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Links to various forums that include posts about the P-90 Hx. |
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NEWS: We now supply Gibson replica soapbar covers in Gibson Cream, Warm White, Aged White and Black, click the option when ordering.
News: No more routing cavity floors, the new shorter Gen-3 version has arrived and fits most P-90 guitars, the exceptions are those with cavities shown in these pictures. Same sound, same performance as the original Gen-2.
Shortcut links to IMPORTANT stuff on this page ......
Epiphone f-hole talk
f-hole wiring made easy
Dog-Ear cover talk
Soapbar cover talk
Pole spreads available
Mixing and Matching
Install Requirements
Dimensions
Technical & Application info
The Kinman P-90 Hx is so versatile your guitar can sound like it has P-90's (Nasty 90 Extra) or through a range of different sounds to a Jazzmaster (580 Alnico Staple) and 5 terrific authentic P-90 sounds in-between these two extremes. This is one "whole lotta pickup".
For replacing humbuckers also look at our P90-Bucker in the Humbucker section.
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The power-plant under the hood of the most ALIVE and most DYNAMIC P-90.
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Stacks and Sidewinders have given noiseless P-90's a well deserved bad reputation. But that has all changed now because this pickup has Kinman's remarkable Core Strip and Deep Core hum sensor technologies and it moves a lot of air and has changed a lot of minds about noiseless pickups, it's that good. Dynamic Expression is the 3rd Dimension |
| Suitable for all Dog-Ear and Soap-bar covers and now available with Jazzmaster covers |
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New 47.5mm narrow for Epiphone neck |
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Normal 50mm bridge and 47.5mm neck for Gibson & Epiphone |
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F spaced 53mm for Fender bridge |
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Modern Player Telecaster |
Youtube Demos
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Nasty 90b & Nasty 90n |
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Clean Bridge & Sweet Neck |
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Clean Bridge & Sweet Neck |
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Clean Bridge & Sweet Neck |
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Clean Bridge & Sweet Neck |
Kinman makes changing pickups in Epiphones and other f-hole guitars the easiest it's ever been, click to discover Epiphone f-hole talk
The P-90 Hx delivers the magnificent girth, luscious lows, transparent (glassy) piano mid tones, extreme dynamics and touch sensitivity that out characterizes even a great non-noiseless P-90 pickup. It has 206 individual parts and some very sophisticated unconventional thinking to accomplish this extremely difficult task. Now YOU can enjoy magnificent P-90+ sound without that annoying mains hum at a price representing extreme value for money ..... after all it's 206 components cost more to make and assemble than 10 regular noisy P-90's.
Upgrades: Grounded pole screws are now standard on all models as from July-2017
Size does matter and the P-90 Hx being the biggest is the most alive, dynamic, the most stimulating and the most exciting of all pickups ... the P-90 Hx is my best product. Every time I strap on my Gold Top these pickups give me an uncontrollable urge to grin.
Chris Kinman.
In order of least loud to loudest (more or less)
580 Alnico Staple – twangy, bright, exceptional piano mid-tones, huge warm bottom end, generally very Fender-ish like the Staple pickup in the 1956 Gibson Black Beauty.
Sweet Neck – formerly known as the Standard Neck. Powerful bright & clear, good definition, less inclined to mush and blurr on the wound strings.
Clean Bridge – somewhat Fenderish with twang & is not inclined to break-up easily under heavy pick attack at room volume. Great for chicken pickin Country and clean sounds but easily kicks into more typical P-90 growl and grind under a little bit of gain.
Nasty 90 – in Neck position: sounds like a conventional Gibson P-90 but better. In Bridge position: typical thick focused P-90 growl at any volume.
Nasty 90 Extra Louder and more gutsy than the Nasty 90
The P-90 Hx has incredible versatility. That means you are not stuck with one sound, you can swap with any of the 6 different P-90 Hx models and transform your guitar into a completely different beast. With this kind of versatility your guitar can sound like it has a Humbucker (Nasty 90) through a range of sounds to a Jazzmaster (580 Alnico Staple) and 5 terrific sounds in-between those two extremes, all have Zero-Hum.
The P-90 Hx is made possible by new 'Patented' technology and has a remarkable new 600 ohm Gen-3 v2 hum sensor…. it's another first that re-confirms Kinman as the King of noiseless (hum-canceling technology) and the Prince of Expression.
Ted McCarty's 1955 brief to Seth Lover, "silence the P-90", has finally been delivered after 60 years, but not by Seth.
US Patent numbers 6,103,966 & 7,022,909 & 8,791,351
Number of parts in this pickup: 206 (Yes, that's 206 separate individual parts ... makes the P-90 Hx the most incredible value for money) Scroll to see them ...
Number of parts in normal pickup: 13
Number of parts in other brand noiseless: 23
Kinman reserved the right to change specifications from time to time as required for improvement or sourcing of component parts.
We are now offering this specially made non-magnetic mounting plate for Soapbar guitars. It's a 'must have' to replace the similar plate fitted to many Gibson guitars in order to preserve the beyond excellent immunity to hum of our P-90 Hx pickups. The Gibson plate is magnetic steel and greatly compromises hum immunity. The plate is also great for any Soapbar or Mini-humbucker guitar since it makes mounting and adjusting the height of the pickup so very easy. It comes in a kit complete with two long 3-48 UNC mounting screws, 2 special cone springs and two non-magnetic 3 gauge self-tapping screws to secure it to the floor of the cavity. Click the option to include our kit when ordering your P-90 Hx pickup, price is US$25 when included in order with pickups and $30 when ordered separately. To order one separately Contact us.
Our Install Guide instructs the best way to put one of these into your guitar and avoid frustration and failure.
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The P-90 Hx has 206 parts (count them). Most are not found in any other brand. |
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The extraordinary 600 Ohm Hum Sensor's laminated steel H-Core
We make these every day with closely guarded secret methods and materials and |
Asian Epiphone's are reasonably well made guitars but the pickups prevent the guitar achieving it's full sonic potential. Kinman puts you in charge of your Epiphone pickup choice and makes it easier than anyone else to change pickups and breathe new life in to it.
