dougg330 Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Hey, all I'm abut to pull the trigger (finally - only took me 3 years) on a new P-93 Riviera. Love the way it plays. Love the neck and middle pickups. But the bridge pickup sounds a little dull to me. Cranked the amp's treble up but the pickup still wasn't getting it done. Any thoughts abut how I can add some sparkle to the bridge unit? I'm open to changing the tone pot or pretty much anything else. No pic - you all know what they look like. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis G Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Hey, all I'm abut to pull the trigger (finally - only took me 3 years) on a new P-93 Riviera. Love the way it plays. Love the neck and middle pickups. But the bridge pickup sounds a little dull to me. Cranked the amp's treble up but the pickup still wasn't getting it done. Any thoughts abut how I can add some sparkle to the bridge unit? I'm open to changing the tone pot or pretty much anything else. No pic - you all know what they look like. :) Can't help you with your question but here's a link to a guy who does a complete rewire, etc. on the same guitar in a multi part series. Worth a look if nothing else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchtopBill Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I would look for a good P-90 pickup: Gibson, DiMarzio, if money is not an object some nice hand-wound boutique pup. I personally would only go with a USA pick up. While you are replacing the pup, you may want to upgrade the pots and caps. The pup is the most important element, however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 dougg330, I have one of them. Does yours have the spacer underneath the bridge pickup? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougg330 Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 dougg330, I have one of them. Does yours have the spacer underneath the bridge pickup? Thanks for you thoughts, everyone. Yes, the bridge PU has the spacer. It just lacks the sparkle of the bridge P-90's in my other guitars. I tried brighter strings - not much help. I'm thinking that replacing it - and maybe the pots with it - would be my best option. I have Fralins in my '66 ES-330 and they sound great. There's a Wolfetone in my Kauer Daylighter Jr. - also great. Looks like I will start scoring EBay for a good one and get it done. As I said, the guitar plays great - and I can just get the bridge PU where I want it, it will be perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Dougg330, Before you switch pickups, have you tried turning off the middle pickup, via the volume knob (bottom front, or bottom back?), and evaluating the Bridge pickup, after that? I used to own a P-93 Riviera, and the middle pickup, though giving interesting sounds (almost "Gretsch" like), when used, I found that it sucked tone, from both the bridge and neck pickup, when on, all the time. So, I simply turned it off, except for times I wanted that particular tone. When you turn it off, the other two act like a 2-P90 pickup guitar. Both neck, and bridge pickups should be a lot brighter/cleaner sounding, that way. So, I my case (and opinion), the middle pickup is (usually) the tone sucking culprit, rather than the bridge or neck pickups. So, give that a try (if you haven't already), and see if it helps??? Cheers, and good luck! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabar Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 P-90's can also be especially finicky as to height adjustment. If the polepieces are too close to the string, the magnetic field can interfere with string vibration, too far away and the tone is weak. Before changing parts, I'd suggest experimenting with height adjustment (of the entire pickup with a spacer and/or adjusting the polepieces) to see if that makes an improvement. Charlie Brown's suggestion about the middle pickup is also a good one, since it costs nothing to try. If neither of those helps, then replacing the bridge pup may be necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Good advice about adjusting the pole heights. You might have to try various combinations of raising the pickup and adjusting the pole heights. It made a big difference, much better in my guitar. Definitely try it before getting new pickups, you might have to do the same thing to them too. You know I love all my Epiphone's, but there is something about this particular guitar, easy to play, good neck...sounds great, looks unreal...I think I like this one about as much as any guitar I've had the pleasure to play, actually, maybe more. I don't care, I still enjoy looking at it :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomse Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 I like the sound of my P93 just the way it is . Its kind of like a Greatch in that you can change the tone and on and off the pickups with the knobs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougg330 Posted November 16, 2013 Author Share Posted November 16, 2013 Postponing a pickup switch. I did a little tinkering with the bridge PU pole pieces and voila... instant high end. The bridge has a lot of play in the saddles, the tuners look a little flimsy, but this guitar stays in tune like a champ. Finding a lot of great tones by playing with the middle PU volume levels. It's like having an infinite pickup selector switch. Very happy with this guitar, for sure. I waited a long time to get it, and now I'm kicking myself for the lost time. Thanks for the help, everyone. So nice having the Forum as a resource. Dougg330 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 Yeah, it's amazing what a little "tinkering" can produce, huh? Glad it worked out well, for you! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old mark Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 I just bought one Friday, the beautiful Wine Red...I LOWERED the pole pieces on the bridge pup and got what I wanted that way...I was looking for a bluesy sound, and I think you might want to try experimenting with the guitar as it is before spending big money on it...There is a LOT of potential given 3 pups, 3 V's and a T...I think just turning off the middle pup will get you where you want to go, and replace those factory strings! They stink. They are really good guitars - I rank them with the Sheraton... mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 Yes, it really is nice having this forum as a resource. Thanks Gibson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 Yes, it really is nice having this forum as a resource. Thanks Gibson Also, yes, on any Epiphone, it is a good practice to change out the original strings for your favorites. It should be part of the initial set up. That also may make a pretty big difference in the tone your guitar/amp/effects combinations produce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougg330 Posted November 18, 2013 Author Share Posted November 18, 2013 Thanks again for your thoughtful suggestions, y'all. have been playing the Riv a lot in the last week, and no longer thinking about a PU switch. That little bit of pole piece adjustment seems to perfectly solved my problem. One of the amazing things I've found about this guitar: it can get downright twangy! Dougg330 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Right on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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