Mahogany strat w/ P90s

[Doughboy]

I was all set to go for a chambared alder strat w/ maple neck & 3 Lindy Fralin noiseless P-90s, when I was told by my luthier to consider a mahogany body as well.



I have one chambered mahogany strat w/ mahogany neck & bloodwood board that is super bassy & has very little high end. Just a big old thick low end/mid sounding guitar.

The maple neck will help but will the mahogany body & the P-90s make the tone too fat & bassy? I have very little experience w/ mahogany, as most of my guitars are alder.

 

[Mor Paul]

Mahogany with p90s will sound amazing. Go to guitar center or some other shop and try out an SG special or something.

 

[-CB-]

Ya know ... P90s in a strat are different

They're not like an SG or LP

I guess depending on the neck they could be more like an SG, but the one I tried had a maple neck and was still very bright...  Sounded almost like an old Mustang, but a little fuller

 

[Doughboy]

Ya know ... P90s in a strat are different

They're not like an SG or LP

I guess depending on the neck they could be more like an SG, but the one I tried had a maple neck and was still very bright...  Sounded almost like an old Mustang, but a little fuller

What do you think a chambered mahogany strat w/ maple top & maple neck would sound like w/ P90s?

My guess is like an SG with more highs & cutting through power.

Also, since I'm going for noiseless P90s, either Dimarzio vitual P90s or the noiseless Fralins, it probably won't sound exactly like a true P90.

 

[JaySwear]

the virtual p90 is definitely a bit different. have one in the neck of an ash strat. i love it! very bassy and clean without distortion, and love the hum canceling with some overdrive.

 

[Doughboy]

the virtual p90 is definitely a bit different. have one in the neck of an ash strat. i love it! very bassy and clean without distortion, and love the hum canceling with some overdrive.

According to their chart, it's supposed to not be that bassy. Do you think it will be too bassy in a chambered mahogany strat?

Also, when compared to a regular P90, how would you rate & describe the Virtual P90?

My only other option is the Fralins, but I keep reading that it sounds sweet & smooth, which is what a P90 shouldn't.

 

[NLD09]

I'd like to hear y'alls opinions on the p90s as well. I've got a build in mind.

 

[JaySwear]

i think i was really vague when i said "bassy." i'm actually a really big fan of trebly pickups (would rather add mids and bass than have too much to get rid of). i think the virtual p90 would actually be more a 5 in bass (on a scale of 1 to 10) and a 7 or 8 in the mids department. of course like i said i have it in the neck position and don't often use it for anything other than cleans.

as far as how it compares with a normal p90... i've never heard anybody say a p90 sounded thin, and these have even more presence. i chose it over dimarzio's other p90's because i wanted something that would be hum canceling. and even more important i had a super distortion for the bridge and needed something to keep up with that (regular humbucker super distortion, not the p90-sized version).

hope that helps, i'm not too great with giving descriptive reviews!

 

[tfarny]

1. Don't worry about wood species when picking tone. If the end result is "too bassy" you have about nine other places you can adjust that all the way down to changing speakers. Woods aren't that consistent and body woods don't have that large an influence on the tone.
2. P90s and mahogany are a classic combo! Most of the P90s you've heard on records have always been in mahogany bodies.
3. If you want a P90, get a Lollar. Shopping over. Stop reading pickup descriptions, that's the one.
4. If your mahogany strat is too bassy, I'd suggest you look at other aspects of the guitar and setup. Try changing the pots to 1 meg and raising the treble side of the pickups, for one thing. I'm just finishing setup on a mahogany chambered tele, and it is definitely not 'too bassy'.

 

[Doughboy]

I'm pretty sure I'll go with a chambered mahogany, as you said, the mahogany/P90 combo is a classic. The maple neck should brighten things up a big & I already used 1 meg pots on my present chambered mahogany strat to make the tone a bit more bright, although the low strings are still a tad too bassy, but I suppose an all mahogany guitar will do that.

The Lollars sound great, but I'm looking for a noiseless P90. The 2 I've narrowed it down to are Dimarzio Virtual P90s, since I LOVE their Area noiseless single coils & the Fralin noiseless P90s. However, not having heard either, it's a tough call. The Fralins are double the price & I like the 4 conductor wiring that the Dimarzios offer for splitting.

 

[-CB-]

I'd like to hear y'alls opinions on the p90s as well. I've got a build in mind.

Here's the thing folks..... been said before, gonna say it again.

When you say "P90", its as good as saying "Humbucker".

Go back, and every place you see "P90" used generically, you just insert "Humbucker" and see how you feel about whats said.  By that I mean... without specifying WHICH P90 pickup... the whole tone thing is sort of vague.

P90's from Gibson have varied all over the place throughout the years.  They were first made fairly "light" wound for the archtops, then heavier when they were the "cheap" pickup for solid bodies.  Then they got lighter again when they were "re-discovered", then hotter again... and now it seems very hot, blazingly so by my taste.  Magnets have also changed - Alnico II and V were both used, as well as ceramic bar magnets.

So... when you say P90... its really for that type of adjustable steel pole, low wide single coil pickup, with two bar magnets.  After that, like a humbucker, a LOT determines the tone.

 

[Doughboy]

CB, I totally understanw where you're coming from. For myself, when I think 'humbucker' my point of reference is always a PAF & everything is a variation of that.

I have no experience with P90s & since I'm starting a new Warmoth build, I though to go for a triple P90 combo to change things up.

In your opinion, what is the quintessential P90? Also, do you have any experience with noiseless P90s & could you recommend ot have any info regarding these?

 

[-CB-]

If you could get an old P90 from an old ES-125... or ES-330, or ES-295... that would about do it.  Those are strong, clear and bright.  I'd say... and have not done a direct comparison, that a Fralin P90 +5% would probably be very close... but thats a guess.

The only P90 look alike humbuckers I've played with are the P100, which... are sort of like bright humbuckers, not like P90s at all.  The complexity is not the same.  They're too lower middy whereas P90s tend to have a more transparent low end with a big "whap" and spank on the bass notes without being muddy, the P100... to me... sounds more like say... a Seth Lover than a P90.

 

[Doughboy]

Thanks CB. The noiseless Fralins keep getting good reviews & he does have a great rep, so I may go for those. I'd love to hear a Dimarzio virtual P90 before I make my choice, since I like their virtual series & the price is half the amount of the Fralins. But then again, if the Fralins sound better, it's a small price to pay in the end for great tone.

 

[ROBERTKOA]

Don't know about P90s, but the Mahogany body will give you more low mids and bottom and a more useable high end, you won't have to roll off treble and add low mids- with Mahogany you'll get more out of the p 90s and not lose anything unless you want to put low output singles on and do Mark Knophler stuff.

On a Bolt On with a Maple Neck Mahog body you'll be right where you want for tones in between hum and fatter single coil stuff. I'm with the Luthier.