converting a humbucker hollow body to p90

[unezrider]

hello friend,
i have been lusting after a p90 hollow body for some time. & while searching my options, & how much i'd have to save up, (& how long) i've noticed there aren't many choices out there. i know people have converted humbucker hollow bodies to p90 with those shims. though i've never seen too many close up pics, so i'm not sure how good that actually looks. in other words, is it obvious you are covering up humbucker routs? & would i be risking ruining the guitar?
& just for the record, this would be a dream guitar for me, so i plan on doing it right. i want a quality instrument. (probably a gibson) a true hollow body, not a semi. & i don't like the plastic look of poly. so i am wanting to avoid one of those examples, too. & lastly, i'm not interested in buying vintage. new production will work for me. i'm just looking for a well crafted guitar. but do i have to limit looking at hollow bodies that come from the factory with p90's, or is this conversion idea no big deal?
i know i got a little wordy here, but i appreciate any & all thoughts on this. thanks!
chris

[superbadj]

Well, if you're wanting to do it "right", part of that is probably the look of a P90. There are P90s mounted in Humbucker-sized casings, so they would be a direct drop-in. But they don't have the classic look of a P90. If you're concerned about poly vs nitro for the looks, I'm guessing then that the look of the pickup matters too.

A hollowbody with P90s isn't more expensive than a hollowbody with humbuckers, other than the fact that the 'bucker version may be a little easier to find. But when you're talking a nitro-finished hollowbody, it's not gonna be cheap regardless.

My question, why not consider something like a Casino?

Full hollow. Classic design. Amazing sound and feel. And hugely affordable. I love mine. It doesn't feel like plastic. It's a 2001-ish Korean (Peerless) made model that I like better than most of the current Epis from china that I've played. But who knows. Maybe I just missed the good ones.

[BigDaddyLH]

What style of hollow body? ES-330 size, ES-175? Have you considered Heritage guitars? I think they'll put on a custom pickup for you.

[unezrider]

hello friend,
thanks for the replies, guys. i have dabbled in the retrofit humbucker sized p90 before. it was like a strat pickup in 'bucker clothes. (literally, as i later found out). so i'm looking for an honest to god p90. astheticaly i prefer single cut away, to the double cut away. (on any guitar) a little hang up of mine though i have played a couple of casinos that i enjoyed. it's just not what i'm after.
i'm thinking more down the lines of the es-175, or es-350. i haven't even thought about looking into heritage. i will definitely do that.

[Blazer]

There's a really simple solution.


Meet the Gibson P94.

As you can see it's basically a P90 in a Humbucker frame, they'll drop right in, no routing or covering up of empty cavities whatsoever.

They also come with Creme or metal covers.

[BigDaddyLH]

I was thinking of the Heritage 575, which is their version of the ES-175, but then I saw the Heritage 525, which comes with Jason Lollar P90s. Very nice!

[backsideslappy]

SD Phat Cats are basically the same deal as the Gibby P94 - drop straight into a humbucker route. They're probably some of my favourite big production pickups on the market too.

[charlie chitlin]

The Godin Kingpin is a sweetie!

[00JETT]

Gibson P-94 pickups are you friend!

[Dave Hicks]

My ES 125, of course, originally had P90s. Then some knucklehead got at it and butchered it, putting humbuckers in, among other sins. Doing so involved cutting the pickup ports a little larger.

I've changed the pickups to a soapbar P90 and CC in a soapbar cover (both from Pete Biltoft at Vintage Vibe). It looks OK from a distance, but close up you can see a gap of a couple of mm around the cover where you can look right into the the body. These pickups sound good, though.

D.H.

[Colt W. Knight]

Seymour Duncan Phat Cat, P-90 but size/shape of a humbucker.

[Little Ricky]

You should also consider getting a guitar with no pick-ups at all and just routing fresh pick-up holes into it.
I'm waiting for an Epiphone Emperor Regent that I plan on adding Dynasonics to.

[RevMike]

I'm considering one of these in the new year.....

http://godinguitars.com/godin5thavenuekingpinp.htm

They also make it without the pup.

http://godinguitars.com/godin5thavenuep.htm

[charlie chitlin]

Thy also make the Kingpin with a cutaway, and, I think, 2 pickups.

[Dan German]

Originally Posted by charlie chitlin

Thy also make the Kingpin with a cutaway, and, I think, 2 pickups.

Why yes, they do:

http://www.godinguitars.com/godin5th...kingpincwp.htm

I make do with this (not a P90, but can sound very much like one):

[unezrider]

thanks for some of the ideas, guys.
by the way, dan, those old dearmond's have a cool sound.
as far as the retro fit stuff, i think i'll stay away. i had a pair of the kent armstrong ones i had put in a les paul, & was not happy with them at all. single coil sound, yes. p90 sound, no. & they did not get along with true 500k pots, either. (i have some low winds in it now that i absolutely love).
but's it's nice to see my options aren't quite as few as i were thinking they'd be. which is why i was wondering about the conversion. basically just so i wouldn't be limiting my choices.

[slapshot]

tonerider rebel 90s.all nickel covers.
i'm not a fan of that black & chrome ring look.

[caliban335]

I believe Peerless offers a true hollow body with P-90s.

[PaddyWagon]

Harmonic Designs Z90 is a humbucker sized mount P90 kind of thing, but it's got a wider frequency response than a true P90. I like mine in a semi-hollow, your mileage may vary.

[caliban335]

+1 on the HD Z-90. I had a set in a Sheraton II & they sounded great.