Calling everyone knowledgeable about P90's.

TPReggie

Hey all, looking for a heads up from real players on this one, lol. 

I have never had anything, or played anything with P90's, however some of the stuff appearing recently, including things on the classifieds here are making me want to try them - my local shop has nothing with P90's for me to bash on and have a play/listen, I have researched on Professor Google, and predictably found everything from reviews saying they are awesome and sound gorgeous and you must have a P90 guitar - to those saying they are crap, noisy, and don't give you anything that single coils don't really cover. 

So - Simple question - can those of you who have guitars with P90's please give me your opinion of them, will they give me something I don't already get with my Strat and SE245, is it worth trying to get my hands on something with P90's?

Majorscale

They usually are the last pickups that people try, single coils and humbuckers dominate the market after all...but to me P90s are the perfect middle ground, delivering up power and warmth but with clarity. To me the perfect pickup. Being in the middle (ie a big fat single coil in essence) they are a little less powerful (generally) than buckers but more grunty than single coils, they can hum a little like single coils but they bring the best of both worlds too. If you want a powerful sound that cuts through the band mix then the P90 is the best option imo.

And yes a P90 guitar will add something to your arsenal!

stonevibe

I really like P90s myself and as already stated fit somewhere between a HB and an SC. They have a nice gnarly character when wound up with a bit of drive and can also be very smooth with a clean boost.

Gilmour used a load of P90 stuff on solo's in the studio, so you can get an idea by listening to his tone on classic tracks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U22OeyKSKMw

I also love them for dirty rock riffs. Noisy yes, but oh so much fun.

OilCityPickups

Majorscale said:

They usually are the last pickups that people try, single coils and humbuckers dominate the market after all...but to me P90s are the perfect middle ground, delivering up power and warmth but with clarity. To me the perfect pickup. Being in the middle (ie a big fat single coil in essence) they are a little less powerful (generally) than buckers but more grunty than single coils, they can hum a little like single coils but they bring the best of both worlds too. If you want a powerful sound that cuts through the band mix then the P90 is the best option imo.

And yes a P90 guitar will add something to your arsenal!

Firstly, P90s are single coils! They are single coils with twin, repelling magnets (faced south to south in the case of my own pickups).
One of the very first designs, and one of the most versatile out there

JookyChap

Have a listen to The Who's Live at Leeds, that about sums it up.

(Though it was a con as none of the Who ever did live in Leeds, apparently)

Shark_Eyes

I personally like them, roll the volume back a bit and the sound is lovely.

I've only every played a Modern Player Jaguar with them in, but certainly have had a hankering for a Les Paul Jr with P90's since then.

guitarfishbay

The only potential downfall is the noise, all things being equal P90s are usually a bit more noisy than single coils by my understanding.  If you don't have a noise issue with single coils in your room then go for P90s, if the noise already annoys you then P90s are likely to be worse.  That was my experience.

Tone wise, imagine a fat single coil with more grunt than sparkle and you're most of the way.

OilCityPickups

Not all P90s are created equal: over winding by too much loses that flute like top end and makes the whole thing go a bit mushy. Ceramic magnets are usually too 'grainy' to work well in a P90 design, and as for 'hum cancelling' P90s in 'stack' format ... forget it, they really don't have the right sound.
I love a good junior with just a single snarling 90 in the butt end ... the other guitarist in my band has a PRS One with a single soapbar ... sounds great.

Mosfed

I am a big fan of P-90s.  I don't think they would be my choice if I could only have 1 guitar, but I do love them.

I have a 1959 Les Paul Junior that with a little bit of overdrive just SCREAMS.  I find P-90s have more bite and warmth than a Strat style or Tele style single coil.

Differently than old humbuckers, it is pretty easy to find a vintage P-90.  For example old lapsteels can be found for a pittance.  I have found a huge difference between 50s and 60s P-90s and those that you find today.  It's totally worth finding an old one and putting it in a modern guitar.

Totally worth trying.

OilCityPickups

I love P90s too however ....
Breaking up old lap steels for their pickups is practically criminal!  :x
So many old Fender laps have been butchered in this way we are losing lovely old instruments ... please don't encourage people to attack Gibson ones too.
Hand wound P90s that will sound every bit as good as your vintage ones are available from everyone from Jason Lollar and the Creamery to ... yes ... my own company. Old pickups should stay in old guitars. You have a 59 Junior ... aren't you glad that some muppet didn't rout it and bung in a Super Distortion in the seventies?

