P90 Virgin

[DrFrankStein]

OK, I am going to show my ignorance here, but I am among friends, so I don’t feel so bad.

 

I have been thinking about my next purchase, and I want to go the P90 route, to round out my sound. My main question is what are the tonal differences I can expect between P90 equipped H150 vs. an H137?

 

Thanks!!

[tulk1]

No clue. But how can one not reply to a post with a virgin as the topic?

 

Couldn't you expect the tone on a 150 P90 with a maple cap to be just a tad bit brighter than an all Mahogany bod?

[cosmikdebriis]

Just before we can really answer this one, it would be nice to know what guitars you already have (Heritages and otherwise) to give you some comparisons.

 

Of course the make of P90 pickup will make a difference to.

[Kazwell]

Ive never owned a guitar with P90's -had Strats, Teles of course other Humbucker equipt guitars including an H150.  I am curious too, as to how they sound... ???

[SouthpawGuy]

Hi all,

I too have never played a P-90, YouTube is good for comparing tones but it can be difficult to judge the pickups as some of the clips are just people farting about.

Do a search for guitar p-90

 

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_quer...mp;search_type=

 

There are too many results to show here but some of the Reverend P-90 equipped demos are very good, the guy plays the same riff in different pickup configurations so you can hear the difference.

This one in particular is very good, a demo of a Tom Anderson Cobra with 3x P-90s' , now that's greedy  ;D

I think they are Duncan P-90s, the guy says that they might be Harmonic Design though. Awesome guitar, awesome tones.

 

 

Regards .

[SouthpawGuy]

I've posted a link to this one before but it's well worth a listen, ex April Wine guitarist Brian Greenway demoing a triple P-90 Eastwood

 

[doggy1972]

This guy gets a brilliant tone with his P90s

http://www.prosoundcommunications.com/engl...auer/index.html

[Kazwell]

I need to use youtube more. It never ceases to amaze me how much material is posted out there...thanks!!!

[AaronF]

The guy from Blues Traveler uses a PRS with P90s live, I don't know about the studio. When I saw him play live, he had what I would call my ideal P90 tone. They are kind of a cross between a humbucker and single coil, they are hotter than a single coil, less bright, but brighter than a humbucker. Thru a distorted amp they have this really throaty midrange that is just nasty in a sexy way, I really love the sound of a P90 into a distorted amp. Its really hard to describe, but it has such a cool little midrangy bump that makes them pop out. The sound great clean. They buzz, but it never really bothered me. Pretty versatile type of pickup, I've always been ashamed to have never owned a P90 equipped axe.

[doggy1972]

I decided on a liitle experiment involving a doner Yamaha and a P90. It looks ugly but, no mods were required on the guitar. Sounds really good too. Totally reversible and cheap. I had to trim the bobin on the bottom of the p90. I suppose I could fit a P :uwp:hat cat cover if I wanted.

aes420 p90.jpg

aes420 p90.jpg_thumb

[doggy1972]

That was phat cat BTW

[yoslate]

They are kind of a cross between a humbucker and single coil, they are hotter than a single coil, less bright, but brighter than a humbucker. Thru a distorted amp they have this really throaty midrange that is just nasty in a sexy way, I really love the sound of a P90 into a distorted amp. Its really hard to describe, but it has such a cool little midrangy bump that makes them pop out. The sound great clean.

 

I'll endorse Aaron's characterization!  I think P-90's drop in between the bucker and single coils, with the slightest lean toward buckers.  The midrange "bump" Aaron refers to is, for me, their most salient characteristic.   That slightly nasal "honk" you get out of a good pair of humbuckers on a Paul or a 150, with the selector in the middle position, and everything on the guitar dimed, through a decent tube amp not wound way up makes for a very useful, pleasing rhythm or solo tone.  That tone is very there and really shines in a pair of  P-90's woking together.  It was terrific on my '52 Paul, and is terrific on my 576 with Phat Cats!  The neck position on the 576 is nice and sweet, with that slight "snap and ring" I love for soloing quieter blues or jazzy material, and the bridge p'up really bites, with just a touch of growl.  As I've posted before, the Super Eagle I'm waiting for was ordered with Lollars, which I've heard nothing but good things about.  Very anxious to plug that one in!