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P-90 Pickups

CaptainSpaz91CaptainSpaz91 Posts: 266
edited June 2005 in Musicians and Gearheads
Hey guys,

I started reading about all the P-90 pick ups through these threads around here, I love the tone that Ed had on the MSG DVD I have, so really you can put the P-90s in what kinds of guitars? Name some possiblities please? Thanks alot!
"i wanna rock and roll **all night**, and part of everyday"
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • CaptainSpaz91CaptainSpaz91 Posts: 266
    Also, whats the "dirty" tone and how do you achieve it, like Even Flow or Alive???
    "i wanna rock and roll **all night**, and part of everyday"
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    P-90's are a bit weird because they're bigger than most single-coils and smaller than most humbuckers. Retrofitting P-90's to a guitar that didn't have them to begin with is kinda tough, and can involve re-routing the guitar, re-routing the pickguard, ordering a new pickguard altogether, etc. They are amazing pickups, though (I have a set in a Tele).

    "Dirty" tone refers to an overdrive/distortion tone. Ed gets his from turning his amp up really loud. The older songs were a combination of effects pedals and cranked amps.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • CaptainSpaz91CaptainSpaz91 Posts: 266
    Hey thanks,

    I was looking through the giventowail.com and well, since I'm a college kid and need money for things other than guitars I can only get one pedal now :) What pedal should I get, I was looking at the SansAmp GT2 Tube Amp Emulator, used of course any other ideas to get that kind of sound?
    "i wanna rock and roll **all night**, and part of everyday"
  • dont_go_on_medont_go_on_me Posts: 877
    Ibanez Sonic Distortion if you're looking for the Alive/Even Flow tone.
    "I'll do whatever the song dictates - if it doesn't need a real lead, then I won't do one. But if it does, then I'll fuckin' go off." - Mike

    "Japan is awesome; the fans there knew all the words to all the songs...at least phonetically." - Stone

    "I know this song so well, I can smoke a cigarette, have a drink, brush my teeth, take a shit, and mow the lawn while singing it. But I'll only be doing a couple of those things during this version." - EV
  • WESWES Posts: 168
    mccreadyisgod wrote:
    P-90's are a bit weird because they're bigger than most single-coils and smaller than most humbuckers. Retrofitting P-90's to a guitar that didn't have them to begin with is kinda tough, and can involve re-routing the guitar, re-routing the pickguard, ordering a new pickguard altogether, etc. They are amazing pickups, though (I have a set in a Tele).
    .

    How complex was the install in your tele? I am looking to put a fralin p90 in the neck position on my nashville tele (mexican) and i have been trying to figure out if it is worth the bother...

    Thanks
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    WES wrote:
    How complex was the install in your tele? I am looking to put a fralin p90 in the neck position on my nashville tele (mexican) and i have been trying to figure out if it is worth the bother...


    My Tele started life as a '72 Tele Deluxe RI. I found a pickguard routed for P-90's, and there was some minor body routing necessary as well.

    As far as fitting one in a Nashville Tele... hard to say if the body cavity is big enough for a P-90 without routing the body. But you can get a pickguard from Warmoth that will fit a P-90 in the neck:

    http://www.warmoth.com/pickguards/pickguards.cfm?fuseaction=pickguards_tele

    That's kinda funny... I own a Nashville Tele that's no longer a Nashville Tele... it's the Strat-o-Tele warewolf...
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • WESWES Posts: 168
    mccreadyisgod wrote:

    As far as fitting one in a Nashville Tele... hard to say if the body cavity is big enough for a P-90 without routing the body. But you can get a pickguard from Warmoth that will fit a P-90 in the neck:

    Thanks.

    I measured the cavity and its 3/4" deep...Would that be sufficient to fit that P90? How thick/deep is the actual pickup?
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    WES wrote:
    Thanks.

    I measured the cavity and its 3/4" deep...Would that be sufficient to fit that P90? How thick/deep is the actual pickup?


    That's deep enough, but the question is whether the cavity is wide enough in both directions.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • WESWES Posts: 168
    mccreadyisgod wrote:
    That's deep enough, but the question is whether the cavity is wide enough in both directions.

    The cavity is 3 1/2" x 3 1/2"....there is a third tex mex strat pickup in the middle position as well....would that create any problems?
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    WES wrote:
    The cavity is 3 1/2" x 3 1/2"....there is a third tex mex strat pickup in the middle position as well....would that create any problems?


    That's kinda what I was saying. You should have enough room to fit both pickups in, but I'm not sure Warmoth would be able to make the pickguard for it. I'd just e-mail them and explain what you have and what you want (which would be a pickguard for a P-90 in the neck and a Strat pickup in the middle). They'll tell you if they can do it. It would make for some interesting tonal options, that's for sure...

    I'm surprised there aren't more Tele's with P-90's out there. I love mine, they fit really well together. Once I get a rosewood fingerboard on mine, it'll be perfect.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • CaptainSpaz91CaptainSpaz91 Posts: 266
    Wow, sounds like some serious dough though hahaha.

