P90 Les Paul

RussL30 · #1 06-27-2016, 07:04 PM

I'm gassing for a Les Paul and I just wanted to get some thoughts from those with experience of certain models. I know the best thing to do is to go out and play them which I'll try to do depending on what's available. I can't afford a standard series or reissue, but I was looking at the Gibson Studio Tribute series and the Epiphone 56 gold top. Those would both be attainable.

I mostly play blues, southern rock (Skynrd, .38 Special, etc ) and classic rock ranging from Joe Walsh, Zeppelin, ACDC, and 60s and 70s music such as CCR and others. I don't really do metal or extremely hard rock. My Sheraton with SD antiquities and my strat cover a lot of ground, but I feel the P 90 would give me a new flavor.

My Epiphone Sheraton is excellent quality, but it's a 92 Korean model. I'm not sure of the quality of the newer Epiphone. I'd expect the Gibson to have good quality, but I know it's a very stripped down finish. Does anybody have any recommendations or warnings about these models or recommend any other models?

Thanks for the help.

Bob Womack · #2 06-28-2016, 05:21 AM

The one thing to keep in mind is that the P90s are the noisiest pickups on the planet. If you want to reach into your amp's gain like Joe Walsh does, you'll discover that. Lot's of induced noise. If I were just getting started with Les Pauls and wanted a classic rock sound I'd probably go with a full humbucker. I've got both a full humbucker type and a '60s Faded Trib. with P90s. I love the growl of the P90s but dislike the background noise. Even my wife can hear the induction.

Best to test it with a amp cranked into some gain to see what it sounds like.

Bob

sled · #3 06-28-2016, 05:42 AM

For what you can get a Studio for, I'd steer clear of the Epis. I have a Studio Pro, and it's everything I ever wanted in an LP and more.....

Dru Edwards · #4 06-28-2016, 08:35 AM

I have a Gibson Les Paul '60s Tribute goldtop with P-90s. Great guitar at a great used price. I'm more of a humbucker guy but the P-90s can give you some great grit.

I also have a Gibson '50s SG Tribute with P-90s (even though SGs didn't come out until '61 Gibson issued a '50s Tribute). Another nice option.

Bob Womack · #5 06-28-2016, 10:37 AM

Oh, yeah. Pics or it never happened:

And how about a review? Look HERE.

Bob

The Growler · #6 06-28-2016, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sled

For what you can get a Studio for, I'd steer clear of the Epis. I have a Studio Pro, and it's everything I ever wanted in an LP and more.....

Agree. Some of the Epis are okay, but it's surprising what some of the studios go for and they sound great.

Steve DeRosa · #7 06-28-2016, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

I have a Gibson Les Paul '60s Tribute goldtop with P-90s. Great guitar at a great...price. I'm more of a humbucker guy but the P-90s can give you some great grit...

Same guitar/same opinion here, and those first edition goldies (with the natural-finish back and PRS-style exposed-wood "binding") are beginning to draw collector interest. If you've ever had a jones for a sweet under-the-bed '56 that got played for a few years and put away when surf music came on the scene, this is your guitar; BTW, those guys didn't realize what they were doing back in the early-60's - a P-90 LP makes a killer surf axe...

RussL30 · #8 06-28-2016, 04:10 PM

Thanks for advice so far.

Bob, I didn't think about the hum. Is it much worse than the hum of the single cool strat? I like to play my strat in the middle/ neck position a lot to cancel the hum. I'm assuming the middle position on the p90 wouldn't cancel hum? Thanks for posting those photos and the review, that's a great looking review and I consider praise on a guitar from you to be a great endorsement considering the guitars you have. Your red ES 335 is my dream electric guitar.

Would a humbucker Les Paul overlap much with my humbucker Sheraton? Hopefully being a semi hollow vs solid they would have different sounds.

Thanks for the post Dru. I haven't thought about the SG, but I have a friend that has the faded SG that sounds and plays really well. The used prices on those are also insanely cheap. I didn't realize they made the tribute SGs.

Also, what years did Gibson start Pleking these model Les Pauls? I'd assume the new ones will be Plek'd. I've played a Studio faded that had really sharp and rough frets before so that would be important to me. Hopefully I can play some soon. The only place I might be able to these locally is a GC.

Bob Womack · #9 06-28-2016, 04:59 PM

Thanks for your kind comments! My lovely wife gave me that ES-335 as a Christmas gift and it is basically the electric guitar I have to force myself off of to play others.

