Pickups for this mod?! (69 Thinline p90 neck mod)

So... This is my first post and i'm in need of a little help (as this summer i've gone mod mad with both my amp and guitar). I've decided i replace the neck pickup of my squire vintage modified telecaster thinline (a bit of a mouthful I know!) with a P90.

So here's my problem, I've heard some people say that when doing this kind of mod, one pickup can overpower the other?... and that's REALY not what i want. I'm looking for both a traditional tele bridge pickup and a soap bar style P90 that'll work well together!!

-I'm also open to anyone suggesting a good humbucker too!!

-Price range is for the whole lot is around £100 to £120 if that helps!


Thanks for this!! :razz:

P90s are a little hotter and have a little more output than a standard bridge pickup. Humbuckers even more so. It's not always a bad thing, but there are some things to try to keep them in balance.

You can adjust the height of the pickups so the output is pretty well balanced. This will mean lowering the neck pickup quite a bit. It won't get its optimal sound, but it might not be too bad.

You can get a hotter bridge pickup to match. Colt W. Knight has bought a few Duncan Phat Cat/Broadcaster pickup combinations from me and really loves them. The Broadcaster is a little hotter than standard with extra bite, so it keeps up pretty well.

P90s are a little hotter and have a little more output than a standard bridge pickup. Humbuckers even more so. It's not always a bad thing, but there are some things to try to keep them in balance.

You can adjust the height of the pickups so the output is pretty well balanced. This will mean lowering the neck pickup quite a bit. It won't get its optimal sound, but it might not be too bad.

You can get a hotter bridge pickup to match. Colt W. Knight has bought a few Duncan Phat Cat/Broadcaster pickup combinations from me and really loves them. The Broadcaster is a little hotter than standard with extra bite, so it keeps up pretty well.

Thanks, i just wanted to make sure before i part with my chash!! I'm looking at an SD Phat Cat and SD quarter pounder now... On paper they look like they'll match up pretty well...

I guess it's finally time to dig out the router and cut this mother****er!! Haha...
:twisted:

I struggled with this when I put a P90 in the neck.

A standard single coil in the bridge always felt like an awkward match. I was able to get the volume/output matched pretty well, but I always felt the tone of the pickups were a bit too different-sounding to work well together.

Either you set the amp to have a great neck tone, and have a thin, bright bridge, or vice-versa & end up with a muddy, dull neck. This was even after changing pots, tweaking the wiring, jumping through hoops to get it to work.

I just installed a Harmonic Design Super 90 in the bridge & I couldn't be happier.

Thanks, i just wanted to make sure before i part with my chash!! I'm looking at an SD Phat Cat and SD quarter pounder now... On paper they look like they'll match up pretty well...

I had SD QP with P-Rails combo. Very well balanced. I'm sure QP and Phat Cat will do. But QP has the traditional look but not the sound (it's brootal). If you want that tele sound, go with SD Jerry Donahue. Just my two cents.

There are a couple of ways to handle the tonal differences.

I tend to favor a switching setup that engages different tone caps for the neck and bridge pickup, giving the neck about half the tone roll off of the bridge pickup. I find that it usually balances very well.

Another method is to use a cap or resistor in series with each pickup. A cap in series cuts bass (start with about .01uf and go up or down from there). A resistor in series cuts highs. Colt told me what values he likes once, but I've forgotten.

Using these to tweak the sound will get you a nice balance as well.

I had SD QP with P-Rails combo. Very well balanced. I'm sure QP and Phat Cat will do. But QP has the traditional look but not the sound (it's brootal). If you want that tele sound, go with SD Jerry Donahue. Just my two cents.

Thanks for the heads up! i guess the QP isn't for me then

There are a couple of ways to handle the tonal differences.

I tend to favor a switching setup that engages different tone caps for the neck and bridge pickup, giving the neck about half the tone roll off of the bridge pickup. I find that it usually balances very well.

Another method is to use a cap or resistor in series with each pickup. A cap in series cuts bass (start with about .01uf and go up or down from there). A resistor in series cuts highs. Colt told me what values he likes once, but I've forgotten.

Using these to tweak the sound will get you a nice balance as well.

Sounds like i'll have to do some experimenting then.

I know all about capacitors and resistors (since i'm doing a degree in physics) but i have no idea how they work in regards to sound... so thanks!

Good luck! Be sure to let us know what you come up with.