You can always check out the sound samples at Lundgren pickups.
http://www.lundgren.se/
GASing for a Tele Custom or Custom II (may even try out a Squier version - I think this place is starting to rub off on me )
Not familiar with P90s (I know what they are, just haven't heard them - or paid attention to when I may have heard them...)
What difference in sound or tone might there be between P90 and a humbucker. How do they compare to a regular Fender single coil "bright" sound?
What musical or playing style would your recommend P90s for?
Thanks fellers,
Trev
Electrics: Hagstrom Ultra Swede (Gold Eagle Burst) Gretsch 5120 Electromatic (Orange) Custom Nashville Blackout Telecaster (Black, Stat mid/neck p'ups; Lil Puncher (Modern Vintage) bridge p'up; Wilkinson Compensated Bridge w/ 3 brass saddles, Warmoth Vintage Modern Birdseye Maple Neck) Fender MIM Stratocaster (Blue Agave, Rosewood Fretboard, Fender Tex-Mex p'ups; GFS Trem/Block Kit) Highland Spitfire (semi-hollow, flame maple top w/ bubinga inlay)Acoustics:Washburn D10CEQSB, Yamaha FG160E
Bass: Westone Spectrum ST, Warwick Rockbass Corvette Basic Active
Amps: Vox NT15H/V112NT Night Train, Peavey Bandit 112, Hartke HyDrive 210C Bass Amp, Vox DA5
You can always check out the sound samples at Lundgren pickups.
http://www.lundgren.se/
I can't say that I've given up on a flanger cause I've never liked the effect either. I also can't say the same about Tremolo. I hate them both equally. - Tone2TheBone 2009
Hi t_ross33,
I've been playing a guitar with P-90 pickups for a while now, and when I first got this guitar I had no idea what to expect in terms of tone. P90's are a very unique sound as compared to the single coil sound from a Strat or Tele, or a humbucker.
It's hard to describe the tone exactly, but I would say that they sound like a cross between a humbucker and a single coil. They're not as thin sounding as a normal single coil, but they're not as fat sounding as a humbucker either.
In the bridge position they have almost a snarl kind of tone. Listen to George Thorogood to get some idea of this tone. (I'm not a big fan of his playing but you can hear the tone of his guitar for an example of P90s). Another example of P90's tone is the Beatles Revolver-era recordings. Paperback Writer, Taxman, Your Bird Can Sing, etc. these are great examples of a P90 tone. Listen to Steve Howe in Yes's Roundabout album and you will hear some other great examples.
In the neck position they are much warmer sounding than a normal single coil. You can get really nice tones for Jazz and Blues. The other thing that I've noticed about P90's is that they are very responsive to pick attack. The tone changes with your pick attack, so they make a great choice for anything where you use a lot of dynamics. Play soft and they sound warm, play harder and they start to break up and change tone slightly.
The down side of P90's is that they usually don't have the same amount of overall gain that a humbucker has, so they're not the best choice for very high-gain lead sounds. Also, since they're a single coil design you can get some hum from them in the same way that you would for Strat pickups.
But if you're looking for a more unique sound, and you're not into the high-gain stuff they are a fantastic pickup. I play in a band that does a lot of Blues, Jazz and oldies rock stuff, and they are fantastic for that.
-- Jim
Electrics: Hamer Newport, Fender Clapton Strat, Ibanez AF86, Line6 Variax 700
Acoustic Guitars: Taylor 514CE, Martin J40-M
Dobro: Regal "Black Lightning Dobro"
Mandolin: Morgan Monroe Mandolin
Amps: Egnater Rebel 30, Vox AD120VTX, Roland Cube 60
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...?bandid=301718
super_swede: awesome site for comparison. Thanks.
jpfeifer: great insight. P90s might be just what I'm looking for, especially when combined with my favorite body style, the Tele! The Custom and Custom II look real "vintage" as well and will stand out on stage. Currently use a Peavey Tele-style with SSH configuration so I already have some options with single coil and humbucker tones.
Thanks. Once again, glad I found this forum! I'll keep you posted of any GAS attacks.
Trev
Electrics: Hagstrom Ultra Swede (Gold Eagle Burst) Gretsch 5120 Electromatic (Orange) Custom Nashville Blackout Telecaster (Black, Stat mid/neck p'ups; Lil Puncher (Modern Vintage) bridge p'up; Wilkinson Compensated Bridge w/ 3 brass saddles, Warmoth Vintage Modern Birdseye Maple Neck) Fender MIM Stratocaster (Blue Agave, Rosewood Fretboard, Fender Tex-Mex p'ups; GFS Trem/Block Kit) Highland Spitfire (semi-hollow, flame maple top w/ bubinga inlay)Acoustics:Washburn D10CEQSB, Yamaha FG160E
Bass: Westone Spectrum ST, Warwick Rockbass Corvette Basic Active
Amps: Vox NT15H/V112NT Night Train, Peavey Bandit 112, Hartke HyDrive 210C Bass Amp, Vox DA5
P90's tend to be raunchier, dirtier, and kinda lo-fi (in a good way!), when compared to the usual humbucker. They're also "treblier" then a 'bucker, with a lot of emphasis on the upper mid-range--in fact, ya gotta watch out sometimes 'cos you can end up with a honky tone. Distorted, they are very garage-y, ballsier than single coils, but with less definition.
Do I like them? I love 'em. My only P90 axe is my 2000 SX SLPJr...
One humbucker that sounds quite similar to a P90 is the one used in the Squier 51.
Kerc -
Not to get too off topic, but where did you get that SX? It looks so much different from the GG models on the Rondo website. I guess maybe the model year has the horn looking more Gibby-like?
Very nice, man!
Guitars:
Fender 2006 MIM Fender Stratocaster HSS in 3TS
Ibanez RG 570 with a bridge Invader
ESP M II Deluxe with a Tune-o-Matic bridge
Eleanor, the magical, mystical Road Worn wonder Tele
Blackstar HT Club 40
Thanks! That's why I put the year there in the description...It's a 2000 model. On that year, they still had the "pointier" horn. By the way, I stripped the clear poly finish off my SX (it was more than 1/16" thick in places!), filled the wood, and shot clear spray lacquer on it, giving it a much thinner finish. The pic shows the refinished body. I also changed the knobs for some Radio Shack cheapies.Originally Posted by Katastrophe
Thats a cool guitar Kerc....
Guitars/Bass - MIM Fender Classic 50s Strat, MIM Fender Standard Strat, Squier Classic Vibe 50s Tele, Gibson Les Paul Studio, Epi '56 Gold Top Les Paul, Martin DSR acoustic, Sigma Martin Auditorium electric/acoustic, Squier Jazz Bass.
Amps/Cabinets/Modelers - Model 2558 50 watt Marshall Silver Anniversary Jubilee combo w/ Celestion Vintage 30s, 4x12 Marshall cabinet w/25 watt Greenback Celestions, Fender Blues Junior w/ a couple of Billm mods, Line 6 POD 2.0, Roland Micro Cube
Pedals/Effects - Cry Baby Classic Wah, Boss TU-2, Boss NS-2, Boss RC-2 Loop Station, Ross Compressor, MXR Micro Amp, Danelectro FAB Echo, Danelectro FAB Chorus, Danelectro Chicken Salad, Marshall Guv'nor Plus, Marshall Echohead, Duhvoodooman's Zonkin' Yellow Screamer, Digitech Digiverb, Digitech Bad Monkey, Dunlop Fuzz Face, Homemade Loop Bypass pedal, Duhvoodooman's Sonic Tonic (Maxon SD-9 clone +), Voodoo Labs Superfuzz