbphoto Frets: 716
edited August 2019 in Guitar
I picked up this '98 Japanese JS700 last year and I very quickly decided that it was my new favourite, and it actually helped in the decision to sell my R8 that I bought in the blow out last year as one is comfy, flawless and cost £250, and the other was finished by someone who didn't care and cost £2500, but anyway......

I'm contemplating getting a hotter P90 for the bridge but would a P100 be a better idea?  


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Comments

  • StevepageStevepage Frets: 3037
    Go for a Dimarzio P90 super distortion. I put one in a rather nice Prs singlecut years ago and it was great. Worked well with the stock neck pickup
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  • KeefyKeefy Frets: 2272
    To me the P100 (stacked hum-cancelling P90) sounds tighter and less open than the P90.
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  • guitars4youguitars4you Frets: 14030
    tFB Trader
    If you want no noise, which maybe preferable with more gain, then the P100 option

    But I'm a traditionalist so P90 and maybe a touch hotter for your JS
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14321
    dbphoto said:
    I'm contemplating getting a hotter P90 for the bridge but would a P100 be a better idea?  
    F***, no!  :o

    CONSIDERATION #1
    Stacked coil, noise-cancelling recreations of classic single coil pickups never sound right. P90s should sound fat and rude. The Gibson P100 is almost certainly THE worst attempt at a noise-cancelling P90. Insipid, gutless, not even slightly rude. Duncan STKP1s are a bit better - not least by dint of having 4-con + shield output cabling.

    I have performed the single con + braid to 4-con + shield conversion on a Gibson P100. It still sounded shite in series, parallel and single (upper!) coil modes. 

    CONSIDERATION #2
    The pickup cavities may not be deep enough to accept a stacked coil replacement pickup. Even a P90-sized humbucker could be problematic if the polepiece screws protrude very far from the baseplate.


    Stevepage said:
    Go for a Dimarzio P90 super distortion.
    Good suggestion. My preference would be for a Seymour Duncan JB90

    If you want a powerful P90 sized pickup, buy a hot P90. BKP Pig'90, f'r'instance. You might want a professional quality volume pot to tame this beast.

    On some guitars, its seems to be possible to get more "power" by using a vintage style P90 and cranking the amplifier input gain. (Duncan Antiquity P90s are consistently good this way.)


    The UK-based pickup makers on this board can probably meet you needs. Check out their web sites. Maybe, somebody out there offers a tapped P90 with vintage and hot level outputs? Imagine that.




    Be seeing you.
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  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31368
    Stevepage said:
    Go for a Dimarzio P90 super distortion. I put one in a rather nice Prs singlecut years ago and it was great. Worked well with the stock neck pickup
    Do this, P100s are awful. Also, given the bridge pickup placement on your guitar you could split to the coil furthest from the bridge for occasional Tele-like tones. 
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  • Philly_QPhilly_Q Frets: 22516
    p90fool said:
    Stevepage said:
    Go for a Dimarzio P90 super distortion. I put one in a rather nice Prs singlecut years ago and it was great. Worked well with the stock neck pickup
    Do this, P100s are awful. Also, given the bridge pickup placement on your guitar you could split to the coil furthest from the bridge for occasional Tele-like tones. 
    And, on a superficial note, with the two rows of polepieces it would look really cool on that JS700.
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  • agibboagibbo Frets: 102
    Ah, man! I used to have one of these and it was pretty much my favourite guitar. God knows why I sold it????

    The build quality and playability was fantastic too!

    I had one of these in the bridge position of mine https://www.dimarzio.com/pickups/soap-bar/dlx-plus-bridge and it worked really well!

    I often wonder who has my old one now?! I don't suppose yours has a postcode written onto the rear cavity cover in security marker ink does it?????
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  • dbphotodbphoto Frets: 716
    Thanks folks, I think a hot P90 from Bareknuckle is probably what I am looking for as I’m not a fan of the two rows of pole pieces on the Dimarzio’s.

    and no @agibbo it doesn’t have anything written on the cavity cover.

    They seem fairly rare, especially the Japanese made ones like mine, and I really love the neck and body shape, so much so I am regularly on the lookout for a JS6, or maybe a JS6000 to go with it.
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  • drwiddlydrwiddly Frets: 911
    I'd be having a chat with Ash @OilCityPickups ;
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  • agibboagibbo Frets: 102
    Mine was a Japanese model too. I bought it from the old Musical Exchanges in Birmingham around 1997/1998. When i sold it about 6 years ago it was still pretty much mint, even after being played loads!

    You've made me feel all nostalgic and regretful....sad face, lol!
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  • dbphotodbphoto Frets: 716
    edited July 2019
    The plan was to strip the paint off to reveal the one piece mahogany body as I love natural wood finishes, and it would sit nicely next to my Washburn Nuno, but I don’t want to cock it up and ruin how nice it feels @agibbo ;
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  • agibboagibbo Frets: 102
    I often thought that it would look amazing with a natural oiled and waxed finish, but as mine was mint I never had the bottle to do it.

    That may be an idea for a future project though, if I can find a used one at a decent price!
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  • I have the exact same guitar - Japanese made and in red.They are brilliant guitars - and a real bargain. I have no idea why they are not hugely more expensive. My understanding is that the Japanese ones are essentially custom shop type quality with a high price tag when they were new, but there was a cheaper (and lower quality) Korean made version which came out a few years later. The key identifier between the two being a "JS Custom" inlay on the fretboard....

    The original pickups were, I think, Sky pickups, which were designed by Kent Armstrong. If so, your Seymour Duncans are presumably replacements. I changed mine for Bare Knuckle P90s with Alnico 4 magnets - so quite vintagey rather than super hot and they sound great to me, but each to their own!
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  • blueskunkblueskunk Frets: 2867
    Bargain. Great guitars them Jap ones. 
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  • sawyersawyer Frets: 732
    I'd speak to OilCityPickups. I've got one of his in a junior and it sounds ace.
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  • WindmillGuitarsWindmillGuitars Frets: 730
    tFB Trader
    Speak with Declan at @deacci as he fitted a set of his P90s to one of these guitars a while back
    www.windmillguitars.com - Official stockist of Yamaha, Maybach, Fano Guitars, Kithara Guitars, Eastman Guitars, Trent Guitars, Orange Amps, Blackstar Amplification & More! (The artist formerly known as Anchorboy)
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  • dbphotodbphoto Frets: 716
    Thanks for the further suggestions folks but as separation from my wife is now more than likely I better keep my money in my pocket...

    ah the joys of adulthood :anguished: 
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  • TheRobLewTheRobLew Frets: 11
    Been after one of those for years! 
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  • dbphotodbphoto Frets: 716
    Update on this.

    I installed a Bare Knuckle ‘Pig 90 in the bridge and it’s exactly what I was hoping for.
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  • TTBZTTBZ Frets: 2873
    Loved my Pig 90, one of the many guitar related things I regret selling!
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