Epiphone Casino P90 pickups vs Gibson USA P90's

[metropark15]

Good day all,

I just acquired an Epiphone Casino and was wondering if there are major tonal differences between the stock pickups and Gibson USA P90 pickups, lollar pickups, GFS P 90 dogear pickups Seymour Duncan....I mostly play Jazzy riffs along with pop type music......
Any thoughts would be appreciated.....thanks

 

[uriah1]

Yea..usually the epi line has korean quick production p/u, like a lot of value
guitars have. You actually do pay for what you get. Yes, there is a difference.

Noticeable...I believe very much so. I pulled some korean pu out of an epi 335,
that did not cut it.

Problem with hollow bodies, is they are a pain in the xkku8 to get in sometimes.

GFS is a value line also, I believe.

If you have a hollow body, listen to a bunch of vid clips with your guitar and diff
pickups. Some folks like lollars, some dont. Find out what kind of music you are
trying to achieve, and find some online samples of your guitar with that
pickup...If those are dog ear p90, lots of botique out there (seymour Duncan,dimarz,
and others) have lots.....

wish you well

 

[motorfin]

I've got the epi set in their 56 gold top and a set of the GFS P-90's in another flat top. Les pauls are quite different from the guitar your using and I'm playing hard rock so I'm not sure the comparison will be accurate for you. But for budget pickups, I find them to be very good for what I'm doing. The epi's are warmer sounding with a softer edge. The GFS version is bright, edgy, and much more aggresive. Both brands are great sounding, budget or not.

 

[charlie chitlin]

They're hit-and-miss.
I've seen 3 different kinds of Epi P90s and there may well be more.
The ones in the '56 GT are VERY nice, IMO (Alnico magnets).
The ones in a ZBD are horrendous (Alnico magnets. 13+Ω).
I bought a $99 Special I recently and the pickups are quite good...(ceramic).
I replaced them with a set from a '56 GT, which gave a more plucky out-of-phase tone in the middle position and sounded a bit fatter overall.
Gibson still makes a damn fine P90.

 

[jumpturn]

Good day all,

I just acquired an Epiphone Casino and was wondering if there are major tonal differences between the stock pickups and Gibson USA P90 pickups, lollar pickups, GFS P 90 dogear pickups Seymour Duncan....I mostly play Jazzy riffs along with pop type music......
Any thoughts would be appreciated.....thanks

I've only used Epi's 56 gold top p90s and I liked them an awful lot. They were warm with rounder edges, yet gave a nice fat bite in the bridge. I switched those out for a set of Lollars and love those. I will say I had mixed feelings about doing this with the GT because the stock pups are quite good. I was glad I did, though. I can't imagine Gibson would steer you wrong on a p90. But I've never played em.

 

[mad dog]

No idea on gibsons. I have the stock epi P-90s in a Peerless made Casino. They're rather nice in truth. My problem is I have other guitars here with Lollars, Wolfetones, Antiquity P-90s, so know I could do better. Resisting the urge, because the guitar sounds good right now. As always, the question is, good enough?? Not easy to find substitutes that fit. Lollar does make them, and my guess is that would be a solid upgrade.
MD

 

[AJBaker]

If you're thinking of swapping, here's what I've found would fit so far:

Creamery : 232$ plus shipping

Armstrong : 176$ plus shipping

Lollar : 200$ plus shipping

Fralin : 180$ plus shipping

Vintage Vibe : 166$ plus shipping

 

[charlie chitlin]

Check Jon Moore from "Tone for Days."
Great product and great prices.

 

[bendercaster]

It depends on what model and year your Casino is. For example, I have a 95 that was made in korea at the peerless plant. Its p90s have specs that are similar to gibson p90s and they sound great. Newer casinos I have played are much hotter and can even get a little muddy. You do have to be careful about replacing them because not all dogear p90s are a direct drop in replacement.

 

[mad dog]

It depends on what model and year your Casino is. For example, I have a 95 that was made in korea at the peerless plant. Its p90s have specs that are similar to gibson p90s and they sound great. Newer casinos I have played are much hotter and can even get a little muddy. You do have to be careful about replacing them because not all dogear p90s are a direct drop in replacement.

