P90 Suggestions

skinfreak · August 2020

I am kicking myself for missing out on a BKP Nantucket P90 for £50 on ebay. I now need you all to say "phew, that was a close call because that pickup sucks, you really should buy... <<insert here>>.

From another thread, I mentioned the P90/humbucker combo apeing a Yamaha 611. There's a very classic Seymour Duncan SP90-1n paired to a Custom 5. I really like the sound of that although wonder if a slightly hotter P90 may be a better option and the Nantucket looked to fill the part. Not convinced I would buy new though to was thinking on a True Grit P90 or maybe Alegree Desert Dew? I'm fairly sure I want a UK built one though. Ideas please!

FatPete · August 2020

Ok... phew, that was a close call because that pickup sucks, you really should buy one from http://www.catswhiskerpickups.co.uk/

skinfreak · August 2020

See? Now that's what I'm talking about. Decisive @FatPete !

uncledick · August 2020

My McCarty came with SDs as standard and, like a lot of US guitars they were a bit 'hot'. I replaced them with some Master Wounds from Oil City. Yeah, they're a bit lower on output but much more tuneful and articulate.

merlin · August 2020

It's only my opinion of course, but don't go too "hot" with P90s. You'll lose a lot of tone with overwinding. If you need "hot" then get a boost pedal!

SidNewton · August 2020

Bad luck fella, I recently had a Nantucket installed in my Junior. Quality pickup. That said wish I'd paid £50 for mine. Someone had a bargain.
In all fairness the Gibson P90 is a pretty good pickup as well. My only other experience of P90's was in a PRS Mira 245. They were Seymour Duncans. In my opinion they didn't clean up too well when the volume control on the guitar was rolled back.

Funkfingers · August 2020

Juniors require a dogear P90. The OP requires a soapbar type.

My suggestions are the Duncan Antiquity or an SP90-1N with one or two magnet swaps.

Strangely enough, Gibson usually manages to make a nice P90.

pjf · August 2020

McNellys?

Whitecat · August 2020

pjf said:

McNellys?

Those are made in Canada.

DiscoStu · August 2020

I've got a BKP P91 in one of mine, it's fab but cost me a fair bit more than £50!

guitars4you · August 2020

skinfreak said:

I am kicking myself for missing out on a BKP Nantucket P90 for £50 on ebay. I now need you all to say "phew, that was a close call because that pickup sucks, you really should buy... <<insert here>>.

I have a Nantucket in the bridge on LP Jnr style guitar and like it - With a good taper on the vol pot you can move from full brash/bite/balls to more subtle, to tame the beast, as required

skinfreak · August 2020

Thanks all - the point of the P90 for me is something different in my arsenal. But I remembered I had a desert dew in a box that I never fitted to my prs tremonti. I think I'll try that out for starters and keep an eye out for the Nantucket when I decide to respray the body.

skinfreak · September 2020

Right, so now I have accumulated the following for my P90 experiment:

1. Gibson P90
2. Catwhiskers "Nantucket Spec" P90
3. BK Supermassive
4. Full Monty P90
5. PRS P90 (think its from an SE? Have no idea why I bought it...)
6. Humbucker sized Alegree Desert Dew

webrthomson · September 2020

Mojo staple:

https://www.mojopickups.co.uk/product/p90-soapbar-staple/

HAL9000 · September 2020

skinfreak said:

From another thread, I mentioned the P90/humbucker combo apeing a Yamaha 611. There's a very classic Seymour Duncan SP90-1n paired to a Custom 5.

uncledick said:

My McCarty came with SDs as standard and, like a lot of US guitars they were a bit 'hot'. I replaced them with some Master Wounds from Oil City. Yeah, they're a bit lower on output but much more tuneful and articulate.

I own a Yamaha 611 and the pickups are certainly wound too hot for my tastes. Unless the volume is down at around 5 the P90 really lacks articulation and clarity. I'm trying to thin the herd right now; otherwise I'd be contacting Oil City for something clearer and more articulate (and a bit less modern sounding).

merlin · September 2020

Try a set of Lollars too. I've had them on a Gordon Smith (fitted them myself, and they transformed the instrument from the stock P90s) and I now have a pair on a Collings 290. F**king brilliant.

They are a little "polite" but respond really well to germanium and fuzz in general.

Funkfingers · September 2020

skinfreak said:
PRS P90 (think it’s from an SE.)

If that has a brass baseplate and a cheap-looking, plastic-insulated, single conductor + screen output cable, it will be made by G&B of Korea for a PRS SE or, just possibly, an S2.

Core PRS guitars with P90s usually have Seymour Duncan SP90-1N and SP90-3N pickups. These have the black on white model ID stickers associated with SD OEM pickups.

Treewig1 · September 2020

Also look at Haussel. They are very good. Nik Huber puts them in his Krautsters...

skinfreak · September 2020

NO! No more! I have to quit while I'm behind...

Here's the pics of the P90 @Funkfingers

So that's an SD then?

Funkfingers · September 2020

I doubt it.

The D-shaped cutouts in the baseplate suggest Korean or Japanese manufacture.

If you look at the bottom edge of the plastic cover in the upper photograph, you should see a fine moulding flash line, running perpendicular to the inner surface of plastic, across each rounded corner. I have the same detail on the Metric cover of a Korean-made P90 removed from a budget Yamaha guitar.

The "step" around the top edge of your cover is exactly the same as found on PRS SE P90s.

The braided screen on the output cable looks like the shiny, slippery stuff found on some Asian pickups. The PRS/Seymour Duncan braid looks and feels the same as on a Gibson. It even frays differently.

Finally, on SD P90 covers, the countersinks for the mounting screws are wide enough to nip into the edges of the polepiece screw holes

skinfreak · September 2020

Comparing with my Gibson 500T, the cable is thicker but has a similar feel in terms of resistance when I run fingers over it. The inner is more sticky and thicker on the PRS. I'll check the PRs forum to see if anyone can ID it for sure.

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