P90 guitars

[arwhite]

I've had a couple P90 equipped guitars over the years, but neither stuck. I'm not sure why. I liked them both, but I just never got on with either one for very long.

I am once again curious about P90 guitars and wondering what all is out there.

Let me know your favorite P90 guitar(s) you've owned or played and what you liked about them.

I'm open to pretty much any maker and any style; solid body, semi hollow, hollow, archtop, whatever. Just curious about what people have found that they like of the P90 persuasion.

Thanks!

[bfm612]

I have a Guild M75 Aristocrat with P90s and I really love it. Nothing earth-shattering to share here, but the tone is just lovely. Warm and thick.

[Russ C]

A Les Paul and a 330. I’m a Fender fan who wants more girth to the notes. In P90’s I get that plus clarity and definition on bass notes that I’ve never got from humbuckers and the mids seem woody to me - of course not “acoustic” but in that direction to my ears.
I’ve messed around with amps and speakers because P90s are a leap away from Fender single coils that are so easy to like and the result has been well worth it. They’re pretty well all I play now.
The hum .. yeh, can’t deny that one but there is shielding to help and after decades playing single coils it doesn’t bother me - again, well worth the trade off.

[Steve DeRosa]

I own three - in order of acquisition:

• An early-2K's Carlo Robelli ES-500 (Sam Ash house brand, built in Korea by Peerless) '53 ES-5 knockoff, that I modified with a Byrdland-style tailpiece and "Mickey Baker" wiring - pic is of an unmodified version:
  
  
  
  
• A 2011 Gibson LP 60's Tribute goldtop - FYI the 2011 limited-edition goldtops currently command a premium for their PRS-style revealed-edge "binding" and under-the-bed '56 cosmetics (FWIW I've seen them as high as $2000+ for a primo example) but the solid and burst finishes can be had in the $800-1200 range depending on condition, all having the Slim-Taper neck of the '60 Standard and its SG successors:
  
  
  
  
• A 2012 Godin CW II in the unfortunately discontinued blonde finish:
  
  

Reasons:

• Carlo Robelli: classic punchy postwar big-box electric tone well-suited for jazz, clean blues, and '50s R&R/R&B/rockabilly, it also makes a strong visual statement - and the Robelli J-45 knockoff (which I retrofitted with a $70 Guitar Fetish barn-door dual-source mag/mic system) that came as a BOGO didn't hurt matters either;
• Gibson LP: under-the-bed '56 looks with modern playability, 2-3 pounds lighter than a traditional LP thanks to its routed body, extremely versatile stylistically (it'll do jazz with the flatwounds I presently have installed, and I've never played a better surf guitar), highly responsive to touch through a good tube amp - and when you goose the gain it'll snarl and scream with the best of them;
• Godin CW II: purchased to replace my '64 Gretsch Double Annie in my playing-out rotation, it has a similar airiness and chime thanks to the underwound dogears and ultra-thin woods used in its construction (at just a tick over five pounds it's in the same class as a Seagull mini-jumbo), and it's built to the usual high Godin-family standard of QC/materials/playability - crisper and lighter (sonically and physically) than the Robelli with its old-school "thump," the late Tony Bennett's guitarist used one on the road for a number of years...

BTW if you're looking for something out of the ordinary, the early-80's Japanese-built Yamaha SSC-500 solidbody was equipped with three pickups which fell squarely into hot P-90 territory (this one'll drive the front end of your tube amp deep into the tone zone, without sounding muddy and indistinct like many overwound P-90's) and, thanks to the built-in coil tap, also provide less-blistering single-coil tones straight out of Leo's 1950's playbook. Getting a little pricey (as are just about all '70s/80s MIJ instruments) - top-shelf blonde/sunburst examples can fetch well over $2K in certain markets (mostly in the Southeast US) - but player-grade stuff can still be had for under $1K if you're patient; well worth a checkout - I used a cherry version for nearly 25 years as one of my two main gigging guitars, and it still does yeoman duty as a backup instrument (as TMK it did for Jerry Garcia). Here's a pic if you're not familiar:

[JKA]

Eastman T/64. Play jazz on it. Love it.

[PapaLobo]

while not for everyone I love mine , I even have them in 2 basses.

[PapaLobo]

a few of mine

[stephenT]

My favorite use of the p90 is w/ a tele bridge, kinda built my rep on that combo.

[SCVJ]

Slightly off-topic, hopefully not too far....

I would like to mod a Tele to add a P-90 soapbar style PU in the neck position. I want it to look good, like the ones in the pics in post #8,but I don't trust my skill at altering the existing pickguard perfectly. Does anyone know of a source to buy a guard already cut out for a soapbar PU?

[Beachrunner]

I've got three P90-equipped guitars, and I really like them all.







2011 Gibson Melody Maker Special

2015 Gibson Les Paul Special Doublecut

2007 Epiphone Casino

[stephenT]

Originally Posted by SCVJ

Slightly off-topic, hopefully not too far....

I would like to mod a Tele to add a P-90 soapbar style PU in the neck position. I want it to look good, like the ones in the pics in post #8,but I don't trust my skill at altering the existing pickguard perfectly. Does anyone know of a source to buy a guard already cut out for a soapbar PU?

Warmoth custom cuts Pickguards, your choice of material/color.

https://warmoth.com/pickguards

[L50EF15]

I have a Les Paul Tribute, similar to Steve’s but in a satin sunburst finish (really more of an iced tea burst). I second the call on its versatility. It killed my gas for another electric. Jazz (I keep it strung with Chrome.012s), blues, country, and all manner of rock; it’s all there.

Let me reinforce the jazz suitability, or clean tones in general for that matter (surf twang is there too): A P90 LP played clean is a glorious thing. Of course, it will roar and sing when cranked up. But that singing quality is still there at lower volume and without distortion:

https://youtu.be/Y10ZbXSW1Go?si=ByHIXi9EFzariyl_

[L50EF15]

Mind you, an SG with P90s is also versatile. Phil Miller gives a great demonstration here, with Hatfield & The North:

https://youtu.be/VY2HJmZc8Sk?si=8y9qFq9Upkj0lMyL

[thefsb]

REVSTAR RS502T

[Dave Hicks]

Les Paul Special Faded Double Cutaway