The p90 pickup was first produced in 1946 after production resumed (after World War II). The p90 is often referred to as the soap bar, dog ear or humbucker casing pickups (as these are the major variations of the casing to p90 pickups) and was the standard for the Les Paul model guitars. The p90 is known for having a very thick sounding town and has defined Gibson Guitars for many years. The age old dispute between Fender vs. Gibson ends here. There isn't a better sounding guitar, but they are uniquely defined by their tone. Their tone is mainly characterized by the pickup and the p90 and the variations of this pickup are what has made this guitar a timeless instrument.
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Pickguard for Gibson Les Paul Junior Jr Black 1 ply nb |  |
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US $19.95 | 19d 2h 26m |
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GIBSON LES PAUL NASHVILLE JR JUNIOR WEEK 41 2007 | |
13 Bids | US $710.00 | 7h 3m |
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Gibson Les Paul Junior Billy Joe Armstrong LP Jr 2006 | |
14 Bids | US $540.00 | 8h 36m |
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GIBSON LES PAUL NICKEL KNOB POINTERS JUNIOR VINTAGE | |
0 Bid | US $4.99 | 8h 36m |
The p90 is a single coil pickup. This gives the sound a brighter and more transparent tone than a humbucker. If you were to compare this pickup to a fender pickup, you would hear less crispyness or snap to it. While it does have some single coil twang, it maintains large amounts of midrange and even a bit more low end than Fender guitars. The most popular guitars that use p90's are the Gibson SG, Gibson Les Paul and the Epiphone Casino. P90 pickups from the vintage era are all hand-wound, so there is a bit of variation between each pickup cosmetically.
There was also the H90 which is a stacked version of the p90 that apparently doesn't lose some of the classic p90 sound. One of the issues with the p100 which is another popular variation of this pickup is that it apparently loses a lot of the classic sound (according to it's players). The H90 is supposed to be rid of that issue and is the standard release for the Billie Joe Armstrong Les Paul Junior guitar. The H90 also has slightly higher output than the single coil editions.
Just for fun here is a list of some of the more notable players that used a p90 pickup Gibson Guitar:
John Fogerty
David Gilmour
George Harrison
Tony Lommi
Mick Jones
Robby Krieger of The Doors
Bob Marley
Paul McCartney (Ephiphone Casino)
Wes Montgomery
Mike Oldfield
Les Paul
Muddy Waters
Richard Thompson
Pete Townsend
Leslie West
Neil Young
Frank Zappa
Billie Joe Armstrong
George Thorogood
Whatever your story is, I am sure you will find the tone that suits you best. I think the most notable difference between a Fender and a Gibson is that the Gibson appears to have more body and fullness than a Fender. Although there is a lot to be said about the feel of a Fender Strat, and the how clearly the tones cut through a mix, there is no doubt more body to a Gibson Guitar.