First a testimonial so you know what to expect: I ordered a P-90 Hx set for my Epiphone Casino (made in China circa 2011), Standard Neck and a Nasty 90n for the bridge. I discovered Kinman on the web when searching for solutions to the Casino’s annoying hum.
The hum cancelling is magic. I didn’t expect it to be so good.
But the bigger surprise was the amazing sound of the P-90 Hx. I never realized how flat and dull-sounding the stock pickups were until I installed the Kinmans. It was as though I had been listening to the guitar from another room. The Kinmans are so present and alive. Single notes chime and chords sparkle. The growl when you overdrive them is terrific.
A friend with whom I play regularly has a 50th Anniversary Epiphone Casino ’61 Re-issue with (non-noiseless) Gibson USA P-90s. I can say that my Kinmans have a better, more vibrant P-90 sound than his Gibsons. The Kinmans literally blow the Gibsons away. My good Casino has been transformed into a GREAT one.
Markus Buchart (Winnipeg, Canada)
Kinman’s will bring your Epiphone to life and are easier to install than any other brand. Kinman make it soooo very easy to change pickups in your Epiphone which are normally the most problematic guitars to do so. We achieved this by eliminating the troublesome Epiphone integrated Dog-Ear baseplate which is soldered to the metal cover and replacing it with a neat invention we call the Universal Dog-Ear Mounting Bracket ...... and a better sounding cover that you order separately. The bracket allows you the flexibility to swap any Kinman P-90 Hx in and out of your Epiphone without fuss and bother of modification.
Wiring made easy for Casinos and other f-hole guitars: scroll down to f-hole install made easy
It is preferable NOT to use the original Epiphone Dog-Ear covers because they are heavily soldered to the pickups and somewhat difficult to remove. Also they are made of Brass and that is not the best material because it tends to muffle the sound. You can try to use the original covers by de-soldering them from the pickups. Players have reported an improvement with better pickups installed. But we think you will get a bigger improvement with genuine nickel-silver or plastic covers.
Learn where to buy the best Dog-Ear covers and learn how brass covers degrade the sound of your Epiphone Click Dog-Ear cover talk
Most Kinman P-90 Hx models are available in 47.5mm and 50mm pole spread to suit both original USA, Chinese & Korean Epiphones. The exceptions are Gold Foils and 580 Alnico Staple which are only available in 50mm.
Eliminate removing the pots and switch from Gibson ES335, Epiphone Casino etc with this cunning method. Simply cut the pickup hook-up cable and solder our female Adapter Kit to the part that connects to the controls. The pickup is supplied with our matching Plug which simply plugs into the female Adapter Kit.
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Cut the cable of the original pickup and solder the female socket to it. The Male Plug (with pins) is attached to cable of the new Kinman. They click together and will not accidentally disconnect. |
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We now sell Dog-Ear covers suitable for Epiphones.
The whole metal cover thing is a confusing subject because outwardly good ones look the same as bad ones. Chinese covers are Brass and that is the worst possible material because it destroys sound character and makes the pickup sound dark and muffled with heavily degraded definition and aliveness. Sounds like talking with your hand over your mouth (flat, lifeless and devoid of expression).
The best metal covers are made of Nickel-Silver, same material used on Gibson humbucker and Gibson metal Dog-Ear covers. While the impact on sonic character is slightly noticeable it's not nearly as severe as Brass.
We now stock Nickel-Silver Dog-Ear covers for Epiphones and are an option when ordering. These suit pole spreads of 50mm and 47.5mm and measure, in the middle of the cover, on the highest side ...
USA made original Epiphones of the 60’s (like the Beatles used) have Nickel-Silver Dog-Ear covers and both the neck and bridge have pole spread of 50mm (please measure your pole spreads using the illustration below as a guide). The covers impact on the treble same as humbucker covers do (barely noticeable), however the P-90s’ still sound pretty darn good. The Beatles used USA Epiphone Casinos but the Chinese copies do not sound the same because the pickups and covers are so different from the USA ones. They might look the same but inside there is little resemblance to an original P-90.
Chinese & Korean Epiphones usually have narrow 47.5mm neck and 50mm bridge pole spreads and the covers are invariably Chrome plated Brass. The original pickups have a reputation for sounding dark and lacking dynamic expression (flat and lifeless) not only because of the cheap and nasty covers but also the coils are very different to genuine P-90 and don't sound good anyway. We recommend you include Kinman Dog-Ear covers along with your P-90 Hx pickups.
The 2 different pole spreads of Epiphone Dog-Ear covers and matching Kinman P-90 Hx are displayed in the image below.
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Plastic covers have no impact on the sound what-so-ever, even our Chrome plated one. All Kinman Soap-bar covers (Cream, White, Black & Chrome) are available to suit pickups with 50mm pole spread. Cream and Black Soap-bar covers are also available to suit our unique 53mm and 47.5mm pole spread versions that provide optimum string-over-magnet alignment regardless of narrow or wide string-on-bridge spacing.
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Our new Nickel-Silver soapbar cover |
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We also have White, Chrome and Transparent Soapbar covers but only in 50mm hole spread |
Click for Install Requirements displaying complete dimensions and cavity requirements and lots of other useful information about installation.
Click this for the Install requirements for the original version, now discontinued.
What's wrong with P-90's? Well, compared to our P-90 Hx regular P-90's lacks punch and dynamic range, also we hear offensive midrange spikes which sound abrasive on the plain strings. And then there is the terrible amount of hum they produce (three times that of a Strat). For me I wanted more clean headroom so I can hear the sound of the strings, more punch and more dynamic range. I consider the P-90 has the potential to be the ultimate pickup, but a major redesign would be required.
