DVM's P90 Guitar Poll

[duhvoodooman]

Between my '89 Strat Plus, Epi Elitist LP Std, Epi Dot, Nashville Tele and Fullerton ST4 HSS "Fat Fully" beater, I'm in pretty good shape for guitars these days. There is really just one "hole" left in my collection that I'd like to fill sometime later this year--a P90 guitar. I've been looking at several possibilities in the $500-or-under price range, and thought I'd throw it out here at TheFret for opinions in the form of a poll. Below are the four models I've been seriously considering as possibilities. I've also included an "Other" choice category, so if you vote for that one, please be sure to post your recommendation and the why's & wherefore's here in the thread. Just be sure to keep the $500 price limit in mind. AAMOF, please post the reasons behind your vote for any of these guitars!

Here are links to each of the four I'm currently considering:


Epi '56 LP Goldtop (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Epiphone-Les-Paul-1956-Goldtop-Electric-Guitar?sku=518320)

PRS SE Soapbar II (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/PRS-Guitars-SE-Soapbar-Electric-Guitar?sku=519372)

Reverend Warhawk II 390 (http://www.reverendguitars.com/reverend/guitars/set_neck_series/warhawk_2_390.html)

Agile AL3000 Prestige Gold P90 (http://www.rondomusic.net/al3000prestp90.html)

[Tone2TheBone]

The Epiphone Gold Top would be my choice.

[Robert]

Reverend Warhawk II 390, because these guitar both sound and look unique, in a good way! Plus, they are very well made and not expensive.

[Spudman]

Out of just the ones you have listed I would have to say the Epiphone Goldtop. Why? Well it's a gold top Les Paul with P90's. Not too tough to figure out.

The Agile will most likely be made in the same factory to different specs. The neck might be thicker, the tuners could be the same or better and the finish work will be better than the Epiphone Les Paul. The Epi may be slightly chambered which will lead to a unique sound as compared to the Agile.

I've played a real PRS with soapbar pickups and felt it was not as good as either of the above mentioned guitars. The Reverends I have no experience with.

That said...there are still some other cool guitars out there with P90's. Be patient, try a bunch (road trip) and don't get a red one.;)

[Ro3b]

The Reverend is ringing my bells.

[250Keith]

I voted for the EPI gold top, but I have been looking at a Edwards, I dont know about the price for the edwards when its all said and done though.

[Justaguyin_nc]

Well, The Epi Goldtop is probably the only LP I like for some reason.. and it's by Gibson.. and a special model.. and its available on Ebay all the time at great savings... Plus it gets pretty good reviews...

Justa opinion..

[Tone2TheBone]

Well Voo it looks like you'll be getting an Epi Goldtop soon. Congratulations :)

[Robert]

Get the Rev... Get the Rev... Get the Rev...

[Tone2TheBone]

The Rev would be cooler if it didn't have that middle P-90 in it. While not a P-90 guitar I have to say I enjoyed the feel and sound of the Reverend Flatroc I played recently. It was really cool. Anyway....I also dig the look of the Agile AD-2300 Jr. P-90 equipt guitar. Only thing is that it's flat and not carved so it would probably sound different than an Agile Goldtop or Epi.

[duhvoodooman]

Only 9 votes in so far. Not ready to declare a concensus winner yet--I need more data!

Seriously, this is gonna be a tough decision. All four of these guitars have their strong points. Even the current vote "trailer", the PRS Soapbar II, is a formidable guitar. It was one of the big winners in the recent Guitar Player 35-guitars-under-$500 comparison article, with absolutely glowing reviews from everybody (five of their staff people and two regulars in their online forum) who picked the guitar up. And nice used ones commonly sell for $300 - $350 on the 'Bay. I saw four of 'em there last night!

The Epi Goldtop is certainly a front-runner, and they're readily available on eBay in that same kind of price range. I've read very impressive things about the Agile 3000 P90--really quite incredible value and features for the money. And the Reverend guitars are truly cool looking in a very unique way, and also garner high praise from their owners for quality & playability. And that Alpine Metallic green with the black pickups and pickguard is just KILLER looking, IMO!

Man, this is gonna be hard.... :(

[Robert]

Hey, get ALL OF THEM !!! :)

[duhvoodooman]

You're a BIG freakin' help there, Robert! ;)

[Robert]

Just make a few more kick-*** ZYS pedals and you can afford them all!

[tremoloman]

If you want to go on the cheap, you could try:

SX SST57 Mahogany 2TS P90 ($109) (http://www.rondomusic.net/product914.html)

http://www.rondomusic.net/photos/electric/sst57mh2ts5a.jpg


SX SST57 w/ P90 Pickups ($109) (http://www.rondomusic.net/sst57p90.html)

http://www.rondomusic.net/photos/electric/sst57p90vwh5a.jpg


SX SJM-62 PBU ($129) (http://www.rondomusic.net/sjm62pbu.html)

http://www.rondomusic.net/photos/electric/sjm62pbu5.jpg


Or you could splurge on a Jazzmaster! :)

Out of your choices though I'd go with Agile only because I've seen their guitars in person and the few I've played were VERY nice. With the money you save on it you could perfom upgrades such as tuners, strings, etc.