1. My '60s Tribute with P90s is far noisier than either my Tele or Strats and that is a pretty well-known fact with the P90s. I've learned to use a noise killer when I use the guitar. The middle position doesn't kill the buzz. Perhaps I should look into shielding the thing.

2. There is overlap between the sounds, about the same sort of overlap that you see between a Strat and an LP. The LP will have far more sustain, the initial attack will be absorbed in a very strong sustain phase, and the the tone will be much thicker and chunkier than that of the Sheraton. The LP tones Joe Walsh used were mostly humbucker LP sounds. I've seen one pic of Joe with a P90-equipped 1974 LP Special '55 that he used for slide back in the day.

3. My March 2011 Tribute was Plek'd. As of that time on the less expensive guitars the Plek process was mostly used to level the frets for accuracy. They didn't do any of the comfort tweaks like rounding the fret ends.

Bob

BTF · #10 06-28-2016, 05:17 PM

If you have any reservations at all about P-90's, please fast forward to 2:10 and forget them!:

Regards!

RussL30 · #11 06-28-2016, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

Thanks for your kind comments! My lovely wife gave me that ES-335 as a Christmas gift and it is basically the electric guitar I have to force myself off of to play others.

1. My '60s Tribute with P90s is far noisier than either my Tele or Strats and that is a pretty well-known fact with the P90s. I've learned to use a noise killer when I use the guitar. The middle position doesn't kill the buzz. Perhaps I should look into shielding the thing.

2. There is overlap between the sounds, about the same sort of overlap that you see between a Strat and an LP. The LP will have far more sustain, the initial attack will be absorbed in a very strong sustain phase, and the the tone will be much thicker and chunkier than that of the Sheraton. The LP tones Joe Walsh used were mostly humbucker LP sounds. I've seen one pic of Joe with a P90-equipped 1974 LP Special '55 that he used for slide back in the day.

3. My March 2011 Tribute was Plek'd. As of that time on the less expensive guitars the Plek process was mostly used to level the frets for accuracy. They didn't do any of the comfort tweaks like rounding the fret ends.

Bob

Thanks again for the helpful comments and what an awesome wife you must have to get a Christmas gift like that. Maybe I can talk mine into that one day, haha.
I've watched a ton of Joe Walsh videos over the years and he gets great time from a wide variety of gear. He's just a great player. I really love that raw Tele tone he gets as well.

Thanks for the video BTF, that is a great tone and great playing.

lakehaus · #12 06-28-2016, 10:11 PM

Has to be a Les Paul, huh? If it's just the P90s you want, then I'd recommend an SG Special - not the Special with humbuckers, of course. Just want to be clear on the distinction. The P90 SG Special can be had for under a grand, easily - used. I've owned and played many, vintage and new, and they're consistently awesome.

If it must be a LP, then check the Tribute for sure, as others have suggested. Less than $1000 used.

And while I agree that P90s are noisier than Strat or Tele single coils, they're not so distracting that they're undesirable. No way. And with the beautiful voice of the P90 in the neck position, you'll soon forgive any notion of hum. BTW, DG is playing his LP in the neck position in the above video.

The P90 is my favorite pickup of all time.

BTF · #13 06-29-2016, 05:32 PM

Chuck Berry always sounded better to me with his P90's than the later humbuckers he used. Here's another COOL use of P90's, and the Joe Cocker Woodstock appearance was stellar as well!:

thunderlung · #14 06-29-2016, 10:05 PM

Here's a good solution for the LP/P90 combo if you want less noise.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/...-bridge-nickel

redir · #15 06-30-2016, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

The one thing to keep in mind is that the P90s are the noisiest pickups on the planet. If you want to reach into your amp's gain like Joe Walsh does, you'll discover that. Lot's of induced noise. If I were just getting started with Les Pauls and wanted a classic rock sound I'd probably go with a full humbucker. I've got both a full humbucker type and a '60s Faded Trib. with P90s. I love the growl of the P90s but dislike the background noise. Even my wife can hear the induction.

Best to test it with a amp cranked into some gain to see what it sounds like.

Bob

I would have written the exact same response so yeah +1 on that. P-90's are just incredibly awesome but not versatile.

My p-90 guitar sounds best plugged straight into the amp but that's about it. If it goes into my normal rig and I try to add over drive and wah and things like that it just accentuates the noise.