Gibson P-94

Hot single coil sound.

Installed in an Epiphone Les Paul switching out the stock pickups. Just wanted something different for an old klunker guitar. The sound of these reminds me of a Joe Walsh type tone.

This is a higher output pickup, which in turn is not going to give you the classic p90 sound. If you lower the pickups below what I would say is normal, or if you back your volume knob off while playing about 35%, you will get closer to that woody, crunchy, rockin classic P90 tone. But these are not vintage p90's. They are pretty well balanced, they have great sustain and using your hands you can get a larger variety of tones than a normal humbucker. Neck pickup emphasizes big loose bass, pretty dark. Bridge pickup is very bright with lots of crunch. This is not going to give you a spot on vintage P90 sound, but they are very cool pickups, and I like having them on a guitar as a tonal option. I keep mine setup a little lower from the strings than normal. It warms up the tone a bit.

I've been playing about 12 years, and I play professionally. I use fender's, dr z, voxes, peavey classic 50. If these were lost I would probably get more, but its not detrimental to my sound, so it wouldn't be a rush. I debated on getting a les paul Jr with the stock p90's in it, I might still since these ended up being big, loud, and bright. But this is a great pickup to have some fun with. Particularly if you have a guitar that is really dark or bassy (many epiphone models) and want to find a different kind of sound. They are very much their own thing.

single coil for humbucker housing

Epiphone Les Paul
bridge
seymour duncan SH-1 '59
seymour duncan SH-1 '59 (neck)
Gordy Johnson (Big Sugar), John-Angus MacDonald (The Trews)
heard the tone, wanted it

high output, great bass response, fairly flat mids, bright highs... sounds best with scooped mids on amp settings
vox ac15 with BBE fequency boost (essentially a Brian May-esque treble booster)
blues, rock, hard rock
great in bridge position, can't wait to get one for the neck

I'll stick with p-94s, they are much more dynamic than any humbucker, p-90 or strat single coil... highly reccomended, they look amazing too

but in order to do them justice you really need a decent tube amp... even 15 watts of tube makes the p-94 just sparkle

Pickup features: Passive Single Coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Elitist Les Paul
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Epiphone
Other pickups on guitar: Stock Neck
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock n' Roll
Reason for pickup change: Wanted the P-90 sound of Mike Ness and Lars Frederiksen in a humbucker slot. Advertisments for the pickup promised P-90 tone in a humbucker slot. Sounded good to me

Perceived output level: Mid output about the same as a Gibson '57 Classic
Tone: Very clear and lots or bass and highs....
Sonic evaluation: I use this pickup with a Pignose tube amp, that has been modded, and a Marshall JCM 900. The Pignose is for clean & rythm and the marshall is for the lead tones. This pickup is good. NOT A P-90 THOUGH! It doesnt remotely sound like a P-90. I've played Gibson guitars with stock P-90s and they are a hell of alot better than this P-94 that Gibson is trying to pass off as a P-90 clone. If you want good P-90 sound get a cheaper guitar with P-90's and replace them with Gibsons or Seymour Duncans. Thats the only way to get the REAL P-90 sound.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Unsuitable for things you would use a (real) P-90 for.

Comments: I've been playing for about 10 years. During that time i have played a bunch of different guitars and a bunch of different pickups. I know what P-90's sound like and this aint it. I put this up against my Friend's les paul JR with stock Gibson P-90s and his Les Paul standard (copy) with seymour duncan SP90-2. Thats what a P-90 should sound like, I'm very unhappy with this pickup. If it were lost of stolen i would be pissed i couldnt sell it first to put money toward a real P-90 setup.

Pickup features: Paaive single coil
Impedence or other specs: 8.1 & 8.4-5

Model of guitar or bass: Penco 335 good copy
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: originals and some demarzios
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Yo Yo Ma, Beverly Sills , ( I think the guy who used to play the beaver also, but I'm not sure)
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level:
Tone:
Sonic evaluation: Here is a trick to get these babies tweeked just right. Another person complained that the adjustable pole pieces didn't go in/down deep enough which can complicate getting just the right sound. It did for me. I coouldn't get the G string low enough for the balance/sound I wanted on the neck PU. Get out your handy dandy dremel tool. I used the little diamond ball so I wouldn't hit the top sides/yellow cover and ruin the appearance. The threads screw at the top and the bottom so no worries there and the top place where you will be routing out is plastic so this is a very easy job. Just rout out ever so little so that your adjustable pole piece will go down just a little farther on just the poles you need to.

