Calling everyone knowledgeable about P90's.

OilCityPickups · October 2013

ThePrettyDamned said:

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

Using ones with the wrong magnets for your ears then

Many people find modern alnico 5 too 'sudden' in the bridge position ... all is sunshine and fluffy bunnies however when a pair of alnico 2s ... a Siamese pair comprising a 2 and a 5 ... a 2 and a 4 ... or even for those who regularly bite the heads off small creatures and have an concession with upside down crosses ... a pair of alnico 8s overwound to 20k. Paranoid? You will be!

ThePrettyDamned · October 2013

Alnico 8?overwound? IOMMI

Well, you'll need to tell me about these. When I get the guitar body, it'll be routed for bridge wood mounted bucker and a neck wood mounted p90. You'll have your work cut out

I'm sure you're right - I've only heard modern ones, and never a lollaar or creamery or yours.

OilCityPickups · October 2013

I've been working on a Tony Iommi style super heavyweight P90 for some while ... Bare Nipple pinched the 'War Pig' name so I've nicknamed mine the 'Combat Piglet'

Skipped · October 2013

Nice P90 clip (Les Paul Junior)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhWfrmJdRjw&t=4m0s

Basher · October 2013

I'm not really knowledgeable about P90s but I do think that they have a fantastic jazz sound. Grant Green used an ES330 on many recordings and I think his tone is my favourite jazz guitar sound - much clearer than the standard neck humbucker with the tone rolled back that most seem to use.

My only other contribution is that I have had a couple of guitars with Gibson P90s (LP, LP Junior Special) that sounded fantastic - very responsive to the volume control without losing top end or clarity. The Epiphone pickups on my Casino were absolutely awful though. Overwound, dull and lifeless.

jd0272 · October 2013

They just grunt. And it is great. I've just sold a CS LP '57 Jnr and I missed it immediately. Great sounding raw gigging guitar.

I'm collecting a replica luthier build LP Jnr TV DC this Saturday, and I am beyond excited. Not just because it's a personal guitar, built the way the big G used to build them 50 or so year ago, but because it's a P90 guitar, and I can not wait to gig it.

The last gig I used the one I've just sold at, the Jnr sounded better than the Historic with 'bucker's. And they are Spencer's Shed 'bucker's, which are quite simply awesome. But the P90 just slayed it. No effects, through an Egnater Rebel 30 head and a Marshall 1960 AX cab. Go figure.

TPReggie · October 2013

Skipped said:

Nice P90 clip (Les Paul Junior)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhWfrmJdRjw&t=4m0s

Yes, Keith Urban is one of my guilty pleasures I must say - that is awesome tone, it really sings ........ and it is an LPJ too which is a really stripped back guitar, no frills and still great tone @-)

HAL9000 · October 2013

Ooh, that's rather nice isn't it?

Mosfed · October 2013

TheGuitarWeasel said:

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?

Sorry dude but I disagree. I don't think that the new P-90s sound anything like the old ones. At least in my opinion. You can come pretty close I would agree but... now I have not heard yours admittedly.

My thought with the old lapsteels is that so many out there are completely unplayable. You can find cheap ass ones on ebay for a pittance and pulling out the pickup will at least mean that it is being used vs being on a plank of wood that is unplayable.

Yes I am thrilled that no one put a Super 2 in my 59 Junior.

57Deluxe · November 2013

P90s (Soapbars) are a bit of a dark magic... There are a multitude of variants (and some that look like P90s but aren't like Fender Jazzmasters) - but ALL will be ultra bright. However not all will grind up when aggravated...

I was lucky enough to nab one of the last of the new old stock PRS Soapbar SEII models after hearing a PRS Soapbar played through a Tweed Deluxe...

One issue with many of the Gibson models with P90s is excessive interference through the amp as the single windings are rather unshielded. BUT to my surprise the PRS P90s are as quite as can be - less than my Strats.

So P90s are right for you if you want to be able to deliver machine gun like ultra funky chops and then turn up that volume and let the treble bite they will overdrive your amp and deliver some real filth - but clean filth if you know what I mean - not fizz/fuzz/fluff filth, but articulate filth.

Oh and get a Tweed amp and some extra absorbent underwear...

However - I quite like my P90s through my Super Reverb too..!

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee301/snotmale/Things that make you go Ding/SuperandPRS.jpg

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee301/snotmale/Things that make you go Ding/SEllcustom.jpg

OilCityPickups · November 2013

Mosfed said:

TheGuitarWeasel said:

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?

Sorry dude but I disagree. I don't think that the new P-90s sound anything like the old ones. At least in my opinion. You can come pretty close I would agree but... now I have not heard yours admittedly.

My thought with the old lapsteels is that so many out there are completely unplayable. You can find cheap ass ones on ebay for a pittance and pulling out the pickup will at least mean that it is being used vs being on a plank of wood that is unplayable.

Yes I am thrilled that no one put a Super 2 in my 59 Junior.

How on earth would you render a lap steel unplayable?

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Calling everyone knowledgeable about P90's.

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