During the course of the development period I came to realize that some manufacturers of P-90 are under-winding for a lower output in an effort to reduce 60Hz hum. Well they certainly did that but unfortunately they also lost a lot of revered sonic characteristics. It was when I compared these inferior modern cousins to my genuine old original Gibson P-90 (circa 1962) I realize why it is I see so many comments on forums saying the hum from a P-90 is about the same as a Strat pickup. That is a deluded claim because under identical laboratory test conditions a genuine P-90 produces 1500 millivolts of hum compared to 550 millivolts for a Strat pickup. P-90's are incredibly noisy and that's the reason Gibson invented their humbucker back in 1955
Improvements: I greatly improved the definition and clarity in order to reduce the neck pickup's tendency of turning to 'mush' and the bridge pickup's distortion at any volume, under heavy pick attack. This was accomplished by dramatically increasing the dynamic range and then the sonic performance actually got better, a lot better. My noiseless P-90 Hx are great sounding pickups, not offensive in any way, but not polite either. They have a more brutal output and more muscle than regular P-90's and in many ways are more likeable (and more silent) than a humbucker. The P-90 Hx is a incredible explosive and a highly versatile tone machine.
How good is the Kinman? the true test of quality of a P-90 is whether it sounds GREAT in the neck position or not. The Kinman speaks with a BIG voice, notes are so alive they just leap out and played clean it sounds gorgeous and luscious in the neck position. With it's baseball bat attack and extreme dynamic range the sound won't turn to mush too easily when played hard. The sound has piano-like mids, huge deep and warm lows, sweet transparent highs that sizzle rather than clang and dynamic range that takes you from a tonefull gentle whisper to a crunched power chord in a nano second. One more important test is 'does it sound great at low volume?' If a P-90 passes both these tests in the neck position it will sound superb in the bridge position too. Then and only then can it qualify as an authentic sounding P-90 and you'll know because you wont be able to put the guitar down.
The big mouthed Kinman noiseless P-90 Hx with it's remarkable 600 Ohm noise sensor is in a different world to noisy P-90's. It really has got something to crow about.
A new beginning and a twist in history:
The P-90 was cursed with hum from the beginning, that's the reason Gibson developed their famous humbucker back in 1955 …. to eliminate hum. But Gibson's humbucker turned out to be a very different sounding pickup and the P-90 hum problem was not actually solved. The twist of history is now the P-90 Hx is even quieter than a humbucker and many say it sounds better too.
With it's revolutionary 600 Ohm noise sensor this pickup moves a lot of air, and changes a lot of minds about hum-cancelling pickups. It is nothing less than an astounding new beginning for the noiseless era and will start a new chapter of history concerning P-90 sound.
Behind the scenes story:
G'day, Chris Kinman here. Early 2000's I set my goal to duplicate the sonic characteristics of a genuine original P-90 but eliminate the 50/60Hz mains hum, a noiseless or hum canceling P-90 no less. At the time I did not realize the massive effort and complex manufacturing it was going to take to achieve that goal. Now I know the reason noiseless authentic P-90 sound has not been achieved before by other pickup manufacturers. There are a few look-a-likes with side-winders and side-by-side humbuckers under the cover,but not one has anything like real P-90 sound.
When I tried to design a hum cancelling P-90 by applying my existing patented technology I found that which works well for Strats* and Teles* was not suitable to cancel the immense amount of hum a P-90 produces without destroying it's characteristic sound. I came to realize that P-90 sound, although brutal and powerful in some ways, is actually quite fragile and a more sophisticated technique would be required if the original sound and dynamic performance are to be retained.
Discovering the additional solutions took almost 3 more years with countless hours spent and many experimental pickups made and discarded creating a whole bin full of scrap copper wire and parts. There were many times I thought it was an impossible mission and almost came to the point of abandoning the whole idea as a waste of expensive R&D materials and my valuable time.
However, I had made a promise in 2001 and almost in desperation, I continued, like a lonely prospector looking for gold in the wilderness. I'm glad I didn't abandon my quest because eventually, little by little the P-90 gave up it's secrets and I eventually found the Mother Lode.
The P-90 Hx produces magnificent dynamic feel, luscious lows, piano mid tones and extreme dynamics that actually surpass a great P-90 pickup by a long-shot. It has 206 individual parts. some very unconventional design thinking and new technology to accomplish this extremely difficult task. Now YOU can enjoy magnificent dynamic P-90 sound without that annoying mains hum at a price representing extreme value for money (after all those 206 components cost more to make and assemble than 10 regular noisy P-90's).
Limited Edition - 'Inaugural' Sets (all sold -no longer available): It took a few days to dawn on me, and then I began to wonder…was it pre-ordained destiny or wondrous coincidence that the first batch completed manufacture on the 9th day of the 9th month of 2009? After all the set backs and obstacles during those 9 long years I believe it was destiny to arrive on a day with so many 9's in it's date, now known around here as Destiny day, 9-Sept-2009. I believe this pickup is such a major milestone in the evolution of pickup design that to celebrate the arrival of the P-90 Hx after almost 9 years of development I am offering a Limited Edition Inaugural Set collectors pack, only 90 sets will be made and each is assigned a unique serial number between 1 and 90. Each pickup is engraved on the back with it's unique serial number, model designation and date of manufacture as 09-09-2009 and autographed by me, Chris Kinman.
The new plastic box made specially for the P-90 Hx also has a unique Inaugural Series label which is hand inscribed with the unique serial number of the pickups. These sets will become collectors items and will rise in value in the future because only 90 sets will be made.
These Inaugural Series sets are set apart with special neck and bridge coils that are not otherwise currently available. The different wind especially for the neck pickup has even more definition, tone and harmonic bloom but still has the big sound that P-90's are noted for. There is almost no tendency to mush out, it just responds with even louder clearly delivered notes. The regular neck pickup is not rendered inferior by this one as it is itself dramatically better than my late 50's Gibson original. The Fat bridge pickup delivers a more open sound (less nasal) with a broader growl ... going towards a humbucker.
These Limited Edition 'Inaugural Series' sets are all sold - no longer available
The Gen-3 story.
In 2020 I set out to shave 3mm off the height of the P-90 Hx to avoid routing the cavity floor. This was no easy thing because I had to invent new hum-sensing technology that is 3 times more efficient than what my laminated steel H-Core hum sensor has. The H-Core was a revolution at the time but it has a coil gap of 6mm, I had to reduce that to 3mm. This seemed like an impossible challenge but I was serious about it and once again I developed mental motivation that drove me to success. The Gen-3 v2 hum sensor develops the same voltage with less than half the coil turns count and half the coil gap of the original H-Core sensor, and it has just 38 component parts whereas the H-Core had 152. Of course it wasn't easy to develop this design, it took me 6 months of intensive experimentation and many sleepless nights (I put myself under a lot of pressure).
