meaux Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 Gibson, Kent Armstrong or another I don't know about? Thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweed2 Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 I've had 3 different brands on mine, stock, Biltoft and now Lollar. I liked the Biltofts a lot, great jazzy sound (they'rte now on my ZBD), but the Lollars are exquisite. Of course, they are the most expensive, too. If you can afford them, they're worth it. You might talk to David, down at Zhangbucker. I have a set of his Firebirds (on my RI '62 Sheraton), that are killer. Every other pickup of his that I've heard, stand out, too. I've got to believe his P-90s are great. But be prepared to wait, he's becoming very popular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis G Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 I still have the stock P90'a in my Elitist Casino, but I'll second Tweed's Lollar recommendation. I put them in my Wildkat a year or so ago and I'm a happy camper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starpeve Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 Everyone talks about the different pole spacings on the neck pickup. But is that really important? I mean, will it make any/ much difference if the replacement pu has standard spacings. If it's good enough for the rest of the Epi range, why did they do that? Is the problem only getting covers to fit, or what? :huh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingfrets Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 Gonna be trying a set of Parsons Street Golden Age P90s in my 56 Gold Top in the next few weeks. Heard good things about 'em and the price is pretty decent. I think the guitar warrants an upgrade from the stock pick-ups, which truthfully aren't bad, but better is available. I do have a Lollar dog-ear in my DC LP Jr. Been in there awhile so I don't remember which model it is, but I can vouch for it being one bad-*** pick-up...at least in the context of the music I use it for (blues & classic rock). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluelake07 Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Kent Armstrong is the only company I'm aware of that makes Casino pickups with chrome covers. If you want to keep that look, it's either buy theirs or have your pickups rewound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweed2 Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Kent Armstrong is the only company I'm aware of that makes Casino pickups with chrome covers. If you want to keep that look, it's either buy theirs or have your pickups rewound. In some cases, it costs more to rewind than buy new. Go figure. I switched to plastic and never looked back. KA makes some good pickups, for the money, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Koegh Penrod Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Lollar builds awesome p90s and he will rewind The casion dogears..... this came from his site The Epiphone Casino (and also the Wildcat) is a "whole different animal" although it looks a lot like a standard dogear set. On a Casino set we re-use both the covers and the chassis. We basically "gut" the pickup and build a new p90 into what you send us. Also, some of them were originally built with a clip type connector (usually white) on the lead wire. Make sure to include this as well. Also make sure to include your contact information. Turnaround time is around a week after we receive your items. I have Lollars in 3 guitars and I will never change them out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluelake07 Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Lollar builds awesome p90s and he will rewind The casion dogears..... this came from his site He also has this on his site: Hey Everyone, Due to my tremendous backlog of repairs, and the overwhelming demand for our pickups (not complaining!), I am not taking on any more repairs or rewinds at this time. If things loosen up in the future, I may be able to work in a few jobs, but for now I need to focus on the manufacturing side of the business. Thanks to all of you for your continued enthusiasm and support! We appreciate it. Jason Lollar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not-Too-Late Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 This is a very interesting thread. I have contemplated P-90s on my LP. Any thoughts guys? Since I'm working on playing jazz, I thought these pups would lend themselves to a nicer warm tone than the stock ones I have at present. Do you think it would be a good idea for me to change mine out to P-90s? Besides the P-90s, should I change out the pots as well. Honestly, the only ones that have any effect are the volume controls. The tone pots are as useless as a chocolate teapot. Not much change at all. The only difference I notice is at the max and min ends. I would imagine changing the wiring as well if I'm to go that far. Cheers Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalob Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 I have the Pete Biltoff "Vintage Vibe" P-90's in mine...and finally have both pickups working properly following the overhaul btw. (will update the build thread shortly). While I loved the sound they have, I would describe them as excessively bright...almost to the point of ice pick treble. I find that I have to roll off almost all the treble using a 50 watt Carvin nomad tube amp especially on the clean channel and bridge pickup. The sound was great really nails early R&R, Beatles, 60's surf stuff, rockabilly etc. This was when I was running old school E. Ball silvered steel 10's on it. But....I was still looking for something a bit different....This last weekend I was in the mood for a change and put on a set of D-Adario flat wound strings that run from .011" on the high E to .050" on the low....WOW what a change. There was the bass, the grit, and the growl that I had been craving. I have hardly put the guitar down in 3 days...yeah I know I need a shower. I am now contemplating adding a B-7 Bigsby and roller bridge...but it will have to wait. All this being said I am intrigued with all the comments about the Lollars and will certainly have to try a set at some point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluelake07 Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Not-Too-Late, if you decide to make the change you would want to get P-90's in humbucker size for your LP. GFS has Mean 90 and Dream 90 pickups, Seymour Duncan has their Phat Cat and other pickup makers have them, also. The recommended pots for P-90's are 500K which is what you now have in your guitar. Video of Gregor Hilden playing a Gibson Les Paul with Phat Cats: Sounds good to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not-Too-Late Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Not-Too-Late, if you decide to make the change you would want to get P-90's in humbucker size for your LP. GFS has Mean 90 and Dream 90 pickups, Seymour Duncan has their Phat Cat and other pickup makers have them, also. The recommended pots for P-90's are 500K which is what you now have in your guitar. Video of Gregor Hilden playing a Gibson Les Paul with Phat Cats: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obGCc-dAvzM Sounds good to me. Oh yeeeaaah! That is exactly what I'm after. Phat Cats by Seymour Duncan, excellent. Thanks for providing that. I will check it out. Cheers Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweed2 Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 I have a buddy that has the Lollar P-90/humbuckers on an SG. Nice. http://www.lollarguitars.