GFS Pickups Dream 90

Pickup features: P90 in humbucker packaging
Impedence or other specs: Bridge 8.4k

Model of guitar or bass: Mexican Telecaster Squier Series
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Factory Pickup
Other pickups on guitar: Neck, MIM factory pickup with cover removed
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): Classic Rock, Blues
Reason for pickup change: Two reasons; I was after a P90 type pickup sound and these look fantastic! Also, the Mexican tele bridge pickups don't do it for me. I think they need the metal bottom plate to give some sparkle.

Perceived output level: I have another Mexican Tele with an after-market pickup with metal bottom plate wound to about 7.3k. This gives a lovely vintage Tele sound. In comparison, the Dream 90 has more power but less of that typical Tele high end bite.
Tone: Surprisingly, this pickup still retains some of that Tele jangle in the bridge position. I suspect this has something to do with the metal plate on the bottom of this pickup. It has less treble bite than my other Tele but has more bottom and mids. Other people have said it already, it's warmer than standard single coils and much clearer than humbuckers.
Sonic evaluation: I play through a Traynor YCV20 valve combo with a couple of overdrive pedals a chorus and a tremolo. This pickup can jangle and shimmer on clean (with or without effects) and it really sings when things get dirty. It also has nice harmonics.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play mainly classic rock and blues. I have a collection of MIM Fender guitars which have all been modded to some degree or another to get the range of sounds I'm after. This pickup fits into its own niche between "vintage" and "modern". It's a great pickup for classic rock and blues.

Comments: I installed this pickup in the bridge position of my Tele using one of Guitar Fetish's Tele Humbucker bridges. The whole package looks and sounds fantastic. If this guitar was lost or stolen, I'd buy the same guitar, the same bridge, the same pickup and build another. It's a permanent fixture in my collection.
There are several manufacturers out there offering a similar products but Guitar Fetish wins on tone & price.

Pickup features: Passive humbucker sized P90
Impedence or other specs: #

Model of guitar or bass: Cort Matt "Guitar" Murphy Signature
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Gibson Burstbucker #1 and #2
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): Rock'n roll, texas blues, classic rock, everything that gets your toes tapping.
Reason for pickup change: The burstbuckers were good for classic rock like AC/DC, Nugent etc, but didn't quite have the "bite" I wanted. P-90's have more clarity and sings out the notes.

Perceived output level: Something like a mix of tex-mex/ texas special strat pickups and classic Les-Paul humbuckers.
Tone: Just perfect for this guitar. Very balanced set of PU's. The tone of the guitar is now very clear, you hear every tone of the chords. Great pickups.
Sonic evaluation: Plays it mostly trough a Peavey bandit 112 when I am at home, play it trough an old fender amp at band practice. I'm not into all kinds of effects. I just crank it up, no need for messing with the tone when a guitar sings like this one.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play a lot of different music, but I play basically with a mild overdrive setting. Just enough to make the guitar "bite". These pickups wont do metal too good. They are single coils and get a little noise when you put on too much overdrive. Nothing harder than AC/DC

Comments: I've played guitar for 13 years, got a lot of guitars. Gibson, Fender, Peavey, Hagstrom, Cort, Takamine, Danelectro. At the moment I only play the Cort. It's a damn good guitar, and the Dream 90's make it sing. I love the clarity and sound of these pickups. At this extremly low price, it is a bargain.

Pickup features: P90 Style humbucker size passive with gold cover
Impedence or other specs: 8.2 neck and 8.4 bridge

Model of guitar or bass: Heritage 555
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Original Shaller
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Classic Rock, Blues based Southern Rock
Reason for pickup change: The Shallers were just week in every sense. They had no bite when overdiven and too bassy when clean. They were no where when playing with a group. I tried changing the neck pickup to a Burst Bucker #2 because these are on my Les Paul and I like them very much. In this guitar it became too bassy both clean and overdriven. I was considering getting rid of this guitar even though it plays really well.

Perceived output level: The Dream 90's are deffinatly hotter than the Shaller's but slightly hotter than the Burst Bucker which I was surprised about.
Tone: They sound very balanced like a strong P90 should
Sonic evaluation: I am playing through a Marshall DSL2000 50 watt for my dirty tones and a old Music Man 130 watt head for clean. I could never use this guitar before on the Marshall beacuse it sounded too muddy and bassy. There was no definition to the tone. The Burst Bucker was only a little better. The Dream 90's made this guitar come alive. I can now get that Bluesy overdiven tone I wanted as well as use it for a heavier stuff. I was very amazed at the sonic quailty of these pickups. Dirty tones just scream from this guitar now. Clean it gives a nice warm tone that is very much like early 50's guitars. I need to roll the volume down a little but they are very clear and strong. I like single coils for clean anyway.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: These are great pickups for straight up Rock and Roll and Blues. This is the tone I was going for on this guitar. I like all the positions and tones they give me. I don't know if I would use these for Jazz but if you were playing fusion then then I would say yes.