We are now offering this specially made non-magnetic mounting plate kit for Soapbar guitars. It's a 'must have' to replace the similar plate fitted to many Gibson guitars in order to preserve the beyond excellent immunity to hum of our P-90 Hx pickups. The Gibson plate is magnetic steel and greatly compromises hum immunity. The plate is also great for any Soapbar or Mini-humbucker guitar since it makes mounting and adjusting the height of the pickup so very easy. It comes in a kit complete with two long 3-48 UNC mounting screws, 2 special cone springs and two non-magnetic wood screws to secure it to the floor of the cavity. Click the option to include our kit when ordering your P-90 Hx pickup, price is US$25. To order one separately the price is $30, Contact us.
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The P-90 Hx has 206 parts (count them). Most are not found in any other brand. |
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The extraordinary 600 Ohm Hum Sensor's laminated steel H-Core
We make these every day with closely guarded secret methods and materials and |
Asian Epiphone's are reasonably well made guitars but the pickups prevent the guitar achieving it's full sonic potential. Kinman puts you in charge of your Epiphone pickup choice and makes it easier than anyone else to change pickups and breathe new life in to it.
First a testimonial so you know what to expect: I ordered a P-90 Hx set for my Epiphone Casino (made in China circa 2011), Standard Neck and a Nasty 90n for the bridge. I discovered Kinman on the web when searching for solutions to the Casino’s annoying hum.
The hum cancelling is magic. I didn’t expect it to be so good.
But the bigger surprise was the amazing sound of the P-90 Hx. I never realized how flat and dull-sounding the stock pickups were until I installed the Kinmans. It was as though I had been listening to the guitar from another room. The Kinmans are so present and alive. Single notes chime and chords sparkle. The growl when you overdrive them is terrific.
A friend with whom I play regularly has a 50th Anniversary Epiphone Casino ’61 Re-issue with (non-noiseless) Gibson USA P-90s. I can say that my Kinmans have a better, more vibrant P-90 sound than his Gibsons. The Kinmans literally blow the Gibsons away. My good Casino has been transformed into a GREAT one.
Markus Buchart (Winnipeg, Canada)
Kinman’s will bring your Epiphone to life and are easier to install than any other brand. Kinman make it soooo very easy to change pickups in your Epiphone which are normally the most problematic guitars to do so. We achieved this by eliminating the troublesome Epiphone integrated Dog-Ear baseplate which is soldered to the metal cover and replacing it with a neat invention we call the Universal Dog-Ear Mounting Bracket ...... and a better sounding cover that can be incluied along with your Kinman pickups. The bracket allows you the flexibility to swap any Kinman P-90 Hx in and out of your Epiphone without fuss and bother of modification.
It is preferable NOT to use the original Epiphone Dog-Ear covers because they are heavily soldered to the pickups and somewhat difficult to remove. Also they are made of Brass and that is not the best material because it tends to muffle the sound. You can try to use the original covers by de-soldering them from the pickups. Players have reported an improvement with better pickups installed. But we think you will get a bigger improvement with genuine nickel-silver or plastic covers.
Most Kinman P-90 Hx models are available in 50mm pole spread to suit original USA Epiphones, as well as 47.5mm to suit both Chinese & Korean Epiphones.
Eliminate removing the pots and switch from Gibson ES335, Epiphone Casino etc with this cunning method. Simply cut the pickup hook-up cable and solder our female Adapter Kit to the part that connects to the controls. The pickup is supplied with our matching Plug which simply plugs into the female Adapter Kit.
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Cut the cable of the original pickup and Male Plug attached to cable of the new Kinman |
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|
The whole metal cover thing is a confusing subject because outwardly good ones look the same as bad ones. Chinese covers are Brass and that is the worst possible material because it destroys sound character and makes the pickup sound dark and muffled with heavily degraded definition and aliveness. Sounds like talking with your hand over your mouth (flat, lifeless and devoid of expression).
The best metal covers are made of Nickel-Silver, same material use on Gibson humbucker and Gibson Dog-Ear covers. While the impact on sonic character is slightly noticeable it's not nearly as severe as Brass.
Kinman now stocks Nickel-Silver Dog-Ear covers in 50mm bridge pole spread and 47.5mm neck pole spread.
USA made original Epiphones of the 60’s like the Beatles used have Nickel-Silver Dog-Ear covers and both the neck and bridge have pole spread of 50mm (please check your pickups). The covers impact on the treble same as humbucker covers do, however the P-90s’ still sound pretty darn good. The Beatles used USA Epiphone Casinos but the Chinese copies do not sound the same because the pickups and covers are so different from the USA ones. They might look the same but inside there is little resemblance to an original P-90.
Chinese & Korean Epiphones usually have narrow 47.5mm neck and 50mm bridge pole spreads and the covers are invariably Chrome plated Brass. If desired replacement pickups and covers with 50mm pole spread can be used for both pickups . The original pickups have a reputation for sounding dark and lacking dynamic expression (flat and lifeless) not only because of the cheap and nasty covers but also the coils are very different to genuine P-90 and don't sound good anyway.
The 2 different pole spreads of our Dog-Ear covers that match Kinman P-90 Hx are displayed in the image below.
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Plastic covers have no impact on the sound what-so-ever. Kinman Cream, Black soap-bar covers are available to suit our pickups with 47,5mm, 50mm and 53mm pole spread.
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Click for Install Requirements displaying complete dimensions and cavity requirements and lots of other useful information about installation.
What's wrong with P-90's? Well, if a filthy dirty distorted sound at practically any volume that lacks punch is what you want then they are ok except for the terrible amount of hum they produce (at least double that of a Strat). For me I wanted more clean headroom so I can hear the sound of the strings, more punch and more dynamic range. I consider the P-90 has the potential to be the ultimate pickup, but a major redesign would be required. A lot of P-90's also have offensive midrange spikes and sound ragged (abrasive) on the plain strings.