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

Comments:

Pickup features: Single coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epi Les Paul studio
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock crappy Epi bridge pickup
Other pickups on guitar: muddy as hell Stock Epi neck pickup
Artists using this pickup: who cares
You musical style(s): classic rock to Stoner Rock
Reason for pickup change: stock pickups where terrible

Perceived output level: hotter than real a P90 a huge sound but not like a PAF
Tone: huge sound lots of bass and low mids
Sonic evaluation: I like the sound of it not a vintage P90 sound but it is an interesting sound. I like the versatility if you play with the tone and volume knobs you get tons of classic rock sounds everything from a real good AC/DC crunch to a covincing early Jimmy Page Tele sound. The clean sound is similar to a tele but is a little bit brighter and smoother. I really like the sound in the middle position with the super muddy Epi neck pickup, it sounds like a hotter PAF. But I think I will get the P-94 neck pickup soon.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: its ok for what I use it for

Comments: I was hoping for a vintage P90 sound and its close but Gibson never said it was a vintage P90. It has a personality its own. I wasn't disapointed
with it. But I won't put it in all my guitars. I have to have more than one sound.

Pickup features: Single coil, humbucker sized P-90 type pickup
Impedence or other specs: Creme and chrome case

Model of guitar or bass: DeArmond M-72
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Dearmond Gold Tones
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: Kenny Blue Ray Etc.
You musical style(s): Blues, Swing, R&B
Reason for pickup change: To compare with Kent Armstrong WPU900C pickups in an identical (except finish) DeArmond M-72. I prefer the P-90 sound to the PAF sounding Goldtones.

Perceived output level: Hot for a single coil, about the same as a medium output PAF
Tone: Good bass, flat mids, bright highs. DOES NOT SOUND LIKE A P-90!
Sonic evaluation: When I say that these pickups do not sound like a P-90 I don't mean that they sound bad. To me they sound like a cross between a very good Strat pickup(though much hotter) and a P-90. The midrange is not nearly as warm and sweet as a real P-90 or the excellent sounding Kent Armstrong WPU900C which also is a humbucker sized P-90. I compared these P-94's to the real P-90's in my '56 Historic Les Paul Goldtop, and my ES-175 archtop in order to reach my opinion. For more on this comparison, go to my review of the Kent Armstrong WPU900C pickup installed in a Yamaha SA-800 Semihollow (along with the other DeArmond M-72). All comparisons were done through my
DR. Z Maz 38 Senior, Holland Lil' Jimi, Holland 3 x 10 Gibb Droll
and Fender Vibroclone amps.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues, R&B, Swing. A good sounding pickup, though not my choice, given available alternatives.

Comments: Played for 30+ years. A confirmed "tone-o holic". Mostly Blues
R&B and Swing styles. Plan to dive into my lifetime passion of
Chet Atkins fingerstyle. Given other options (ie. The Kent Armstrong WPU900C) I would not buy these pickups again.

Pickup features: Single Coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul Jr
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Gibson Angus Young Signature
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Dont Know!?
You musical style(s): Raw Rock-n-Roll
Reason for pickup change: The Angus pick-up sounded like crap clean, dirty was Good(not great)...but not the sound I was lookin for. Wanted P-90 sound, Johnny Thunders sound

Perceived output level: Smokin Hot!!!!
Tone: Balanced well, Warm rich tone
Sonic evaluation: I am a musician on a budget, so I bought an Epiphone Les Paul Jr, Which I love. My amp is a 73 Ampeg VT-40 combo, I use a Big Muff, Danelectro Pastrami, and an Origional Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Raw Hard Rock-N-Roll

Comments: This Pick-up is the best!! I Love it! I will put this pick-up any all my guitars in the future! Unless I score a Les Paul Jr w/ P-90's.
I think it sounds very much like the origional P-90, Johnny Thunders is my favorite guitar player( He mainly played his LP Jr w/ p-90's) and now I have his sound nailed! I was leary buying this pick-up.. I thought if it is so good then why hasnt Gibson put it in a guitar yet, I am soooooo Happy I took the chance!! I read the reviews hear first and it was like 50% loved it and 50% HATED it..I cant imagine why!?? It Smokes!! I've tried Seynour Duncan Super Distortion, DiMarzio Super Distortion, Gibson Angus Young, and this blows them all away!! Gets the White Stripes sound great too!!

Pickup features: Single Coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Studio
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: 490R
Other pickups on guitar: 498T
Artists using this pickup: Myself
You musical style(s): Blues, Rock, anything but noise without tone
Reason for pickup change: I wanted a treblier neck pickup. The 490R was fantastic when clean but when distorted, it losses tone definition.

