Bbach1 Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 I have owned a few guitars. A couple expensive ones and a couple cheaper ones. I have had Duncan Customs, Custom Customs, '59s, JB's, Gibson Humbuckers, a stacked humbucker, and a single coil tapped. None of them are just quite keepers. I want a special guitar to hang on to. The pickups are the big dilema. I love what I have heard of P-90's, but luthiers constantly warn me about hum problems and also they say that single coil pups are no good when dialing up overdrive and distortion, especially cranked up. I just don't know what to try. I'm not anxious to purchase the same old same old. I live in a rural area, not much variety to try out. This is going to be difficult. There may not be the perfect pickup combination. Maybe that's why a person has to have several guitars. bbach Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillWelcome Home Studios Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 Originally posted by cwfno: .. but luthiers constantly warn me about hum problems and also they say that single coil pups are no good when dialing up overdrive and distortion, especially cranked up. ...Well consider this. A Strat uses a single coil pickup. Hum probs? Sound bad cranked up? In my opinion, the P-90 was the coolest rock and roll pickup ever. Wish that I still had my 57 Les paul with P-90s, but I don't. I was doing all that Allman Bros, Thin Lizzy, Lynard Synyrd stuff with it, Steely Dan, Sprinsteen, Dead... it fit, it rocked. Your milage may vary. I've been seriously considering having another guitar built. One mid-mounted P-90. Bill "I believe that entertainment can aspire to be art, and can become art, but if you set out to make art you're an idiot." Steve Martin Show business: we're all here because we're not all there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gato Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 Originally posted by cwfno: There may not be the perfect pickup combination. Maybe that's why a person has to have several guitars.Yes, that's the reason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 there are no issues with p90's with me. i have to mention that most amps when turned up into the crunch zone make more noise than some single coils. every classic tune done with single coils were done without "noiseless" pickups. noise is not a problem unless you plan to stand there and not play. if it is an issue all you got to do is turn the volume down when not playing. as for distortion sound listen to my tune "the lizard" then judge if p90's can't do crunch. i also used the p90 godin on "she moves me". excuse the poor production of these tunes, we didn't spend alot of time on the pc doing them. one final note...my amp sounds way better than these GT6 patches i used when recording. thats why i still have my Godin. p90's rock,cry, sing, scream etc. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBBPaul Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 I love P90s. My '65 Gibson ES 330 is my absolute favorite guitar tone-wise. It's unique in that it is a full hollow body with P90s. You might want to try out an Epiphone Casino for something similar. My favorite guitars for gigging however, are my PRS' (particularly the Custom 24). They are the most versatile, stable and road-worthy guitars I've ever played. The available tones are pretty good too. Our new and improved website Today's sample tune: Lonesome One Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 Paul i believe you need a MCcarty soapbar. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alguit Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 How could anyone say that P-90's don't overdrive or distort well? Some great examples are listed above, and go to Townshend's Live at Leed's tone. That's a P-90 loaded SG into Hiwatts. If nothing else, "Mississippi Queen" is a Les Paul Junior just ripping through a cranked amp. That tone still makes me smile. If your going for Humbuckers or Single Coils, though, there are so many choices. I use Duncan Antiquity humbuckers on a few guitars and love them. Single coils I use include some by Duncan, Fender, G&L, and DiMarzio. I've never found a "one pu fits all" Holy Grail, but I'm happy with each tone for what it does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbote Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 Another vote here for the P-90's. Great sound and the hum is (as offered in the comments above already) really not much of an issue. I also can recommend a set of TV Jones' TVtron pick ups. I put them in the hollowbody I use and they give off a nice old Gretsch vibe. They are a bit pricey, though. Good luck in your search! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 whatever you do , don't get something with p100's. stacked humbuckers do not a p90 make. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip OKeefe Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 Well, the folks that told you that single coils (especially P-90's) don't overdrive an amp or have a great crunch tone are, IMO, full of it. I've got a Casino, and those P-90's rawk. I also have a couple of Fenders, and they're also great, although a different sound. I suppose Jimi wasn't able to get a decent tone out of Strat single coil pups either. I do have guitars with 'buckers in them, and it is a different sound, but you can get almost any pup to crunch up, one way or another - hotter pups just do so more easily. My single coil equipped Ric 610 is a surprisingly good crunch guitar - I can't tell you how many rockers have had their misconceptions blown away by just handing that to them and having them plug it into their Mesas, Marshalls, Soldanos, Boogies or whatever - they all seem to think Rics are just for that "jangle" thing, but these pups SCREAM if you set the amp up correctly. My advice? If you like P-90's, get P-90's and don't listen to the people who say otherwise... although it might be a even better idea to go play some P-90 equipped axes just to be sure that is really what you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bbach1 Posted September 13, 2004 Author Share Posted September 13, 2004 I just knew there would be some sound advise here on this forum. I may have to make a scouting trip to the cities just to have the opportunity to play some pups I haven't tried yet. bbach Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmo115 Posted September 13, 2004 Share Posted September 13, 2004 I suggest a pug or bulldog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmclane Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 I don't mean to cloud the issue, but if you've never been really happy with a number of various guitars have you considered that your amp may be the problem? I was very non-plus'd by a rig I had once. Then I sat in with a friend's group and plugged into the guitar player's old Fender DeLuxe and went, "Yeah!". I'm convinced that most "sound problems" come from the amp, either the wrong one or one that's been poorly serviced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted September 14, 2004 Share Posted September 14, 2004 P90's http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.