dvd5300 Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I've never owned a vintage ES-175. I'm considering buying one but don't know whether I should avoid the P90 because of the "buzz" issue. Any opinions would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyscaglyc Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 The growl of a good P90 is well worth "working around" the hum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigsbyman Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 My ES295, which is essentially a gold ES175, has P100 pickups. They don't hum, and they don't sound much like good P90's. I'm very unhappy with them, they have no character at all IMO. In contrast, my Tal Farlow has humbuckers and sounds great, as do my 335's. I have Firebirds, some with minihumbuckers and one with P90s. Both are phenomenal sounding pickups. The hum from P90's is a real concern, same as with Fenders. Great P90's are amazing pickups though. Maybe you should try some out first, or play with a Fender for a while to see how you feel about the hum. I've wondered about using P90's for jazz, and would be curious to hear from players who use them for Jazz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 The original ES175 had one or two P90's and is considered a classic All the other hollow jazz guitars of the period were the same The H/B came on the scene around '57 and seemed to be a big step forward Although people nowadays are extolling the virtues of the P90 on guitars like the Les Paul Also...the P90 is attached direct to the top, so will pick up vibrations differently to the H/B which is spring mounted or even floating in the more recent incarnations(ES 165) The ES330 is an interesting P90 loaded alternative which doesn't seem to be affected by hums etc.(listen to the great tone achieved by Grant Green) V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadioXGtr Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I recently ordered a set of custom Lindy Fralin soapbar P-90s for my ES-135. The setup is a stock wind on the bridge and a 15% underwind on the neck. These replace the aftermarket mini-humbuckers (which weren’t bad by any means) that were on the guitar when I bought it.. The installation was completed just in time for our first rehearsal of 2011. I had to do a bit of amp EQ tweaking from where it was set, but once done, the tone was wonderful. I had a bit of background hum, but it was such a low level, it didn’t intrude at all. I have to say the soapbars look right at home on the 135. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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