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=p90-pickups Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingfrets Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 This is a very interesting thread. I have contemplated P-90s on my LP. Any thoughts guys? Since I'm working on playing jazz, I thought these pups would lend themselves to a nicer warm tone than the stock ones I have at present. Do you think it would be a good idea for me to change mine out to P-90s? Besides the P-90s, should I change out the pots as well. Honestly, the only ones that have any effect are the volume controls. The tone pots are as useless as a chocolate teapot. Not much change at all. The only difference I notice is at the max and min ends. I would imagine changing the wiring as well if I'm to go that far. Cheers Wayne Wayne, I'm replacing the pickups, pots, harness AND the caps. As mentioned, 500k pots (Bourn instead of CTS. Gibson used them frequently on mid-50's P90 guitars) and the cap values are .022 at the bridge and possibly an .015 at the neck (a little brighter). If I opt not to use the .015, I'll use another .022 there as well. Classic 50's wiring (rolling off the volume on the guitar doesn't screw your tone as bad as it does with modern wiring). I replace the volume pots more for reliability than a major change in sound (though good ones actually allow you to moderate your volume instead of acting like an on/off switch). Aside from the pickups, the biggest difference in the character/tone of your guitar will come from the capacitors. A matched set of pots and good quality caps with the right values goes a loooooong way. Forgot to mention...you probably want PIO caps with P90s since they're inherently brighter pickups than humbuckers. IME, that'll give you the warmer, jazzier tone you're looking for. If you really want a "jazz box" and don't use much distortion/overdrive, you might even consider 300k pots. Just a few things for your consideration... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meaux Posted July 9, 2014 Author Share Posted July 9, 2014 Has anybody tried 250K pots on the Casino P-90s? Maybe 250s may make these junky Chinese P-90s more tolerable? Then again, maybe I'm just used to the sound of single coils in Strats w/250K pots... I tried 1000K in a Strat a few years ago that actually turned my stomach and made me sick... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not-Too-Late Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Wayne, I'm replacing the pickups, pots, harness AND the caps. As mentioned, 500k pots (Bourn instead of CTS. Gibson used them frequently on mid-50's P90 guitars) and the cap values are .022 at the bridge and possibly an .015 at the neck (a little brighter). If I opt not to use the .015, I'll use another .022 there as well. Classic 50's wiring (rolling off the volume on the guitar doesn't screw your tone as bad as it does with modern wiring). I replace the volume pots more for reliability than a major change in sound (though good ones actually allow you to moderate your volume instead of acting like an on/off switch). Aside from the pickups, the biggest difference in the character/tone of your guitar will come from the capacitors. A matched set of pots and good quality caps with the right values goes a loooooong way. Forgot to mention...you probably want PIO caps with P90s since they're inherently brighter pickups than humbuckers. IME, that'll give you the warmer, jazzier tone you're looking for. If you really want a "jazz box" and don't use much distortion/overdrive, you might even consider 300k pots. Just a few things for your consideration... I appreciate the info my friend. I will definitely give consideration on this. Cheers Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Marlowe Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Has anybody tried 250K pots on the Casino P-90s? Maybe 250s may make these junky Chinese P-90s more tolerable? Then again, maybe I'm just used to the sound of single coils in Strats w/250K pots... I tried 1000K in a Strat a few years ago that actually turned my stomach and made me sick... I rather like the Epi P-90s. Have you tried lowering them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meaux Posted July 11, 2014 Author Share Posted July 11, 2014 I rather like the Epi P-90s. Have you tried lowering them? I adjusted the pole pieces on both pups with a tuner then I backed off on the the tone control on the bridge... Better... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starpeve Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 How do you set polepieces with a tuner? That sounds like something I need to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frenchie1281734003 Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 I tried the tuner, but it wouldn`t fit in the slot, so I went back to the screw driver! Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Marlowe Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 I tried the tuner, but it wouldn`t fit in the slot That's my favorite Joe Walsh album! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meaux Posted July 12, 2014 Author Share Posted July 12, 2014 How do you set polepieces with a tuner? That sounds like something I need to know. Well YMMV... I used an old Korg GT-3 Tuner... Don't know how another tuner may react... When I bought a Gibson Les Paul a few years ago I noticed when tuning that the strings would be rock solid on the tuner (meaning the center light would stay lit without wavering from flat to sharp) when tuned... Unlike all my non-adjustable single coil Fenders... With the Fenders, the Center lite will light, but a few seconds later the lights would 'Waver'back and forth... I always thought it was the Tuner till I got the Gibson w/ BurstBucker Pros... With my recent purchase of a Casino I noticed it would 'tune' just like all my Fenders would... I thought it was a 'Single Coil thing'... So I figured I'd try to adjust the Pole Pieces and see what happens... With a little adjustment on one string at a time and one pickup at a time (less than 2 turns either way) I'll be Danged if I didn't get it to act like the Gibson Humbuckers... Center Light stayed on without any wavering... My orginal intent was to adjust the Poles Pieces with the Radius but my guage wouldn't fit without a bunch of trouble so tried it with the Tuner... OK, I know I'm gonna have plenty of folks scream BULLSHIT!!! Thats OK and maybe I am full of it, or the Tuner is weird... I any case , you asked and I told... Thats my story and I'm stickin' to it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frenchie1281734003 Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 That`s interesting, I`ll give it a go. Thanks Meaux. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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