P90s Vs Humbuckers

MG1986 · 04-09-2012, 01:10 AM

Noob question! Thinking of buying a Tokai Love Rock Gold Top which has p90's in it. I was wondering:

-how well the p90 style pickup responds to effect pedals, as i know from my current LR the 'buckers can be a bit dark or muddy from pedal to pedal from previous experiance ( this could be the pick-ups too?), to my ears anyway.

-How is the tone and versatility of the p90 vs a humbucker? i havn't used them before so i have no idea, but when i have the money to buy one ill be going and trying it out!

-How forgiving are they with making mistakes?

-Are they hihger output?

Thanks!

st.bede · 04-09-2012, 01:39 AM

I can not say too much due to the fact that my experince with P90s is limited. I believe that how "hot" they are is basically the same as other PUs. HBs and SCs can be hot or not.

How well something responds to an fx pedal is very difficult to guess. They way I like my pedals to sound is different then they way you might like your pedals to sound. I have found that pedals are a bit tricky, in that, what works with certain guitar and amp sounds awful (to me) with another guitar and/or amp. I have a number of expensive pedals and none of them work with all of my guitars. I am going to say that you will have to pair the pedal with your stuff. Now in my limited experince I have found, in general that lower out put PUs tend to work a tad better with time based fx (more true if running the pedal straight into the amp and less true if the pedal is in the fx loop). For od/dirt pedals I just have to go through my handful untill I find one that does what I want with a certain guitar. For example tonight I was playing my tele (w/ lollar PUs) into a JC120 and I was surprised to find that my SCOD pedal sounding great with that set up.

I do not really understand the "forgiving with mistakes" thing. But I am not a player that my style depends on vibe more then technique. If I make a mistake I want to hear it so I know what to work on. I am not saying that is the right way or even better way of doing things. I believe that music is endless and if you are actualizing your own voice then that is what is the most musical be it more loose or more precise.

Again to my limited knowledge P90s can be a bit more noisy (make sure every thing is grounded right) but I tend not to worry about that too much being how I feel about electric guitar. I just see that as part of the whole crazy thing we are doing.

Over all P90s have a great tone and are worth a try.

5F6-A · 04-09-2012, 02:19 AM

good, historically-correct PAFs sound a lot like a P90. A bit more midrange honk and a lot let noise but the tonal benchmark is very similar. I love them!

Rock City · 04-09-2012, 03:37 AM

Find yourself a couple of videos with your favorite guitar sounds. Search for exact gear those persons use and see for yourself.
The list of sound quality goes like this:
1. Amp,
2. Fingers,
2. Guitar,
2. Cables,
2. Pedals.

The better the amp - the better and more realistic sounds you get with pedals. In this case "the better" means "expensive".
Versatility... see the list.
P90s are great. So are hums. If you can not tell the difference with your eyes closed, then don't bother. Pick the one that looks better to you. And get a good amp. Play clean and dirty, soft, medium and loud. Listen good.
If you play in a band, listen to the other bands. If you play for yourself, don't be mistaken by music production or frequencies that whole band produces. Listen to guitar alone. Don't bother about Youtube's "bad compression". It is quite reliable.
About mistakes... ha-ha! Do you really think there is a combo that hides your mistakes? Yes, when you practice hard and a lot, somehow mistakes disappear.
This is personal experience. All other stuff is on the net.

HOT-BRIT · 04-09-2012, 03:48 AM

when Gibson developed there first humbuckers they were trying to replicate the tone of the P-90's

Liam · 04-09-2012, 04:43 AM

A good vintage PAF sounds just like a good vintage P90 does with the tone control rolled off a bit.

Now having said that more modern versions of both tend to be a bit middier and muddier, but can be in the same ball-park. My preference is for P90s, and I use a load of effects. I think of the humbuckers as being pasteurised P90s - cleaned up - but having lost something in the process.

The drawbacks of P90s are more hum and background noise, and a generally gnarlier sound. I don't think of them as much as drawbacks as opportunities for guitar obscenity and hooliganism.

Might turn out not to be for you, but you haven't lived until you've tried them. And FWIW they're probably my favourite thing...