Jesse: My casino is Peerless made, 1994. And you're right, those P-90s sound good. None of the hot, harsh and flat sound I hear in some overwound P-90s. Still, when you're alternating with guitars that have Lollar P-90s, it's hard not to notice the difference. If I were ever to swap (most likely will not), it would be Lollars. He does sell the correct height p/us for the casino.
MD

 

[Jason Lollar]

I do have a set with plastic covers that has the proper shims to fit in a casino or if you send the metal cover pickups in i can build a set into the original covers- if you elect to go with the original metal covers and send them in some casinos have a quick connector about 8 inches from each pickup- check and see if yours has that before you cut the wire and unplug it instead and I can solder the new pickup with the quick connect on the end.
Now- metal cover P-90s sound quite different than plastic covers- smoother with less punch and the top end is a little rolled off- i like the sound of the plastic covers better but its a matter of taste.
The other thing about the metal covers is they are tapered from front to back in an attempt to make the top of the pickup parallel with the strings BUT the angles are wrong- the neck pickup is particularly bad. The pastic covers are not angled but the neck pickup is alot closer to parallel than the metal cover neck pickup. The plastic covers are flat on the bottom but they will conform to the arch when you screw them down. Another thing about metal cover casinos is only the john lennon signature model has standard pole spacing- the imports have a narrower spacing in the neck than a standard USA P-90 so if you are thinking about installing a set of dogears yourself into the metal covers the neck pickup wont fit. One more thing- the metal cover P-90s are soldred together, the bottom plate and cover are soldered and it takes a pretty hot iron to undo or redo them.

 

[Southpaw Sam]

I'm a fan of Jason's Stock P-90 pickups which I installed in my lefty Gibson 56' RI Goldtop Les Paul. I like the slightly demagnetized A5 idea to give his P-90's that little bit of "give" and compression whilst still maintaining clarity, girth, and just the right amount of grit. If I'm not mistaken the Tone Quest Report profiled an article on Jason Lollar and his highly recommended P-90's. Cheers Jason!

 

[tonyj]

If you're thinking of swapping, here's what I've found would fit so far:

Creamery : 232$ plus shipping

Armstrong : 176$ plus shipping

Lollar : 200$ plus shipping

Fralin : 180$ plus shipping

Vintage Vibe : 166$ plus shipping

Hey AJ, I see you are located in Switzerland. Where is the 'shipping' in your quote to and from, and is that for one pickup or for the pair? Seems a tad expensive from where I'm standing ...... and then again, perhaps it's not.

New Gibson P90's run close to $100 each (plus any local tax) in Canada, and shipping, if required, would of course be extra.

 

[taxer]

I have two Casinos. I never cracked them open, but the specs say that one (the burst) comes with Epi P-90s and the other (an Inspired By Lennon model) has the Gibson P-90s.

When I tweak my amp, I can get them to sound identical. Just that the Epi P-90s need more tweaking. Those Epi P-90s are definitely hotter. That creates a lack of definition in their tone. But with some amp and guitar knob adjustments (and sometimes plugging that guitar into the low input jack on my amp), I easily get them to sound like the Gibson P-90s.

The tone difference is minimal and easily matched. Biggest difference is the Epi P-90s are much hotter and loud as hell.

 

[AJBaker]

Hey AJ, I see you are located in Switzerland. Where is the 'shipping' in your quote to and from, and is that for one pickup or for the pair? Seems a tad expensive from where I'm standing ...... and then again, perhaps it's not.

New Gibson P90's run close to $100 each (plus any local tax) in Canada, and shipping, if required, would of course be extra.

I think shipping costs can vary quite a bit, and it's one of those things you need to factor into the final cost. Fralin I think mentioned 50$. In my list I only mentioned the price of the pickups.

 

[DaddyG]

Had a Korean Casino and the pickups were great. Few years later I purchased a John Lennon ( Inspired By ) casino and those pickups seem to have better articulation across the spectrum. Better low end and not so much on the high end.

 

[AJBaker]

Has anyone ever tried the Kent Armstrong pickups? Looking at their website, it would seem both neck and bridge measure 8.2k, which would make the neck quite a.bit louder than the bridge, no?

 

[AJBaker]

http://www.wdmusic.com/WPUCR.html

 

[castpolymer]

Best P-90 guitar I have owned was a Epi 50's Trib LP. I still look on Ebay for a set of those pups to drop into a Tele build.

 

[LoboDontSurf]

armstrong replacement for epi casino

Has anyone ever tried the Kent Armstrong pickups? Looking at their website, it would seem both neck and bridge measure 8.2k, which would make the neck quite a.bit louder than the bridge, no?

Just did this very swap. They are actually pretty well balanced and have a much nicer tone than the stock pickups. A little more treble on the neck and ....wow...I can actually use pedals now without the thing screaming at me. I was almost of the verge of dumping this guitar and now it is a favorite. Always loved the action and feel of the body, but not being able to drive it hard always bugged me. Seems way better with the new pups