Junior or Special?

bodhi · January 2017

I'm a tad embarrassed to say that I've never owned a guitar with P90s. Naturally, this situation needs to be rectified. Soon.

Very open question, all opinions appreciated: Junior or Special?

guitargeek62 · January 2017

Junior

Whitecat · January 2017

Special. For me, neck P90 > bridge P90. But obviously your needs/ear may differ.

usedtobe · January 2017

Sg

DrBob · January 2017

guitargeek62 said:

Junior

This.

Jack_ · January 2017

Junior Doublecut.

bodhi · January 2017

Was hoping you'd tell me why, for any non-obvious reasons

impmann · January 2017

Special - because the neck pickup is brilliant.

But tbh, an SG with P90s is probably cooler.

Exorcist · January 2017

I have a junior and love it.. but after a few years.. I'm gassing for a neck P90

ICBM · January 2017

Both, of course. Duh.

Seriously, I do love the rawness of a Junior, but I always eventually miss the neck pickup, so for me it would be a Special.

bodhi · January 2017

Right, ok - so it's both and an SG Classic.

Exactly what I was thinking

stimpsonslostson · January 2017

bodhi said:

Right, ok - so it's both and an SG Classic.

Exactly what I was thinking

That just about sums it up. There's something special about an SG with P90s, I usually play an SG Jr: I love the way it sounds- I prefer it to the LP Jr I used to have.

TTBZ · January 2017

SG, I'd go for a Jr since I never really use a neck pickup and they look cooler.

guitars4you · January 2017

DC Special - you still have the option of 2 p/ups - No option on the Junior (but they still sell and highly desirable) - So 66.665 less switch options on a Junior v a Special - But I'm a neck pick up man

funhouse · January 2017

It depends on whether you need both pickups or tend to use the bridge (as I do). The bridge pickup on a good Junior sounds much fuller and snarlier than on a Special, at least in my opinion and I've owned a few of both. I think it's down to the surface-mounted dog ear pickup on Juniors, which somehow manages to capture the resonance of the guitar in a way that a soapbar P90 doesn't. However, if you need the versatility of a two pickup guitar then go for a Special. I've always found the neck pickup in Specials particularly sweet.

Exorcist · January 2017

I do like the fact that the Junior makes me play with the vol/tone a lot more than I previously did. Quite a variety of sounds from the P90 - which is a fantastic pickup IMHO - probably my favorite current production Gibson pickup.

bodhi · January 2017

I've heard that the lack of a neck pickup affects the sound, because only the bridge pickup has magnetic pull on the strings - more or less that idea.

@Exorcist - that simplicity appeals to me.

@funhouse - Maybe buy a special and rip out the neck pickup if it doesn't work out

funhouse · January 2017

That's an extreme proposition @bodhi. If I had to choose, I'd go for a Junior. If you have the 50s wiring then the single pickup is more flexible than you might think - you can get an almost electo-acoustic sound.

bodhi · January 2017

Said tongue in cheek, of course!

Many thanks for the replies. I feel the hunt is coming on strong.

IvisonGuitars · January 2017

Having had a few, in a nutshell this is what I've found (all just MHO of course..):

SC Junior: A raw, rock n' roll guitar. Very resonant and feels like a solid lump of a guitar, much like a Telecaster does. Lots of sounds to be had from that one P90, a great guitar for exploring the volume/tone controls with. For an out and out rocking gig, I'd take a SC Junior

DC Junior: As above but perhaps just a little less bass response than the SC but it's marginal. The only thing I found was the neck was a little more prone to being pulled out of tune if you were really hitting it hard.

LP SC Special: A full fat LP Standard in Tramps clothing! ;-) I LOVE mine, I consider it a 'Burst killer. The Bridge P90 doesn't quite have the brashness of the Junior, it's a touch more refined but can still rock happily. The mid position gives a 'flute-y' tone which can be dialled back for an almost faux Acoustic tone and then the neck P90. Praise the lord, the neck P90! The P90 that totally changed my opinion about neck Pickups. I rarely switch off it currently! A guitar for all situations....and cool as fooook too!

SG Special: I would actually say that tonally, this was smack bang in the middle of the LP Junior and the LP Special. It has all the great attributes of the LP Special but the thiner body gives it slightly more snarl that the LP Special, there's more bite in the bridge for sure. If you were unsure about a Junior or Special, I reckon this is one that would do both jobs admirably.

SG Junior: PROPER, Raw Rock n Roll guitar! Dailed in properly, it'll strip paint of the walls. Snarling P90, Lots of fun!

bodhi · January 2017

^ that is very useful - thanks for taking the time!

I played SGs for years, but now I find them to be quite awkward for some reason. Perhaps I just need to get used to one again.

Another question: Is there any difference between the P90s used in Gibson historics vs. Gibson USA guitars? I don't recall ever coming across any info which indicated that there was.

Thanks for all the replies.

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Junior or Special?

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