Gibson P-94

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.

Pickup features: Single Coil
Impedence or other specs: P-90 style p/u shaped to fit humbucker slots

Model of guitar or bass: 1989 Gibson '67 Flying V
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Gibson 496R and 500T 'Hot Ceramic' Humbuckers
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock, Blues, Funk
Reason for pickup change: I bought a 1998 Limited Edition Gibson Explorer with the same hot ceramics as the V. For some reason the Explorer just sounded so much better, so I decided to get the P-94's to put into the V to get a different sound for it, I'd always liked the sound of a P-90 so why not?

Perceived output level: Output is pretty high, slightlly less than the 500T&496R but noticeably more than the Fender 'Texas Specials' on my Stratocaster.
Tone: Ballsy when turned up, very nice at low volume with beautiful clarity and ringing tones
Sonic evaluation: Guitars used for comparison with the P-94 equipped Flying V were a 98 Gibson Explorer and a 99 Fender 57'reissue Strat all run through an original 1964 Fender Vibroverb amp.
The V sounds better than ever!!! Definition of sound and tone for each string is amazing. I can make this guitar sound like a metal machine, Tex/Mex, Blues, Jazz you name it! This is one versatile set of p/u's.
The neck p/u has nice bass response without being boomy and the highs come through nice and clear, nice 'round' blues tones and if you set it up right, an almost acoustic guitar-like sound. Bridge position is quite bright sounding but not over the top (flying V's are fairly bright sounding guitars anyway), you can get a very nice balanced tone by adjusting the pole pieces up or down. When using a Boss overdrive in solos the sound is big and cuts through nicely while power chords are majestic yet clearly delineated, driven clean it sounds like the ballsiest Strat I ever heard, but with more mids and growling lows.
Together, they act as humbuckers when wired correctly, which they were and I expected a typical hot sound but instead I was surprised that it sounded much like my 69 Fender Telecaster when using both p/u's. Huh? Also the output was slightly less than using either p/u individually. A little adjustment fixed that and, hey, theres nothing wrong with having a Flying V that can sound like a Tele when it feels like it.
I have heard some people complain about them being noisy, well they are much less noisy than my Strat p/u's, in fact I can't really notice ANY noise!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock, Blues and Funk, the P-94 will do it all in my opinion!

Comments: I was at first a little disappointed that the P-94's were not quite as loud as the ceramics, but I should have expected that, and it is a small sacrifice compared to the versatility and sheer quality of sound they produce. Everyone in my band has told me that they sound phenomenal and that I should use the Flying V more often.

Pickup features: P-90 that fits in humbucking slot. This is a single coil PU
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez Artist AM-50 Semi-Hollow Body Electric
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Seymour Duncan Neck 59 and bridge JB
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: haven't a clue
You musical style(s): rock, blues, surf retro-spy and sci-fi
Reason for pickup change: Just for the hell of it

Perceived output level: Medium Hot
Tone: Growl and Twang
Sonic evaluation: Amp is a Canadian amp of unknown manufacturer, but its a tube amp with reverb and trem. I think the power tubes are 6v6s, all other tubes are 12ax7s. Guitar is an Ibanez copy of a Gibson ES-335, but slightly smaller.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Retro-spy and Sci-fi, some Punk and 50-60's rock

Comments: Well if there is a shithead out there who will break into your house, take the time to unscrew, de-solder, and remove your PUs and leave the axe behind, this person should be found, tarred and feathered, and forced to watch re-runs of Friends in The GAP dressing room.
I have been playing for about 15 years, this guitar was my first electric guitar, I started on a fender f-35 acoustic.
These pick-ups surprised me in that when I turn up the volume knobs I start getting overdrive, I didn't expect the output from the single coils to be that hot. The Neck PU is very clear sounding, I use to almost never use the Neck PU because it just didn'r sound all that good (It was a SD 59 humbucker).
The bridge PU is twangy and growly, but I'm not 100% sure if its really an improvement over the Seymour Duncan JB it replaced, just different, but still a nice change.
The middle humbucking position also sounds pretty good.
I think these PUs would work well for a lot of different guitars. I orginally bought them to put in a Squier Super-Sonic, but changed my mind and put them in the AM-50.

