Humbucker in a P90...

BeardyAndy

A cursory look seems like I won't need to remove much material to put a humbucker in my Coronet but caution favours the brave so I thought I'd ask here before I break out the Dremel!

ICBM

DiMarzio do the Super Distortion and Tone Zone in exact P90-size housings that will fit with no routing.

https://www.dimarzio.com/pickups/p90-soap-bar

TheMarlin

You can also get P100’s, they’re supposed to be a silent P90 with dummy coil, but sound more humbucker-ish than P90 to me. 

WezV

Just a small cut either side, but you need to fill the corners of the P-90 route for the pickup ring screws

Sporky

The Dimarzios are ace. They are possibly my favourite looking pickups.

BeardyAndy

All great info, thanks guys

Jonathangus

@Alegree does a few, too.

https://www.alegree.co.uk/products/humid-tropics-p90-sized-humbucker-paf-tone-with-a-modern-twist

I think he does them in other flavours, too.  He also stocks covers which (I assume) fit.

Funkfingers

TheMarlin said:

You can also get P100’s, they’re supposed to be a silent P90 with dummy coil but sound more humbucker-ish than P90 to me. 

The Gibson P100 and Duncan STKP-1 pickups amount to a pair of equally overwound coils, stacked vertically and intended to be connected in parallel. 

Both designs sandwich the bar magnets between the coils. Four-conductor + shield output cable (if present) allows additional coil splittage or series interconnection options. 

Split mode is the upper 15k coil. (Harsh and, of course, prone to hum.) Series is hot and fat but conspicuously short of treble. 

To my ears, none of the three modes sounds right as a P90. Nor do they sound like humbuckers.

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The Seymour Duncan custom shop builds a few humbuckers under P90 covers. So do Lollar, Novak and TV Jones.

Mini humbuckers would not look out of place in Coronet/Wilshire surroundings.

BeardyAndy

ICBM said:

DiMarzio do the Super Distortion and Tone Zone in exact P90-size housings that will fit with no routing.

https://www.dimarzio.com/pickups/p90-soap-bar

I did look at these, trouble is they are soapbar and mines a dogear. I can buy uncut dogear covers to re drill if its as simple as that?

BeardyAndy

Jonathangus said:

@Alegree does a few, too.

https://www.alegree.co.uk/products/humid-tropics-p90-sized-humbucker-paf-tone-with-a-modern-twist

I think he does them in other flavours, too.  He also stocks covers which (I assume) fit.

How did I not spot these? Thanks

ICBM

BeardyAndy said:

I did look at these, trouble is they are soapbar and mines a dogear. I can buy uncut dogear covers to re drill if its as simple as that?

Ah - that makes it a little trickier, but definitely do-able.

Funkfingers

BeardyAndy said:

ICBM said:

DiMarzio do the Super Distortion and Tone Zone in exact P90-size housings that will fit with no routing.

I did look at these, trouble is they are soapbar and mine's a dogear. I can buy uncut dogear covers to re drill if its as simple as that?

Dogear P90 format pickups have a metal baseplate with stepped screw lug extensions at either end. Regular P90-format humbuckers lack the lugs. Some may even have a plastic baseplate.

One option that would work (but look naff) is a Gretsch Filter'Tron style surround.

It is possible that you simply have the wrong P90 in there at present. The Epiphone PRO specs seem respectable enough. Maybe, a magnet swap would enliven them a little?

Ultimately, the decision rests on whether you want a humbucker for noise-cancellation or for tonal reasons.

BeardyAndy

@Funkfingers it's so I have 2 guitars of similar output for gigs. I use one guitar for std tune and drop D with another half step down, the jump from a 12k humbucker to a vintage voiced P90 messes with the levels a touch. In an ideal world I'd pick up another guitar (there was very nearly a whiskey fuelled Epi' Joan Jett purchase a few nights ago) but with my mortgage going up over 20% in a few months time I have to be strong and take the cheaper option. 

Funkfingers

Sounds to me like a job for a clean boost pedal.