Liam

kevin65 · 04-09-2012, 05:09 AM

To get a good idea of how P90s sound, search for Phil X on You Tube. He demo's vintage guitars for Fretted Americana and include P90 and humbucker LPs.

tubeman426 · 04-09-2012, 03:04 PM

With p90s real high gain notes arnt as articulate as a good humbucker. Cut back gain for leads. P90s have what I would call a thick untamed sound which I really like, I find palm muting and volume control is a must when you are pushing them. Never had much trouble with hum, its nothing like a strat or tele in my experience. Played clean through a good tube amp and they sing beautifully unlike any other single coil, very rich sounding .

SKATTERBRANE · 04-09-2012, 03:27 PM

How about buying a Tokai Love Rock with HUMBUCKERS? Or you can join the confusing group who buy P90 guitars wanting to put humbuckers in them or those who buy humbucking guitars who want to put P90s in them.

A deal is not a deal if you end up with something you don't really want. If you get exactly what you want, the amount you paid soon fades from memory.

MG1986 · 04-09-2012, 03:53 PM

Thanks for the replies guys, i definatley will get down to the shop to try them out, i do confess i like the sound of a 'gnarlier" sound. Skatterbrane, i already have a Love Rock with Humbuckers :-)

SKATTERBRANE · 04-09-2012, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MG1986

Thanks for the replies guys, i definatley will get down to the shop to try them out, i do confess i like the sound of a 'gnarlier" sound. Skatterbrane, i already have a Love Rock with Humbuckers :-)

Well then by all means get the P90 version! Variety is the spice of life. I think this is the best solution!

barricwiley · 04-09-2012, 05:09 PM

P90's are put in inexpensive lp's and other guitars. They are also in fairly expensive guitars, so, are they the same PU ? I mean are there differences in p90's and if there are what should one look for to make sure to get a guitar with a quality pu?
Thanks for your thoughts.

SKATTERBRANE · 04-09-2012, 05:16 PM

Talking about modern Gibsons. All P90s are the same, whether they are in an inexpensive studio 60s tribute or an expensive Historic reissue. Same with 57 Classics or Burstbuckers. Gibson does not have an expensive vs budget line of pickups. They DO have pickups unique to certain types of guitars. 490R/498T will never be found on Historics for example, but that is not to say they are a budget line.

As far as I know, they had only one P90 any given year, though they have changed in construction through the years. The P100s were not used in reissue style guitars.

Now for what they use in Epiphone, I have no idea. And what are used in guitars other than Gibson, I also have no idea, other than they are probably Asian made in most cases, which would be of lesser quality than Gibson's.

AngryHatter · 04-09-2012, 05:25 PM

Get both in one package.
P-90s and humbuckers. Rails outside the single coils.

barricwiley · 04-09-2012, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SKATTERBRANE

Talking about modern Gibsons. All P90s are the same, whether they are in an inexpensive studio 60s tribute or an expensive Historic reissue. Same with 57 Classics or Burstbuckers. Gibson does not have an expensive vs budget line of pickups. They DO have pickups unique to certain types of guitars. 490R/498T will never be found on Historics for example, but that is not to say they are a budget line.

As far as I know, they had only one P90 any given year, though they have changed in construction through the years. The P100s were not used in reissue style guitars.

Now for what they use in Epiphone, I have no idea. And what are used in guitars other than Gibson, I also have no idea, other than they are probably Asian made in most cases, which would be of lesser quality than Gibson's.

Thank you very much - Solved for me.

Wraptail · 04-10-2012, 11:58 AM

To these ears vintage P90s, and their modern "equivalents," are where it's at. Thdey can be fat and/or twangy. I like P90s that are fat with the volume up and get twangy as you roll the volume down.

Here's 2 vids that I really like.

1955 Gibson Les Paul Junior 00794 - YouTube

1957 Gibson Les Paul Junior - YouTube

MG1986 · 04-10-2012, 04:14 PM

rudedog and skatterbrane, i think you have convinced me to give them a go! Thanks to everyone for the info/opinions!

04-09-2012, 01:10 AM	#1 (permalink)
MG1986 Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Australia Posts: 47 Thanks: 3 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	P90s Vs Humbuckers Noob question! Thinking of buying a Tokai Love Rock Gold Top which has p90's in it. I was wondering: -how well the p90 style pickup responds to effect pedals, as i know from my current LR the 'buckers can be a bit dark or muddy from pedal to pedal from previous experiance ( this could be the pick-ups too?), to my ears anyway. -How is the tone and versatility of the p90 vs a humbucker? i havn't used them before so i have no idea, but when i have the money to buy one ill be going and trying it out! -How forgiving are they with making mistakes? -Are they hihger output? Thanks!

