Mini Hum vs. P90?

[Guitarboy48]

How do they differ in tone? I am clueless

[bsman]

Interesting comparison. It's been a while since I played a guitar w/a minihum (70s LP deluxe), but I think that in general I would put it this way:

 

Minihums are heavier in the bass, with less mids and top end than the P90, whereas (to me), the P90 is more balanced in output throughout the spectrum. Also, IMO, the P90s are "clearer" (i.e. more single-coil) and less warm (i.e. less HB). To me, a P90 sounds rather like a tele bridge mated with a jet engine, whereas a minihum is a rather well-behaved, polite tone. FYI, I prefer the 90s...

[Guitarboy48]

quite an eloquent description. Thanks

[Will Chen]

P90 is like a higher output Fender style single coil, being hotter there's often a bit more midrange (though many overwound single coils also hang stout midrange).

 

Mini humbuckers (in my limited experience) are pretty much like a hum with a slightly extended and more open sounding high end.

 

Of course this largely depends on the individual construction methods of the pickup as well as the guitar it's installed into. In other words, depending on the guitar and your perspective they can sound similar. However, the minihum, as its name implies, is a humbucker and thus noise canceling vs a P90 which is a single coil.

[Frets99]

Mini Hums

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P90's

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[Wyatt]

Edit: see below.

[Brian Krashpad]

 

P90 is like a higher output Fender style single coil, being hotter there's often a bit more midrange (though many overwound single coils also hang stout midrange). Mini humbuckers (in my limited experience) are pretty much like a hum with a slightly extended and more open sounding high end.

 

This is pretty much how I would describe them. P-90's are singles with a mid-hump and more balls than Fender-style (will break up earlier).

 

Mini's are like regular HB's with more top end.

[WRGKMC]

I have both in guitars I've built or bought. I also have P100s in my Les Paul. The Mini Humbuckers are between a full and single tone and drive wise. It does depend on who makes them as to how thay sound. Listen to Dickey Betts of the almond Brothers and thats the sound which I consider a killer sound. The P90s are popular and many like them. Its got the Single coil tone with a wider magnetic field which makes them sound warmer because they pick up a wider area of the strings. A fender pickup in comparison is very focused on a small area of the string.

 

P100s are very cool sounding. They are P90s with stacked coils on the same magnet that gives them Humbucking. The tone is nearly the same as a P90 at low volume run clean, and will crank like a Mini when driven. They're not cheap though.

 

Theres alot of Aftermarket minis out there now and many arent overwound making them sound muddy. Gibson minis are very clean toned like a P90 but more compressed in sound which reduces dynamics and makes picking easier.

 

Minis were more popular in the 70s and are only now coming back into popularity. They sound good with just about any amp or drive pedal. I have the P90s in a Casino type hollowbody guitar and they can nail some tones like beatles stuff good. For other stuff they just dont cut it at all. They can be very harsh if you dont dial them in right.

[Elias Graves]

I have two minibucker guitars. To me, they have the flattest eq you can get. Good punchy bass, nice mids without the PAF "honk" and an articulate top end with good overtones.

I always found PAFs too muddy and Fender styles had too much top side. The mini is well balanced and sounds good clean or under gain.

All this refers to the classic Gibson/Epi mini like the LP Deluxe style.

I have no experience with firebird minis.

The P90 is much heavier in the mids and doesn't have the bucker's "fullness" though they are fatter than a Fender single. P90s get "gritty" with gain and don't develop the "wall of sound" you get from a bucker.

P90s and minis are very different creatures but both are real nice.

Minis have won me over. To me, they offer a great frequency response, no noise and work just as well clean or dirty.

 

EG

[dcindc]

Mini hums are smooth, while P90s bring the

[Wyatt]

Back from lunch. These guys covered it.

 

I suppose the best thing to note is a word of warning. I say this as a 17-year veteran of a Les Paul Deluxe, players looking for "ummphh!" and "crunch" just don't seem to like mini's, but they do often love P-90's. A very common complaint by players who favor full-size HBs (and even P-90's ) is that they find mini's to be too bright, too thin and too tame...the term anemic is often used by Les Paul Standard/Custom fans. Mini's seem to appeal better to players who favor the clarity and crispness of single coils.

 

I think Elias summed it up best otherwise.

 

Ultimately both mini-HB's and P-90's sorta fall right between Fender and PAF. They all maintain great note-to-note definition and articulation and none of the full-size humbucker's blurry, phase-y midrange that makes it "creamy" to some (and "muddy" to the rest of us).

 

The P-90 is bigger and fatter sounding because of its midrange

 

The Epi/LPD mini-HB is the very balanced across the EQ - plenty of high end, tight low end and even mids. This have an almost Fender-esque snap, clarity and sparkle to them. And they maintain that clarity and definition, even with the Tone control rolled back.

 

Gibson Firebird mini's are different because they are much tighter and brighter (and hotter sounding) than just about any of the others. They have a "sizzle" to them. Not as clean, smooth are rounded as the Epi/Les Paul Deluxe mini. They are hot and very tight and bright sounding and can be a bit icepick-y into a bright amp (see: Johnny Winter...whose Firebird tone I find harsh, YMMV).

 

On outout, P-90 and Firebird PU are close to one another, the Epi/LPD mini lags behind. This is mostly because the the former both have twice the magnets (therefore twice the magnet strength) of the latter...or even a PAF.

 

Once you leave Gibson, then it gets complicated. Some are hybirds... SD, for instance, builds their Firebird PU's more like the LP Deluxe-style. Also, there are all the overwound and stringer magnet versions. And then you have Gretsch, Ric, and so many others that have their own proprietary mini HB.

[Beyer160]

Although I find P90s to be the ultimate rawk pickup, minihums can get gnarly too. The Who's Live At Leeds is an excellent primer on P90 tone, but by 1972 Townshend had switched to LP Deluxes- listen to any live Who stuff from about '72 to '78 for minihums.