Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: cjpmmd on June 30, 2006, 09:18:17 PM
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Thinking of expanding the herd a bit more for a different sound. What has been everyone's experience with some of the MIK guitars w/P90's (e.g., PRS Soapbar II, Dillion, etc.) vs., say, a Les Paul Gem/Special? Or, should I just save up a few more $ and go the Warmoth route? Appreciate the help --- this is an unusually friendly, snob-free, moron-free forum! :)
cjpm
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Well, if you can stand assembling the Warmoth and feel comfortable machining and wiring up certain things, then I would say go for the warmoth seeing as you will probably get exactly what you want (or think you want, if you catch my drift). I think it would be a good idea because you will get better woods and there's a whole different coolness factor when you consider that it's basically a one-of-a-kind, and not a production line, guitar. There aren't too many quality, affordable P90 equipped guitars, so there's another factor in favor of Warmoth. Hope that helped. :)
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get yourself an SG jr - one P90, bitchin!!! :D
:twisted:
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The Epiphone '56 Gold Top Les Paul by all accounts i've heard is FANTASTIC.
http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data4/Epiphone/_56_Les_Paul_Goldtop_Reissue-1.html
Just check those reviews aswell!
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Yep, Epi '56 Goldtops are supposedly very good. Tokai do a P-90 SG Special which would fit the bill. There's the Gibson SG Junior and Melody Maker if one pickup would do the trick.
They're the main ones I've considered in the past.
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firstly, what actually is your budget? what do you mean by 'affordable'?
if your thinking fairly 'cheap'... then i would say melody maker... if your thinking £500+ then maybe the DC or SG Junior as some of the guys have said... the argument for going Warmoth is the same for everything... "should i save up to get something better"... the thing is... its ALWAYS better to save up for something 'better'... but when it boils down to it... everyone has a limit... and people usually wont/cant/dont want to save up forever... thats something only you can decide; whether you buy what you can afford now or save up for something more expensive.
what i would say is... my melody maker cost me £350 second hand... and i couldnt ask for more in a guitar... its great to play... sounds awesome (with my Bare Knuckle of course)... and was bloody cheap for what it is...
but yer i would say any of the Gibson p-90 models are worth looking at...then of course you have to decide whether you wanna pay another £100 or whatever it is for an extra pickup and a scratchplate (thats between the melody maker and the Double Cutaway)...
i havent tried any p-90 guitars other than Gibson ones... (which ive tried a few of).... so i cant compare them to anything else...
but whatever you go for... congrats on going for p-90s... and hope you find what your after mate...
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My limit would likely be about $500US +/- or thereabouts. I appreciate all the suggestions!
cjpm
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Epiphone Casino perhaps also- if you like semi acoustics and they have the cool factor because of their Beatle asssociation ( well I think so anyway). I am not sure what the current ones are like- I have only played old ones and the John Lennon edition, but they sound great to me.
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My limit would likely be about $500US +/- or thereabouts. I appreciate all the suggestions!
cjpm
http://www.samedaymusic.com/product--GIBLPMM
thats what i would go for personally....
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Musicians Friend sells SG Juniors for around $450 I think. You get a proper (non faded) finish and a single P-90. That's what I'd buy.
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Musicians Friend sells SG Juniors for around $450 I think. You get a proper (non faded) finish and a single P-90. That's what I'd buy.
$700 actually :? I didn't know Gibson were still making these - they're not on the Gibson website...
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Gibson-SG-JR-P90-Electric-Guitar?sku=518932
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They discount them pretty pften, and I think MF gets them exclusively.
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For real cheap look at this Squier telecaster - it has quite good reviews:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Squier-Tele-Custom-II-Electric-Guitar-with-P90-Pickups?sku=519584&src=3SOSWXXA
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Howabout one of these. They're just under $500.
www.reverendguitars.com
(http://www.reverendguitars.com/reverend/images/guitars/stage_king_series/hi_res/warhawk_290_green.jpg)
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just looked on the MF website, you can get an SG jr for $699 or an LP jr for $ 649. its your cash, but I would save for another month & get one of these over the MM.
or you could go vintage with this one... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130001518492&indexURL=0#ebayphotohosting
or this with some MQs... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230003472413&indexURL=0#ebayphotohosting
:twisted:
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i dont see the point in getting an LP junior over the MM... not for the extra money... unless your craving for two pickups of course...
