P-90 Les Pauls: Goldtop, Special SC, Special DC,...

+1 in the BFG. Got an extra good deal because my is blemished somewhere.

I like the 2015 DC, it was my first Gibson and lend to many more. I don’t love wrap-tail bridges right now.

I play in open tunings a lot and the compensated bridge is compensated incorrectly for that. I got some old bad@ss bridges that I’m going to attempt a remedy.

 

I don't currently have a P90 guitar; I need to sell my SG so I can replace it with one of the Doublecut Special Tributes. But I've had a few in the past:

EBMM Albert Lee with 3 MM90s (their take on P90s):



The Albert Lee was a replacement for this PRS Custom 22 Soapbar model (pretty cool thing - had a set-in maple neck, and it was wired so that position 3 on the 5-way was the neck and bridge pickup combination; the Albert Lee had normal Strat wiring so position 3 was the middle pickup); sold the PRS in a big gear purge to buy a '59 Reissue Les Paul (which was sold to pay for a new a/c unit for the house we owned at the time):



The most recent P90 guitar I had was this Collings 290 - great guitar; at the time it was considerably less than a Gibson Historic LP Special. But I found I was only playing my less expensive Fenders so I sold this to a friend who was much better player who had been after it for a couple of years:



And while it's not a P90 guitar I actually liked this one a bit better than the PRS Soapbar model; I had them at the same time and both were sold to fund that '59 Reissue Les Paul. This is a G&L ASAT Special Deluxe - fairly short-lived model with the maple top and rear-routed controls (like the ASAT Deluxe with humbuckers). This is an early version with an "American Tilla" back - it's a species similar to basswood; later ones switched to mahogany back:

 

Yep, the only reason Gibson developed the humbucker was to resist 60 cycle hum, not for any tonal reasons.

P90s seem to be a design that's so basic it's hard to screw up- even the P90s on $99 Epiphones sound great, I don't think I've ever heard a bad one. The key though is pickup height- they're VERY sensitive to that. Fortunately, P90s are the easiest pickups on the planet to dial in- screw the neck down flush with the pickguard, jack the bridge up 'till it almost hits the strings. Tweak to taste, but that'll get you 90% of the way there.

 

Godin makes great guitars for reasonable money. made in Canada & USA with all good components. I have 2 with P90s and one with P-Rails. real Seymour Duncan pickups on all

 

I had one, probably should have kept it



Although my next P90 guitar will either be a Reverend or an SG. I like playing SGs better than Les Pauls

 

On the high end, I have an R6 Historic that I bought to replace my long gone '68 LP GT. It has a fatter neck, but sounds awesome.

On the lower end, a year or so ago, there was a G&L Tribute ASAT Carvetop with P-90's that I think Musician's Friend was selling. I wish I'd grabbed one. I have the humbucker version and love it.

 

I have the 2018 Classic goldtop with factory Bigsby and Grovers. I love p-90's and Bibsbys and prefer Grovers and always wanted a goldtop so this was a must have. As soon as I got it I had tuning issues so I replaced the bridge with a Golden Age roller bridge. The issues remained as did some intonation issues so the nut was replaced with a Graphtech compensated nut. I'd be happy to show pictures but the guitar is back with my guitar tech who is trying to straighten out the tuning issues once more. After using the Bigsby and/or string bends some strings go sharp and some go flat. I'm convinced that this can be fixed and I'm determined to like this guitar though I'm off to a rocky start. Right now we are focusing on the nut.
I have played it at rehearsal through my '72 Princeton Reverb and it sounds great. We adjusted the action lower and it plays well.

I'm not happy with Gibson. Right out of the box there was a little vertical worming on the back probably from a belt buckle. In addition, the roller bar that the strings go under on the Bigsby was over tightened. It would not roll until the screw was backed off a little. Adding to my frustration, Gibson did a healthy price reduction shortly after I bought it.

I own it; it will become playable and we will become friends.

 

What are those?

 

The Hounder, made by Bootlegger Guitars in Hermosa Beach, CA.

I first saw one here, went looking on the 'Verb, took a chance and bought one. I liked it so much I bought another one.

I use the Burst for mostly slide, tuned to an open G. The P-90s punch way above their weight.

- D

 

Not like it matters, guitars are a personal issue, but to me the P-90 Les Paul is the Les Paul special single cut, and it has to be in TV yellow. If you can't get that, then a Les Paul Jr in vintage sunburst.

 

These sg junior models are affordable. This is my 1965. Single dog ear p90. This thing sounds glorious. Find a player grade one and have at it.

 

I’ve had this longer than any of my electrics, a ‘72. It’s got the tone I was hunting.

 

P90s (good ones anyway) are just Impossible to cubbyhole. Morphing from Leslie West “Mississippi Queen” to Frank Recherd “Luxury Liner,” and everywhere in between.

Lately I’ve been using a Peavey Firenza P90 set up - an astonishingly quality and versatile instrument

 

Here’s my R6 gold top hanging out with her friends.
The 335 and SG got jealous and left.
It’s got heavy flatwounds on it now.
Someday it’s P90s will be swapped out for Alnico V’s.

 

Yes. In 72 Gibson called it a 56 reissue, which it is not. It’s got the 54 wrap around bridge.

 

They’re not exactly rings. It’s peculiar to 72 era Gibsons. They serve no purpose. My buddies referred to them as “goof rings”; I’ve also heard “booboo rings.” I’ve seen them on guitars with mini-humbuckings from that era—Neil Finn’s, for example.

For reasons known only to Gibson, the pickups in early 70s had “Gibson” embossed. My buddy had a Custom with embossed humbuckings

 

I find these intriguing.




First is a Revelation, then an Epiphone.