PRS Custom 24 with P90s

[optilude]

I’m after a P90 guitar and might end up having a “spare” PRS SE Custom 24 (mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard) to put some into.

Thoughts on a set of HSP90s? Possibly the Blue Note or Mississippi Queen.

[AndyR]

It depends what you're after, and how well you know P90s and what you're expecting from them?

I've got the original Mississippi Queens from some years ago. They moved through quite a few guitars and are now in Tokai Love Rock that I don't use very much.

It was my first experience of "P90" and I couldn't quite get to grips with how to use them.

Years later, I have quite a few guitars with P90s in. These are all routed for P90 (I probably wouldn't go HSP90 again myself - but never say never!)

Anyway, the ones where I've installed BKPs, I've used Blue Notes exclusively.

I found those are a lot closer to the "P90" vibe in my head.

I have a few Gibsons that I'm not going to change their pickups out - they're very close to the Blue Note, so I don't feel the need to change them.

My latest P90 guitar is a Fender Noventa Strat. I love the guitar, and the concept, but I've been struggling with the pickups.

And then I realised what it was ... I got the Love Rock out, and yes - the Noventa pickups are more in the Mississippi Queen ballpark - more snarly, and like Leslie West's tone in Mountain (duh!!)

SO, based on that, I'd say:

I prefer a smoother and rounder P90 tone - Blue Notes.
If you want the "snarly" type - Mississippi Queens.

I find you can get both to go in the direction of the other, but through the same amp set up, that's the difference I find between them.

[optilude]

Hi,

That’s super useful, thank you!

I am almost certainly more Blue Note, from your description. I want P90s for the vintage blues tones, not punk rock LP Special sounds.

I was also looking at the Montys ‘54 P90 (in humbucker size) which I think is in the same, more vintage ballpark.

The PRS currently has Bare Knuckle Abraxas in it. But I’ve got a Les Paul coming that will get some PAF style pickups put in it. I’ve wanted a P90 guitar for a while (I’ve also got a Japanese Strat with Radioshop Chris Buck pickups and a ‘78 Telecaster Custom with the original pickups) and I suspect I’ll be leaning on the Les Paul for humbucker sounds, giving the PRS less of a reason for existing. I also had to make a “no more guitars” pledge (for now…) to get conjugal approval for the Les Paul. Which led me to the idea of pitting P90’s into the PRS.

Interesting about the Noventa, by the way. I was quite intrigued by that series!

[b.gandt]

Having had the Blue Notes and currently a Nantucket (similar to the MQ), I agree with AndyR re his compare/contrast.

I also use the Supermassive, which is medium hot, a bit more low end and grind, very P90ish, as in not so hot that you don't recognize it as a P90.  But you did say that Blue Notes are more your direction...