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A) It looks better
B) I't's got a second pickup
C) It's got the "proper" Gibson headstock (the MM one really turns me off)
D) Did I mention it looks better?
I quite fancy one of the singlecut SE soapbars (there's still a few around) and they're supposed to be quite good. The Gordon Smiths are super cheap and well thought of.
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1.) looks are personal preference.
2.) second pickup isnt NECESSARY... again its preference... and not worth £100 extra in my opinion..
3.) theres no way in hell id pay more good money for a different shaped headstock :?
4.) again.. i actually prefer the look of the MM...
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A) It looks better
B) I't's got a second pickup
C) It's got the "proper" Gibson headstock (the MM one really turns me off)
D) Did I mention it looks better?
I quite fancy one of the singlecut SE soapbars (there's still a few around) and they're supposed to be quite good. The Gordon Smiths are super cheap and well thought of.
+1, sorry sambo, but i don't think anybody should be derived of the second pickup in a guitar
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One pickup is more rawk though.
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+1, sorry sambo, but i don't think anybody should be derived of the second pickup in a guitar
haha! im sorry but that is utter bullshiteee... i really dont think a second pickup is that vital... not in the slightest... i have more than enough options using my amp/tone control/coil tap.... all in one pickup... i havent missed a second pup in the slightest... in fact i prefer just one cause its simple... and like tom said- its more rawk...
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+1, sorry sambo, but i don't think anybody should be derived of the second pickup in a guitar
haha! im sorry but that is utter bullshiteee... i really dont think a second pickup is that vital... not in the slightest... i have more than enough options using my amp/tone control/coil tap.... all in one pickup... i havent missed a second pup in the slightest... in fact i prefer just one cause its simple... and like tom said- its more rawk...
any less than 3 pickups and you're just softcore, lol :wink:
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+1, sorry sambo, but i don't think anybody should be derived of the second pickup in a guitar
haha! im sorry but that is utter bullshiteee... i really dont think a second pickup is that vital... not in the slightest... i have more than enough options using my amp/tone control/coil tap.... all in one pickup... i havent missed a second pup in the slightest... in fact i prefer just one cause its simple... and like tom said- its more rawk...
having the coil tap is essentially having two pickups anyway
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^exactly!.... so you dont need 2 pickups at all...
?!?!?!?!?!
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so what about when you want to go from a Led Zep style riff to a GnR style solo??? how you gonna do that with your coil tap?
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You use a different guitar...Noone's saying it can cover everything, just that it's not useless because it only has one pickup
To be honest, I'm thinking of getting a guitar with P90s but the MM is just ugly to my eyes - I wouldn't be adverse to it only having one pickup though
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How do you coil tap a P90 :?
Anyway, if you wanted to retrofit a melody maker with a neck pickup and a scratchplate, you're looking at £80 for the pickup and £25 for a scratchplate that size and shape, so you've spent £105 before you've even paid a luthier to rout the new cavity and fit it for you, as well as fitting the switch and 2 new pots and knobs (another £20), so you're looking at the best part of £200! How again is it not worth that?
I really hate this weird "one pickup is more rock" reverse snobbery. What are you really saying? "I'm going to intentionally limit myself as a musician because it's more rock" ?????
Bottom line is that you cannot get the same sounds or qualities from a bridge pickup as you can from a neck pickup, and some fantastic rock sounds have been created using the neck pickup, just ask Clapton, Hendrix, Page, Blackmore, Slash etc.
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degOey, it's more than likely that you're going to want to play crunchy riffs and fluid leads in the same song.
