P-90 50's wiring

rybass · 10-12-2009, 09:14 AM

Is it possible to wire a p-90 50's style to preserve the trebile while turning down the volume? Are there any pitfalls with doing so? What is the preferred method for wiring a single p-90?

Liam · 10-12-2009, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rybass

Is it possible to wire a p-90 50's style to preserve the trebile while turning down the volume? Are there any pitfalls with doing so? What is the preferred method for wiring a single p-90?

50s style works fine, and appears to be what was used on any vintage P90 equipped Les Pauls I've looked at so far.

Liam

freddarl82 · 10-12-2009, 02:42 PM

I have my Orville LP Goldtop (see avatar) with Duncan Phat Cats wired 50's style -- no problems.

SpinWheelz · 10-12-2009, 04:09 PM

I have a Gibson SG Classic, which sports two P90s. I used two RS Superpot 500K for volume and two RS CTS Audio Taper 250K for tone. 0.015 PIO cap for neck, 0.020 PIO cap for bridge. '50s wiring. The whole setup came as a recommendation from Billy of RS, and it sounds insanely good.

For your single P90 pickup, the RS folks have a Les Paul Junior kit for that setup, I think.

Splattle101 · 10-12-2009, 09:11 PM

I have my Classic Antique set up with P-90s, wired '50s style, with a 0.022 Sprague Hyrel cap for the bridge and a 0.015 Vit Q for the neck, with good 500 k pots all around. Love it.

rybass · 10-13-2009, 10:10 AM

So I wired it up 50's and it sounded like muddy ass. I checked and double checked the layout, how hard can it be it's one pickup and two pots!!

So I started thinking about the cap I put in. It was old. I picked it up at a shop that has a ton of old components and electrical crap. I did some research blah blah and figured out it was actually a .33mf cap instead of.033. So I've ordered a new cap from jonesy. Once it gets here we'll see how it sounds with the correct value.

Liam · 10-14-2009, 01:38 PM

+1 on 250K tone pots (but 500K volume). I gather they fitted either 500K or 250K for tone on the 50s Gibsons, but so far I've only seen 250K.

Is 0.033 OK? I'm pretty happy with 0.022, but it can get pretty bright!

Liam

Birdy · 10-14-2009, 04:33 PM

Sprague Orange Drops - .015 in the neck, .022 for the bridge, 50s wiring.

Nails the tone for me with my goldtop

SpinWheelz · 10-14-2009, 05:00 PM

For what it's worth, I have another Les Paul that's loaded with a pair of GFS Mean 90 pickups, four 500K pots with 0.022 and 0.015 caps, and that guitar is distinctly brighter sounding with a more pronounced "snarl" with driven.

I like that guitar a lot...!

Dolebludger · 10-24-2009, 06:43 PM

I had not heard the term "50s wiring" before. I have heard "series and parallel" is "50s wiring one of these?

mattymel · 10-29-2009, 01:25 PM

i have 50s wiring, and though i prefer it, it def seems to lose more treble than a hotter wound pickup. i suspect lower wound pickups tend to be a little darker the volume is rolled. anybody know why?

whytheflyband · 10-30-2009, 09:58 AM

The point of 50's wiring is that you gain the treble back that you lose by having the cap where it is on the modern wiring. I can't remember all the details but in modern wiring the cap is actually present in the tone even a little bit at wide open. By moving the cap in the circuit you gain the brightness and fullness that was being filtered out by the cap.

10-12-2009, 09:14 AM	#1 (permalink)
rybass Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: NC Posts: 613 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	P-90 50's wiring Is it possible to wire a p-90 50's style to preserve the trebile while turning down the volume? Are there any pitfalls with doing so? What is the preferred method for wiring a single p-90? __________________ don't lose your dinosaur. -Doback www.myspace.com/codenamecobramusic

10-12-2009, 02:42 PM	#3 (permalink)
freddarl82 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 104 Thanks: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 1 Post	Re: P-90 50's wiring I have my Orville LP Goldtop (see avatar) with Duncan Phat Cats wired 50's style -- no problems.

10-12-2009, 04:09 PM	#4 (permalink)
SpinWheelz Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 1,479 Thanks: 13 Thanked 31 Times in 19 Posts	Re: P-90 50's wiring I have a Gibson SG Classic, which sports two P90s. I used two RS Superpot 500K for volume and two RS CTS Audio Taper 250K for tone. 0.015 PIO cap for neck, 0.020 PIO cap for bridge. '50s wiring. The whole setup came as a recommendation from Billy of RS, and it sounds insanely good. For your single P90 pickup, the RS folks have a Les Paul Junior kit for that setup, I think.

