Holmis Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Hello, I was thinking of putting a p90 in my 1965 es120t cause of noise and fuzz from the original single coil, then i did a simple shielding with copper tape, and a proper grounding of the circuit and voila, it is almost dead silent! The sound and tone is now transparent, quite versatile, from bright and shiny to creamy smooth, and honestly, really really nice, but i can´t let the p90 idea go away. Have anyone A-B the 2 pups? I would really be pleased with a review if possible. BTW, those low end semi hollow Gibsons from 50-60s are amazing, mine is loud as a full acoustic with a perfect mellow tone, again, amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsinla Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 1383980966[/url]' post='1447422']Hello, I was thinking of putting a p90 in my 1965 es120t cause of noise and fuzz from the original single coil, then i did a simple shielding with copper tape, and a proper grounding of the circuit and voila, it is almost dead silent! The sound and tone is now transparent, quite versatile, from bright and shiny to creamy smooth, and honestly, really really nice, but i can´t let the p90 idea go away. Have anyone A-B the 2 pups? I would really be pleased with a review if possible. BTW, those low end semi hollow Gibsons from 50-60s are amazing, mine is loud as a full acoustic with a perfect mellow tone, again, amazing! It probably has a better P90 in it now I would guess. All P90's have some noise anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmis Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 It probably has a better P90 in it now I would guess. All P90's have some noise anyway. No, it still got the single coil pup (lipstick SC that is), i was asking if somebody have A-B the single coil vs the p90 from the era? And not regarding the noise, just how they compare tonevise in a semi? So, the question is, if i´m gonna bury the p90 idea in my es120t. Probably my english that´s hard to understand :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR56 Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 i was asking if somebody have A-B the single coil vs the p90 from the era? I know you're talking about a different single coil pickup variation that's in your 120T, but P90's are single coil pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmis Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 I know you're talking about a different single coil pickup variation that's in your 120T, but P90's are single coil pickups. I know that but i couldn´t describe it in a better way, what is it you don't understand, i wrote lipstick single coil vs p90, maybe p90 single coil is better? Then, have somebody A-B the 60s era lipstick single coil vs the 60s era p90 single coil pickups made by Gibson? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 I can,t give you a description of the difference between those pickups in YOUR guitar. If you want the P90 sound, then buy a P90-equipped Gibson. It would take a "hack job" conversion to mount a P90 in the guitar. T-T-O-T-A-L-L-Y DESTROYING its initial intent. I disagree with that. However, you seem "hell-bent" on it form someones description Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsinla Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 I know that but i couldn´t describe it in a better way, what is it you don't understand, i wrote lipstick single coil vs p90, maybe p90 single coil is better? Then, have somebody A-B the 60s era lipstick single coil vs the 60s era p90 single coil pickups made by Gibson? I've never seen a lipstick single coil on a Gibson, chrome? like a Danalectro? I have an old Melody Maker with a thin single coil in it, stock. It has a black plastic cover, no pole pieces, has a bar magnet inside only. Sounds brighter and thinner than a regular P90. Can you post a pic of your guitar that clearly shows the pickup? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmis Posted November 13, 2013 Author Share Posted November 13, 2013 Hell bent, i don´t know what that meen? Yes it is the Melody Maker pickup, the original es120T pickup in it now! Lipstick was another bad description. No, i don´t have to hack up the guitar to fit a p90, i have a Gibson p90 and it snug in even though it´s very tight. Of course i have to make a "new" pickguard too, but it is doable without hacking up the guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Just to clarify...."Hell-Bent" is an American slang term for someone that is 'determined' to do something. Example: I would be "Hell-Bent" NOT to buy a 'hacked-up ES120T for any 'serious money' The Gibson ES-120T pickguard is 'unique' to Gibson and that model. You would have to route it to install a P90. It is your choice,of course. There is to my knowledge no replica guards if you want to take it back to 'normal'. Do you understand "Hell-Bent" now....or even care? My other 'suggestion' is to 'fix' what you have now. Then buy an ES-125T (P90) and then 'compare' them until "Hell Freezes Over"!.....Another American 'slang term' for....A LONG,LONG TIME Oh Yeah.....to the 'crux' (the point) of your question....the P90 will be much more "Ballsy" (def. 