Comments: I would buy these again in a heartbeat. For the price these have to be one of the best sounding and values out there. I have been playing for over 20 years in and out of bands and through a ton of gear. Right now I have the Heritage 555, Class 5 Les Paul, Fender Strat Plus with DG-20 EMG set up, Martin Jumbo, Dobro, and a Tobias bass. For amps I have the Marshall DSL2000, Music Man, and a Ampeg V4 that I also use for bass. these pickups definately crush the Shallers and in this guitar are way better than the Burst Bucker. I would recomend these to anyone who asks. For the price you can always take a chance on these to punch up your sound. I don't normally give out 10's on gear but for the price and quick shipping you cannot go wrong with these in your guitar.

Pickup features: humbucker-size P-90 (passive single coil)
Impedence or other specs: 8.2 neck, 8.4 bridge, according to GFS

Model of guitar or bass: self-assembled, two-pickup Les Paul
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: n/a
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): indie rock, prog, jazz
Reason for pickup change: I bought these for the guitar I was building. I wanted a wide range of sound without too many useless settings, and P-90s allow that. The GFS Dream 90s looked totally sweet on eBay (black pearl/gold model), and the price was right.

Perceived output level: About average, though lower than a lot of modern humbuckers. The brightness makes them seem louder than they are.
Tone: Spans the gap between vintage humbuckers and Strat single-coils.
Sonic evaluation: I've used this guitar through a Tech 21 Trademark 120 and a small, late-'50s Rickenbacker M-8 amp (like a Champ). The Rickenbacker has no tone controls and cuts out a lot of the extreme highs and lows, but is otherwise balanced, and the guitar sounded very much like a Les Paul Standard -- more like a humbucker sound, but a little snappier in the single positions and somewhat scooped-sounded in the mixed position. No equalization was necessary. The pickups played very nicely with a Rat pedal, too.
The Tech 21 accentuates the brightness of these pickups; I found the guitar's tone knobs very handy. The pickups came across as very Strat-ish, but with more bass, on the amp's "tweed"/Fender setting. With the "British"/Marshall preamp, the clean sounds were again glassy and beautiful, and the distortion also turned out to be exciting. The single-coil positions distort nicely on their own, but using both pickups together through a stereo amp creates an incredibly useful "doubled" sound, with each pickup producing a different-enough tone that the result sounds almost like double-tracking. This isn't unique to Dream 90s, but these pickups do it well.
The pickups aren't especially hot, but they are very sensitive to every sound that comes out of the guitar, including string noise, squeeks, taps, and picking technique. This all comes through in the high-frequency range of the pickups' output, so it's important to (1) adjust the guitar's tone knobs to let an appropriate amount of treble through (do it here, the amp's EQ works differently); (2) play well.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Together, these pickups cover eveything I want to do, from jazz to semi-brutal indie rock. But since hum is only cancelled in one setting, extreme distortion gets too noisy.

Comments: My other guitars before this were an LP with humbuckers and a Japanese Strat with two singles and a very hot Dimarzio humbucker in the bridge (a good guitar, but poorly balanced pickups). I borrowed a few guitars and played a few more before deciding that P-90s would give the best balance and range of useful sounds.
These sound better than any combination that exists on the Japanese Strat, and can match the tone quality of a LP Standard if used with a good guitar body and neck, although the output is clearly lower than the LP's humbuckers. However, to get all these different sounds, the Dream 90s require tinkering with all four knobs on the guitar. Use the tone knobs to tame the brightness before trying the amp's EQ; also, some good sounds can be found by changing each pickup's volume separately while in the mixed position.
The hum is not a problem. These pickups come sealed in metal covers, so they're already partially shielded. I also shielded the control cavity of the guitar when I was assembling it, so that could also be helping.
Since this guitar turned out so well, and since I am now super broke, I don't think I'll be buying any more guitars or pickups for awhile. These pickups are hugely versatile (as are most P-90s), and since I could easily replace them for another $80 if some deity smote them, I have no fear of gigging with this guitar.

