P90 vs. Single Coil

[Wyatt]

 

But can you get the LP Standard to sound like it's P90'd cousin?

 

 

No. Humbuckers have an inherent phase-y-ness to the midrange, a product of the two competing coils. This is that creaminess (or, IMHO, muddiness) people love about humbuckers. They can never have the same definition, clarity and snap as a P-90, or any single coil. You can get closer, low-output PAF style, like the Seth Lover and be bright, clean articulate humbuckers, but they just can't give the clean, pure bell-like tone of a single coil, including the P-90. The closest is the LP Deluxe mini-HB (which is more Tele than P-90 in tone), because of its narrow coils.

[Ratae Corieltauvorum]

 

The closest is the LP Deluxe mini-HB (which is more Tele than P-90 in tone), because of its narrow coils.

 

 

You know it's funny.

 

Example: Thin Lizzy - Brian Roberston & Scott Gorham era.

 

BR played a Black LP Deluxe with open coil full size buckers

SG played a Deluxe with mini HBs.

 

Which had the treblier brasher and punchier tone?

 

Actually BR, you can always tell the solos by the treble in Robbo's sound, while SG's sounded very compressed and creamy.

 

I like mini HB's a lot, and I like full size HBs, but I adore P90s, nothin quite as rude n nasty as a Gibson P90

[doc oc]

So please pardon the noob question. I can tell there are some serious pickup experts here.

Would it be correct to say that the closest fender single coil sound to a p90 is an overwind with a lot of midrange like a texas special?

[Ratae Corieltauvorum]

So please pardon the noob question. I can tell there are some serious pickup experts here. Would it be correct to say that the closest fender single coil sound to a p90 is an overwind with a lot of midrange like a texas special?

 

No, it'd be a steel pole of some kind, built in a similar style to a P90 with adjustable pole pieces and bar magnets laid at the bottom

 

Like so

 

 

[Wyatt]

 

So please pardon the noob question. I can tell there are some serious pickup experts here. Would it be correct to say that the closest fender single coil sound to a p90 is an overwind with a lot of midrange like a texas special?

 

 

Fender, themselves, doesn't offer anything for that tone (not in Strat size, they do make P-90's, called Black Doves or something like that). And overwound Strat-style SC just doesn't come close. Fender uses magnetic pole pieces, P-90's use steel pole pieces in contact with two bar magnets underneath (by comparison, a traditional humbucker only has one, the P-90 gets some serious output boost from its magnets). A big part of the P-90 tone comes from this construction. Even the Seymour Duncan 1/4 Pounder just doesn't convey that P-90 vibe because it uses magnetic pole pieces.

 

You have to go aftermarket...Fralin, Vintage Vibe, BG, SK, etc.

[jerry_picker]

Another classic P-90 rock song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7-EEGiABBU

(Solo 3:28 and ff.)

 

[Wyatt]

Another classic P-90 rock song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7-EEGiABBU (Solo 3:28 and ff.)

 

LP Jr. into a cranked 200-watt Hiwatt, nothing else. Ears must've bleed in the studio. For those of you who may not know, Hiwatts are bright, tight clean amps, to overdrive that amp would shake foundations.

[mrbrown49]

 

No. Humbuckers have an inherent phase-y-ness to the midrange, a product of the two competing coils. This is that creaminess (or, IMHO, muddiness) people love about humbuckers. They can never have the same definition, clarity and snap as a P-90, or any single coil. You can get closer, low-output PAF style, like the Seth Lover and be bright, clean articulate humbuckers, but they just can't give the clean, pure bell-like tone of a single coil, including the P-90. The closest is the LP Deluxe mini-HB (which is more Tele than P-90 in tone), because of its narrow coils.

 

 

Maybe you could do a better job quantifying it than I, but the bass response seems much different to me as well. Much spongier or something with HBs.

