P90--the bacon of the pickup world

by **Barry** Fri Aug 17, 2012 5:41 pm

I was talking with a customer recently while looking at an Eddie Cochrane reissue Gretsch. Like all Gretsch's this one is an amazing machine.
However, since it is faithful to the original, it has a P90 in the neck position, just like Eddie's. Back in the day, we didn't have the luxury of choice and finish that we enjoy today, so the instal consisted of a stock Gibson P90 complete with nasty black plastic dog ear cover, the kind you might have found on an ES330/335 etc. The emphasis was on getting the sound and hang the looks!

P90--the bacon of the pickup world Cochrane5

P90--the bacon of the pickup world Cochrane5

As we looked at it, I remarked that "like bacon is to food, so the P90 is to guitars". pig

And I think it's true. P90's make guitars better!

So let's see 'em! What geetars do you gots wif P90's?

While yer thinking, here are some more pix of the Cochrane:
P90--the bacon of the pickup world Cochrane4

P90--the bacon of the pickup world Cochrane4

P90--the bacon of the pickup world Cochrane3

P90--the bacon of the pickup world Cochrane2

P90--the bacon of the pickup world Cochrane1

(I'll make an additional post later on with mine)

by **Barry** Fri Aug 17, 2012 9:05 pm

First of all there's this old thing that I bought a million years ago. It's what started the love affair with the P90:
P90--the bacon of the pickup world HPIM1732

P90--the bacon of the pickup world HPIM1732

P90--the bacon of the pickup world HPIM1730

[1964 Gibson ES330]

That prompted me to swap out the original 'buckers in this and replace 'em with GFS Mean 90's:
P90--the bacon of the pickup world AriaProIIGFSMean90PickupInstallation007

P90--the bacon of the pickup world AriaProIIGFSMean90PickupInstallation007

P90--the bacon of the pickup world AriaProIIGFSMean90PickupInstallation008

[1996 MIK Aria Pro II TA-60]

Last Christmas I picked this up already equipped with P90-2's "Seymour Duncan Designed". (Chicken head knobs added later):
P90--the bacon of the pickup world Chickenheadknobs1

P90--the bacon of the pickup world Chickenheadknobs1

P90--the bacon of the pickup world HPIM1851

[2011 Fender Squier Custom II]

So? Whatcha got?

by gittarasaurus Sat Aug 18, 2012 8:15 am

here is a 1971 Aria Les Paul with GFS Dream 90 pickups.
when i got this guitar the previous owner had installed some ESP zebra pickups in it. i replaced them with the GFS pups, massive improvement! these pickups have a syrupy-sweet tone, and clear as a bell. check out this sample recording i made just after installing them. and here's a few pics i just snapped off. maybe i can do some outside pics later, because you can't really appreciate the sparkley goldness of the goldtop in these pics
P90--the bacon of the pickup world Ry%3D400

nice looking abalone inlay on the headstock
P90--the bacon of the pickup world Ry%3D400

original knobs, notice that the volume controls are both on the top, and tone controls on the bottom. different than normal Les Paul setup where volume pots are both in the front and the tone pots are to the rear
P90--the bacon of the pickup world Ry%3D400

sandwich construction on the body
P90--the bacon of the pickup world Ry%3D400

a little buckle rash on the back
P90--the bacon of the pickup world Ry%3D400

very nice condition original hard case, with gold trim too
P90--the bacon of the pickup world Ry%3D400

by **Barry** Sat Aug 18, 2012 12:47 pm

Sweet!
Haven't gone wrong yet with GFS.

by Iceman Sat Aug 18, 2012 1:07 pm

Nice audio Mike! That is an interesting LP copy as the headstock is not branded. Have you thought of posting pics of it over at the Guitar Gallery?