During the course of the development period I came to realize that some manufacturers of P-90 are under-winding for a lower output in an effort to reduce 60Hz hum. Well they certainly did that but unfortunately they also lost a lot of revered sonic characteristics. It was when I compared these inferior modern cousins to my genuine old original Gibson P-90 (circa 1962) I realize why it is I see so many comments on forums saying the hum from a P-90 is about the same as a Strat pickup. That is a deluded claim because under identical laboratory test conditions a genuine P-90 has 650 millivolts of hum compared to 250 millivolts for a Strat pickup. P-90's are incredibly noisy.
Improvements: I greatly improved the definition and clarity in order to reduce the neck pickup's tendency of turning to 'mush' and the bridge pickup's distortion at any volume, under heavy pick attack. This was accomplished by dramatically increasing the dynamic range and then the sonic performance actually got better, a lot better. My noiseless P-90 Hx are great sounding pickups, not offensive in any way, but not polite either. They have a more brutal output and more muscle than regular P-90's and in many ways are more likeable (and more silent) than a humbucker. The P-90 Hx is a incredible explosive and a highly versatile tone machine.
How good is the Kinman? the true test of quality of a P-90 is whether it sounds GREAT in the neck position or not. The Kinman speaks with a BIG voice, notes are so alive they just leap out and played clean it sounds gorgeous and luscious in the neck position. With it's baseball bat attack and extreme dynamic range the sound won't turn to mush too easily when played hard. The sound has piano-like mids, huge deep and warm lows, sweet transparent highs that sizzle rather than clang and dynamic range that takes you from a tonefull gentle whisper to a crunched power chord in a nano second. One more important test is 'does it sound great at low volume?' If a P-90 passes both these tests in the neck position it will sound superb in the bridge position too. Then and only then can it qualify as an authentic sounding P-90 and you'll know because you wont be able to put the guitar down.
The big mouthed Kinman noiseless P-90 Hx with it's remarkable 600 Ohm noise sensor is in a different world to noisy P-90's. It really has got something to crow about.
A new beginning and a twist in history:
The P-90 was cursed with hum from the beginning, that's the reason Gibson developed their famous humbucker back in 1955 …. to eliminate hum. But Gibson's humbucker turned out to be a very different sounding pickup and the P-90 hum problem was not actually solved. The twist of history is now the P-90 Hx is even quieter than a humbucker and many say it sounds better too.
With it's revolutionary 600 Ohm noise sensor this pickup moves a lot of air, and changes a lot of minds about hum-cancelling pickups. It is nothing less than an astounding new beginning for the noiseless era and will start a new chapter of history concerning P-90 sound.
Behind the scenes story:
G'day, Chris Kinman here. Early 2000's I set my goal to duplicate the sonic characteristics of a genuine original P-90 but eliminate the 50/60Hz hum, a noiseless or hum canceling P-90 no less. At the time I did not realize the massive effort and complex manufacturing it was going to take to achieve that goal. Now I know the reason noiseless authentic P-90 sound has not been achieved before by other pickup manufacturers. There are a few look-a-likes but not one has anything like real P-90 sound.
When I tried to design a hum cancelling P-90 by applying my existing patented technology I found that which works well for Strats* and Teles* was not suitable to cancel the immense amount of hum a P-90 produces without destroying it's characteristic sound. I came to realize that P-90 sound, although in some ways brutal and powerful, is actually quite fragile and a more sophisticated technique would be required if the original sound and dynamic performance are to be retained.
Discovering the additional solutions took almost 3 more years with countless hours spent and many experimental pickups made and discarded creating a whole bin full of scrap copper wire and parts. There were many times I thought it was an impossible mission and almost came to the point of abandoning the whole idea as a waste of expensive R&D materials and my valuable time.
However, I had made a promise in 2001 and almost in desperation, I continued, like a lonely prospector looking for gold in the wilderness. I'm glad I didn't abandon my quest because eventually, little by little the P-90 gave up it's secrets and I eventually found the Mother Lode.
The P-90 Hx produces magnificent dynamic feel, luscious lows, piano mid tones and extreme dynamics that actually surpass a great P-90 pickup by a long-shot. It has 206 individual parts. some very unconventional design thinking and new technology to accomplish this extremely difficult task. Now YOU can enjoy magnificent dynamic P-90 sound without that annoying mains hum at a price representing extreme value for money (after all those 206 components cost more to make and assemble than 10 regular noisy P-90's).
Limited Edition - 'Inaugural' Sets (all sold -no longer available): It took a few days to dawn on me, and then I began to wonder…was it pre-ordained destiny or wondrous coincidence that the first batch completed manufacture on the 9th day of the 9th month of 2009? After all the set backs and obstacles during those 9 long years I believe it was destiny to arrive on a day with so many 9's in it's date, now known around here as Destiny day, 9-Sept-2009. I believe this pickup is such a major milestone in the evolution of pickup design that to celebrate the arrival of the P-90 Hx after almost 9 years of development I am offering a Limited Edition Inaugural Set collectors pack, only 90 sets will be made and each is assigned a unique serial number between 1 and 90. Each pickup is engraved on the back with it's unique serial number, model designation and date of manufacture as 09-09-2009 and autographed by me, Chris Kinman.
The new plastic box made specially for the P-90 Hx also has a unique Inaugural Series label which is hand inscribed with the unique serial number of the pickups. These sets will become collectors items and will rise in value in the future because only 90 sets will be made.
These Inaugural Series sets are set apart with special neck and bridge coils that are not otherwise currently available. The different wind especially for the neck pickup has even more definition, tone and harmonic bloom but still has the big sound that P-90's are noted for. There is almost no tendency to mush out, it just responds with even louder clearly delivered notes. The regular neck pickup is not rendered inferior by this one as it is itself dramatically better than my late 50's Gibson original. The Fat bridge pickup delivers a more open sound (less nasal) with a broader growl ... going towards a humbucker.
