Gibson Les Paul Standard 50s P-90 | Better than the Humbucker model?

[@RajTamil]

i had to turn my subwoofer down when cooper talked

[@ronsterish]

Hahaha hilarious! Still laughing 5 minutes after reading :-D

[@johnnewton1830]

Please back away from the mic

[@daved1098]

me too!

[@bigdavedave9865]

INSTAGRAAAAAAAM

[@derekbiggerstaff]

I thought someone was banging on the wall next door.

[@raimondspadaro8211]

The only way to really hear a good comparison, you have got to play a short 10 second riff. Any longer, your tonal memory just doesn't give a good contrast.

[@ChasingTone666]

Absolutely Agree

[@joseines2008]

You are absolutely right sir.

[@raimondspadaro8211]

Thanks guys!!

[@harrisfrankou2368]

Brain needs more RAM

[@speedfreakjive88]

Absolutely

[@dwfjardim]

All the complaining about talking on the review, people don't appreciate the effort that you guys made... It was really interesting and cool hear you talk about the differences! Thanks, keep on rocking!

[@AlamoMusic]

Much appreciated!

[@karengayle9331]

I agree I want history, just go to a channel for pure playing.

[@vivazapata15856]

I agree

[@prstito]

Got the P90s last year. Preferred it over the humbuckers. Being a strat guy, I felt so out of element with the full on humbuckers. The twang of the P90s and the clarity they can bring when rolling back the volume really sold me. And who doesn’t like gold!

[@aachillee]

The same

[@mattbortz10]

I'm a strat guy too, and absolutely love Gibson p90s. All my Gibson's have p90s except one (I don't play that guitar,) although I'm buying a standard here soon with humbuckers, just so I have that option.

[@georgeargon5113]

I own a LP Special with P-90s. Arguably the ultimate lead rock machine.

[@Tonetwisters]

I have a couple Gibsons with humbuckings and they are excellent. But I too, am a Stratocaster player and have been since Christmas Day of 1963. So I am in complete agreement with you on the Paul with P90's ... You can play anything on those things! Perfect blend of fat and top end, all in one pickup!

[@TheMotorman116]

Just ordered one myself! Already have several humbucker guitars so the P90’s fit the bill. Plus the vintage look is killer!

[@hardrockerdave94]

Best thing about P90s for me is the extra dynamic range over a humbucker, so much extra variation from pick attack

[@davidchamberlain8910]

That's very true!

[@JuicyJonesHQ]

Once I discovered P90s, I never looked back. They're so great. I have learned to love the noise gate.

[@simontemplar3359]

I'm so glad to see people giving the p90 love. Personally, I think they are vastly superior to humbuckers and regular single coils. I had bought a set by accident and they ended up working in a mod guitar I was working on. I would never use a humbucker again.

[@elonmust7470]

And humbuckers never want you to use them again......

[@valebliz]

I can't ever get decent cleans out of p90s

[@simontemplar3359]

@@valebliz that's a bummer. I've had some that suck- generally ceramic ones aren't my favorite. If you can find a set of alnico ones, you're in business. What kind are you using?

[@TooManyEyesJoe]

@@elonmust7470 No

[@burtonkephart6239]

P90s are so rare and proprietary but I get that they are a kind of middle ground and all

[@thinkingape7655]

I have a late 2019 batch P90s LP and it’s superb. Gibson 2019+ quality, really has stepped up. Great comparison 🤘

[@burtonkephart6239]

Well I just got a LP special 2020 but I made sure it had the humbuckers !! In fact I’d been waiting for a LP special that had humbuckers since mine was stolen in 2007!!!

[@AuntAlnico4]

I also snatched up a super cheap 2019 Gibson Les Paul special double cut T cherry model with 2 p90's yes it's great guitar but mine had the neck not flush with the rose wood fret board so I got it for $470 and just sanded it down flush and now it's all the way perfect !

[@Craig52-zq1bt]

​@@burtonkephart6239 That is why I played a chinese Chibson on stage touring.

[@garyheaton4791]

I have ALWAYS been a huge fan of the P90's! I just love the tone. Great video Chris! Thanks. One thought though..how many people think that good 'ol Chris should just GIVE poor Cooper that Gibson gold top with the P90's?? (I for one do..he burns it up!!) He plays everything GREAT, but he just likes this one so much..he should have one. Come on Chris..he's young..I'm sure money's tight. (It was for most of us at his age..) so what ya say pal?? 😀 How many others think that Chris should just do a video where HE just gives poor Cooper that pretty gold top?? Thanks guys, as ALWAYS..great video!!😀😎

[@jaredheld2672]

Skip to 9:20 if you want to hear the guitars

[@me-bk9er]

thank ya!!

