Need to brighten Neck P90

[wabashslim]

I found that a capacitor in series with the neck pickup works, the smaller the cap the more bass gets cut, BUT because caps alter phase you might find that your middle position gets affected and not necessarily in a good way. A cap that's small enough to get a good tonal balance between the pickups might add a hint of that out-of-phase sound when both are on together, ruining the beauty of the middle position. It's a compromise.

I solved the problem by taking a fat old Dimarzio P90 that ohmed out to around 9k (pretty high for a P90) and unwinding it in steps down to about 7.2k. That cut the bass & muddy low mids and boosted the sparkle factor. That's what's in the avatar guitar now, along with a Parsons Street bridge p'up at 8.2k.

Lindy Fralin sells 15% underwound neck P90s, but the mini humbucker solution is what I found worked best in my LP Studio.

 

[badscrew_projects]

Also, buying cheap off-brand P90s you often get underwound coils. These are bright! Worth throwing 15 - 20$ to test one

 

[trev333]

try a TBX tone pot.... a good cure for a muddy neck pu....dial the bass out...

 

[wabashslim]

try a TBX tone pot.... a good cure for a muddy neck pu....dial the bass out...

+1

 

[Hiwatts-n-Gibsons]

If you want most of that P90 girth, but with less lower midrange emphasis, and the cleaner more articulate tones of a traditional A5 rod magnet single coil, then these would be my choices. I have all three. The Duncan and TV Jones are paired with P90's in the bridge position and the neck and middle position tones are everything you say you're looking for. The Lollar I have in the bridge paired with a Lollar Gold Foil in the neck which tbt is another fantastic option worth checking out though I'm not sure it's what you are looking for. They are definitely a distinct and vibey pickup though.

P90 Staple Soapbar

The Seymour Duncan Custom Shop has been creating custom guitar pickups since 1976. If you dream it, we can build it.

customshop.seymourduncan.com

T-Armond Guitar Pickups | TV Jones

The TArmond, our version of the original DeArmond 2000. It’s more controlled in the high frequencies, no ice-pickiness, yet keeps that "off-the-rails" attitude.

tvjones.com

P-90 Staple

Check out the deal on P-90 Staple at Lollar Pickups

www.lollarguitars.com

Gold Foil Pickups: Handmade in USA | Lollar Pickups

A single-coil pickup with unusual clarity & power, our Gold Foil pickups offer wide dynamic range & harmonic overtones. Check our website for a variety of videos, sound files and pickup mounting options!

www.lollarguitars.com

They're all three amazing sounding pickups, but I slightly favor the Duncan Custom Shop Staple and the TV Jones T-Armond due to their true to the original design top mounted pole piece adjustment screws which allow me to dial them in perfectly without having to pull the pickup out for individual pole adjustments which I have to do for the Lollar. That said the Lollar is just as fantastic sounding as the other two, just a PITA to adjust.

Not to spam, but I have a Seymour Duncan Gold Staple I'm not using because the guitar I bought it for is now gone.

 

[Hiwatts-n-Gibsons]

I pretty much accept the P90 neck for it's inherent tone. That smooth & warmer tone is pretty much the Jazz pickup selector switch position, whether it's a LP, SG or ES Gibson style without outright being an HH configuration.

For added clarity and sweetness I've replaced the neck P90's in all my P90 loaded guitars with either Gibson A5 Staple or Dearmond Dynasonic clones except my Eastman ES-330 clone. That Dogear P90 paired with the thinline ES type hollowbody nails those iconic '50s-'60s jazz, blues, and roots rock tones. The hollowbody adds air and enhances the clarity of the mids and highs while taming the lowend some. Such a beautiful tone.

 

[Monoprice99]

For added clarity and sweetness I've replaced the neck P90's in all my P90 loaded guitars with either Gibson A5 Staple or Dearmond Dynasonic clones except my Eastman ES-330 clone. That Dogear P90 paired with the thinline ES type hollowbody nails those iconic '50s-'60s jazz, blues, and roots rock tones. The hollowbody adds air and enhances the clarity of the mids and highs while taming the lowend some. Such a beautiful tone.

