P90s in humbucker format; trade-offs?

[Michael Poche]

I have an Ibanez semi-hollow with humbuckers that I am planning on swapping out with humbucker-sized P90s and, brands aside, I am curious about the trade-offs that come with changing the form factor on them, if any.

 

[brookdalebill]

Hum, for one thing.

 

[Michael Poche]

Hum, for one thing.

Sorry, I meant the trade-off of putting a P90 in a humbucker form factor, as compared to the traditional P90 size.

 

[Si G X]

None really imo, especially the dimarzio 'vintage p90' ones... do they sound identical to a vintage gibson pickup? maybe not but they sound as close to one as any other p90 I think.

Vintage P90™ with full-size humbucker cover | DiMarzio

P90 pickups are a different breed. DiMarzio’s Vintage P90™ is a recreation of the late 50s Gibson single-coil with all of the midrange grittiness that makes a P90 pickup special. DiMarzio’s Vintage P90™ starts with our calibrated dual Alnico 5 sandcast magnets and is wound on a specially-made...

www.dimarzio.com

I put one in my friend's Gordon Smith and it growls just like a LP jr now.

 

[archtop_fjk]

This is my #1 guitar. The pickups are Jason Lollar Humbucker Size P-90s and they are fantastic. Interestingly, the guitar still twangs even though the pickups are hotter than the normal telecaster single coils.

 

[Willie Johnson]

My jooky homespun Noventa (Squier Bullet HS with an Esquire guard) had a bridge-only GFS Dream 90 and I liked that a lot, but the Mean 90 is even better. 500k pots. It's my cheapest guitar and I love it.

 

[Peegoo]

I have an Agile AL3000 (LP knockoff) with a pair of Duncan Phat Cats in it. Does it sound like my LP goldtop with P90s? Not quite, but the Phat Cats sound more like P90s than humbuckers.

Same goes for the Mean 90 (it was the stock pickup) in the neck pozish of this Reverend V.

 

[bobio]

What makes a P90 sound like a P90 is largely due to the form factor.
A P90 in humbucker form is a unique beast all its own with some P90 flavor.

I have a Fender Performer partscaster with a Humbucker sized P90 in the neck, love the tone
Toneshaper electrics, 4 way switching, Seymour Duncan Phat Cat P90 in the neck and a Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro in the bridge.

 

[Michael Poche]

What makes a P90 sound like a P90 is largely due to the form factor.
A P90 in humbucker form is a unique beast all its own with some P90 flavor.

Yeah, that's what I am most curious about.

 

[Old Deaf Roadie]

There is no practical difference due to the size of the case. I put one (a GFS that I paid less than $50 for) in an Esquire build based on appearance, and it turned out awesome in terms of both aesthetic and sound. She is my bad girl.

 

[stormsedge]

When one cannot decide…

 

[reactor99]

Some "p-90"s are made like the original Gibsons, some are made like overwound Fender pickups, some might be made other ways. I bet this is more impactful than the size case it's in

 

[TX_Slinger]

I just ordered an Artec Splendor hum sized P90 and a little disappointed to see it is shipped from China since the SK Artec pickups have always worked out well for me. Guess I missed that part of the ad so we'll see how it goes after the 2 week slow boat from Shenzen. It's for the neck of my Schecter PT, paired with the OEM B&G humbucker that seems to clock in around the same as a JB.

 

[bgmacaw]

I have Guitar Madness P94 copies in my Ibanez Talman semi-hollow and I've liked them in there better than the stock humbuckers. I used this guitar on this week's Twanger Challenge Track if you want to hear an example.

 

[TX_Slinger]

I just ordered an Artec Splendor hum sized P90 and a little disappointed to see it is shipped from China since the SK Artec pickups have always worked out well for me. Guess I missed that part of the ad so we'll see how it goes after the 2 week slow boat from Shenzen. It's for the neck of my Schecter PT, paired with the OEM B&G humbucker that seems to clock in around the same as a JB.

Very happy with my Artec Hum sized neck P90. Exceptionally quiet compared to my traditional Tele pickups which makes me want to cut it open and see if it's actually a P94 knockoff. Nice "fatter than strat" sound, just what I wanted and it looks outstanding after I put a matching ring on the bridge hum.

 

[schmee]

What makes a P90 sound like a P90 is largely due to the form factor.
A P90 in humbucker form is a unique beast all its own with some P90 flavor.

I have a Fender Performer partscaster with a Humbucker sized P90 in the neck, love the tone
Toneshaper electrics, 4 way switching, Seymour Duncan Phat Cat P90 in the neck and a Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro in the bridge.

^^^ THIS has been my experience. HB shaped "P90"'s have not sounded like P90's to me.
TV Jones makes the T90 that is supposedly good. But that's one I haven't tried.

A genuine Gibson P90 can be made to fit a HB space, but it's risky. I did two years ago and one I ruined. So 50% loss rate. The windings end up almost exactly the same size as the trim ring, so you risk abrading the winding wire. If you are mounting in a pickguard instead of a ring, it could be easier.

I cut and bent the brass base plate to match HB adjustment screws.
Drill and tap the screw holes in the brass plate.
You need to find blank covers with no holes and drill your own to match P90 spacing.
Here's a pic of one I modded (I just had a funky cover when I took this pic) :


BUT, on your archtop, you may have other options if there is room under the strings. I did this on a Gretsch I had by just putting p90 covers on top of matching pickup adaptor plates bought on ebay:


Here's the jury rigged version:

 

[mandoloony]

The form factor has no inherent impact on sound until you start impacting the length of string that the pickup "sees". As a result, a hum-sized P90 can be manufactured to sound exactly the same as a soapbar.

That said, there are so many different soapbar P90s that a given hum-sized pickup is unlikely to be wound identically to a given soapbar.

 

[ClashCityTele]

I'm heading down this route.
I have a neck HB size P90 for my Squier 60s Tele custom. Must fit it soon.
I also have a 70's Japanese SG that may benefit from P90s rather than the ultra cheap HBs it has at the mo'.
That would bring my P90 guitars up to 4.

 

[darkwaters]

Just to be the contrarian, I once owned a hollowbody Ibanez AF75 and, for fun, replaced the neck humbucker with a GFS Mean 90. It sounded absolutely identical to the humbucker. The only difference was that it hummed.

Nowadays, if I want a P90 equipped guitar, I’ll buy one; preferably a Gibson.

 

[Happy Enchilada]

Say hello to Linda Lou.
She sports Bootstrap pickups.
Neck is P90 for a humbucker rout.
Bridge is their Pretzel.
They let you mix and match and specify RWRP.
The pair cost me $60.
You owe it to yourself to try 'em.
Only downside is long wait time.
However, they are dynamite pickups handmade in a garage in Ohio.
You'll find much love for them hereabouts.

I'm heading down this route.
I have a neck HB size P90 for my Squier 60s Tele custom. Must fit it soon.
I also have a 70's Japanese SG that may benefit from P90s rather than the ultra cheap HBs it has at the mo'.
That would bring my P90 guitars up to 4.

P90s are like Lay's potato chips - you can't have just one guitar with 'em!
In addition to Linda Lou, I have two Hamers - a Special and a Junior - with P90s.
There's just something raw and wonderful about 'em!