New 'Favorite Guitar' Guilt

[BGood]

A friend described the P90 naughtiness as testicular .. that sums it up pretty much. If I could only have one guitar, it would be a P90 for sure. In a LP, an SG or ... Wilshire, they're always very touch/attack sensitive. I also love the almost acoustic, honky middle position.

Eagle 56, lower the neck pup as low as it will go. Make sure to push on the cover as you screw it down, those flimsy screws won't take the whole load. Then adjust the bridge P90 to discover that middle magic.

 

[Eagle 56]

Then adjust the bridge P90 to discover that middle magic.

I kind of went about it the opposite way: I set the bridge P/U nice and high, where it really sounded right, then lowered the neck P/U until I hit the sweet spot. Then I fine-tuned the height until it was just right. It is magic indeed.

 

[Darkness]

"New 'Favorite Guitar' Guilt" sounds like a blues song waiting to be written.

 

[BGood]

I kind of went about it the opposite way: I set the bridge P/U nice and high, where it really sounded right, then lowered the neck P/U until I hit the sweet spot. Then I fine-tuned the height until it was just right. It is magic indeed.

Good if you found it.

What I observed in all of my 4 double P90 guitars, is that the neck pup is at its best very low. No mud whatsoever and nicely defined. I then can adjust bridge to where I want, and middle will do its magic. If neck is too high, middle position desn't differ much from neck alone.

 

[pontaeri]

Yeah there is something about good p90's through good and cab, bad p90's / or wrong amp settings or wrong cab can be less than stellar . . . single coils are great and strat set up, but if I had to desert island for electric guitar I'd go with a p90 hollow or semi hollow with p90's (standard not the humbucker sized ones) . . .

 

[BGood]

Yes, you can't really appreciate what a P90 can do without a good amp. I have never heard a bad P90, different ones yes, but never bad.

 

[soulman969]

Good if you found it.

What I observed in all of my 4 double P90 guitars, is that the neck pup is at its best very low. No mud whatsoever and nicely defined. I then can adjust bridge to where I want, and middle will do its magic. If neck is too high, middle position desn't differ much from neck alone.

I've found much the same. Most stock neck pickups can actually overwhelm the bridge pickup when both are played. If I lower the bridge pickup it quickly loses it's "meat" and boldness and become too weak.

By lowering the neck pickup I get a more open airy tonality from it which mixes well with the bridge and is also more responsive to changes in it's volume and tone and I also have three tonally distinctive choices.

But then I've also had other tell me they love their P90s set as high as their guitar and it's setup will allow. Different strokes all the way around.

 

[7whiskeycharley]

Nice guitar.. Congrats... Glad you've found something that you really like.. I don't think it should come as much of a surprise though for a Strat guy.. I don't really see it as that big of a departure from your Strat. When I look at the Wilshire I see a hard tail, super strat, just with much fatter sounding single coils. No need for guilt,, seems to me that your status a Stratguy is still largely intact...

For years a hardtail, HH Super Strat was my go to guitar and for a long time my only electric. While I love the sound of position 5 on a good single coil Strat the rest of a standard SSS strat tone has always seemed weak/thin or else a bit shrill to me. All of my strats today have at least one Humbucker in the bridge.

 

[phonepi]

I usually change my guitar for each reharsal, so all my instruments play at a time or another.

Which one will I take for this evening reharsal ? That is the question !

P