BKP Blue Note P90 vs. Gibson P90 - thoughts?

[edgie]

I just got a Gibson Tribute 60's Studio Les Paul on a trade last night. I like the pickups - thick, snarly with drive and full-sounding with clean tones. However I find that they don't clean up that well.

Will the Blue Note P90 give me that kind of rawness while being able to clean up nicely? I've read some reviews where some guys changed out their stock Gibson P90's to Fralins and Lollars but found them to be polite. I'd like to have an aggressive bluesy p90 for blues-rock but with the ability to clean up nicely where the full-on sound will be akin to the style of Leslie West and Pete Townshend(specifically the Live at Leeds sound). I'm afraid to use P90s that are too hot as they are usually not as sweet as the vintage flavored ones.

Thanks.

[BigB]

I have no experience with BKP P90, and very few with P90s FWIW, but BKPs I've tried so far - vintage Tele, vintage-hot and contemporary Strat, vintage, vintage-hot and contemporary 'buckers - all cleaned up very nicely, and none of them was "too polite" in any way.

Now to be honest, I always rewire my guitars with decent pots (unless the stock ones are already ok), PIO caps, and gibson 50s style wiring. It won't (obviously) change the pup's own tone, but it makes a lot of difference wrt/ volume pots usability IMHO.

[Telerocker]

I agree with Big B. this can be a nice improvement. If you want to change the puppies, I would look at the Nantuckets for that early sixties Gibson-esque snarl. I think BKP's clean up better than most cheaper machineproduced pickups.

[edgie]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I do plan to have it rewired to 50's specs just like the PRS SC250 with Mules that I had.

I looked into the Nantucket 90, while it seems that it will accomplish what I initially wrote as my goal in terms of tone, I think I'd like to try an Alnico II pickup. I tried an alnico II(I forgot the brand) humbucker in a friend's Orville and I liked the combination of warmth, sag, and rawness it has with the 50's wiring.  I have a feeling that it would be even better with a P90. It would have been nice if the Nantucket also has a blues clip.

[Telerocker]

Alnico II will just sound a bit softer, especially in the bass, but still can provide classic snarly P90-tones.