Noiseless P90s? What options are there?

[C Squared]

I remember a while back Gibson using P100s which were a stacked version of a P90. I know Duncan, DiMarzio, and even GFS offers a stacked P90, or a humbucker configured P90, but I'm guessing from the specs most don't sounds like a P90.

Has anyone found a pickup that nails the raw tone of a P90 without all the noise?

Seriously think about a LP Junior or maybe a Fender JA-90 to add to my stable, and I know anything I grab will be tweaked a little bit, usually pots and pickups, knobs, and better hardware tuners. I've wanted a P90 guitar for a while, but have always walked away because of the extra noise and hum

[LtKojak]

You can get pretty close to a P-90, a Strat or a Tele SOUND. Several makers have good products already on the market.

Unfortunately, no stacked dual coil humbucker design is going to BEHAVE like a single coil.

Not now, not EVER.

[RayBarbeeMusic]

I actually had a similar question.

I disagree with what was said above, there definitely are noiseless that nail Tele and Strat, supposedly the Kinman P90s are excellent, albeit quite expensive.

My reference for ones I've owned are the Duncan SP902 and SP903, which are fairly hot ceramic magnet versions. Not sure what is out there that sounds like that exactly, maybe the Dimarzio DLX Plus?

I'd be curious to hear from folks who have had the various noiseless P90s.

[wolf5150]

The Kinman P90 is incredible.
I just installed one in my mate's Les Paul Jr.

It replaced a Lollar , which sounded superb but noisy as hell.
The Kinman sounds better in our opinion.
He runs a small studio and does a few sessions ( mostly because he can read rather than his ability.. but that's another story LOL ) and he's getting a lot of compliments and enquiries about this pickup.

[Funkfingers]

I agree with Pepe. Your options are Noiseless OR P-90.

[Aceman]

I'm not saying the Gibson P-100 is useless. I just don't know what that use is. It is certainly quiet, and I prefer it to stay that way.

[RayBarbeeMusic]

There will always be those people who claim loud mains hum is "part of the tone", i.e., 60 cycle hum and all its various out of tune harmonics, plus it's sustain killing nature and uncanny ability to annoy the living sh*t out of a crowd through a loud PA, is "cool".

Then there are those of us who realize Dwight Eisenhower is no longer president, and that Howdy Doodie and I Love Lucy are no longer on the air.

60 cycle hum is neither cool, nor necessary.

[GrooveHT]

Ray, I know Kinman (as mentioned above) as well as Fralin have noiseless P-90s, and I hear nothing but great things about the Kinman. I can't imagine Fralin putting out a bad pickup either. My first go would be Kinman. As a matter of fact, my first try WILL BE Kinmans, as I will need two to go into this:

[RayBarbeeMusic]

I've been seriously considering the kinmans but here is my concern:

The bridge P90 I'm used to is that Duncan SP90-3, which is a 14k wind large ceramic magnet, pretty hot pickup. I'm sure the neck model will be fine, but I'm concerned the Kinman bridge, being designed to emulate a 'vintage' P90, will be too wimpy for what I'm used to.

I've been thinking about a Kinman neck P90 with something beefier for the bridge.

It might be that the Kinman is just fine in the bridge, but my experience with "traditional" bridge P90s is limited to testing other people's guitars I've worked on just to see if they sounded and felt OK, not really putting one through it's paces long term, so I'm not really sure.

[GrooveHT]

Not the same as getting a hot pickup, but you can probably crank this one a bit closer to the strings right?

This guy (SMark at TGP) did a video that sold me on them pretty well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvP3s...d&noredirect=1

[dr. ad]

I actually had a similar question.

I disagree with what was said above, there definitely are noiseless that nail Tele and Strat, supposedly the Kinman P90s are excellent, albeit quite expensive.

My reference for ones I've owned are the Duncan SP902 and SP903, which are fairly hot ceramic magnet versions. Not sure what is out there that sounds like that exactly, maybe the Dimarzio DLX Plus?