10-12-2009, 09:11 PM	#5 (permalink)
Splattle101 V.I.P. Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 3,046 Thanks: 19 Thanked 99 Times in 17 Posts	Re: P-90 50's wiring I have my Classic Antique set up with P-90s, wired '50s style, with a 0.022 Sprague Hyrel cap for the bridge and a 0.015 Vit Q for the neck, with good 500 k pots all around. Love it. __________________ *...A tasty world...a very* tasty world...**

10-13-2009, 10:10 AM	#6 (permalink)
rybass Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: NC Posts: 613 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: P-90 50's wiring So I wired it up 50's and it sounded like muddy ass. I checked and double checked the layout, how hard can it be it's one pickup and two pots!! So I started thinking about the cap I put in. It was old. I picked it up at a shop that has a ton of old components and electrical crap. I did some research blah blah and figured out it was actually a .33mf cap instead of.033. So I've ordered a new cap from jonesy. Once it gets here we'll see how it sounds with the correct value. __________________ don't lose your dinosaur. -Doback www.myspace.com/codenamecobramusic

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10-14-2009, 01:38 PM	#7 (permalink)
Liam V.I.P. Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom Posts: 2,860 Thanks: 34 Thanked 24 Times in 9 Posts	Re: P-90 50's wiring +1 on 250K tone pots (but 500K volume). I gather they fitted either 500K or 250K for tone on the 50s Gibsons, but so far I've only seen 250K. Is 0.033 OK? I'm pretty happy with 0.022, but it can get pretty bright! Liam

10-14-2009, 04:33 PM	#8 (permalink)
Birdy Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: edge of Canada's desert Posts: 95 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: P-90 50's wiring Sprague Orange Drops - .015 in the neck, .022 for the bridge, 50s wiring. Nails the tone for me with my goldtop

10-14-2009, 05:00 PM	#9 (permalink)
SpinWheelz Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 1,479 Thanks: 13 Thanked 31 Times in 19 Posts	Re: P-90 50's wiring For what it's worth, I have another Les Paul that's loaded with a pair of GFS Mean 90 pickups, four 500K pots with 0.022 and 0.015 caps, and that guitar is distinctly brighter sounding with a more pronounced "snarl" with driven. I like that guitar a lot...!

10-24-2009, 06:43 PM	#10 (permalink)
Dolebludger Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Yukon, OK Posts: 283 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: P-90 50's wiring I had not heard the term "50s wiring" before. I have heard "series and parallel" is "50s wiring one of these?

10-29-2009, 01:25 PM	#11 (permalink)
mattymel Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 271 Thanks: 0 Thanked 8 Times in 3 Posts	Re: P-90 50's wiring i have 50s wiring, and though i prefer it, it def seems to lose more treble than a hotter wound pickup. i suspect lower wound pickups tend to be a little darker the volume is rolled. anybody know why? __________________ '08 Gibson Les Paul 1959 VOS Iced Tea '08 Gibson Les Paul 1954 VOS Goldtop 1963 Epiphone Sorrento 1965 Fender Blackface Deluxe w/ Weber Bluedog Marshall Handwired 1974x w/ 1974cx cab Headstrong Lil' King w/ Weber 10F150T Lollar PUs all around, Fulltone DJV2, Teese Real McCoy Picture Wah, Caitlinbread Silverkiss, Empress Superdelay, Xotic AC Booster, Lovepedal Les Lius, Diamond Compressor http://www.matthewmeldonguitar.com http://www.myspace.com/matthewmeldon

10-30-2009, 09:58 AM	#12 (permalink)
whytheflyband Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 203 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: P-90 50's wiring The point of 50's wiring is that you gain the treble back that you lose by having the cap where it is on the modern wiring. I can't remember all the details but in modern wiring the cap is actually present in the tone even a little bit at wide open. By moving the cap in the circuit you gain the brightness and fullness that was being filtered out by the cap. __________________ Shawn www.myspace.com/nobodysdarlingsmusic 2001 Gibson ES 135 90's MIJ 62' reissue custom Tele 2003 Larrivee L-09 Acoustic Matchless Independence 4x12

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