[Nighthawk551]

Are there any Strat-sized aftermarket pickups that are a P90 or have P90 tone? I'm thinking on putting a P90 in the middle position without having to route stuff out.

[mrbrown49]

 

Are there any Strat-sized aftermarket pickups that are a P90 or have P90 tone? I'm thinking on putting a P90 in the middle position without having to route stuff out.

 

 

http://www.norcalguitars.com/sc.html

 

About half way down. Havn't tried em myself though..

[Wyatt]

 

Are there any Strat-sized aftermarket pickups that are a P90 or have P90 tone? I'm thinking on putting a P90 in the middle position without having to route stuff out.

 

 

The tone of these came up earlier in the thread, They are built like P-90's, several companies make them, but they only get part way there, to me they are more like Strat/P-90 hybrids tone-wise.

[Nighthawk551]

Gotcha. Thanks guys. I think I'll get a '56 LP reissue sometime down the road. I really like the sound of P90s...

[Brian Krashpad]

 

 

 

Lord, I love Ampeg Gemini's. The lead singer in my side band has a Gemini II 1x15 and it kicks every sort of ass.

[Ratae Corieltauvorum]

 

The closest is the LP Deluxe mini-HB (which is more Tele than P-90 in tone), because of its narrow coils.

 

 

[YOUTUBE]JUG9JyPgnMs[/YOUTUBE]

[Wyatt]

 

 

 

yeah, but that's a Firebird mini, build entirely differently and sound different from a LP Deluxe/Epiphone mini.

[favata5]

P90s are hard to nail down,,some sound extra snotty distorted or fuzzy as hell and others sound nice and rockabilly clean and little farty when pushed!!some of the real old ones are most awesome...think about Hubert Sumlins blues tone,,or T Bone Walker,,,p90 pickups in a soldid body will sound different from a hollowbody!! Great pickups!!!!!!!!

[favata5]

 

Whew!!!! theres some tone there!!!!!!!!!!

[Shawn Parr]

 

http://www.norcalguitars.com/sc.html About half way down. Havn't tried em myself though..

 

 

I have one of Bryan's S90's in a Fender Prodigy. I liked it so much I bought the rest of a set of pickups from him. I'm a bit weird, so they weren't all S90s, although right about now I think I'd really really like that.

 

Of course now I have an older Godin LG with SD SP90's, really looking forward to it, and doing my best to wait and give it a try before buying more BG's.... (not sure if I would go vintage or hot on that either)

[Rex Machete]

I have some gfs mean 90's to replace the humbuckers in my Epiphone. It may not be "true" p-90 sound but it sits nicely in clean and high gain settings. You can get a nice, snappy, percussive sound like Fender single coils but also burn with distortion like a humbucker.

[Killress]

 

I have some gfs mean 90's to replace the humbuckers in my Epiphone. It may not be "true" p-90 sound but it sits nicely in clean and high gain settings. You can get a nice, snappy, percussive sound like Fender single coils but also burn with distortion like a humbucker.

 

 

How hard is it to change pickups? I might want to put P90s in my LP :poke:

[Armchair Bronco]

 

How hard is it to change pickups? I might want to put P90s in my LP :poke:

 

 

A straight swap isn't possible because *real* P90's are longer and a bit skinnier than humbuckers.

 

So you'd need to get some humbucker-sized P90's. GFS has 'em. So do the big boyz (like Seymour Duncan and DiMarzio).

[ILikeGuitar]

Anyone have sound clips of a p90 in an alder body? Just wondering what it might sound like in those new GFS offsets. I like p90s in mahogany but not sure how different it sounds in alder.

[Wyatt]

 

Anyone have sound clips of a p90 in an alder body? Just wondering what it might sound like in those new GFS offsets. I like p90s in mahogany but not sure how different it sounds in alder.

 

 

Great. no clips, but used to play amp-90 Fernandes native. Alder is like a more balance mahogany, good, fat, midrange rich, but more balanced overall.