I'd be interested in hearing some opinions on it from some Aria gurus whose knowledge is wider than mine on that brand.

by caucajun Sat Aug 18, 2012 1:27 pm

oooooh.........baaaaconnnnnnn......aawrgwrahrgr..... pig

by **Barry** Sun Aug 19, 2012 8:24 pm

Aww, c'mon now.
Out of all the players here, only Mike and I have P90's!? Suspect

It is to weep. Everything's better with a P90!

by GtrGeorge! Sun Aug 19, 2012 10:52 pm

I confess I dont own any guitars with p90s...although I tend to like p90s...I have wound up plalying actives out live (and in the studio) because of noise concerns...
but yeah P90 are awesome. In fact I see it as a sign of maturity when people crave good single coil pickups OVER HBs!!!
I'll duck now...
GtrGeorge

by **corsair** Mon Aug 20, 2012 3:33 am

Nope; don't have anything with P90s, and really, don't see the need to acquire such; outboard gear can give the me the sound if I need it, eh!!

by G.A.S. man Mon Aug 20, 2012 4:06 am

Love P 90's over more an more these days i find..
I have 2 tele's with them..
Like Barry i have a Squire custom 11 but in black with a set out of a crafter les paul special.
They are about 8k on the meter but alot better than the duncan designed originals..

I also have a Richwood thinline too with P 90's which i'm debating about modifing..
Thinking about changing the pickups plus maybe the neck for a better rosewood one...

Love them but think a Les Paul isn't a Les Paul without P 90's in...
Don't get me wrong humbuckers are great pick ups but a good Les Paul with P 90's in just sing an growl harder.....

Wished i had a Epiphone Papa Chubby Flying V as they rocked...
58 Style V an 2 P 90's... Heaven....

by Westbone Mon Aug 20, 2012 8:46 am

Allright, allright, hold your hair on Barry.

Yamaha AEX 520 with Gibson P90's in place of the yamaha mini humbuckers.

Real nice guitar.

P90--the bacon of the pickup world DSCF5294

P90--the bacon of the pickup world DSCF5294

P90--the bacon of the pickup world DSCF5291

P90--the bacon of the pickup world DSCF5298

P90--the bacon of the pickup world DSCF5300

I've no idea what make this is but it plays and sounds excellent.

A 'no name' LP junior style

P90--the bacon of the pickup world DSCF5302

P90--the bacon of the pickup world DSCF5303

Also have a p90 equipped Squire same as yours Barry but in black.

Now does anyone use these??????????

P90--the bacon of the pickup world DSCF5305

P90--the bacon of the pickup world DSCF5307

by **Barry** Mon Aug 20, 2012 10:23 am

Very nice Damian. Now we're cookin'!
And the tantalizing smell of bacon wafts gently through the house... pig

by **Barry** Mon Aug 20, 2012 10:24 am

corsair wrote:Nope; don't have anything with P90s, and really, don't see the need to acquire such; outboard gear can give the me the sound if I need it, eh!!

P90--the bacon of the pickup world 2604600381

P90--the bacon of the pickup world 4280692705

by Sgt. Vimes Mon Aug 20, 2012 12:12 pm

nope, dont own any p90 equipped guits, but have been sorely tempted by(yet again) Warman's Smokey Joes.....I would have bought and installed them but dont fancy re-routing a guitar body just for these, I'll wait till I get a body I can butcher.

by Westbone Mon Aug 20, 2012 12:46 pm

Don't you mean Soapy Joe's

Should have gone to Specsavers Shocked

by Sgt. Vimes Mon Aug 20, 2012 12:47 pm

damnit!

by gittarasaurus Mon Aug 20, 2012 8:29 pm

i got this one from ebay quite a few years ago. i've spent a long time looking for pickups to fit it because the originals were in pieces and mostly worthless. i recently found these P90's from Eastwood and they just happened to be a perfect fit. this may look Ricky but doesn't have the jangle, and with these pickups it is just mean and nasty rockinroll baby!
EXTRA BACON on table 3 please!