Perceived output level: It's quite hot, in my opinion, it's in the same range as the humbucker I replaced. Maybe a touch hotter.
Tone: Tone is slightly on the bassy side because of the position it's in. But the trebles and the mids come out beautifully.
Sonic evaluation: I'm using a Les Paul studio and a Fender Blues DeVille 212. I use a Marshall Bluesbreaker II pedal for distortion, I use a Dano phaser and a Vox wah. The P-94 sounds fantastic clean and it matches perfectly well with the Marshall BB2 when distorted.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: It's a great match for my musical styles.

Comments: If I bought another LesPaul, I would not hesitate to pull out the stock neck pu and put this in. This pickup is like a humbucker, it's got barely a hum to no hum at all. I highly recommend it, especially if you think that your neck pickup is too muddy when distorted.

Pickup features: single coil to fit like an humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Eko Cobra sc1(from the Eighties) one PU only
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: gibson 498
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: don't know
You musical style(s): Blues
Reason for pickup change: really don't like the sound of the 498 of gibson

Perceived output level: quite hot
Tone: excellent...
Sonic evaluation: How to describe..as my english is not so good(I'm french) Since two years i was looking for that kind of sound..I was very dissapointed with the 498 of gibson...I wanted a clear...cristallin sound but powerful to play my musical style(blues lead)and this very rare PU is " the ONE" for that....

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues... Rock/Blues...all positions

Comments: Of course i will buy it again....BUY it if you find one...
AWSOME...

Pickup features: single coil on humbucker frame
Impedence or other specs: Fairly narrow coil wound inside a plastic form, surrounding six large pole pieces set over a powerful magnet

Model of guitar or bass: Lotus Les Paul copy
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock humbucker (a perfectly good one, probably Korean, which I replaced, than unreplaced )
Other pickups on guitar: stock humbucker on neck position
Artists using this pickup: none that I know of
You musical style(s): hard rock, blues
Reason for pickup change: I wanted a pickup with the P90 sound -- that bluesy, single coil blast, and more treble response than the average humbucker gives. Over the years I discovered that the P90 is the one pickup that I liked the best, so I shelled out the money for the P94 and installed it in my Les Paul copy. I was aiming for that sound, without having to shell out the extra bucks to get another guitar I don't really need.....

Perceived output level: The P94 is almost as loud as the stock humbucker that came with my guitar -- I was able to mix the neck and bridge pickups o.k., but I had to drop the height of the neck pickup a lot.
Tone: The tone of the P94 seems a little bit thinner than P90's on guitars I've played in stores, but it's got nice, gnarly mids and highs. If you play a lot of choppy rhythm, the dynamics don't get lost with this pickup as much as they will with a humbucker. You can imitate a Malcolm Young, Gretsch sound easily with this pickup.
Sonic evaluation: I play the Les Paul copy through a Marshall amp, through a 4 x 12 box.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Hard rock and blues music style is what I play, mostly rhythm (for which this pickup seems excellent), some slide... and this pickup fit my playing style very well.

Comments: I was never able to get this pickup to sound right for me.
I use heavy strings, play a lot of block chords, mostly rhythm, and some slide.
The magnet on this pickup is very powerful, and because you have one polarity aiming at the strings (instead of two, like you have with a humbucker), you can get "Strat-itis" with this pickup, where the pickup's magnet messes with the intonation. I experienced this problem.
When I had the pickup real close to the strings (so I could get the desired bass response, along with all the treble this pickup will give you) the magnet was screwing with the heavy strings' vibration. When I had the pickup away from the strings, that problem was eliminated, but the pickup's bass response was decreased, because the pickup was farther away from the strings. :-(
I couldn't get the happy medium I wanted. (For reasons I won't go into here, lighter strings were out of the question).
You can't really sink the pole pieces on this pickup, they only go so far down, then they stop. With the humbuckers that came with my guitar, the pole pieces will sink 1/4 inch down beneath coil level if wanted.
I'm rating this pickup just above a hunk of junk for two reasons: I think Gibson could have done a better job designing this pickup -- I think they could have made it a bit more adjustable.
Also, the one I bought is indeed a hunk of junk, because I ruined it trying to modify it. Live and learn.....
So, I put the stock humbucker back in to my guitar, it's a perfectly fine humbucker, after all, very bluesy, PAFish.... I just thought I'd try to get a P90 sound the cheap way, without having to buy another guitar...... oh well! :-)
My caveat -- if you buy this pickup, don't use heavy strings, and you'll probably do o.k. I think it's a great pickup for hard rock rhythm, I was able to get my guitar to sound quite a bit like Malcolm's.....
P.S. don't bother trying to contact Gibson with any suggestions or problems. They don't answer their email because they apparently couldn't care less about their customers.