These Limited Edition 'Inaugural Series' sets are all sold - no longer available
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Nasty 90b & Nasty 90n
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Clean Bridge & Sweet Neck
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Clean Bridge & Sweet Neck
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Clean Bridge & Sweet Neck
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Clean Bridge & Sweet Neck
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I have been enjoying my new p90hx pickups (Sweet Neck and Clean Bridge) which I installed in a 2021 Gibson SG Special, but yesterday they got their first real test, playing with a full band. The ad copy is true. My SG no longer hums, even with a cranked amp .. and these pickups are also much more open, present, and articulate than the stock set. They are incredibly versatile, going from jangly clean to roaring and distorted, which still maintaining clarity between strings.
This guitar has now moved into my number one spot. The one thing it had holding it back before was the hum in certain situations. With that obstacle out of the way, plus their versatility to tackle many different styles, there's a good reason for this it to now be my number one axe.
Kinman were also very responsive and helpful regarding some questions my tech and I had, despite a major difference in time zones. I'm very glad I took the plunge on buying these pickups and I would highly recommend them to anyone who loves p90s but doesn't love buzz & hum, and wouldn't be satisfied with a "p90" that was in reality a stealth humbucker. Thank you for these marvelous pickups, Kevin.
I played my new Gold Foil for a long time this morning and wanted to tell you that it sounds awesome. Really brings out the natural tone and resonance of my guitar. Super responsive. Sweet highs. Woody. Just great stuff. I think that this has officially become my favorite electric. Thank you so much for you ingenuity and great customer service. PEACE! ~A Adam Reichmann
Two P-90 Hx in an Epiphone dot (replacing humbuckers) I have seldom seen a guy so pleased with a product. He was in heaven. Just great versatile sound. I have to design a new model guitar for a set of these pups! I wouldn't know if they should sound better, but both my custumer and I, are VERY pleased. Thanks guys! BR Peder (Guitar artisan, Denmark www.artist-site.dk)
Hi Chris, Thankyou for these wonderful pickups. They have transformed my Les Paul Special formally fitted with P100's into the most versatile Gibson one could own. Flat out they provide a big power chord and solo sound. The neck pickup has excellent articulation and sparkle around 3 to 6 and just explodes into this thick lead tone on full. Bridge sounds great also. These really are tonefull pickups. Great character like the P90's of old but without the noise that put's everyone off using them, I mean silent!!! I think it has now has less hum than any guitar I've owned. I've always been a huge Pete Townsend fan around the Live at Leed's time with his P90 equiped SG. These pickups put you right in that zone, makes a 50 year old fella want to go out and buy a Hi Watt amp and a couple of Hi Watt cabinets, turn up to 11 and play Pinball Wizard!
Hey Chris, The project turned out great and the guitar sounds fantastic. I’m in the process of making recordings now and will likely do a video too and post it on YouTube. I tried a couple different Strat pickups for the middle position, and ended up choosing the AVn-63. It only figures into the 2 & 4 position tones anyway since I have the #3 position offering the two Hx P-90s together. So the guitar offers a great palette of tones. I ended up using the maple body as my alder body rout is going to need to be just a bit deeper for these pickups. But the maple body rout was plenty deep, so I just went with it because I had a set of Vintage Vibe P90s in it before and it sounded really good. And the tones with your P90 Hx pickups are just as good, so I’m very pleased. You know, I sold my 4 sets of Vintage Vibe P90s because I just couldn’t deal with the noise. As much as I loved the tones, with the way I play I just couldn’t make it work very well. I had to cut the beginnings and ends of all my recordings very close or you would hear too much of the noise. So there’s no need for that anymore. You did very well with these, I must say. Sure is a lot of fun to play these. Follow this links to hear all that wonderful nasty P-90 vibe (fat and focused) in spades… http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=868554&content=songinfo&songID=8755328 http://soundclick.com/share?songid=8619949 and http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=868554&songID=8604826 Cheers,
Joe: The Kinman P90 is the best sounding pickup of any guitar I've ever owned. It's unbelievable to me how good this sounds. I have it with the new Tele Bridge Blaster in a Chinese Telecaster knockoff guitar, and the tone is out of this world, and it is absolutely dead quiet. I can't for the life of me figure out how you guys do this!! I don't know what to do now....the guitar I put it in is a "beater" that I keep in my office for noodling and playing, and now I want this tone in my other guitars. As for the new Tele Bridge Blaster bridge pickup, it balances nicely with the P90, and has nice twang as well. I think I want Kinman pickups in all of my guitars now.......
Well there are a couple of things that really struck me when I got the pickups. 1. The packaging is really nice. Now I know that it doesn't really add to the sound, but the boxes appeared like they'd look great on a shelf in a store. The packing job was first rate; very nicely done as well. 2. The pickups themselves are very substantial; I think they're the heaviest pickups I've ever seen. I took the cover off for a peak at the inner workings and I could see right away that they were like nothing else on the market. I have no idea what was going on in there, but it looked like there was a lot of time invested in the design and I can see where the extra cost comes from. Very complex looking device. 3. The sound is EXACTLY what I was hoping for. They clean up and sing sweetly and they get very rude and have that nice krack sound when you drive it hard and beat on the guitar. As good as the sound clips were online these surpassed my expectations. I couldn't be happier. 4. They are a tight fit for an SG, but they do fit which is all that matters. 5. I've recommended them to just about everyone I can think of. Yes, there are a few other options out there that are cheaper, but they are just sideways laid humbuckers. These P-90 Hx are something unique and are not a compromise to the P90 tone. Fantastic pickups!
Thanks and I love them!. So glad I choose your P-90 Hx! Just used the guitar with your pickups for Dunkin Doughnuts national radio ad. Killer!!!
Im absolutely delighted with the P90 Hx's. They are amazing. The quietness is one thing, but the tone out of these is just rediculously good- especially the neck pickup. Major improvement over the stock boomy, mushy Gibson P90s in my SG Special. So glad I got these in January -12 !! Thanks Chris these are great! And thanks Joe for all the support along the way! So now Im curious about your other pickups.
Hi People like you make the difference in this crazy world! Thank you for your devotion! I use your P-90 Hx and what a fantastic pickup!! greetings from Munich Gremany!