I'd be curious to hear from folks who have had the various noiseless P90s.

the dmz ones are interesting, i've tried a few, but i can't recommend the DLX plusses. way too hot, no definition, no character IMO. bit of a mudbucker really. the tone zone and superD are beastly, but they're most certainly humbuckers and make no mistake.

i think shielding and a metal cover are the closest a legit p90 will get to being noiseless, but i've not tried the laces or kinmans.

i've noticed gibson have started putting a metal cover on one of theirs...

[GrooveHT]

BTW Ray, I'm about an hour north of Nashville, when I finally get this project going you're welcome to try out the kinmans!

[RayBarbeeMusic]

That would be fantastic! Let me know and if I haven't broken down and ordered a set by then I'll do it!

I'm just getting pretty tired of the noise level of the Duncans. The tone is fine, but I rarely play that guitar because 60 cycle hum just drives me up a wall. Everything else I have is totally noiseless, and going back to noisy pickups is like going from a heated bathroom to using an outhouse in the dead of winter.

[GrooveHT]

Not sure when it'll get finished, but even if you have already broken down and ordered, you're welcome to play it anyway Neck is going to be from USACG I think, EBMM profile!

[RayBarbeeMusic]

Dr.Ad, have you tried any of those DiMarzios in parallel wiring? I was thinking about the DLX pluses because the DCR and magnets were similar to the hot duncans I'm already using, and I figured maybe if they came off too hot I could wire in parallel.

Was thinking about the Kinman in the neck and maybe the DLX plus in the bridge, but never having heard one, that is just a wild assed guess.

[RayBarbeeMusic]

you can probably crank this one a bit closer to the strings right?

Thing is, I already keep that SP90-3 pretty close to the strings.

Shoot me a PM when you get that project done, I could bring a couple of my demo amps so you could check those out.

[Mr 9finger]

I've not tried them in person, but the Barden noiseless P90's have sounded awesome in all the youtube demos I've heard.

[RayBarbeeMusic]

Didn't even know there were Bardin P90s, I'll do a search. Thanks for the heads up!

[freefrog]

Not the same as getting a hot pickup, but you can probably crank this one a bit closer to the strings right?

I don't recommend that with the Kinman P90Hx: IME it sounds better with the recommended settings (2mm for wound strings and 2,5 to 3mm for plain ones). And yes, this model sounds "vintage", IOW twangy and nervous. In my axe (brdige pos.), it shines with a 500k volume, a 250k tone pot, a 50 wiring and a PIO cap.... It cleans up exceptionally well when I roll back the volume and tone... and yes, Pepe, it sounds authentic.

I have also a DM DLX (bridge) in the... neck position of another guitar: it sounds good and is a perfect companion for the mid pickup, which is... a regular P90. That said, the DLX has its own tone: it doesn't sound like a P90. And it needs a no load tone pot in my guitar. Was too muddy with two 500k controls.

I won't talk about the P90 shaped Tone Zone that I've in bridge pos. since it sounds like anything but a P90: that DM sound can be recognized at the first note played.

That said, a "reasonable" P90 emulation can be produced by many pickups as long as their inductance is between 5,5H and 7H. IME on stage, even a Duncan Cool Rails can do the job for that. It won't fool a specialist but it has enough inductance to bring that warm P90ish tonal color in the mix...

"HTH", like Pepe says. :-)

[dr. ad]

Dr.Ad, have you tried any of those DiMarzios in parallel wiring? I was thinking about the DLX pluses because the DCR and magnets were similar to the hot duncans I'm already using, and I figured maybe if they came off too hot I could wire in parallel.

Was thinking about the Kinman in the neck and maybe the DLX plus in the bridge, but never having heard one, that is just a wild assed guess.

i have, but not the DLX+.
have tried the superD in parallel in the neck slot of a PRS SE, which doesn't really help you.
i picked up a pair of used DLX+ neck models that came out of a yamaha hollowbody. they're almost as hard on a preamp as the soapbar-sized tone zone, but aren't as bright heh heh
your tastes could be completely different to mine, and i've not heard these kinmans, but i believe the hotter dmzs would still be too much wired in parallel.
the virtual P90 may suit your plans better? again, these are mini-humbuckers on soapbar baseplates, but it's a musical pickup.