P90--the bacon of the pickup world Ry%3D400

the layout is a bit different from it's mentor, but the wiring is the same as the rick-o-sound wiring in mono
P90--the bacon of the pickup world Ry%3D400

pain in the butt to change strings on this one
P90--the bacon of the pickup world Ry%3D400

unusual looking neck joint
P90--the bacon of the pickup world Ry%3D400

very cool looking checkerboard binding
P90--the bacon of the pickup world Ry%3D400

rounded edges in the front make it comfortable. the neck is very slim and narrow and so quite easy to play. the body is full hollow body. it has very thick X-braces, so not much resonance from the top, but open sounding and quite responsive to good volume from the amp to make it growl.

by **Barry** Mon Aug 20, 2012 10:01 pm

Just too sweet for words! What a Face

Pity 'bout the missing jangle though. Now that you have the P90's, any thoughts of replacing 'em wif Ricky-like pups? (Not even sure what that might be...something from Gretsch, or a Dano lipstick maybe?)

by xbarnesx Tue Aug 21, 2012 4:56 am

was recently reaquainted (NEVER lend ANYONE a guitar) with my '96 epi lp junior doublecut

mahoghany body and neck, rosewood fretboard and a single dog ear p90

what a fun guitar to play, perfect for dischordant post hardcore, I'll edit with a pic when I'm at home

by jim Tue Aug 21, 2012 12:26 pm

Wow, nice! But, P 90's?
On Tom Petty,s site his sidekick Mike Campbell
P90--the bacon of the pickup world 72381459mc

has a now 15 episode videoseries where he talks about his guitars. Of course his Rickenbackers too! Here's the preview: http://www.tompetty.com/video#!/channel/16093/media/58203
Always loved Tom Petty and the heartbreakers from the late seventy's onwards. Those Ricky's gave it a very distinct sound. You'll have to become a member (free) to watch 'm though...

by gittarasaurus Tue Aug 21, 2012 2:46 pm

this is what came in the guitar when i got it...
P90--the bacon of the pickup world Ry%3D400

interesting construction on these, the cover is plastic not metal. the base plate is non-magnetic. the fixed pole piece is fastened to the base plate and the magnet touches both it and the spacer bar with threads for the screws that resides under the other coil
P90--the bacon of the pickup world Ry%3D400

magnet in the center, pole piece through the coil on the left, screws through the coil on the right. (the coils are defective, open reading on meter)
P90--the bacon of the pickup world Ry%3D400

the P90 doesn't really suit the guitar, it was more a marriage of convenience and opportunity, than anything else. as i said earlier, i have had this guitar for years, and i was getting the itch to hear what it sounded like plugged in. these P90's were the first ones that would fit without modification to the body of some sort. so i dropped them in to get a chance to plug in and check the wiring repairs i made, and also to hear these P90's (that i got for a steal).

so the outcome is, a) awesome pickups, wrong guitar. b) the repaired electronics all are working correctly and need the right pickups to give the guitar a more appropriate sound.

i got these filtertrons for it, but of course the size is different from the original pickup. i have to make a pair of custom sized rings to make them fit in the guitar and cover the holes in the body. the pole spacing is right for the guitar, so i think these will eventually find a home in lil' ricky.
P90--the bacon of the pickup world Ry%3D400

by **Barry** Tue Aug 21, 2012 3:38 pm

I was about to ask you if you had seen the
GFS Retrotron Memphis or possibly TV Jones Pickups

by jim Tue Aug 21, 2012 4:01 pm

Very interesting! Would have been even more interesting to hear what these pu's sounded when new. I'm not that experienced so don't know what those silvertrons sound like either and I couldn't even think of making my own pickup-rings! But the suggested replacement silvertrons at least should look very nice in it!
Great story and pics Mike! Keep us informed on the progress and sound please.