04-09-2012, 01:39 AM	#2 (permalink)
st.bede V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Fresno Ca Posts: 7,195 Thanks: 245 Thanked 203 Times in 80 Posts	Re: P90s Vs Humbuckers I can not say too much due to the fact that my experince with P90s is limited. I believe that how "hot" they are is basically the same as other PUs. HBs and SCs can be hot or not. How well something responds to an fx pedal is very difficult to guess. They way I like my pedals to sound is different then they way you might like your pedals to sound. I have found that pedals are a bit tricky, in that, what works with certain guitar and amp sounds awful (to me) with another guitar and/or amp. I have a number of expensive pedals and none of them work with all of my guitars. I am going to say that you will have to pair the pedal with your stuff. Now in my limited experince I have found, in general that lower out put PUs tend to work a tad better with time based fx (more true if running the pedal straight into the amp and less true if the pedal is in the fx loop). For od/dirt pedals I just have to go through my handful untill I find one that does what I want with a certain guitar. For example tonight I was playing my tele (w/ lollar PUs) into a JC120 and I was surprised to find that my SCOD pedal sounding great with that set up. I do not really understand the "forgiving with mistakes" thing. But I am not a player that my style depends on vibe more then technique. If I make a mistake I want to hear it so I know what to work on. I am not saying that is the right way or even better way of doing things. I believe that music is endless and if you are actualizing your own voice then that is what is the most musical be it more loose or more precise. Again to my limited knowledge P90s can be a bit more noisy (make sure every thing is grounded right) but I tend not to worry about that too much being how I feel about electric guitar. I just see that as part of the whole crazy thing we are doing. Over all P90s have a great tone and are worth a try. Hector Arcadius likes this. __________________ "The economy is a system of interdependence." “Falsehood has an infinity of combinations, but truth has only one mode of being.” ― Jean-Jacques Rousseau I have slowly morphed into a space alien trying to communicate enigmatic messages to my home world. "to criticize without vision is to be complicitious with dominance" Carolyn Casey "There is no hierarchy of goodness" *Des* Last edited by st.bede; 04-09-2012 at 11:46 AM.

04-09-2012, 02:19 AM	#3 (permalink)
5F6-A Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Sir Titus Salt's Land Posts: 8,008 Thanks: 396 Thanked 504 Times in 119 Posts	Re: P90s Vs Humbuckers good, historically-correct PAFs sound a lot like a P90. A bit more midrange honk and a lot let noise but the tonal benchmark is very similar. I love them! __________________ “The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.” Sören Kierkegaard

04-09-2012, 03:37 AM	#4 (permalink)
Rock City Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Novi Sad Posts: 772 Thanks: 1 Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post	Re: P90s Vs Humbuckers Find yourself a couple of videos with your favorite guitar sounds. Search for exact gear those persons use and see for yourself. The list of sound quality goes like this: 1. Amp, 2. Fingers, 2. Guitar, 2. Cables, 2. Pedals. The better the amp - the better and more realistic sounds you get with pedals. In this case "the better" means "expensive". Versatility... see the list. P90s are great. So are hums. If you can not tell the difference with your eyes closed, then don't bother. Pick the one that looks better to you. And get a good amp. Play clean and dirty, soft, medium and loud. Listen good. If you play in a band, listen to the other bands. If you play for yourself, don't be mistaken by music production or frequencies that whole band produces. Listen to guitar alone. Don't bother about Youtube's "bad compression". It is quite reliable. About mistakes... ha-ha! Do you really think there is a combo that hides your mistakes? Yes, when you practice hard and a lot, somehow mistakes disappear. This is personal experience. All other stuff is on the net.