Hi Chris and staff, just a quick note to tell you my experience with the P90 HX set. Service,shipping and handling were great and delivery by Fedex excellent. The pups were easily installed following your instructions and I have to say that they sound every bit as good as your description and I must say better than I expected. I was afraid I might lose the real P90 tone but I actually prefer the sound of your P-90 HX set and they will be with that guitar for life. I'll be back for something else I'm sure.
Single P-90 Hx in bridge position of a Tokai LP Jnr replica Hey Chris. The P90X is fabulous. Love it. Responsive, has "quack", is touch sensitive. Whenever you have a large HB sized version, I'll take a pair. Thanks mate.
P90-hx sonic horizons. All I can say is WOW! And thank you! I just received my p90hx and installed it right away. It sounds better than I ever thought it would. I will definitely spread the word to anyone looking for any pickup! I installed the bridge pickup and I love how creamy and full sounding it is while still attaining bridge pickup qualities. Thanks again. Cheers!
Single P-90 Hx in bridge position of a PRS Features Noiseless P90 with a 600 Ohm low impedance “noise sensorâ€. Technically, it’s impressive to see: far from two plain coils stacked on each side of two bar magnets. The Kinman has two coils of different shapes mounted on a complex structure and several shielding screens. According to the builder, there’s 202 individual parts (where a “real†P90 includes 13 parts only). The rounded shape of the upper coil accepts various types of covers. The whole pickup is taller than a standard P90, like most noiseless devices. Electronically… I won’t mention its DC resistance because it doesn’t mean anything : the power of a P90 depends on its inductance. Of course, the inductance of a pickup is generally related to its DC resistance. That’s why current noiseless P90’s loose their powerful sound to a higher DC resistance, translating in an altered tone (the sound of a humbucker). But here it’s not the case: the P90Hx has a low resistance and 6,13 Henry of inductance, according to my measurements. It’s not the highest possible value for a P90. But it’s already huge (the same inductance than many high gain humbuckers) and it gives a strong attack, without that compressed and muffled tone often due to an excessive resistance. Instrument: I had already five electric guitars : home made Strat with Fender pickups, ash body and maple neck Fender Strat Dlx with Kinman Blues Set, Gibson LP Std with Duncan SH55’s, Variax500 with an added Duncan SH13, Charvel CH4 with active electronic… I’ve bought a PRS SE one especially to mount a noiseless P90 Hx in it (bridge position, a single volume pot). I’ve therefore dug the single cavity of the guitar because it wasn’t deep enough… but it’s worth the effort. Although made in Korea, the PRS has an extraordinary bright resonance, that the P90Hx enhances with much soul and natural. Sound: Playing since 1980, I’ve always considered the P90 as a perfect crossing between a single coil and a humbucker. The Kinman reproduces this tone without the huge hum traditionally generated by P90’s… but with all these nuances that a good P90 expresses and that other noiseless clones tend to flatten. As I’ve kept the capacitor against treble bleeding mounted by PRS, the sound doesn’t darken when I lower the volume: in the crunch or drive channel of a tube amp, it gives many interesting tonal shades… Roll off your volume pot around 2 or 3: it sounds clean, jangly, twangy. The sound of the sixties, almost more than through my Strats. Rise the level around 7 or 8 and play with your fingers: the guitar literally speaks with a sensual voice that I’ve rarely heard elsewhere. Almost more “woman tone†than my beloved Les Paul itself. Crank up your pot: you now have a creamy sound, with a strong attack and that wonderfully “morphing†release that single coils or high inductance pickups generate (you can hear something like vowels while the sustain decreases: if you don’t know what I mean, listen Roy Buchanan and say to yourself that the Kinman does it effortless thanks to its single coil architecture AND high inductance). The SH13 mounted in one of my other guitars doesn’t seem more powerful, without having that harmonic complexity due to Alnico magnets. Result: I’ve been able to play Eddie Cochran, modern blues, mainstream pop as well as Metallica with the P90Hx… and with a single amp setting if needed! Another good surprise is the ability of this pickup to handle bottleneck licks without noise : nor hum nor fret buzz. Just that thick tone that a bottleneck requires. Now to mention how it behaves plugged in a Boss acoustic simulator: thanks to its dynamic, the Kinman gives many room to such an emulator. Volume full up, it sounds like a nylon stringed guitar. Pot rolled down, it produces a thinner and brighter tone, like a standard country axe… My Variax could collect the dust in a near future. Conclusion: exceptionally rich sounding and surprisingly versatile for a single pickup with a single pot! Overall rating: Outstanding. Not the strongest P90 available but just enough powerful to give serious balls and clear enough to translate perfectly the subtlety of your playing as well as the original resonance of the guitar. Not the kind of pickups whose hegemonic tone hides anything else than itself – IOW: the contrary of a DiMarzio X2N, for example, although the Kinman doesn’t seem weak compared to it. The P90 Hx sounds open, strong and alive. Furthermore, not only it delivers a convincing noiseless P90 tone, but mounted as it is in my SE, it’s in itself one of the most versatile pups I’ve ever played, and maybe the most inspiring. For these reasons, this pickup is a milestone in my already long guitar trip. The owner of my favorite music shop, who is also a friend, is accustomed to high quality gear: he owns 13 American PRS’s. And he’s sold too!