Can anyone by any chance explain how the set up of 6 or 12 string Rickenbacker works when they seem to have only 6 tuners? The 12 strings would also make up for a lot of that jangly sound wouldn't it?

BTW after prescribing to Tom Petty's site I found out those video's don't come for free at all, it needs a membership within a membership... which will cost! (to buy guitars I suppose, and sell videos)

But I found the ones on the Rickenbackers here and here tongue

It is fun to watch and hear really! Lovely guitars!

by DuoFuzz Wed Aug 22, 2012 4:24 pm

I really like P90's so I've dug out a couple of my P90 equipped guitars and took a few snaps.

Cruiser By Crafter LJ-550
P90--the bacon of the pickup world 101_0810

P90--the bacon of the pickup world 101_0810

P90--the bacon of the pickup world 101_0811

This seems to be a dead ringer for Westbone's LP Jr copy. Pickups in this thing sound amazing considering its budget nature, but sadly this has a few neck issues that need sorting out.

Hamer XT Series SATFP90
P90--the bacon of the pickup world 101_0826

P90--the bacon of the pickup world 101_0826

P90--the bacon of the pickup world 101_0820

I love this one! It's a bit more polite sounding than the Cruiser but it's got a great tone. This has a nice wide neck, almost like an acoustic neck.

DAN.

by **Barry** Wed Aug 22, 2012 6:33 pm

Yummy stuff Dan!

by GtrGeorge! Wed Aug 22, 2012 6:44 pm

Cool topic...
I am very interested in the P-90s in the Rick...I wonder if the sum of it is really good??
Then again, the filtertrons seem like a REALLY awesome idea for the Rick.
Even better,imho.
Thus I am conflicted...
.....and yeah I put Lipsticks in my Strat back in 96....and it DID Rock.
GtrGeorge

by Iceman Thu Aug 23, 2012 8:05 am

Okey Dokey, boys. One side order of bacon, sliced thick with gold flake sprinkles...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN7j-LCgaiE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Straightforward and creamy, eh?

by **Barry** Thu Aug 23, 2012 10:23 am

Yeah, but, um, where is your P90? Huh?

by gittarasaurus Thu Aug 23, 2012 12:23 pm

pete knows how cook some bacon....
isle of wight 1970

by grogg Thu Aug 23, 2012 5:25 pm

Heres my Nathan Sheppard which has Bareknuckle P90s.

P90--the bacon of the pickup world Ns811

Not my picture.

by Iceman Thu Aug 23, 2012 7:16 pm

Barry wrote:Yeah, but, um, where is your P90? Huh?

I'm working on it... Embarassed

by **Barry** Thu Aug 23, 2012 8:31 pm

Atta boy Steve! cheers

by **Barry** Thu Aug 23, 2012 8:36 pm

grogg wrote:Heres my Nathan Sheppard which has Bareknuckle P90s.

...

Don't know this brand at all, but looks good. Gotta be, she has those pickups eh? Laughing

by **corsair** Fri Aug 24, 2012 1:54 am

... and what are the Bareknuckle P90s like? I've heard the really high gain Nailbombs and really like them; so wondering what the much more gentle P90 are like?

by **Barry** Fri Aug 24, 2012 2:10 pm

jim wrote:...Can anyone by any chance explain how the set up of 6 or 12 string Rickenbacker works when they seem to have only 6 tuners?...

No magic involved, just clever geometry and a slot head. 12 strings, 12 machine heads:
P90--the bacon of the pickup world Rickenbackerheadstock12string-1

P90--the bacon of the pickup world Rickenbackerheadstock12string-1

P90--the bacon of the pickup world Rickenbackerheadstock12string-2

by grogg Fri Aug 24, 2012 4:54 pm

corsair wrote:... and what are the Bareknuckle P90s like? I've heard the really high gain Nailbombs and really like them; so wondering what the much more gentle P90 are like?