Pickup features: Passive single coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Yamaha SBG 200
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Yamaha SBG Humbuckers replaced with a set of P-94R and P-94T's
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Hard Rock
Reason for pickup change: With time I fing I like the sound of humbuckers less and less. I really like the ones in my 70 Les Paul custom, but my fave guitars all have P-90 or single coil type pickups.

Perceived output level: Wow... these have a very saturated, yet clear tone. The are very hot.
Tone: Good bass growl, but also very defined mid to highs. Sustain is great.
Sonic evaluation: I like gibson type guitars. (Les Pauls, Jr.s, Sg's, etc.) I dont care if they say "Gibson" on them. If they are a really high quality copy that outperforms the name brand - all the better. I have a 70 Gibson Les Paul custom, 62 Gretsch Corvette, 70's Aria Pro 58LP Jr. copy with P-90 style pickups (if you want to hear this guitar live in action, check out Http://mp3.com/poisedfortheworm ), and a recently purchased Yamaha SBG 200 that was intended to be a backup/synth access guitar. I use a lot of older stomp boxes, but I dont use distortion boxes anymore, unless it's just for fun. I use the amp distortion from my 100 watt Randall head through the old Marshall 4x12 with Celestions.
I got the P-94's just after I first took my SBG 200 to band practice, and was utterly horrified at how bad it sounded through my setup. As soon as I had them wired in, there was a huge difference in sound!! Woah this axe now rocks bad!!! Oh man... Until now nothing could beat my Aria LP Jr copy for tone and playabilty - Not my Lp Custom, and not even a real Jr! But I must say, with the P-94's this guitar growls and sings even more than the Aria... I never thought it could happen. I have never heard pickups that sound this nice. They are very very ballsy, but tight in the low end and sustain is excellent in both the top and bottom end. The sound is warm - its that sound people are trying to get when they invest way too much time and money in tube distortion gadgets and boxes. I love these. Full up, they will peel the paint off your walls if you have a good quality rig. I play very loud in my band and have never had problems with noise (and I dont use gates). These pickups are very quiet if you wire them properly - In comparison, they do not produce any more noise than any of the other units in my other guitars.
What I really love about these pickups though, is that they dont lose tone and character when you back off the volume. Humbuckers suck for this. The P-94's clean up beatifully when you tone down for a more vintage or jazzy sound. Very versatile.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Mostly hard power pop, some 70's style groove, some experimental

Comments: I'd buy these again in a heartbeat. I am rarely this impressed with new gear. Originally, it was a toss up between the P-94's and 57 Classic Plus, but I think the other ones would have been a mistake. For me, nothing beats the character of a single coil. I've come to realize that in my 20 years of playing. I really dont like the feel of Strats though.. I dont know why. So I'm going with what I'm comfortable with. I'm very happy I tried these. I'm surprised that Gibson hasnt put any of these babies in a production guitar. Maybe its because they dont look vintage, and they didnt think they would sell with all the vintage-crazed slingers yearning for only stuff that looks old. I kinda agree that these arent the aesthetic pinnacle of a good looking pickup (I might have preferred that they be either all-plastic or all-chrome rather than the combo, but they're not ugly either. They made my SBG look more exotic, thats for sure.
Its all about that awesome sound baby...

Pickup features: Single coil that fits into humbucker slot; buy the set and they wire up for noise cancelling.
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Various
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar: Stuck with P-94R & T matching sets.
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): 60's covers
Reason for pickup change: I like the clarity of single coils

Perceived output level: Very high for single coils.
Tone: WEll balance. Clear.
Sonic evaluation: Various tube and solid state set ups. These pickups bring out the best tone in everything they touch - guitar, amp or anything else.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Great pickup for what I play. Has a definite vintage 60s tone to it. I can get my epiphone hollow body to sound almost identical to a Rick 330 or 360.

Comments: Playing over 20 years. I love these pickups. CHecked out lots of humbuckers. Glad I went with these.