[Spudman]

Man, this is gonna be hard.... :(

Patience Grasshopper. Try before you buy. Now snatch the pick from my hand.:cool:

[duhvoodooman]

Oh, I'm in no hurry, at this point. Probably a 4Q purchase, if not early '08. Just in information/opinion gathering mode at this point. The Epi and PRS are available locally, and there's a Reverend dealer less than an hour north of here. AAMOF, Rondo Music is only about a two-hour drive from here, so maybe I'll take a nice summer afternoon drive over to NH and try out the Agile, along with a couple of those cheapo Strat & JM copies that Trem mentioned. No rush....

[kerc]

Reverend. :D Definitely! Ask Riley...there was a nice Warhawk I 290 on eBay, and he bought it. He's now in the process of selling his Epi Goldtop and his Wildkat. He tells me there's simply no comparison--the Reverend is in another league entirely.

[SuperSwede]

PRS SE Soapbar II.. its a damn nice guitar!

[Tone2TheBone]

The necks on the PRS SEs are nice and wide and fat. They contribute to the tone of the guitar. If I didn't get an Epi GT I'd opt for that also.

[Brian Krashpad]

Anyway....I also dig the look of the Agile AD-2300 Jr. P-90 equipt guitar. Only thing is that it's flat and not carved so it would probably sound different than an Agile Goldtop or Epi.

Actually, the Agile LP is all mahogany (no maple cap), so I would think the arch-top wouldn't make much if any difference in sound between it the AD2300. It would be a little different than the maple-capped Epi.

I don't have direct experience with any of these models, and have heard good things about all of them. So unless DVM happens to a get a dog, he's probably OK either way with any of them.

At probably slightly over $500 there's used Hamer (USA) Specials. I bought mine used for $450 (no case or bag) several years ago:

http://static.flickr.com/9/68914042_487b48a210.jpg

I added the pickguard. Stock pickups are Seymour Duncan P-90's.

A fun guitar I got on the cheap (also availlable only used) is the Schecter Tempest Special. I bought mine w/ohsc for $250:

http://static.flickr.com/97/207025704_4ce5ab591f.jpg

Duncan Designed pups with one RW/RP for hum-cancelling in the middle position. I bought mine to satisfy my TV Yellow jones. ;)

[duhvoodooman]

Wow, this has developed into a real horserace! The four contenders currently have votes counts of 4, 3, 4, and 3 respectively.

Keep those votes & supporting comments coming, guys!

[Robert]

Did I say GET THE REV! yet?

[duhvoodooman]

Did I say GET THE REV! yet?
I think you may have mentioned something along those lines.

BTW, yelling doesn't count as additional votes! ;) :D

[Robert]

Ok then, sorry :p !

[SuperSwede]

You should definately go for the PMS SE Soapbar II

http://mszigzag.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/pms_copy.jpg

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[oldguy]

A buddy of mine (his name's Bud, actually) owns a Squier Tele w/ P90's, it sounds great. I voted for the Epi 'cause I think it should be the FIRST P90 axe DVM buys, followed by the Rev, then the PMS (check to see if it comes with the Danazol installed or if it's an option...no sense paying extra for it if you don't have to.) Then the Agile, and then...let's see...an SG w/ P90's would be coool, then a Strat or Tele, no...maybe a Jag... or HEY, an Explorer!!! Yeah, that's the ticket.

[tot_Ou_tard]

I'd get the Reverend.

Actually, I'd get the Rev Club King 290, but you weren't looking for a semihollow (you've got your dot).

Usually "What tOt'd do" isn't a very good indication of what others should do. ;)

But, in this case it just may be.

[r_a_smith3530]

The Epi is made by Gibson, so, 'nuff said. Like with Gibson, I've heard good Epi's and bad Epi's. The Agile seems nice, but there's nothing "different." I do like the double cut bod on the PRS. I'd want to play it. The Rev? Well, first off, three, count 'em, THREE P90's! This guitar just sounds too cool. In looking at it, the only thing I could see that I didn't like was the placement of the selector switch, but that is just a minor niggle.

The green one has mucho stage prescence!

[duhvoodooman]

Kind of an aside, but I mentioned above that I was looking at some of these P90 guitars on eBay, to gauge the prices they fetched. Man, check out the sweet deal that THIS GUY (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140122479503) nailed on a flame-maple top sunburst PRS Soapbar II in beautiful shape!

Hope I can do as well when I get ready to buy, if I go the auction route.....

[r_a_smith3530]

Yep voodoo, right place, right time.