We weren't the ones saying 1 pickup was useless, the 1 pickup brigade is saying that the neck pickup is pointless :roll:
Even Van Halen has started using the neck :o :shock:
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Well, you need to look at what a coil tap is to understand how one works on a P90...a coil tap is (to my knowledge) a wire coming from a pickup so that it doesn't use all the coils of wire - thus limiting its output and changing the sound
The reason people get confused is that the term is used interchangeably with coil split (using only one half of a humbucker) by many people, which is technically incorrect :wink:
(although i could be wrong on these definitions lol)
EDIT: I think both camps are right in this argument - Neck pickups hold their uses for certain things, and a guitar with two pickups is more versatile because of this...but if you know what sound you're after, and a single p/up gives you that sound then why overcomplicate with two pickups? especially if you have other guitars you can use when you need a neck pickup :)
And i think tom's "rawk" comment was a touch sarcastic :drink:
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And i think tom's "rawk" comment was a touch sarcastic :drink:
I guess it was.. but its also partially true! Less fuss more rock :P
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Lol yeah...I find it's often easier to stick with one pickup and concentrate on playing than mess about with pickup selection
Although, if i were gonna go with only one pickup in a guitar, it would have to be in the neck position - I use that for everything (if i have a humbucker there that is) my ibanez and les paul rarely are out of this position lol
Hopefully this habit of mine will change when I get my BK's (which i now have the money for, just have to decide which ones) and that I'll have a greater range of sounds to use :D
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Eww neck humbuckers are only good for smooth leads or cleans, could never use it for rhythm unless its clean.. I probably have the bridge pickup on around 90% of the time.
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:lol: I love mine - although I don't play a lot of really heavy stuff most of the time, and I would use the bridge for anything above a heavy crunch :P
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sorry Ben mate i was a little ignorant in what i said...
i didnt mean to say the neck pickup was redundant, or that the LP junior wasnt WORTH the extra money...
deg0ey summed it up almost perfectly... basically, what im trying to say is... theres enough tonal options (for me) with my tapped bridge p-90.... and like i said before... unless someone specifically wants a neck sound.. (like you are obviously interested in...) then theres no real point getting the Junior... For the people who ARE after a neck sound specifically... then of course- the junior is for them.
i wasnt denying that neck pups can give great, unique tones... more saying that theyre not vital.... and you can do without them quite easily... hope thats a better/clearer explanation...
and as for the more rawk thing lol... its a bit sarcy i guess.. but i still think its partially true... i mean... would you not agree that Van Halens Frankenstrat thing is more rawk than say slashs' strat? that doesnt mean that Van Halen was limited in comparison to Slash... and anyway... limiting yourself can often be a very positive thing to do...
its just a fact.. some things juat ARE more rock n roll than others... it sounds silly.. but i think its true...
as for coil-tapping a p-90... i have no idea HOW it works... just know that it does... lol
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Mmhmm, Now to save up for a guitar with P90s (damn your influence Sam! :lol: ) Now come help me out on my decision of BK's in the Pickup forum :D
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slashs' strat?.
Slash with a strat?! :o
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you also have the option of mixing the bridge & neck pickups with a LP jr - infinately more possibilities than a single bridge pickup.
I love the simplicity of my SG jr but sometime I wish I could flip to a neck pickup.
oh, and fwiw I think the LP jr looks WAY cooler than the MM (ymmv etc... etc...)
:twisted:
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The MM looks very...dull, to me
Maybe with a cool paint job/graphic on there it could be better but as is I don't like it :P
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slashs' strat?.
Slash with a strat?! :o
haha woops... meant LP of course.
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Back on subject ?
I would suggest checking out P90 wquipped, SGs, LP & Double Cuts as they all sound remarkably different to each other. I prefer the double Cuts http://www.guitargonauts.com/pick-51.html with the old 'less is more vibe'
I know the LP & DC Jrs are particularly prized for their tone by some guitarists. This is discussed here http://www.guitargonauts.com/picked.php just look up the relevant model.
Tokai do a lovely DC Jr and a SG 61 reissue http://www.belfastguitaremporium.com/product.asp?pid=76.
From memory P100 pickups are actually stacked humbuckers.
You could always just install a Mississippi Queen in a HB equipped guitar.
Indeed when people say coil tap they usually mean coil split, a coil tap simply "taps" into a coil at another position, effectively reducing the number of turns on the coil. I used to make this mistake myself.
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Rob...
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I still say Casino. I suppose one of those PRS Soapbar jobs is out of the question. I have played one acoustically and it was very light- no idea what it is like through and amp but aren't they inexpensive?
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all the PRSs and PRS SEs are very light
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The son of one of our directors brought in his Epi Casino and it was a beautiful guitar for the money (though I prefer the John Lee Hooker styling to the Lennon I would enjoy owning either).
I think the PRS Soapbar SE com out around the 400 - 500 quid range, I tried both the original and soapbar 2 and much preferred the original single cut version.