Chuffola

Recent convert to P90s here. I love 'em - clarified gruntiness.

gilby

JookyChap;65233" said:

Have a listen to The Who's Live at Leeds, that about sums it up.



(Though it was a con as none of the Who ever did live in Leeds, apparently)

Elaborate please ?

OilCityPickups

The subtle quirkiness of the English Language that means 'live' can mean not dead ... and also 'to live' as in 'I live in a house'.
So the album The Who (play) Live at Leeds
Could be read (especially for comic effect): as 'The Who Live (as in reside or have domicile) At Leeds.'
The whole thing loses by being explained however

Skipped

JookyChap said:

Have a listen to The Who's Live at Leeds, that about sums it up.

(Though it was a con as none of the Who ever did live in Leeds, apparently)

Yes. Study Live at Leeds carefully. It will save you hours trying to work out what people mean when they talk about the "bark" from P90s. It's all on Live at Leeds.
I bought a late sixties SG special shortly after seeing the Who, along with a Sound City half stack (I had no idea that Pete was using Sound City heads with with Hiwatt badges so that part must have been intuition)
And not just the Bark either.
The quieter moments of the Tommy segment will show you what the volume control does with a P90. Beautiful.... with or without Pete's talent.

gilby

TheGuitarWeasel;65395" said:

The subtle quirkiness of the English Language that means 'live' can mean not dead ... and also 'to live' as in 'I live in a house'.

So the album The Who (play) Live at Leeds

Could be read (especially for comic effect): as 'The Who Live (as in reside or have domicile) At Leeds.'

The whole thing loses by being explained however

If I could I'd face palm myself. Bloody obvious innit ?

TPReggie

Thanks guys, this is all great stuff - looking for The Who thing now. Keep the comments coming if you have them - otherwise it does seem like I need to give this P90 phenomenon a go - now I just have to get my paws on a guitar with P90's in it, lol.

Look what you have all gone and made me do - I will tell the wife it is all your fault that I have GAS again

)

HAL9000

As others have said P90s have a more gnarly sound than standard single coils, but still retain the clarity. To my ears they are probably the most 'musical' of pickups (only my subjective opinion though). Also, as others have pointed out you may still get s/c hum but I reckon it's a price worth paying for that P90 tone. I would have to disagree with the comment in the OP's post that they "don't give you anything that singlecoils don't [already] cover" - they generally sound warmer than the classic Strat or Tele toness and are usually very responsive to rolling the guitar's volume on or off.

GuitarMonkey

gilby said:

JookyChap;65233" said:

Have a listen to The Who's Live at Leeds, that about sums it up.



(Though it was a con as none of the Who ever did live in Leeds, apparently)

Elaborate please ?

I'll always remember being at school, in assembly with the Head going through lost property asking who might have misplaced this LP "Live at Leeds"

ThePrettyDamned

Love a good p90 in the neck, can't stand them in the bridge. Practically criminal, I know... It's just because I use a fairly gainy, tight and bright sound mostly. P90s match well with warmer voiced amps, but can also do a great punky "bright and gnarly" thing. Just not for me, tis all

Don't butcher those lap steels! They're wonderful, even just to look at... Some even had a small valve amp in the case, and they can sound excellent after service and safety

impmann

Another Brick in the Wall solo was recorded with a 50s LP Goldtop with P90s, not a Strat as most think.
Tommy by the Who used mainly SG specials for the 6 string tone.

P90s are possibly the most versatile pickups, aside from a Tele bridge pickup! IMHO of course!!!!

luscombe

I certainly don't consider myself to be knowledgable on the subject of P90's, but I think Majorscale summed them up perfectly above when he described them as the 'perfect middle ground'. I have a 1959 LES paul TV special with two P90's and the sound is just awesome - never thin like many Fender single coils. but never overpowering in the way some humbuckers can appear to be. The units in my Special never seem to sound noisy either. In fact when I hear a good P90 I'm sometimes surprised that Gibson felt the need to develop the humbucker. If you can get to the Midlands (Staffordshire/Shropshire border) you're welcome to come and try my Les Paul.