Bbach1 Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 I have been doing some reading on pups. My understanding is that single coil pups tend to have some nasty hum, so double coil (humbuckers?) came along to solve that problem. I was reading about a P90 setup where the two pups had opposite megnetic poles, thus creating a humbucker when the switch was in the middle position. From this, do I gather that a P90 is a single coil pup? And then do these suffer from the "hum" problem? bbach Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmptinesOf Youth Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 i never knew that but i guess its right. on my guitar anyway, the middle one is pretty quite...its the other two that act up.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 Yup, the P90 is a single coil. And yes, they can be subject to hum. I'm so used to dealing with single coils (only have one guitar with a humbucker) that it doesn't faze me anymore. Usually there is a position you can find where it doesn't hum. And if you do end up in a "hum spot" if you keep your right hand muting the strings between passages, or turn down the volume on the guitar when it needs to be quiet (I have a volume pedal), it's really not an issue. For recording, you can use a noise gate if you're doing something that requires absolute quiet. It doesn't hum while you're playing and if you're facing the right direction, it won't hum when you're not playing, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverse the Curse Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 theres another good thing about P90's...they rock Or at least thats what I hear. I wouldn't know because I live in the boonies, far far away from a decent music shop The forumite formerly known as Cooper. "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." John Lennon "When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will finally know peace." Jimi Hendrix "Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens." Jimi Hendrix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmptinesOf Youth Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 its different but the sond grows on ya. my ibanez is set up to sound heavy and then i got my agile with the p90's...its very nice clean and the overdrive to me is pretty raw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werewolf by Night Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 Yeah, I love "soapbars"; if I had to pick only one kind of pickup that I could have on any and all guitars that I could play, the P-90 would come closest to a "do-it-all" pickup for me! If there's a potential for a hum problem, like when you're dealing with particularly dirty AC or a lot of RF interferance from neon lights, dimmer switches, and the like, P-90s can and will hum along like they don't know the words. But, the tone and feel and response is well worth dealing with it the best you can! Wanna hear 'em? Check out the excellent mp3 clips on Lee Flier's band's website (my faves are "For Love Or Money" and a cover they did of the Beatles' "I've Got A Feeling"). And- if people aren't sick of me pointing this out- you can clonk on my sig below to hear forty-odd seconds of rhythmically wonky but, I feel, toneful playing by yours truly... (Both the "Clean/Rhythm"- and "Overdriven/Lead"-tracks are the same P-90 equipped guitar.) Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverse the Curse Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 thats a nice little clip u got there caevan. Man I thought there were strings or something towards the middle there when the lead comes in. The forumite formerly known as Cooper. "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." John Lennon "When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will finally know peace." Jimi Hendrix "Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens." Jimi Hendrix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werewolf by Night Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 Thanks for sayin' so, Cooper! That's just a noise-gate (the "virtual" one built-into my Johnson J-Station modeling preamp) set-up to act like an attack-delay, cutting off the initial attack of notes and doing a sort of 'automatic volume swell' kinda thing that's dynamically touch-sensitive. I've got to get a pedal or an outboard 'gate for that effect with a real-live tube-amp sometime... Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmptinesOf Youth Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 yea if i go near a tv or my computer the moise just gets really bad, which brings me to a question....noise compressors....bad? i use one specificlly for my agile p90 and i noticed its not as responsive so to say...anyt thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werewolf by Night Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 Yreah, computer monitors are Hell on guitar pickups! What's that- Niagra Falls?!!? Noise gates just need to be tweaked to fit the application; usually works with some trial-and-error adjusting the threshold, etc. A good compromise can generally be found. The best noise suppressor and set-up for guitar that I ever tried was a Boss NS-50 (?) that I used to have, that featured a special "sidechain" control input, that allowed you to have the 'gate's envelope follow that of any signal you put into that jack. I hooked it up between the ADA preamp and effects-processors of a friend of mine's rack-rig, and connected the ADA's headphone output to the sidechain control jack on the Noise Suppressor, with its headphone volume control cranked up fairly high. You could change presets, twiddle the guitar's volume up and down, play soft or loud as you liked, and it tracked flawlessly, just perfectly; he didn't know there was any kind of 'gate involved, only that the noise was completely gone! And he hated noise gates... Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmptinesOf Youth Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 yea this works really well (considering i didnt bother taking the time and just set it to optimum level)...i just notice if i dont hit a note (not a chord) with a certain amount of pressure, it sounds really weak and then dies quick, nothin big, not even a concern, just somethin i noticed. and its on my gt-6 so maybe its the same thing...eh maybe not, thanks for the input tho caev your pal ryan...who promises to stay out of your attic...er, or was it basement? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werewolf by Night Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 You just wanna get in there and steal my 16 Grammys and my collection of Winger songbooks, don'tcha?!!? Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmptinesOf Youth Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 im sorry man, i got nothin better to do...that is until i get my "studio" set up...then, and only then, will your possesions be safe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webe123 Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 Sorry....double post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webe123 Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 Originally posted by cwfno: I have been doing some reading on pups. My understanding is that single coil pups tend to have some nasty hum, so double coil (humbuckers?) came along to solve that problem. I was reading about a P90 setup where the two pups had opposite megnetic poles, thus creating a humbucker when the switch was in the middle position. From this, do I gather that a P90 is a single coil pup? And then do these suffer from the "hum" problem?I own a PRS Mcarty soapbar with P-90s installed designed by seymour duncan. This guitar has a sustain that took awhile to get used to for me, but now I wouldn't trade it for anything. I owned a fender 57 reissue strat before, so I am used to single coils and that is what they are, single coils......just much more wire wrapped around the magnet. They sound in between a strat and a les paul sound. Not as much piercing highs as a strat and not as muddy lows as a les paul. They have their own unique sound, that is for sure, but one that can't be beat. Now, everyone says that the hum they get is horrible, but I have not had any problem with mine. I usually use it in the middle position toggle. But I can use it on any position and the hum is just not that much of a problem as people make it out to be. Espicaially for the monster tone I get with these pickups. I can handle a little hum, which is all it has been to me, a little hum. Now as far as recording to a computer, others have stated fixes for that. But for me, I just wish I had of tried a P-90 equipped guitar earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webe123 Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 Originally posted by Cooper: theres another good thing about P90's...they rock Or at least thats what I hear. I wouldn't know because I live in the boonies, far far away from a decent music shop Take it from someone who owns a P-90 equipped guitar....THEY ROCK! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmptinesOf Youth Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 i think my p90s are kinda cheap so that could be why mine hum so bad i bet if i threw the seymours web has in itd be nice...reeeaaal nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave da Dude Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 The Godin LG that I tried out in the store had Seymour Duncan P-90-3's in it and I didn't notice any hum Rawkin' pups too Hey Cooper, where 'bouts in Vermont do you live. I went to school at Johnson State for a while (Johnson, VT). Gotta' geetar... got the amp. There must be SOMEthing else I... "need". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverse the Curse Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 I live in a tiny (2000 pop. max) town near Rutland. Its right in the middle near the New York side. Johnson? Never heard of it. Where is that? The forumite formerly known as Cooper. "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." John Lennon "When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will finally know peace." Jimi Hendrix "Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens." Jimi Hendrix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bbach1 Posted August 8, 2004 Author Share Posted August 8, 2004 I'm glad I got some input from you guys. Thanks for responding. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm not completely committed but sort of determined to build my own guitar this winter. I pretty have it layed out in my mind and I am reading and re-reading the three books I have purchased (actually, one author gave me his ebook, which was a nice gesture, but I'm going to pay him for his work). Of course, I want to have all the hardware purchased and in front of me as I draw my design specs before making the templates. That way, I can make sure I get the strings aligned up properly with the pups and the bridge. I'm still investigating, but I think I might go for a couple P90's wired as I stated in the start of this post. If construction goes well enough, I'll build a second with a set of Duncan 59's which I love. I have a lot to learn before I can even get started though. I want a neck through body design and the books touch on it but don't go into as much detail, although I think once the templates are made, it's not going to be any tougher than a bolt on. I have access to a jointer, planer, router, and a band saw. Most of the other tools for sanding and finishing I own already. It's going to be interesting for sure. I'm thinking of going to a smaller than standard scale because of the reach problems I'm having with my fingers. Les Pauls generally use a 24 3/4" scale. Fenders a 25 1/2. I'm going to have to lay out some full scale drawings and see how different scales fit my fingers before I start the templates, but I'm thinking of a small scale, something in the range of 24". I am sort of wondering why I'm taking all this time to build a guitar when I should be practising. bbach Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werewolf by Night Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 I'll tell you this- P-90s and shorter scales go together hand and glove! You'll get fat, fat, fffaaatt round tones on the high-strings, instead of thin, tinny scritchy sounds. Lows can sometimes get a tad muddy, but, not always, it depends on other factors, including your "touch" on the strings. I once had a Peavey T-15, that had a 23&1/2" scale-length. That'd be a cool scale to go with! Especially with three "soapbars" laid-out, Strat-style... Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 P90's, oh my god! there is no subsitute. i love them. gotta go unpack be back later. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave da Dude Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 Cooper, I know where Rutland is. On Route 7 about a third of the way up the state. Right? Johnson is in the upper third of the state about 50 miles from the Canadien border (think twenty year old drinking age, twenty year old college students ). It's a town or two southeast of Stowe, near Morristown, VT. Loved the summers, hated the winters. I'm in South CAroina now btw, back OT, P-90's are awesome I'm just sorry I waited so long to try them I like them better than HB's Gotta' geetar... got the amp. There must be SOMEthing else I... "need". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassix Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 You can get hum problems with any pickup. I had to shield the entire interior of my old gibson firebird to make its two mini humbuckers stop humming. It's solved now and the fb became one mean axe (still not as mean as the SG with Seymour Duncan JB model humbucker though ). One question: I hardly EVER use my neck humbucking pickups at all (with the JB fitted @ bridge)... Would a P90 make more sense @ bridge? Stirring shit up since 1968 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bbach1 Posted August 8, 2004 Author Share Posted August 8, 2004 Originally posted by bassix: You can get hum problems with any pickup. I had to shield the entire interior of my old gibson firebird to make its two mini humbuckers stop humming. It's solved now and the fb became one mean axe (still not as mean as the SG with Seymour Duncan JB model humbucker though ). One question: I hardly EVER use my neck humbucking pickups at all (with the JB fitted @ bridge)... Would a P90 make more sense @ bridge?I have a Duncan '59 bridge and a JB neck on my hamer. I almost always lean toward the '59. bbach Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverse the Curse Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 isnt the JB a bridge only pickup? Edit: Dave that would be Rutland (aka Rutvegas ) The forumite formerly known as Cooper. "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." John Lennon "When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will finally know peace." Jimi Hendrix "Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens." Jimi Hendrix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasticsound Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 cwfno - Good info here... but there's some missing pieces. First, yes, the middle position of P-90 equipped Gibsons is wired reverse polarity to work like a humbucker. But the resulting timbre is that of two single coils because the distance between them is so great. (As opposed to the coils of a humbucker picking up signal as one pickup.) Second, Gibson makes a stacked humbucker (essentially a single coil wired to a dummy coil out of range of pickup, because it's under the primary coil, away from the strings) called the P-100. Don't buy P-100's. The theory is sound (no pun intended ) but the result is much of the P-90's character is lost in the P-100. Live with the hum or find another solution to the noise. One possibility is a dummy coil mounted away from the primary coils and the strings. Again, this is wired reverse polarity from the pickup. Of course, this is a bit more difficult to accomplish at home because, in order to properly stop hum and minimize change to the timbre, the windings need to be similar in number and the magnets need to be the same as well. It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werewolf by Night Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 (Hi, Neil!) I read somewhere (in GP, I believe) that some folks have wired coil-taps to P-100s to cut out the top coil, and use only the bottom coil, to gain a quasi vintage, weakened-magnet sort of sound option. Still loses any hum-canceling, obviously. The few times I tried guitars with P-100 stacked hum-canceling pickups, I didn't think they sounded very good. But there's gotta be someone, somewhere, who likes 'em! Like the five or six guys who want SS Lab series amps (including B.B. king and Ty Tabor)... http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/icons/icon5.gif Anybody try out any of the hum-canceling/"noisless" soapbars from Seymour Duncan, Dimarzio, or others? Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasticsound Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 Originally posted by Caevan O'Shite: ...But there's gotta be someone, somewhere, who likes 'em! Like the five or six guys who want SS Lab series amps (including B.B. king and Ty Tabor)...Hi, K! I don't understand the above comment. Lab Series amps are known to be one of the few solid state amps worth owning. I toured with a guitar player with the Wilkinsons who loved his. It was sweet. And when the gear trailer detached from the tour bus, flipped on it's top and slid 350 yards over scrub brush and small trees in Southern Illinois, that amp was as right as rain. (Inside a road case, of course. ) Prior to that I'd never heard of Lab Series. Then I re-discovered them during my short tenure at Gibson. I had no idea Gibson manufactured them. It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bbach1 Posted August 9, 2004 Author Share Posted August 9, 2004 Originally posted by Cooper: isnt the JB a bridge only pickup? Edit: Dave that would be Rutland (aka Rutvegas )Yes Coop, my bad. Sometimes you have to know what I mean and not what I say. The JB is on the bridge. I like the 59's better. Just my own pref. bbach Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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