Rob...
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The PRS soapbars are suppopsed to be good guitars, and the singlecut one in dark cherry looks great.
_Tom_ , you should give the neck a try. If you're not playing out and out metal then it's great for sludgey chord work (think Soundgarden) and percussive riffs. It's also really good if you find your sound a bit thin when you play above the 12th fret, and it's great for sleazy, bluesy licks.
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The new LP junior is a very nice guitar, I would save the extra and get that. The $649 at MF is a great price.
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ESP Edwards!
(http://www.espguitars.co.jp/edwards/original/E-LP-85CD_P.jpg)
BODY : (Top)Hard Maple
(Back)Mahogany
NECK : Mahogany
FINGERBOARD : Ebony , 22frets
SCALE : 628mm (24.75 inch) / Medium
JOINT : Set-Neck
PICKUPS : (Front) Seymour Duncan SP90-1n
(Rear) Seymour Duncan SP90-1b
CONTROL : Front & Rear Volume
Front & Rear Tone
Toggle PU Selector
BRIDGE :
Tune-Matic / Stop Tailpiece
£500ish from Japan, thats with customs and shipping.
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If you can find one and hit lucky enough on the price, a S/hand Eggle Wave 1 is a great guitar, and I never miss the chance to pimp them.
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ESP Edwards!
£500ish from Japan, thats with customs and shipping.
The next guitar I buy may well be one of those babies - I like the '54 Black Beauty rippoff (yum!). They also do a very tasty Vee for around the same price.
:twisted:
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that LP is fine!
i searched on google for ESP Edwards, but the only site i found was this one:
http://www.espguitars.co.jp/edwards/index.html
is that the place? i couldn't actually see a price or where to buy... am i being lame and the link is really obvious?
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As you live in the US... how about one of these??
http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/ravguitar_1902_42645732
Homepage is:
http://www.ravenwestguitar.com/index.html
I have no idea how they are, but they look nice :)
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I vote reverend - the warhawk above or a Charger 290. Or maybe even a jetstream with 3 p90's and tremolo for a more stratty "vibe"
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Edwards are really meant to be Japan only models, so they are not exported by ESP, meaning you have to buy directly from Japan.
I use http://www.digimart.net/index.do for my Japanese guitars, another way to find dealers is to go over to the japanese google http://www.google.co.jp and type in ESP Edwards guitars, then just click on the sites that pop up, try to find a email address, email them and ask if they have one in stock, price ect.
I really like my edwards, it was and still is great value for the money.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/Moonlitfire/guitars010.jpg)
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thanks for the guidance andy. someone here is going to japan, maybe they can bring one back for me.
thats a beautiful les paul custom style RR by the way!
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More Reverends with P90's to make your choise harder and for everyone to drool over.
(http://www.reverendguitars.com/reverend/images/guitars/stage_king_series/warhawk_290/warhawk_290_wine.jpg)
(http://www.reverendguitars.com/reverend/images/guitars/stage_king_series/warhawk_290/warhawk_290_toba.jpg)
(http://www.reverendguitars.com/reverend/images/guitars/stage_king_series/jetstream_390/jetstream_390_3burst.jpg)
(http://www.reverendguitars.com/reverend/images/guitars/stage_king_series/jetstream_390/jetstream_390_black.jpg)
(http://www.reverendguitars.com/reverend/images/guitars/stage_king_series/jetstream_390/jetstream_390_blu.jpg)
(http://www.reverendguitars.com/reverend/images/guitars/stage_king_series/charger_290/charger_290_mgld.jpg)
(http://www.reverendguitars.com/reverend/images/guitars/stage_king_series/charger_290/charger_290_mred.jpg)
(http://www.reverendguitars.com/reverend/images/guitars/stage_king_series/charger_290/charger_290_toba.jpg)
(http://www.reverendguitars.com/reverend/images/guitars/stage_king_series/club_king_290/club_king_290_toba.jpg)
(http://www.reverendguitars.com/reverend/images/guitars/stage_king_series/club_king_290/club_king_290_black.jpg)
(http://www.reverendguitars.com/reverend/images/guitars/stage_king_series/club_king_290/club_king_290_gold_st.jpg)
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thats a beautiful les paul custom style RR by the way!
:lol: [/img]