I have the Epiphone P90's neck & bridge. the seem to have the clarity even as wound 8.2K Neck & 9.3K for the Bridge for LP Special slab. The Special that I have is the GC with the bolt on neck, shared 1 Volume, 1 Tone, and that only is a less optional blending of the P90's for the middle position's volume & tone. Otherwise, the Neck & Bridge are independent and similar to the 2 volume, 2 Tone Specials when in the Rhythm or Treble switch position. I guess it doesn't hurt that I pair it with an open back cab combo amp (Pyle PVAMP60 Echo/Reverb with it's full range speaker vs a closed back combo/cab with a comparatively limited range speaker. I just have to work a little at tweaking the EQ for the guitar & amp. The staple & underwound P90 tone is there, I just have to find it with the EQ. For lack of a better term for it, it's even that way with what I call a relative "Gibson Twang" like a "Telecaster Twang" gets with it's single coil, only the LP has the P90's.

I think if I were to chase staple P90's, I'd just get a Gretsch for that out of the box. I knew I wanted LP & Telecaster, even tried to make the Epiphone like a Bigsby equipped Gretsch P90 with relative success. I ended up with a Bigsby equipped Epiphone LP Special P90. I did make that convertible so that at string changes I could remove the Bigsby/Chigsby and just go back to a stop bar at any given string change. It's one of those string change decisions to Vibrato or not for a commitment. With the Bigsby though, if the strings have life left in them, I can see where there is enough string to reuse the Bigsby length string with the conversion back to the wrap over intonated Lightning stop bar. So that was a option for a win in converting the Epiphone. I don't feel I ruined a guitar for that mod, though some might argue that I did ruin the guitar for threaded inserts for a Chigsby B50/B500 Vibrato mount.

 

[Peegoo]

I agree except instead of "accept" I'd say for me it's "embrace".

This is a fantastic philosophy because many guitar players are always comparing tones to stuff they're familiar with. If it doesn't sound like a Les Paul, or a Marshall, or a Strat, or a DR with a Telecaster, it's not good.

Which is goofy as all git-out because there are plenty of great guitar sounds to be enjoyed.

Why enforce unnecessary/artificial limits upon oneself? A closed mind is like a closed book: it's fairly useless unless it's open.

 

[Maguchi]

I love the sound of my guitars neck p90 in the middle and bridge positions, but the neck and be a bit too dark. Are there ways to brighten this pickup, or would putting the bridge p90 I have from the set in the neck help? Thanks.

Other than that - a treble booster is worth trying too

How about a Analog Man Beano Boost? I think it costed like a buck seventy five and I din't have to take my guitar apart and tinker with it. The circuit is based on the classic Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster. I use one on my P90 neck pickups sometimes with good results.

 

[Hiwatts-n-Gibsons]

I have the Epiphone P90's neck & bridge. the seem to have the clarity even as wound 8.2K Neck & 9.3K for the Bridge for LP Special slab. The Special that I have is the GC with the bolt on neck, shared 1 Volume, 1 Tone, and that only is a less optional blending of the P90's for the middle position's volume & tone. Otherwise, the Neck & Bridge are independent and similar to the 2 volume, 2 Tone Specials when in the Rhythm or Treble switch position. I guess it doesn't hurt that I pair it with an open back cab combo amp (Pyle PVAMP60 Echo/Reverb with it's full range speaker vs a closed back combo/cab with a comparatively limited range speaker. I just have to work a little at tweaking the EQ for the guitar & amp. The staple & underwound P90 tone is there, I just have to find it with the EQ. For lack of a better term for it, it's even that way with what I call a relative "Gibson Twang" like a "Telecaster Twang" gets with it's single coil, only the LP has the P90's.

I think if I were to chase staple P90's, I'd just get a Gretsch for that out of the box. I knew I wanted LP & Telecaster, even tried to make the Epiphone like a Bigsby equipped Gretsch P90 with relative success. I ended up with a Bigsby equipped Epiphone LP Special P90. I did make that convertible so that at string changes I could remove the Bigsby/Chigsby and just go back to a stop bar at any given string change. It's one of those string change decisions to Vibrato or not for a commitment. With the Bigsby though, if the strings have life left in them, I can see where there is enough string to reuse the Bigsby length string with the conversion back to the wrap over intonated Lightning stop bar. So that was a option for a win in converting the Epiphone. I don't feel I ruined a guitar for that mod, though some might argue that I did ruin the guitar for threaded inserts for a Chigsby B50/B500 Vibrato mount.

