which p90 sized p90 for dirty raunchy tone?

[brian_ward]

this is my first post so i would like to first say hello which i will do now: hello! now that thats out of the way, i am looking for a new bridge p90 for my gibson sg classic. the stock one isnt giving me what i need as far as tone goes. it has a very prominent upper midrange without a whole lot else. it lacks some low end and lower mid meat and the attack is very hard and "clangy", if you will. i want something thats going to be dirty and grindy sort of ala leslie west but not hard or harsh sounding. any help would be great. thanks!

[brian_ward]

bkp 92 with AIV?

[lulusg]

Welcome!!!

[brian_ward]

thank you. anyone able to help out?

[Twinfan]

Welcome!

I never like to go too hot on P90s as they get too muddy and fizzy.

Depending on how much dirt your amp/pedals have, I'd go with a regular P90 if you've got a highish gain setup.  You can pile on the overdrive then.  If you're using a vintage toned rig and want to go straight into the amp, or use a light boost, I'd got with a P91.

I've only ever used P90s, so maybe someone with a P91 (PhillyQ or Hunter?) will chime in here  :)

[Tellboy]

I agree with Twinfan. The BKP90 is the most vintage accurate - I have tried BKP91s which were great. However, I believe Leslie's sound developed as a bit of an accident when he was forced to use a Sun Coliseum PA head  at full volume (as was the norm at that time). As I assume you will not be using a non master volume amp at full volume you will either have to go with a high gain setup and/or BKP91/92.

 :oops: My girlfriend (at that time) gave me Mountain's Flowers Of Evil as a birthday present. Before she gave it to me her father thought he would play it on his new top of the range system. Not being au fait with the (not so) subtle nuances of rock guitar he was horrified at the resulting sounds (on the live side) and tried to convince the shop that there was a fault with the system  :lol: :lol:

[Philly Q]

Welcome!

I never like to go too hot on P90s as they get too muddy and fizzy.

Depending on how much dirt your amp/pedals have, I'd go with a regular P90 if you've got a highish gain setup.  You can pile on the overdrive then.  If you're using a vintage toned rig and want to go straight into the amp, or use a light boost, I'd got with a P91.

I've only ever used P90s, so maybe someone with a P91 (PhillyQ or Hunter?) will chime in here  :)

Agreed with Twinfan, I don't think you need to go as hot as a BKP-92.

I have a BKP-91 (AIV, according to my warranty card) in a Les Paul Junior and it's a fair bit hotter than the stock pickup.  Any hotter and it would be too lacking in clarity, IMO.

I am, as it happens, a big Leslie West/Mountain fan but I'm not much good at these "how do I get this sound" questions, I'm afraid.  :?

[FELINEGUITARS]

I personally love the BKP92 but wouldn't recommend it for Leslie West's classic tone

I would be tempted to use a stock BKP90 (or at most a BKP91)
You may be pleasantly surprised at the improvements over the stock unit even with the vintage correct BKP90.

I agree with the power amp distortion in those classic mountain sounds and trying to dial out too much fizz is a good idea on your amp.

The other suggestion I will make is consider putting Vitamin Q capacitors on your tone pot - Gibson have generally been using some horrid little ceramic caps and the Vitamin Qs will make a huge difference even with the tone control full up.

£10 a pop may feel like a lot of money for a capacitor but the tonal payoff is well worth it

[brian_ward]

thanks for the replies, gentleman. i will be using a metro amp superbass that i built which is still a non-master volume and i do run it either with channels jumpered (bright volume on 6 normal on 4) or with just the bright volume on 7ish. my band plays loud  :D.  i do realize the pig 90 is not vintage AT ALL but does it have a tendency to eliminate not seperation? ive always been curious about it and it may get the best of me.

[brian_ward]

I agree with Twinfan. The BKP90 is the most vintage accurate - I have tried BKP91s which were great. However, I believe Leslie's sound developed as a bit of an accident when he was forced to use a Sun Coliseum PA head  at full volume (as was the norm at that time). As I assume you will not be using a non master volume amp at full volume you will either have to go with a high gain setup and/or BKP91/92.

 :oops: My girlfriend (at that time) gave me Mountain's Flowers Of Evil as a birthday present. Before she gave it to me her father thought he would play it on his new top of the range system. Not being au fait with the (not so) subtle nuances of rock guitar he was horrified at the resulting sounds (on the live side) and tried to convince the shop that there was a fault with the system  :lol: :lol:

lol. thats awesome. nothing like old guys with too much money and not enough knowledge!

[FernandoDuarte]

Taking advantage of the opened thread...

Phill, do you think the P91 is the right one to have that tone from your brother?? :P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FInjFmM8qR0

[Philly Q]

Phill, do you think the P91 is the right one to have that tone from your brother?? :P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FInjFmM8qR0

Every family has to have an attention-seeker.....  :roll:

Totally awesome guitar though.  Pickup-wise, I don't know - it does sound mighty fat.  Maybe my BKP-91 is a bit like that.

[FernandoDuarte]

Every family has to have an attention-seeker.....  :roll:

Sorry, I couldn't resist :P

Totally awesome guitar though.  Pickup-wise, I don't know - it does sound mighty fat.  Maybe my BKP-91 is a bit like that.

That's why I said, sounds very nice!!

[brian_ward]

you see, thats WAY brighter than i want.

[FernandoDuarte]

Seems like you want a guitar with a pickup only on the neck and with the volume/tone rolled down: jazz alike...