Pickup features: humbucker size p-90s
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Aria Pro II TS-400
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: both
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): blues
Reason for pickup change: wanted to get p-90s

Perceived output level: normal
Tone: glassy, strat-like
Sonic evaluation: I'm using the Dream 90s in an Aria Pro II (an excellent pawn shop find) through a Nobels ODR-1 overdrive into a Peavey Classic 30 equipped with a Hellatone speaker from Avatar (a great speaker).

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: blues

Comments: I've been playing since I was 12 and now I'm 51 (jeez louise...), and I'm picky about tone. I got these Dream 90s for a very low price on ebay from GFS, and I don't see how I could be happier. I have a strat with custom pups (Frankie Blue) and a 1974 Guild M-75 (The Bluesbird) with the original pups, and I like both of those guitars, but I've been playing the Aria (Thor) for the last two weeks while The Bluesbird and Frankie sit around because I'm so pleased with the sound of these pick-ups. Thor originally was equipped with 'buckers, and I didn't even change the 500k pots to 250s, and I still like these new pups. Describing pick-up sound is like trying to describe wine, but I'd say these are creamy and smooth with the strat-ish glassiness that I was hoping for. They also look great. The guys at the shop where I usually go for work on my guitars put them in, and they were raving about the tone. Excellent pick-ups at any price, and all the better for being inexpensive.

Pickup features: Passive single coil P90 in a humbucker body
Impedence or other specs: 8.0 at neck 8.4 in bridge

Model of guitar or bass: First Act ME501
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Alnico 50 and Alnico 52 humbuckers
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: dunno
You musical style(s): Rockabilly, punk, ska
Reason for pickup change: Bought a relatively inexpensive guitar for the sole purpose of putting in P90s

Perceived output level: Fairly hot, I notice a big difference between these and the ceramic HB's in my Ibanez
Tone: Pretty well balanced for budget PUP's, sound best with both engaged and the bridge rolled down a bit
Sonic evaluation: I use this guitar set-up through a Vox Pathfinder 15R with several different pedal options. These PUP's did force me to evaluate the EQ'ing of my amp, as they have much more high end response than the Humbuckers in my Ibanez Artcore. But with the EQ tamed, I can get some nice chime and these really growl with some drive on the amp. I'm very happy with the bang for the buck on these. As a side note, i play bass in my band, but I took this to practice last night, and BOTH of my guitar players(who have respectively several Ibanez's and an SG) spent about 45 minutes apiece playing this >$200 guitar and talking about how good it sounded especially with amps set on the edge of breakup.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: These are great for the rockabilly & garage punk, some hum when bridge or neck only, but dead quiet in the hum-cancelling midposition, which is what i use the most anyways. I use the volume knobs to blend in more or less of either pickup.

Comments: These really are nice pickups for the dough. I looked at Gibson P94's. $110 apiece and I'd read that Armstrongs ($110 a pr.) were too overwound and muddy. So I went for these on ebay and got a fantastic price on some P90s that are both sonically and aesthtically pleasing. i like them so much that I'm thinking about ordering some of their filtertron clones to replace the 'buckers in the Artcore.

Pickup features: p 90
Impedence or other specs: 8.4

Model of guitar or bass: epiphone dot
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: kent armstrong paf
Other pickups on guitar: same
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): blue's,rock
Reason for pickup change: i was very unhappy with humbucker's.

Perceived output level: these are 8.4 p 90's output is brighter than stock
Tone: the tone is just what i was looking for,very balanced,not muddy as a humbucker.
Sonic evaluation: i use a epiphone dot with these gfs dream 90's and a fender 1965 showman,wow what a nice warm clear sound i get now..

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: i play mostly blue's now,these pickups are just what i was lookink for..

Comments: i still can't believe what i bought these pickups for, at 32.00 dollor's apiece they are a bargain and they look stunning too,mine are the cream pearl top's simply stunning...and the sound? amazing!!! you simply cannot beat theses pickups..