They are gentle with a wonderful clean sound. Probably the lowest output volume wise of my gits but with the purest sound. Although the shape of the guitar make it look like its ready to thrash the reality is it can do that through to folk.

Its an instrument made from the highest quality materials, which gibbo would struggle with..

by Sollophonic Thu Sep 13, 2012 5:46 pm

P90s???

Love 'em

2006 LP Melody Maker. Has a real Gibson P90, I call it 90% of a Les Paul Junior for 1/3 the price!!!

P90--the bacon of the pickup world TwoMelodyMakersBench2

P90--the bacon of the pickup world TwoMelodyMakersBench2

I recently picked up this 2004 PRS SE Soapbar for a great price, it has had a hard life, lots of dings and scratches, needed some work, but it plays nice now. Wide/fat neck + P90s = great gigging guitar
P90--the bacon of the pickup world PRSSEPlusReso1

P90--the bacon of the pickup world PRSSEPlusReso1

I put P90s into other things too.

Teles
P90--the bacon of the pickup world AllBlackMIMwithP901

Resonators
P90--the bacon of the pickup world SquiersStandSollo

P90--the bacon of the pickup world PekkaBlackBench3

by G.A.S. man Thu Nov 15, 2012 2:55 pm

I'm Blaming Barry for this one lol!

With all this talk of bacon an a guitar show other week i took my Korean Tokai Les Paul copy with me traded it against this little beauty...
P90--the bacon of the pickup world DSC_0176

P90--the bacon of the pickup world DSC_0176

P90--the bacon of the pickup world DSC_0175-2

P90--the bacon of the pickup world DSC_0179-1

P90--the bacon of the pickup world DSC_0188-2

It's a Burny RTV 70 From 2003 i think..
It's not the earlier Burnys as they had Silkscreen decals an strip tuners with supergrade name on headstocks ...
The nearest we found was the RTV 70 which was made in japan...
The only damage was the strap buttons been relocated at some point....
Very nice playing an very resonate guitar... Well put together an one little surprise was a long tenon neck joint...
P90--the bacon of the pickup world DSC_0187-1

P90--the bacon of the pickup world DSC_0187-1

It was worth the trade an the £70 notes that went with the Tokai....
The Body looks 3 piece but the neck looks one piece bar the 2 small wings for the headstock..
Proper Gibson style truss rod..Though the bridge is going to get change as its the wrong intonation stagger on it...
But bar that a really well put together an finished 9 year old guitar..
If anyone has any info please let me know ..

Remember that was Barrys fault an i'm sticking to my story.... lol!

Plus here's My other slice of Bacon which is a Richwood Thinline Tele copy....
Had this a few years now an love this thing to death...
Another Guitar show moment of weakness.... So Happy

P90--the bacon of the pickup world DSC_0079-1

P90--the bacon of the pickup world DSC_0080-1

P90--the bacon of the pickup world 1340993767454-1

P90--the bacon of the pickup world 1340993743837-1

There is my P90 Squire custom11 in black as well but i need to get some decent pics of her as she's my first one to get my p90 groove on....

The World needs more bacon...

by **Barry** Thu Nov 15, 2012 4:59 pm

Hey, I'll gladly take the rap for the Burny! Shweeeet!

And that Richwood is gorgeous. Love a Thinline, but with P90's? Gotta sound great!

by G.A.S. man Sat Nov 17, 2012 9:08 am

She sure is SHWEEEEET... Real good offer to pass up as been after a nice Junior for ages.. Getting into the single pickup volume an tone twisting an getting some great results...

The Richwood sounds like two tele's ... Its a monster an fuller sounding than the Baja tele i have... Really good slide guitar too but it just sings..

think i need another P90 fiddle an tempted with the Gibson studio Les Paul 50 or 60 with a gold top if one pops up cheapish.... Think the 50 one with the fatter neck as starting to get into bigger necks lately...

by hoax Sat Apr 06, 2013 4:42 pm

Two Shaftesbury LP Specials and one Arbiter LP Junior.

