P90 Telecaster: Bad or Good Idea?

The P90 is a single coil pickup for electric guitars that Gibson introduced in 1946.

It’s such a popular design that the company is still producing them, and you can find third-party brands manufacturing replacement parts.

It produces a warmer tone with less brightness and edge than other pickups because of its unique design.

The coil is wound with a shorter bobbin while the wires stay a little further away from the individual poles compared to Fender’s setup.

As with any single coil pickup, the P90 delivers mains hum unless some type of cancelation is used to counter the sound.

Would it be a good or bad idea to equip the P90 with a Telecaster®?

P90 Telecaster: Bad or Good Idea?

Although you could equip a P90 to a Telecaster to create a beefy sound that demands attention, this step also eliminates the twangy vibe you get from a Fender guitar. It’ll produce more noise, which works for some music genres, but not for others.

Once you replace the standard pickups on any guitar, you lose the qualities that make it an attractive option as a player. If you put P90 pickups on a Tele, the only thing you’re left with is the body shape.

If you’re looking at a blank project for a home build to get custom sounds, this setup makes some sense.

It also comes down to personal taste. Some people love what the P90 does for the Telecaster.

It’s often described as a fat sound that borders on being uncontrollable when you have other band members on stage or a vocalist in the composition.

Some will say that a P90 Telecaster defeats the purpose of the guitar’s design.

Others appreciate the subtle changes that occur when using the Gibson product on a Fender instrument.

Since you’re the one who must play the instrument, the final decision is up to you as to whether it is a bad or a good idea.

What Sounds Does the P90 Produce on a Tele?

When you equip a P90 pickup to a Telecaster, the sounds change to something closer to the early Gibson guitars than the Fender style.

Since it is a single coil design, you’ll get more of a transparent tone with it than you’d get with humbuckers.

It’s also a lot brighter, but it isn’t as snappy and crisp compared to Fender’s designs.

You’ll still get some twang with the switch, but you’ll notice right away that the classic Tele sound disappears with the P90s.

The P90 uses bar magnets under the pole pieces, which is a shift from Fender’s design that uses rod magnets as the pole pieces.

Gibson uses Leesona coil winding machines to create the P90 pickups, which is a technique they’ve used for decades to produce consistent results.

You can opt for the neck or bridge version if you decide to proceed with the Tele modification, with the latter useful for jazz and fingerpicking playing styles.

If you use a P90 from before 1974, the neck and bridge pickups were interchangeable.

Today, the DC resistance tends to be about an ohm lower for the bridge position.

Does It Matter What P90 Casing Gets Equipped to a Tele?

The P90s didn’t last long as Gibson’s standard pickup on their guitars. When the humbuckers came out in 1957 with double coils, guitarists had less hum and more output to use while reducing the high-end response.

That left Gibson to relegate the P90 guitars to their budget models, although guitarists like Carlos Santana and Pete Townshend continued to use them.

You’ll find that three standard P90 casing types are available to use in Telecasters and other electric guitars.

Soap Bar Casing:	• This option provides a rectangular shape for the pickup. • The mounting screws stay contained in the coil perimeter, staying positioned between the poles. • It creates an unusual pattern because it sits between the 2-3 and 4-5 strings. • This unique look makes it seem that there is eight pole pieces total.
Dog Ear Casing:	• If you select this style for a Tele, the casing type offers extensions at both ends of the pickup. • That’s where the mounting screws go, which made them popular for Gibson’s hollow-body designs, such as the ES-330. • You can also find them on a few of the older solid body Les Paul Juniors. • It looks much like the soap bar casing, but you’ll have two triangle-shaped extensions that affix the unit to the instrument.
Humbucker Casing:	• If a guitar has humbucker pickup routing, you’d want to use this option to install a P90. • You’ll need to modify the existing design, creating gaps between the hardware and body in some situations. • It might even contribute to structural issues. • That’s why some Teles don’t respond well to this specific modification.

Should I Purchase OEM P90s or Third-Party Pickups?

If you decide to make a P90 Telecaster at home, you’ll need to get your pickups from a reliable supplier.

Although you can directly purchase them from Gibson, you might not find the right style or look for your guitar.

When you choose the P90 pickups (neck or bridge), you’ll find that three color options come standard from most suppliers: cream, white, and black.