That's exactly why I use Vibramates when converting from a stop tail. As far as the shared 1 vol and 1 tone you could always replace them with concentric knobs. Not as easy if you are adjusting them on the fly as 2 vol and 2 tone set ups, but if it's more a set and forget scenario it should work out fine.

 

[Monoprice99]

That's exactly why I use Vibramates when converting from a stop tail. As far as the shared 1 vol and 1 tone you could always replace them with concentric knobs. Not as easy if you are adjusting them on the fly as 2 vol and 2 tone set ups, but if it's more a set and forget scenario it should work out fine.

The way this one is, moving the 3 way switch to the upper bout, too much effort & then there's adding a 4th hole relocating a 3rd hole is more effort than I want to put into a guitar I enjoy for the Vibrato feature I did add to the body. It's a $ 130 priced matched sale Epiphone, so the Vibrato was as much as I will alter this guitar. Oddly enough, the wrapover bridge vs the Chigsby was a net zero for tonal difference. The Chigsby is the same chromed metal material as the Epiphone Lightning Bar is. A Bigsby being aluminum might have altered the tone more or less noticeably ? Another addition, I did put a 3 ply pickguard on it, altered a LP elevated pickguard to be similar to a LP Special 4 knob pickguard.

 

[Mike M]

+1 on this
The pickups on my 330 are set and can't be adjusted for height, except for using shims.


When I set up the pickups on my ES 330, I always fine tune them with the pole screws to get the sound, bass/treble/volume, that I like.
I hope it works for you.
View attachment 1274407

Is that the Slim Harpo model?

 

[nc0gnit000]

Is that the Slim Harpo model?

it's the Gibson Memphis es-330 sunset burst. I don't know what the specs for the Slim Harpo are.

 

[northernguitar]

Am I too late to the party? The dry-switch feature on the early Yamaha Revstars might be ticket. It doesn’t brighten the tone, it cuts the bass. I had Gibson 498/490 pickups in one and was really impressed with what it did to both humbuckers. This mod works with P90s and it doesn’t look too complicated to build.

Mod Garage: Inside Yamaha’s Dry Switch

Passive bass-cut switches have been around since the late ’50s—maybe even longer. Here’s a new twist on a classic theme.

www.premierguitar.com

 

[hopdybob]

why not try the G&L PTB tone stack?
Maybe you could only use the bass cut part
ore make a test setup, dial in to you get your sound.
measure pot resistance and buy a resistor and caps and build them in the guitar for only that pickup

 

[Hiwatts-n-Gibsons]

How about a Analog Man Beano Boost? I think it costed like a buck seventy five and I din't have to take my guitar apart and tinker with it. The circuit is based on the classic Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster. I use one on my P90 neck pickups sometimes with good results.

View attachment 1275621

Both the Beano and Keeley Java are exceptional boxes for removing any vestige of sonic mud from your signal chain. I've owned both, and while I kept the Java for its added flexibility I would have been perfectly happy with either.

I tend to use them as always on boxes with the level maxed and use my guitar volume controls to go anywhere from clean to classic hard rock crunch, and stack them with a ballsy fuzz or higher gain distortion box for heavier tones. The Java stacked into my Game Changer Audio Plasma Coil sounds absolutely wicked for heavy metal riffing.

 

[tonfarbe]

Before buying anything, I would start with this reversible mod:
Thread 'P90 neck out of phase / or too loud / or too muddy? An amateur's tip.'
https://www.tdpri.com/threads/p90-n...oo-loud-or-too-muddy-an-amateurs-tip.1142283/

 

[adamgdog]

Before buying anything, I would start with this reversible mod:
Thread 'P90 neck out of phase / or too loud / or too muddy? An amateur's tip.'
https://www.tdpri.com/threads/p90-n...oo-loud-or-too-muddy-an-amateurs-tip.1142283/

I think I will try this. Thanks

 

[TeleGS]

If you're at full volume and playing with not too much dirt, try turning it down (on the guitar, not the amp) about 25%.

With some pickups this can weaken the top end, but with P90s it can drain off the mud and add some bite. I have been doing this with my P90 Revstar and it's a real revelation.

This makes a lot of sense. The P-90 style pickups Guild used in their earlier guitars had lower output than the ones Gibson used and they had more twang/less sludge. Dialing back the Volume does something similar, though not exactly the same. Thanks.

 

[63 vibroverb]

Do you know what kind of magnets are in your neck P90? If they’re ceramic or Alnico 2, I can see that making it too muddy.