I restored the yellow Junior last week. The other two I did about a year ago.

All early to mid 1970's Japanese. I had all of them out today so decided to do a photo.

P90--the bacon of the pickup world S5001702_zpsb1b455c5

P90--the bacon of the pickup world S5001702_zpsb1b455c5

Hoax

by **Barry** Sun Apr 07, 2013 12:09 pm

Mmmm...bacon. P90--the bacon of the pickup world 1037204084

Love the yellow Junior!

by G.A.S. man Mon Apr 08, 2013 10:38 am

This will divide opinions i think ???

Here's my latest buy from a guitar show.. P90--the bacon of the pickup world 66f9dfa8-ab88-4ee8-a5e3-e366aede0f48_zps7efd88eb

P90--the bacon of the pickup world 66f9dfa8-ab88-4ee8-a5e3-e366aede0f48_zps7efd88eb

It's a MICK ABRAHAMS Signature Series Vintage.....
Very nice guitar though pick ups are now Axesrus early 50 p90s instead of the stacked humbucking originals..
Sounds a lot better for it though the originals weren't too bad, just abit flat sounding...

by **Barry** Mon Apr 08, 2013 10:44 am

I've never been much of a fan of the SG, but I do have three Vintage guitars including the Lemon Drop LP, and I love 'em all. That one's gotta sound fantastic wif P90's in her eh?

Vintage is not without its minor quirks, but on the whole they're great value and they sound terrific!

by hoax Mon Apr 08, 2013 10:46 am

I think that for the money Vintage guitars are very good. Mahogany body, set neck etc.

Lets face it, much of the vintage Japanese kudos is bull anyway. Some of the old Jap stuff can be rubbish and a loads of modern Chinese stuff is far superior.

Hoax

by Sgt. Vimes Mon Apr 08, 2013 11:01 am

Agreed hoax, ever had your hands on a Burns club series? I play on a friends Cobra with the trisonic sc's built in China and that is a remarkable guitar, fit and finish is sublime. Recommended.

by G.A.S. man Mon Apr 08, 2013 11:42 am

Great guitars for not a lot of money...
Do have a(prs rip off) vrs one which has a neck problem but thought i give it a go with the SG an glad i did...
She does Barry and really likes overdrive an really sings her headstock off

Very true Hoax there is a lot of snobbery around with Korean ,Chinese an Indian Guitars compared with japanese stuff. It seems that a lot of people jump trends and miss out on a lot of excellent guitars on this market...

Duofuzz has a Chinese player series Nusonic burns with 2 tri sonics in an a 16K humbucker which is a great guitar.. Burns, Squier, Vintage, De armond an all come recommend in my eyes...

by DuoFuzz Mon Apr 08, 2013 3:22 pm

BTW Hoax, It was ME that had to change the pickups on G.A.S. man's SG! Chores 3

I wanna retrial!!!

The original Wilkinson pickups sounded a bit flat so Steve decided to upgrade them. Turns out the originals a actually stacked humbuckers using two P90 coils with the magnet stuck between them. The pickup routs need to be deeper than normal and the new pickups dropped way to far into the body.

These P90's don't use springs to adjust the height, just foam padding which gives about 4mm of travel. I made some wood blocks equal the same height of the missing coil and jammed them tight in the routs, no glue holding them down.

It all worked and they sound great now, although Steve is muttering about changing 500k pots to 250k's! Head Bang

$Don\'t Know$

DAN.

by hoax Mon Apr 08, 2013 3:39 pm

I am getting the two of you mixed up now!

Who is the nice helpful motivated one?

...and who is the heart lazy dead one who takes advantage of his kind sibling at every opportunity?

Hoax

by **Barry** Mon Apr 08, 2013 3:54 pm

Do we need to take up a collection for another "hit man"? P90--the bacon of the pickup world 909330484

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