Pickup recommendations for Blues 90

Joined
Jun 14, 2017
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
I have a 2000 Blues 90 and would welcome suggestions for replacement pickups for the guitar.
I am fairly new to electric guitar and am having trouble finding a tone that I like with the Seymour Duncan P90's
I'm primarily interested in playing blues and jazz (not rock or metal). I'd like to stick with P90 style pickups.
The amp is a 71 princeton reverb. I realize this topic has probably been beaten to death,
but I'd sincerely appreciate any suggestions anyone might have to offer

Thank you
Kelly
 

Walter Broes

Enlightened Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2005
Messages
5,892
Reaction score
1,962
Location
Antwerp, Belgium
Guild put the hot Duncan P90 variety in those guitars. Duncan Antiquity P90's are great, Lollar 50's wind P90's are too, or a Lindy Fralin set with a 5% underwound neck pickup. a basic, stock P90 is a fairly thick sounding pickup with a lot of output, so the "hot P90" pickups always struck me as overkill, overdoing a good thing.
 

AcornHouse

Venerated Member
Joined
May 22, 2011
Messages
10,214
Reaction score
7,213
Location
Bidwell, OH
Guild Total
21
I just discovered the Alnico V "Staple" pickups that were used in the neck position of LP Customs from '54-'56. Lollar makes a version of these that sounds great with a P90 in the bridge position (they also make a bridge version.) Its is a little more hi-fi than the P90. From what I've heard of them, they sound great both singly and in combination with the P90. I plan on using them when I found an appropriate venue.
They do fit the P90 shape and size.
 

F312

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2008
Messages
2,760
Reaction score
958
I find the originals in the Blues 90 are just great IMHO.

Ralph
 

Smitch

Member
Silver Supporting
Joined
Jul 8, 2012
Messages
385
Reaction score
70
Location
Missouri
Kent Armstrong’s in mine that work well. Play around with the height of the pickup too.
 

DThomasC

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2014
Messages
1,283
Reaction score
187
Location
Finger Lakes, New York, USA
I've tried quite a few different P90's including Lollar, Fralin, and Wolfetone. The Duncan Antiquities are the best by far to my ears. They have a musical organic quality that the others lack.
 

Quantum Strummer

Senior Member
Joined
May 26, 2015
Messages
2,382
Reaction score
118
Location
Michigan
Duncan (well, MJ at Duncan) makes a fine sounding Alnico V pickup too. I also think the lower-wind P90s are the best sounding. IMO you can’t go wrong with low-wind Duncan Antiquities, Lollars or Fralins.

-Dave-
 
Joined
Jun 14, 2017
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Thanks to all of you for your suggestions. It seemed sensible to start by adjusting the pickup heights and I quickly discovered that lowering the pickups away from the strings made a definite improvement in the tone.
On your recommendations I also visited the Lollar, Fralin and Duncan websites.... all are very useful, instructive and tempting !!
Who knows, I might yet swap out the pickups. It's nice to have so much info available readily available.


Thank you
Kelly
 
Last edited:

txbumper57

Enlightened Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2014
Messages
7,577
Reaction score
58
Location
Texas
+1 on the Duncan Antiquities. Also if you don't mind spending a little more cash the Duncan Custom Shop Phat Staple P90's are Amazing as well.

TX
 

GAD

Reverential Morlock
Über-Morlock
Joined
Feb 11, 2009
Messages
22,586
Reaction score
17,803
Location
NJ (The nice part)
Guild Total
112
I thought the originals were basically antiquities, no?

If I were to replace them I'd put in some low-wind Alnico-II pickups because the ones I used to have in my GOTW SG were *amazing*.
 

kakerlak

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2009
Messages
2,354
Reaction score
128
Location
Oklahoma
I thought the originals were basically antiquities, no?

If I were to replace them I'd put in some low-wind Alnico-II pickups because the ones I used to have in my GOTW SG were *amazing*.

Nah, originals in those were super hot ceramic magnet units. Might check with James at Re-Wind. He's super friendly and knowledgeable. Ditto my buddy Wolfe at Wolfetone.

http://www.re-wind.net

http://www.wolfetone.com
 

GAD

Reverential Morlock
Über-Morlock
Joined
Feb 11, 2009
Messages
22,586
Reaction score
17,803
Location
NJ (The nice part)
Guild Total
112
So I just took my Bluesbird-90 apart and you're right!

The neck is a Seymour Duncan 2N (https://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/hot-p90-neck) and the bridge is a 3B (https://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/custom-p90-bridge).

I'm surprised they didn't put Antiquities in there like they did on the SFIIIs. I think it needs some low-wind A2s...

5D3_6986_1600.jpg


5D3_6999_1600.jpg
 
Last edited:

GAD

Reverential Morlock
Über-Morlock
Joined
Feb 11, 2009
Messages
22,586
Reaction score
17,803
Location
NJ (The nice part)
Guild Total
112
So thanks to kakerlak's note I pulled the ceramic pickups from my Bluesbird-90 and put in a set of Antiquities and it is MUCH more the guitar I thought it should be. What's funny to me about all of this is that I bought that guitar back in May and it's been sitting here in the review queue, mostly unplayed. Last weekend I decided that I was WAY too far behind and decided to do the toughest part of the review for a pile of my Guilds: recording them. Just as I was recording the Bluesbird-90 and not being terrifically happy with the results, this thread popped up and I learned why I didn't like what I was hearing.

After putting the Antiquities in it I couldn't put it down. They provide all of the jangly sweet and raunchy goodness I expect from a set of P90s, unlike the originals which sound like uninspiring humbuckers to me.
 
Top