Pickup features: P-90 style single coil in a humbucker body
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Les Paul Junior from early sixties
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: neck and bridge
Other pickups on guitar: Bartolini HiAMp neck and Dimarzio Super Distoriton bridge
Artists using this pickup: dunno
You musical style(s): rock, roots
Reason for pickup change: the p-ups in the guitar were't very evenly matched and the sound left much to be desired. A friend recommended P-90s

Perceived output level: the neck is not too mellow, the bridge is not too trebly, all-in-all lively and resonant.
Tone: balanced tone, very pleasing to the ear and not buzzing or humming.
Sonic evaluation: Peavey Delta Blues 1-15" speaker. I use a pedal board, Fulldrive 2, Boss SD-1, Guyatone MC2 chorus and Boss DD-20, but the pickups sound great with no effects. They respond really well when you roll off the volume and tone a bit.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play a bit of everything; jack-of-all-trades master of none. These pickups sound great all around.

Comments: I'd get these again. They are a great value. I've been playing 35 years. For other electrics, I also have a Telecaster Custom and a Standard Strat, and I'd consider changing out the humbuckers in my Epi Sheraton 2 with these. I have yet to try these pickups with my Peavey Classic 30, but I imagine they should sound pretty good through that as well.

Pickup features: P90 in a humbucker form factor with pretty MOP covering
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Samick Royale
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Duncan 'designed' humbuckers
Other pickups on guitar: replaced them both
Artists using this pickup: dunno
You musical style(s): Rock
Reason for pickup change: I liked the look of the guitar but not the sound...don't like humbuckers. Those were probably better suited for jazz. I needed a humbucker form factor and Jay at guitarfetish suggested these.

Perceived output level: Nice n' hot
Tone: Bridge is nice and trebly, the neck pickup has a nice smooth tone to it
Sonic evaluation: I'm using these in a Samick Royale through a Music Man 65...when I crank it up, these things rock out...gets an amazing growly sound to it, really live-sounding like P90s should be. Never potty, never noisy (and no hum!).
Set more quietly, they turn into great rhythm pups, have a nice chimy sound to them. I tend to use the center switch favoring the bridge pickup for that.
It's difficult to get feedback out of these pickups, even with a semi-hollowbody. You CAN get feedback though, if you stand in the right spot--and then it's got a nice, controlled sound to it, not painful to the ear at all (of course, I always wear ear plugs when I'm cranking up, don't you?). Take it a little louder and you think you're possessed by Johnny Thunders...

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Garage rock, trashy blues stuff...

Comments: This is the second time I've bought from Jay/guitarfetish and both times have gone great. I also bought a Memphis for another guitar. He responds instantly to emails and offers nice advice and deals. I'm getting ready to buy another GFS pickup --for me, they're the best deal out there, especially if you dig the retro look like I do.

Pickup features: single-coil, hum-sized
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: 1977 Greco (Ibanez) 58 V (Rocket Roll Sr.)
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: stock "super 70"-type
Other pickups on guitar: Rio Grande Tallboy Humbucker (bridge pos., tapped)
Artists using this pickup: unknown
You musical style(s): fusion, punk, some blues & jazz
Reason for pickup change: I was looking for p90 tones for blues work.

Perceived output level: relatively hot, but doesn't break up too much on its own through a clean amp.
Tone: leans toward the treble end, but not harsh; mids and low end are ok.
Sonic evaluation: In this ash body/maple neck Flying V, this pickup gives a nice round single-coil Strato-tone with some bite (think SRV), a definite improvement over the blah tone I was getting w/ the standard humbucker. I play it thru a Peavey XXL 212, and it sounds great thru all the amp models. It sings on the high gain positions (esp. the "ultra" channel of the amp w/ the bass and mids turned down a quarter).

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock, jazz, blues--sounds good for all of them. Sounds good in neck pos., but I can't attest to its applicability in the bridge pos.

Comments: I bought this out of curiosity, and I may buy another. I compared it to a Kent Armstrong p90 hum-size, but this was cheaper. This one has the gold can w/ the black pearl top; I wish the had'ed with a plain black top.
However, buyers should be aware of what this pickup really is: It is obviously a Korean-made import, as the baseplate and coil used are EXACTLY the same as pickups I've taken out of Epiphone, SAEIN (Shine), and Agile brand instruments (NOTE the circled "F" stamp on the back of the plate, and importantly, the standard single humbucker coil at the center of the plate). It is NOT an "expensive, custom-wound" item as the GFS ebay store blurb would claim. There is NOT a p-90 size coil (wide & flat) inside the housing, but a standard hum bobbin/coil atop 2 alnico magnets.
For this reason, I feel they should be selling them for far less, say 15 or 20 bucks, tops.
Despite this caveat, it sounds pretty decent and is very useful, and for that reason I rate it a 7.
I've played since the early 1970s; these days I play a bunch of souped-up Korean guitars.