Check out my new sig!Not this time. It's like it was made for me, it's all I've ever wanted in a guitar. I'll drink to that!
Preach!!!
NGD!! ...finally got my P90 LP!
- Thread starter DirtySteve
- Start date
Preach!!!
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DirtySteve
Ambassador of Hold My Beer
Check out my new sig!
you just wait and see!
Seriously….I. Am. Absolutely. Stoked. For. You!
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DirtySteve
Ambassador of Hold My Beer
If I had only known, I would have bought one a looooong time ago.
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DirtySteve
Ambassador of Hold My Beer
Well, big surprise (lol) the SD Vintage P90 neck p90 might not work after all. It's a tall pickup and it barely fits, it's screwed all the way down as low as it can go (bottomed out) and it's sitting just barely under the strings, about 2/64" below the strings on both Es. It's too bassy, I need to lower the bass side some, but I can't and if I raise the high side it'll be hitting the strings. I'm going to have to come up with something else for the neck pickup. That's 115 bucks wasted. 
@syscokid can you measure your pickup heights? Do you know how far from the strings yours are set? Mainly the neck pickup but for S&Gs the bridge pickup, too...if you don't mind.
Mine has a plate in the bottom of the rout that the pickup mounts to, that might be the difference right there. I had the same problem trying to fit a SD Vintage in my Melody Maker.
@syscokid can you measure your pickup heights? Do you know how far from the strings yours are set? Mainly the neck pickup but for S&Gs the bridge pickup, too...if you don't mind.
Mine has a plate in the bottom of the rout that the pickup mounts to, that might be the difference right there. I had the same problem trying to fit a SD Vintage in my Melody Maker.
syscokid
Ambassador of War & Peace
Hey DirtySteve! Just read your post. It’s bed time for Bonzo right now, but I’ll get to those measurements tomorrow morning.@syscokid can you measure your pickup heights? Do you know how far from the strings yours are set? Mainly the neck pickup but for S&Gs the bridge pickup, too...if you don't mind.
Mine has a plate in the bottom of the rout that the pickup mounts to, that might be the difference right there. I had the same problem trying to fit a SD Vintage in my Melody Maker.
syscokid
Ambassador of War & Peace
Good morning! Fretting at the highest fret, the low E and the high E are both 1/16” from the top of the poles to the bottom of the strings. Also, the poles are about an 1/8” above the covers.
With a little research, Seymour Duncan specs shows the height of the SP90 at .745":
Stewmac listed the Gibson P90’s height as .62". A difference of .125" or 1/8"!
Gibson Accessories P-90 Soapbar Pickup - StewMac
Known by such familiar nicknames as the "Soapbar" and the "Cobalt," the P90 still cuts through any type of music, all while displaying amazing tonal sensitivity for everything from blues and rock to jazz.
I also have an SG with P90’s. Even though I liked the original Gibson P90’s that was in the guitar, I eventually swapped them out for a pair of Wolfetone P90’s. The SG also has those metal mounting plates in the pickup cavities. The Wolfetones are .66" in height.
Do you think you might be able to increase the clearance by cutting the springs a bit?
Remove the plate?
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DirtySteve
Ambassador of Hold My Beer
Thanks! Yeah, mine is way too high.
I'm not using springs, I used 2 small pieces of soft foam so it could compress all the way flat if it needed to, and it did. The problem with removing the plate is that there's a slot routed under it to allow the mounting screws to be adjustable through the plate. Here's a pic of my Melody Maker rout to show what I mean, with the plate removed there's nothing to screw the pickup to...
I have a Wolfetone Meanest P90. I remember I liked it, but I don't remember how it compares to the SD. I might try it again jut to see.
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DirtySteve
Ambassador of Hold My Beer
It won't do anything to remove the cover, the screw poles can't be adjusted any lower, they're all the way down as low as they go.
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DirtySteve
Ambassador of Hold My Beer
So I went ahead and tried my Wolfetone Meanest in the bridge, not bad, but not as good as the Custom. I swapped the A5 magnets for some rough cast A2's that I stole from another p90 I have and I liked it better, but still not as good as the custom. So the Custom is going back in.
I also have a set of Lollar P90s that I didn't like the bridge, but I couldn't remember what the neck was like so I put the neck pickup in, not bad at all, best one I've tried yet. I don't have any other neck P90s to try so it'll be fine at least for a while. Edit: or maybe I'll try the bridge Lollar in the neck position and see what that's like.
I also have a set of Lollar P90s that I didn't like the bridge, but I couldn't remember what the neck was like so I put the neck pickup in, not bad at all, best one I've tried yet. I don't have any other neck P90s to try so it'll be fine at least for a while. Edit: or maybe I'll try the bridge Lollar in the neck position and see what that's like.
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fitz
Ambassador of DIY
A hotter bridge wind in the neck position sometimes works well.
Especially if you can back it off a bit from the strings so it doesn't overpower the bridge in the middle switch position.
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DirtySteve
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It's not that hot at 9.4k compared to some of the matching neck pickups that go with the hotter bridge P90s. SDs hot P90 neck is 12k.
@DirtySteve …isn’t that Duncan in the bridge a ceramic mag?
What’s the DCR measure on it?
What’s the DCR measure on it?
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DirtySteve
Ambassador of Hold My Beer
Yes. Duncan says it comes in at 14.6k, but mine weighs in at 15.3k, I just measured it. I really want to try those A2 magnets, but it has those double thick ceramic magnets in it. It can be done, but It's not as easy as just swapping magnets. I'm not sure if I'll do it, but it's the only reason I haven't already put it back in yet, I'm thinking... Except for the hardness in the feel when playing, I would never guess they were ceramic magnets in there.
My favorite hot set has about the same measurement for the bridge. It is paired with a neck pickup that measures around 10.4.
They balance well, but both are ceramic (8 iirc) mag’s, and were made as a matched set.
If you really dig the bridge…
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DirtySteve
Ambassador of Hold My Beer
To what set are you referring to?
You quoted me before my edit. (lol) Mine is quite a bit higher DCR than Duncan says it should be.
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I was just referring to the balance of the two pickups, and your bridge p’up is spec’d pretty close to the set I have in this:
I am not suggesting a specific pickup, but attempting to share my experience with a set that shares spec with your bridge p’up…just pointing to a possible connection to a solution for you.
That said, mine are a set of these:
Goats Growl
Goats Growl from Manlius Pickups. Huge, aggressive P90 tone in dogear or soapbar versions.
www.manliusguitar.com
I asked for smoking hot….for Sabbath and such…he recommended a set of those. They’ve been there long enough for me to know that they are staying. I’m betting that your bridge p’up is telling you the same. I see Duncan spec’s their neck mate with a DCR around 12. Note the height that I have my, around 10.4, neck p’up…it’s set pretty low, but it’s absolutely awesome right there. I dialed it by ear, after setting them to Gibson spec.
Just trying to help.