'to have more Bass and Mids and grind') than the MM single coil has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmis Posted November 14, 2013 Author Share Posted November 14, 2013 Seems that i have a very hard time to explain what i want to say here. Maybe it has to do with the fact that i´m Swedish, and hence English is not my first language? Usually i have no problem to to be understood but.... NO, i would never hack up the es120t in any way! I should just do a replace pickguard that i can mount the p90 in and that´l fit in to the original screewholes, the original pickguard with it´s MM pickup will rest in the mean time, so no alteration at all. What i wanted to know was if it is worth the trouble, well we´ll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 Sorry Holmis if I seem grumpy. I don,t think that you will find many on the Forum that have actually made the conversion. Therefore, there is not many recommendations. It seems that guitar players are never satisfied and continually want to strive for different tones. Sort of like 'human nature' ...The brown-eyed, brown-haired American wanting to be the blue-eyed, blonde-haired Swede ! I just wish that I had a full head of hair You seem to be 'reasonable' about it......so go for it and report back and tell us what you think. After all, it is your guitar....have fun with it! I am one of the "vintage purists' on the Forum. A bit anal about it,perhaps? I have seen my fair share of "better idea" hack jobs and cringe! My philosophy is "if you don,t like the guitar....get another one".....unless, of course....it has already been 'screwed with' (another American slang term) Good Luck! and Peace! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmis Posted November 15, 2013 Author Share Posted November 15, 2013 Sorry Holmis if I seem grumpy. I don,t think that you will find many on the Forum that have actually made the conversion. Therefore, there is not many recommendations. It seems that guitar players are never satisfied and continually want to strive for different tones. Sort of like 'human nature' ...The brown-eyed, brown-haired American wanting to be the blue-eyed, blonde-haired Swede ! I just wish that I had a full head of hair You seem to be 'reasonable' about it......so go for it and report back and tell us what you think. After all, it is your guitar....have fun with it! I am one of the "vintage purists' on the Forum. A bit anal about it,perhaps? I have seen my fair share of "better idea" hack jobs and cringe! My philosophy is "if you don,t like the guitar....get another one".....unless, of course....it has already been 'screwed with' (another American slang term) Good Luck! and Peace! Well, no offence taken, i´m pretty anal about originality myself :-) I own a few original vintage guitars from the other big american brand and quite a lot of vintage Ibanezes, and i have never altered an original guitar irreversibel. So i should have seen this coming, but the es120t gives me the chance to have a 2 in 1 guitar without any hack up or alteration, we´ll see if i do it, the more i play it since the grounding and shielding, the more i like it soo... Maybe i do as you say and get me an es125 or even an es225, but i´m in the situation that i have to get rid of one to acquire another cause of space :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 Well, no offence taken, i´m pretty anal about originality myself :-) I own a few original vintage guitars from the other big american brand and quite a lot of vintage Ibanezes, and i have never altered an original guitar irreversibel. So i should have seen this coming, but the es120t gives me the chance to have a 2 in 1 guitar without any hack up or alteration, we´ll see if i do it, the more i play it since the grounding and shielding, the more i like it soo... Maybe i do as you say and get me an es125 or even an es225, but i´m in the situation that i have to get rid of one to acquire another cause of space :-( Thanks! You speak and write perfectly good English. Many here, in my country cannot do better as a primary......let alone a 'second' language ..I understand about the space! We all love guitars around here. One can never have too many in my opinion, as long as money is no problem.... I own a '53 ES-125 that is an absolute blues machine.Thick body though ,compared to the thin ones. Besides a '62 ES120T,I have owned the ES125T and ES225TD and both were "smokin" guitars. I agree with your viewpoint of their great acoustical properties also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmis Posted November 16, 2013 Author Share Posted November 16, 2013 Thanks! You speak and write perfectly good English. Many here, in my country cannot do better as a primary......let alone a 'second' language ..I understand about the space! We all love guitars around here. One can never have too many in my opinion, as long as money is no problem.... I own a '53 ES-125 that is an absolute blues machine.Thick body though ,compared to the thin ones. Besides a '62 ES120T,I have owned the ES125T and ES225TD and both were "smokin" guitars. I agree with your viewpoint of their great acoustical properties also. Thanks! I was worried there for a minute, glad to here that my English is OK. "Smoking" pretty much sums it up regarding the Guitars we are talking about :-) A question: I know the info tells about laminated tops on the es120t but mine seems like a solid top, is that possible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 I guess that anything is possible. I highly doubt it though. The ES120T being the most budget model of the lineup. I am fairly certain that it is laminated maple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmis Posted November 16, 2013 Author Share Posted November 16, 2013 I guess that anything is possible. I highly doubt it though. The ES120T being the most budget model of the lineup. I am fairly certain that it is laminated maple. I´m sure you´r right, but when i look in the f-hole i can´t see no seam at all, probably some yellow pigment that hide the seam. Next time i have the scratchplate off, i´ll look in the pup cavity/rout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerwagonjohn Posted November 26, 2013 Share Posted November 26, 2013 Holmis, I have a ES-225T that has a P-90 pick up and the sounds great and that may be an understatment! By the way it's laminated as is the ES-120T. I used to have a Melody maker in the old days and recentally played one at a local guitar store. I agree with CJ, the pick up is rather thin sounding and lower output than a P-90. If you use a replacement pickgard and don't modify the guitar, I see no reason to try out a swap, you may really like it and can always go back. Skol my friend. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmis Posted November 27, 2013 Author Share Posted November 27, 2013 Holmis, I have a ES-225T that has a P-90 pick up and the sounds great and that may be an understatment! By the way it's laminated as is the ES-120T. I used to have a Melody maker in the old days and recentally played one at a local guitar store. I agree with CJ, the pick up is rather thin sounding and lower output than a P-90. If you use a replacement pickgard and don't modify the guitar, I see no reason to try out a swap, you may really like it and can always go back. Skol my friend. John Thanks John, i´ll make the pickguard, i have all parts, but for now, since i've shielded and grounded it properly, i´m so pleased with the guitar that i just enjoy it :-) The p90 i have is a recent one (actually 2), we'll see if it going to do the work properly, exciting! Skål buddy :) BTW, i have a SG 60s tribute (where the p90 intended for the es120t comes from) with Bareknuckle p90s, i can't bond with that one, maybe i´m no p90 player. Well, time will tell, when i got the thumb out of my a.. and do the replacement guard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cú Chulainn Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 how did all this turn out? I'm curious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmis Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share Posted January 4, 2014 how did all this turn out? I'm curious I´m sorry, no exiting news, since i shielded and grounded the Guitar properly i like it so much as it is that i do not see why i should do anything with it! It´s fabolous, i´m looking for another object to put the p90s in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougg330 Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Hello, I was thinking of putting a p90 in my 1965 es120t cause of noise and fuzz from the original single coil, then i did a simple shielding with copper tape, and a proper grounding of the circuit and voila, it is almost dead silent! The sound and tone is now transparent, quite versatile, from bright and shiny to creamy smooth, and honestly, really really nice, but i can´t let the p90 idea go away. Have anyone A-B the 2 pups? I would really be pleased with a review if possible. BTW, those low end semi hollow Gibsons from 50-60s are amazing, mine is loud as a full acoustic with a perfect mellow tone, again, amazing! Hi, Holmis. The pickup in my 120 went micro phonic, so I replaced it with a GFS Vintage P-90. Big difference. The p-90 had a fuller, meatier sound than the 120's original Melody Maker single coil. Then I added a bridge P-90 and that baby could really rock. Sold it recently and have regretted it daily.You will have to modify the nick guard to fit the P90, but my experience with it says that it's worth the effort. Best of luck!Dougg330 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCBirdMan Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 I think that little single coil that was in Melody Makers and otther lower end Gibsons and Epiphones is quite good quote name='Holmis' timestamp='1383980966' post='1447422'] Hello, I was thinking of putting a p90 in my 1965 es120t cause of noise and fuzz from the original single coil, then i did a simple shielding with copper tape, and a proper grounding of the circuit and voila, it is almost dead silent! The sound and tone is now transparent, quite versatile, from bright and shiny to creamy smooth, and honestly, really really nice, but i can´t let the p90 idea go away. Have anyone A-B the 2 pups? I would really be pleased with a review if possible. BTW, those low end semi hollow Gibsons from 50-60s are amazing, mine is loud as a full acoustic with a perfect mellow tone, again, amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmis Posted February 2, 2014 Author Share Posted February 2, 2014 Well, as i wrote before, i´ve settled with the original single coil since i shielded the guitar properly. It´s an amazing guitar with an amazing sound, if it wasn't for the vintage and me as a wimp, it would have been my no 1 gigging guitar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankHendrix Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 Well, as i wrote before, i´ve settled with the original single coil since i shielded the guitar properly. It´s an amazing guitar with an amazing sound, if it wasn't for the vintage and me as a wimp, it would have been my no 1 gigging guitar! I have a '63 ES-120T and I wasn't delighted with the original pickup. I had a fella named Curtis Novak make me one of his p-90 style pickups for it. His pickups fit exactly and they have the same plastic covers as the MelodyMaker pickup. It was a very muscular upgrade and I'm delighted with it. It required nothing that would alter the value or originality of the guitar should I decide to replace the MM back where it was. That said, I am about to upgrade this guitar with some quality tuning machines and a usable bridge so it will actually be playable. Those will also be non-destructive upgrades, but without them the guitar is almost useless in terms of its intonation. http://curtisnovak.com/pickups/repairs/Stealth-ES120/ I have no affiliation with Curtis other than as a customer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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