[duhvoodooman]

Survey (starter) says....


The Winner (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=250126458989)
Seriously, I had no intention of moving on a guitar this quickly, but while looking at prices in eBay, I came across this incredibly CHERRY Epi '56 Goldtop, including a hardshell case, sitting at $300 with about 12 hours left on the auction. Heck, the protective stickers are still on the p'ups! The $50 shipping is kind of a gouge, but that's pretty much de rigeur for eBay!

Anyway, I got my wife to agree to have her & "the moms" kick in together for a Chistmas gift, and I'd pay the balance above $300, if I won the auction. But I had to agree to a "deal": I'd check out the guitar when it comes to make sure there are no problems, and then turn it over to my wife and wait patiently until 12/25. No big deal--it's not like I got nothin' to play in the meantime! ;)

Anyway, I placed my maximum bid through a "snipe" robot, and ended up not only winning the guitar, but getting it for the minimum bid above the $300 existing bid. So I nailed what appears to be an essentially brand new Epi '56 Goldtop with a case, delivered, for $355! Not too shabby!! :D :DR

Here are some blow-ups of the auction pix:

http://duhvoodooman.com/miscimages/musical/56_LP.jpghttp://duhvoodooman.com/miscimages/musical/56_LP (1).jpg

Continued next post....

[duhvoodooman]

Here's the rest of the pix:

http://duhvoodooman.com/miscimages/musical/56_LP (4).jpghttp://duhvoodooman.com/miscimages/musical/56_LP (5).jpg
http://duhvoodooman.com/miscimages/musical/56_LP (3).jpghttp://duhvoodooman.com/miscimages/musical/56_LP (2).jpg

[250Keith]

Very nice guitar, you will like those P-90s.
post some pic, when you get it, Merry HO HO.

[WackyT]

Nice guitar, DVM! And an even better price!

[sunvalleylaw]

Drool . . . . . . .Drool some more . . .

[Spudman]

Congratulations. Did the seller say why they were getting rid of a brand new axe?

[duhvoodooman]

Congratulations. Did the seller say why they were getting rid of a brand new axe?
The seller is one of those big music equipment auction outfits, called Vintageadvertisingink. Almost 6,000 items sold since Oct. '01. They just sell 'em, they don't post the item history. Solid feedback, so I don't expect any misrepresentation.

[Plank_Spanker]

A Gold Top LP with P90's - one of my wet dreams...................:D

Looking forward to the full honeymoon report, DVM!

[tot_Ou_tard]

Wow!! Double drool!

We need more smilies! I want a drooly.

[WackyT]

http://av123forum.com/images/smilies/drool.gif http://www.emutalk.net/images/smilies/newsmilies/drool.gif

http://www.chetnet.co.uk/portal/forum/images/smilies/Drool.gif

[Big K]

http://av123forum.com/images/smilies/drool.gif http://www.emutalk.net/images/smilies/newsmilies/drool.gif

http://www.chetnet.co.uk/portal/forum/images/smilies/Drool.gif

nice drool Wacky!

[duhvoodooman]

For those of you requiring something LARGER to drool on, I found this image on the Epiphone website. Yikes!! :eek: :D

WARNING: Those of you without broadband--don't try this at home! ;)


http://duhvoodooman.com/miscimages/musical/56goldtop.jpg

[Big K]

if that pickguard was just a little creamier / wow what a beast.....

[tot_Ou_tard]

http://av123forum.com/images/smilies/drool.gif http://www.emutalk.net/images/smilies/newsmilies/drool.gif

http://www.chetnet.co.uk/portal/forum/images/smilies/Drool.gif

Thanks for the droolies WackyT! And thanks for the droolable megaporn Vood!

[r_a_smith3530]

So you don't go poking into the closet between now and XMAS, you could just have it sent to my house and I'll keep it under raps for you until Santa time!

Just kidding. Anyway, you may have to check it out very well. I'd recommend at least a couple of weeks, just to make certain that there are no problems whatsoever.

Enjoy!

[tot_Ou_tard]

Reverend now has a similar guitar

the Roundhouse 290

http://www.reverendguitars.com/reverend/guitars/set_neck_series/roundhouse_290.html

$499

[Iago]

Great DVM. I love that model.. actually I almost bought one thru Ebay last month, but I had to give up.. (we'll have some expensive studio recordings coming up soon). I played one of those once, and it just sounded soooo much better than the model with humbuckers it was no joke. I still got the picture where Warren is playing the same model ehhehe!

[ET335]

Great deal Voodoo...Nice!!

[SuperSwede]

Congrats DVM! That is one smokin´guitar :)

So..... how are you going to mod this one? :D

[Tone2TheBone]

That is a nice looking axe Voo. Congrats.

[duhvoodooman]

Thanks, guys! I feel very fortunate to have stumbled over that auction, and that nobody else was bidding up the price! I was willing to go about $50 higher.