Should you have chrome tones in your guitar, some manufacturers provide a framed P90 pickup that delivers a beautiful classic look for the instrument.

If you decide to purchase P90 pickups from third-party manufacturers, you’ll want to review the country of origin for the manufacturing.

If it comes from a mass-produced facility, which often happens in the APAC region, there’s less quality control across the positions.

You’ll find that hum-canceling struggles in the middle position quite often when purchasing the cheaper P90s that you can find out there.

■ How Much Should I Pay for New P90 Pickups?

If you want to buy the Fender Pure Vintage ’65 pickups for your Tele, you will pay a little over $100 for the neck and bridge.

That’s about what you should expect for using Gibson’s P90 design if you want a substantial playing experience.

Although you can find entry-level pickups for under $15 online today, you’ll get less control over the final sound and sustain.

It might be a way to consider trying a P90 Telecaster if you’re unsure of the modification without spending a lot.

I’ve found a handful of third-party suppliers that offer decent replacements in the $50 range, although some of the pickups have needed significant alterations to affix to the guitar correctly.

You’ll find that the soap bar models tend to be the cheapest. If you want the best, I’d highly recommend using the P90 dog ear design to maximize the effectiveness of your modification potential.

Best P90 Pickups to Use on Telecaster Guitars

When you decide that a P90 Telecaster is a good idea, you’ll need to secure the pickups to create the modification.

If you’re unsure how to modify your instrument safely, a local instrument service shop can provide you with the help you need.

Their service charges can vary widely, so you might want to ask for a quote before proceeding to shop around.

Before you can get a quote, you might get asked to supply the P90 pickups. That’s when you’ll want to consider these choices.

Seymour Duncan Antiquity P90 Dog Ear Pickup	• What I love about these pickups is how they produce a clean tone. • It’ll give you a nice growl once you start dirtying things up. • If you’re not a big fan of the original style, try using some steel wool to age it up a bit to get the sounds you prefer. • If your guitar is tuned toward the lower frequencies, you might find that some of the bass frequencies lack a bit of bite. • For everyone else, you’ll appreciate the crispness of what these P90s produce.
Tonerider Vintage Soap Bar P90	• If you want to give your Telecaster (or another guitar) more of a vintage voice, you’ll appreciate what these P90s provide. • I love how the overall design minimizes feedback. • The manufacturer uses wax potting and scatter winding to deliver that crisp heaviness that came with those first Gibsons. • The advantage you’ll receive with these P90s is the Alnico II magnets incorporated into the design. • Your guitar will feel like it can sustain forever with this option without losing its clarity.
Lindy Fralin Dogear P90 Pickup Set	• Although these P90s aren’t as popular as some other models, you can’t deny the sound benefits you get once they’re equipped. • When you push your amp to its limits, the chainsaw grinds your Tele could create would be insane! • I appreciate the added clarity that comes with these P90s in the midrange. • You’ll get impressive definition levels without any fuss, and the installation process is relatively straightforward.
Seymour Duncan P90 Electric Guitar Pickup	• When you want a fat, single coil sound from your Tele or guitar, you’ll need to give this instrument a closer look. • It has all of the telltale marks of a jazz classic while picking up the older Gibson vibes. • What I like most about this option is its flexibility. • You’ll notice the articulation differences immediately when you equip this P90. • You’ll have more versatility while staying laid-back or slamming home the rhythm. • It gives you the best of Gibson and Fender when strapped to a Tele.

What Do You Think about a P90 Telecaster?

Is a P90 Telecaster a good idea or a bad one?

For me, I appreciate the twang that you get from the Telecaster. Each note receives some natural vibrato as it holds the sustain, delivering some audio bliss to the ear.

That’s why artists like Bruce Springsteen have stuck with this instrument over the years.

Even when you think about the songs released by bands like The Rolling Stones, the signature melodies and rhythms come from Fender’s pickups and overall design.

You could switch to a P90 to get specific sounds from your instrument, but that option creates inconsistencies that could be problematic.

If you’re not careful, you could end up ruining the guitar while trying to finish your modifications.

I can see why some guitarists would want a P90 Telecaster.

I’d probably agree with that idea in some situations since you don’t always get fat sounds from a Tele. In most areas, I’d likely stick to the original setup.

What do you think about the idea of a P90 Tele?