Pair of P-90 Hx in a Gibson Les Paul Gold Top Hi Chris, Got the P90s on Monday (thank you very much!) and put them in my Gibson Gold Top that came with P-100's. Here's my first impressions. Tone: Clear as a bell, both front and back and really well rounded sounds. The bridge pup has a really nice snap to it and doesn’t sound honky, (don’t know what you discovered but it works!) and it has what I can only describe as a fidelity to the sound. You could say it’s a bit more refined than a normal P90, however it is punchy, it is clear but when I turn it up I get a great growley sound as well. The neck pup again has a really nice well rounded warm tone but still really clear for a neck pup and nowhere near as woofey as a normal P90. They are a pair of little cream chameleons, turn them down and they are nice and pretty and clean, open them up and whoa they get all dirty and nasty. And the bridge really, really growls. As a gnarley old Tele player, I love their tones as they have the clarity of a good Tele but they also have a bit more of the meat and grunt of a good humbucker if that’s possible? Installation: Both went in easily and your instructions were very clear and helpful as I did have to use the existing Gibson covers as yours were too tight in the corners to fit in my Gold Top. BTW, the trick of putting in the additional rubber at the back of the cavity to change the pup angle is a little gem!! I also had no issue with my pup cavity as they were already deep enough having P100s. One thing I was really impressed with was that the balance of the pole pieces were spot on straight out of the box. I had to do no adjustments on both pups in terms of balancing the pole pieces. Well Done! Packaging: Loved the plastic boxes, messages and what you provided as everything necessary to do the installation (extra rubber, screws etc.). Noise: As you stated on your site there is a tiny bit of incidental noise, however, let me clarify what I found. On the Bridge position there is no noise at all! Man it is dead quiet! On the neck position there is a tiny bit of background noise that disappears when you touch (ground) any part of the guitar. On the middle position, (both pups) the noise is slightly louder for some reason but still disappears when you touch (ground) the guitar. I have to stress it is still VERY quiet. My Gold top has the proper grounding, proper wiring and shielding in the pup cavities and control cavities and the noise level is not that noticeable nor is it anywhere near a normal P90, so a huge tick for noise reduction! Thanks again for a great set of P-90 pickups, I can guarantee that the Gold Top is going to get more action from now on. I never took it on stage with the P-100's as they did not inspire me to play well. Cheers, Butch
Pair of P-90 Hx in a Hamer P-90 heaven. Chris, I would just like to say how impressed I am with the new P-90's. They are without a doubt the best sounding noiseless P-90 pickups ever made. They have turned my lowly Hamer into a snarling, biting giant killer. It is now my most aggressive sounding guitar, in a very good way. It absolutely shreds for rock, and they clean up nicely for more dynamic blues based playing as well. The neck pickup is especially fine for high gain soloing ... what a tone!!!! I have 3 other guitars with humbuckers. A '02 Gibson LP sunburst, an '07 Gibson 339, and a '94 Hamer Koa Studio (with Gibson Burstbucker Pro's) and the new Kinman P-90 Hx's smoke them all. Not that the other guitars sound bad at all, but these are on another level both in gain and tone. I would say if I was recording a ballad or something light, I'd be more inclined to use one of the other guitars. This P-90 Hx equipped Hamer is just a very different animal. I like that, because it gives me some variety. The three other humbucker equipped guitars sound very sameish and don't have as much tone as the Hamer with the Kinmans. The noiseless P-90 pickups I've had before are Seymore Duncans which replaced the Dimarzios I had a couple years ago so the Kinmans are actually my THIRD set of noisless P-90's. I'm very very happy! Many thanks,
Pair of P-90 Hx in a Gibson Les Paul Gold Top Hi Chris, I used the Gold Top with the P-90 Hx on the weekend gig. MATE ….. you were absolutely right! They certainly have the growl of a ‘normal’ P90 when you open them up without any of the associated noise that usually accompanies P90s. The sound guy in the Casino was very impressed as when we were doing the sound check we both stood right next to my amp which was turned up quite loud and even he couldn’t believe the lack of any noise coming out. The bridge pickup had all the bite and growl of a P90 with a really nice midrange sort of tone without being too honky. However, I was surprised that it still had the clarity I spoke about last week when you back off the volume a little which I always do and in a live situation it had just the right amount of clarity but with its own bit of fur around the notes (tone heaven). When blasting through my pedalboard and the associated overdrive pedals is just rocked and screamed like you would expect but it maintained a real creaminess to the notes. The neck pickup also had the same characteristics as the bridge pickup in that when you turn it up it is really nice and fat and exactly what you need in a neck pickup. However, I guess the best test of any set of pickups for me is the in-between position and I can only say that my personal reference point is always the guitar sound in Credence Clearwater Revival’s “Green Riverâ€. That is John Fogerty playing a Les Paul with P90s (I’ve seen him in concert) using the in-between position and these little puppies nailed it completely! All in all, a complete success. These guys are taking up permanent residence in my Gold Top, which I have never used in anger with the P-100's in it. Cheers, Butch
Greetings, Just wanted to shoot you a quick msg regarding your P90's. I bought a Sweet Neck & Nasty 90 bridge from you guys a couple of months ago and waited until now to msg you as I wanted the honeymoon period to pass before finalising my thoughts. The difference these pickups make to my Reverend Jetstream 390 (now a 290 as I'm just running neck and bridge) is unbelievable! The stock pickups weren't bad (they weren't awesome but they did the job) but I couldn't use the guitar because the P90's in it were so noisy that they overpowered my playing and you could always here the hum, they were also abit woofy and overly focused in the mids and lower mids so the guitar had a nasal, strangled kind of sound. I loved the feel of it but not the sound. These Kinman pickups are amazing. They have absolutely brought this guitar to life so that now it sounds as good as it feels. The neck pickup is warm, smooth and sweet without being overly dark or muddy, it's the most beautiful neck pickup I've ever heard.
The bridge is fantastic by itself, it's got the perfect balance of depth and bite that where I used to primarily play with the bridge combined with another position, I'm finding myself playing a lot more on just the bridge pickup, it sits perfectly in the mix with just enough edge that I can drive break up with pick attack while still coaxing sweet cleaner sounds with lighter picking that just wash perfectly and fill out space with delay and reverb. Both together is absolute bliss. The perfect balance I've always wanted and for how I play, an amazing combination. So much warmer than a Tele in the middle position but still incredibly articulate and responsive to my picking. I've been able to use this guitar now without issue (and have played it continuously for weeks now without picking up another guitar) plus I've gotten more comments on how killer it sounds than any of my other guitars. Chris, thank you so much, I love P90's but never could use them because of the noise and interference, these are absolutely glorious!!!!! Thank you!!!! Judd Manley-Breen.
Thank you for your great sounding, quiet P90 Hx Clean Bridge. i played a country gig the other night with it in my SG Junior & it was the best sounding Tele i've heard (laugh).
As much as i always loved the tone, i had given up on P90s until now, your P90 saved my SG.
Thank you.
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