04-09-2012, 03:48 AM	#5 (permalink)
HOT-BRIT V.I.P. Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Miami Beach Posts: 19,353 Thanks: 87 Thanked 281 Times in 52 Posts	Re: P90s Vs Humbuckers when Gibson developed there first humbuckers they were trying to replicate the tone of the P-90's

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04-09-2012, 04:43 AM	#6 (permalink)
Liam V.I.P. Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom Posts: 5,187 Thanks: 87 Thanked 105 Times in 24 Posts	Re: P90s Vs Humbuckers A good vintage PAF sounds just like a good vintage P90 does with the tone control rolled off a bit. Now having said that more modern versions of both tend to be a bit middier and muddier, but can be in the same ball-park. My preference is for P90s, and I use a load of effects. I think of the humbuckers as being pasteurised P90s - cleaned up - but having lost something in the process. The drawbacks of P90s are more hum and background noise, and a generally gnarlier sound. I don't think of them as much as drawbacks as opportunities for guitar obscenity and hooliganism. Might turn out not to be for you, but you haven't lived until you've tried them. And FWIW they're probably my favourite thing... Liam olwanger, blues_n_cues and HOT-BRIT like this.

04-09-2012, 05:09 AM	#7 (permalink)
kevin65 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Ireland Posts: 492 Thanks: 5 Thanked 7 Times in 4 Posts	Re: P90s Vs Humbuckers To get a good idea of how P90s sound, search for Phil X on You Tube. He demo's vintage guitars for Fretted Americana and include P90 and humbucker LPs. Wraptail and lpstudiored like this.

04-09-2012, 03:04 PM	#8 (permalink)
tubeman426 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 125 Thanks: 2 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: P90s Vs Humbuckers With p90s real high gain notes arnt as articulate as a good humbucker. Cut back gain for leads. P90s have what I would call a thick untamed sound which I really like, I find palm muting and volume control is a must when you are pushing them. Never had much trouble with hum, its nothing like a strat or tele in my experience. Played clean through a good tube amp and they sing beautifully unlike any other single coil, very rich sounding .

04-09-2012, 03:27 PM	#9 (permalink)
SKATTERBRANE Banned Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 21,441 Thanks: 603 Thanked 549 Times in 185 Posts	Re: P90s Vs Humbuckers How about buying a Tokai Love Rock with HUMBUCKERS? Or you can join the confusing group who buy P90 guitars wanting to put humbuckers in them or those who buy humbucking guitars who want to put P90s in them. A deal is not a deal if you end up with something you don't really want. If you get exactly what you want, the amount you paid soon fades from memory.

04-09-2012, 03:53 PM	#10 (permalink)
MG1986 Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Australia Posts: 47 Thanks: 3 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: P90s Vs Humbuckers Thanks for the replies guys, i definatley will get down to the shop to try them out, i do confess i like the sound of a 'gnarlier" sound. Skatterbrane, i already have a Love Rock with Humbuckers :-)

04-09-2012, 05:09 PM	#12 (permalink)
barricwiley Bartlett Retrospec Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 856 Thanks: 4 Thanked 33 Times in 3 Posts	Re: P90s Vs Humbuckers P90's are put in inexpensive lp's and other guitars. They are also in fairly expensive guitars, so, are they the same PU ? I mean are there differences in p90's and if there are what should one look for to make sure to get a guitar with a quality pu? Thanks for your thoughts. __________________ I Like it Like That.

04-09-2012, 05:16 PM	#13 (permalink)
SKATTERBRANE Banned Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 21,441 Thanks: 603 Thanked 549 Times in 185 Posts	Re: P90s Vs Humbuckers Talking about modern Gibsons. All P90s are the same, whether they are in an inexpensive studio 60s tribute or an expensive Historic reissue. Same with 57 Classics or Burstbuckers. Gibson does not have an expensive vs budget line of pickups. They DO have pickups unique to certain types of guitars. 490R/498T will never be found on Historics for example, but that is not to say they are a budget line. As far as I know, they had only one P90 any given year, though they have changed in construction through the years. The P100s were not used in reissue style guitars. Now for what they use in Epiphone, I have no idea. And what are used in guitars other than Gibson, I also have no idea, other than they are probably Asian made in most cases, which would be of lesser quality than Gibson's.

04-09-2012, 05:25 PM	#14 (permalink)
AngryHatter Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 13,359 Thanks: 40 Thanked 107 Times in 44 Posts	Re: P90s Vs Humbuckers Get both in one package. P-90s and humbuckers. Rails outside the single coils. River and kdm like this.

04-10-2012, 04:14 PM	#17 (permalink)
MG1986 Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Australia Posts: 47 Thanks: 3 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: P90s Vs Humbuckers rudedog and skatterbrane, i think you have convinced me to give them a go! Thanks to everyone for the info/opinions!

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