    Oh well, I just had to drop serious money on hockey skates so, looks like the guitar stuff is on th backburner for the short term.
    "i wanna rock and roll **all night**, and part of everyday"
  • HailHailVitalogyHailHailVitalogy Posts: 5,134
    WES wrote:
    How complex was the install in your tele? I am looking to put a fralin p90 in the neck position on my nashville tele (mexican) and i have been trying to figure out if it is worth the bother...

    Thanks

    let me just say, i recieved a squier tele guitar last week as a gift...it was originally one of my relatives, he changed the neck pickup to a humbucker it sound sfuckin amazing for a squier
    2003: Uniondale, MSG x2 | 2004: Reading | 2005: Gorge, Vancouver, Philly | 2006: East Rutherford x2, Gorge x2, Camden 1, Hartford | 2008: MSG x2, VA Beach | 2009: Philly x3 | 2010: MSG x2, Bristow | 2011: Alpine Valley x2 | 2012: MIA Philly | 2013: Wrigley, Charlottesville, Brooklyn 2 | 2014: Milan, Amsterdam 1 | 2016: MSG x2, Fenway x2, Wrigley 2 | 2018: Rome, Krakow, Berlin, Wrigley 2 | 2021: Sea Hear Now | 2022: San Diego, LA x2, MSG, Camden, Nashville, St. Louis, Denver | 2023: St. Paul 1, Chicago x2, Fort Worth x2, Austin 2 | 2024: Las Vegas 1, Seattle x2, Indy, MSG x2, Philly x2, Baltimore
  • LemonYellowSunLemonYellowSun Posts: 90
    If you have a guitar with humbuckers and you want the P-90 tone, go with the new Seymour Duncan Phat Cats.....I just put one in my Ibanez Artcore (semi-hollowbody, neck position) and they sound amazing.....same as an original p-90 from what I can hear. And best of all, no guitar modification required, they fit in a standard humbucker cavity.
    Cause I'll stop trying to make a difference. I'm not trying to make a difference. I'll stop trying to make a difference. No way!
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    LemonYellowSun wrote:
    If you have a guitar with humbuckers and you want the P-90 tone, go with the new Seymour Duncan Phat Cats.....I just put one in my Ibanez Artcore (semi-hollowbody, neck position) and they sound amazing.....same as an original p-90 from what I can hear. And best of all, no guitar modification required, they fit in a standard humbucker cavity.


    There are others... Gibson has one called the P-100, and I know there are some boutique pup mfg's with humbucker-sized P-90's (Paco, help me out here).
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    mccreadyisgod wrote:
    There are others... Gibson has one called the P-100, and I know there are some boutique pup mfg's with humbucker-sized P-90's (Paco, help me out here).


    http://www.harmonicdesign.net/allpages/gibsons.html

    yoink, the Z-90's are awesome.


    The Rio Grande Bastard and Fat Bastard are also awesome. They are Matt Bellamy's (Muse) weapon of choice, as well as more than a few other players.

    http://www.riograndepickups.com/p90.html

    here's a good reference site.

    http://www.projectguitar.com/ref/pickup.htm
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    Pacomc79 wrote:
    The Rio Grande Bastard and Fat Bastard are also awesome. They are Matt Bellamy's (Muse) weapon of choice, as well as more than a few other players.


    Ah, yes, that's the one I was forgetting. Not a fan of the "Texas sound" myself (although mad props to SRV) but they do have a good reputation. I just surfed around for the first time in a while... they have open-coil mini humbuckers and replacements for the Fender Wide-Range humbuckers ('72 Tele). That's cool. I wonder if the mini humbuckers are ceramic, the website doesn't say.

    Hey, speaking of... got my S90 from Harmonic Design finally. Should be in the guitar by Monday, Tuesday at the latest. I'll give you a full report when I'm done...
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    mccreadyisgod wrote:
    Ah, yes, that's the one I was forgetting. Not a fan of the "Texas sound" myself (although mad props to SRV) but they do have a good reputation. I just surfed around for the first time in a while... they have open-coil mini humbuckers and replacements for the Fender Wide-Range humbuckers ('72 Tele). That's cool.

    Hey, speaking of... got my S90 from Harmonic Design finally. Should be in the guitar by Monday, Tuesday at the latest. I'll give you a full report when I'm done...


    excellent, through the uniphase and onto Eric's site too I hope.

    I really have a good feeling about that pickup.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    Pacomc79 wrote:
    excellent, through the uniphase and onto Eric's site too I hope.


    If I was going to try P-90's thru the UniPhase, I'd use my Fralin's. I just know them better, and they're more traditional.

    Do you have any great ideas for riffs that would sound good thru the UniPhase? I'm going to record them this week after I'm finished with a mixing session I'm in. Gotta throw in a Hendrix rip-off, at least, right? What else?
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
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