NGD. Need quick advice ... see poll.

We officially have a P-90 in the house! I got some of @blowtorch 's and @FenderGyrl 's luck and got a sweet one! $169 and free shipping through Amazon. How do they do it? I put it through it's paces. Everything seems to be very acceptable. Yeah, needs better strings, intonation and lower action, but a heck of a lot for the price. I hesitate to say, but I believe that there is plenty of adjustment to bring down the bridge without the mod that Fendergyrl had to do. One slight 1/16" blemish on the lower bout in the back is really the only thing I can find so far that might bother someone else. The P-90 sounds pretty good and definitely good enough for a P-90 greenhorn like me. The spacing on the P-90 looks good to me, so I don't know if this is new for these. Probably the biggest thing here and certainly where they cut corners is the sanding and polishing before the clear coat. And then not enough polishing after the clearcoat. Things I don't really care about on any guitar, nevertheless a $169 guitar.

The neck is as Fendergyrl described, a clubby C. Perhaps the thinniest neck in my family (I like big necks), but ain't gonna give me the cramps of some of those thin necked LPs out there. Tuners are probably the cheapest hardware on this, but easy to replace if I want to down the road. The frets need a touch of leveling, but really quite playable as is. I'll know more as I lower the action. Nut seems to be spot on. Inlays are perfect and the grain of the fretboard is quite nice and not even dry like reviews I have read. The pots are quiet, but not quite as smooth as my spendy guitars. Much much nicer unplugged than I could have imagined.

Overall, I like the appearance and feel much more than the $600 plus Epi 1966 Century and that alone makes this a potential lifer guitar. Perhaps the shorter scale length and neck contour is why. The P-90 is definitely not as good as the Epi. The finish probably keeps this from being a $400 plus guitar, but the grain and aged binding is quite nice. I'm feeling my Jack White, so off I go. Mrs. Obsessed will be gone for three days babysitting the grandkids and the creek is giving more electricity than we can burn right now, so I will be enjoying loud feedback over the next few days!

A special thanks to @FenderGyrl for her review and announcing these and the Fireflys on Amazon.

Oh yeah, and you enablers out there. Score one in your box. Thank you.

 

Mine before I correct the intonation better is at about 24.85. I think I read the specs somewhere that it is supposed to be 24.80". I'm sure that as amps are cranked up more, there will be a difference in sound from a longer scale, but it definitely has that hollow body Century sound that I like. Much different than a Casino.

 

Well I understand. Kinda hard to believe for $169. I forgot to mention, a few sharp frets at about where the neck meets the body. Not fret sprout, but the ends need to be polished a bit. The neck binding at this price seems amazing to me. Also the neck to body attachment is better than I have ever seen on a Lohr of similar style at twice to three times the price.

 

So, you must know a thing or two about P-90s. Good to know for future reference as I dive into the P-90 rabbit hole.

 

Yeah, I was paying close attention to your posts before I ordered mine. Glad to see that you were able to rub out most of that scratch. I'm grateful that you shared that, because it helped me prepare better for this gamble.