[@agbonel8774]

🙌🙌🙌💪🏻

[@theplayers3507]

Thanks bro

[@TheStrataminor]

Oh yes...sick of just hearing an OD pedal....start with clean tone in a guitar review!!

[@danielvidal962]

Thanks!

[@cugamer8862]

I have a hard time getting to sleep sometimes, can I hire Cooper to come over to my house and read me bedtime stories?

[@jasonchiang1627]

P90s for sure. For me, the one to get has to be the Gibson Les Paul Special from the original collection as it comes with sweet P90s AND is considerably cheaper than the Standards!

[@greidel67]

I played a PRS McCarty with P90's once... it was the best guitar I ever heard. I consider it the one that got away. It was expensive and I wasn't crazy about the color, but had I known they were rare, I would have overlooked that.

[@CarlyonProduction]

It’s crazy they don’t do more 594s with soap bars.

[@Zoso981]

My P90 Gibson is the best guitar I've ever owned. I too was guilty of under-appreciating P90's until I bought it. So much better and more versatile than Humbuckers.

[@rickherrera5230]

Great Comparison! I love the P-90's crunch that you can't replicate on humbuckers. I own both LP Modern Standard Humbucker and GoldTop P-90 you demonstrated. I appreciate both sounds for the right situations.

[@vampolascott36]

One thing about Les Pauls that everybody talked about in the '70s was that they had fantastic sustain. The sustain of a Les Paul is what made them great for lead work. Not many guitar reviewers on KZbin these days ever mention the seemingly endless sustain of this guitar. P-90's just make the Les Paul an even meaner rock 'n' roll machine.

[@InstantKarma-u8k]

Irrelevant now as pedals can do the same thing.

[@vampolascott36]

@@InstantKarma-u8k Only a Les Paul sounds like a Les Paul. No pedal will substitute.

[@InstantKarma-u8k]

@@vampolascott36 If you ever get a chance to go into a pro-studio, the sound engineer will prove you wrong on this one.

[@scjoe7]

I really really appreciate y’all playing the exact same riffs. That way we can really focus the individual sounds/tones d not be distracted by differences in licks. THANK YOU !!! And for me, P90s !

[@dragan4658]

Both guitars sound great, but I did prefer the sound of the p90's on this model! 👍

[@whayneneal]

I have P90s in 3 guitars. All Fenders. One in the bridge, of a Tele. one in the neck of an offset Tele, and P90s in both positions on a Mustang. They are all sonic playgrounds! Fun pickup. Nice playing. Great examples of what each is capable of.

[@mattbortz10]

I think p90s are one of the best pickups out there. They're extremely versatile, more so than fender single coil or humbucker. I love fender single coils, and humbuckers, but man, p90s..love them. Great video guys!

[@stevem7]

The output difference was definitely noticeable. Overall I liked the P90s better in all cases. I was surprised that I liked them just a wee better than the buckers in lead pickup overdrive mode even. Maybe it's just me, but I also think that I can hear a difference between buckers and P90s in semi hollow guitars better than solid body guitars. Like an Epi Casino for instance...a P90 is THE pickup for that guitar in my opinion.

[@fedayeentaqx9956]

i have aa starcaster with p-90s and i agree about the semi hollow bringing out the sound

[@timndel]

After over 30 years of playing humbuckers, I finally saw the light a couple years ago when I threw a set of P-90s in my stage axe PRS. The change in tone was astounding. Now I would never buy a humbucker equipped guitar again, though there's still always room for a Tele.

[@elonmust7470]

I think you are stupid.

[@TariasNiniel]

I think a bit overexaturated coz there are some nice humbuckers (especially some sweet mini humbuckers that fit in p90 routed guitars ;) ) but i get it ... I also just recently got hit by the p90 love thing :D and yeah i love the sound ... I just got a "PRS Inspired" guitar with P90s but yeah i also really love the Combination. Kinda sad that i started to play my cheapo p90 guitar more than my expensive humbucker Gibson SG (although i still love that baby for its neck ;) )

[@burtonkephart6239]

That could be because humbuckers themselves have a lot of variety and some are tonally weak but humbuckers are staple to rock music and always have been and even were essential to its development and rise not P90s. My main complaint with P90s is their proprietary side and big bulky shape ! Couldn’t Gibson have made them more attractive or standard looking !

[@TariasNiniel]

@@burtonkephart6239 no coz the shape kinda makes the tone .... reason why P94 (or "humbucker sized p90s") come close to p90 sound mut most not 100% ... its about the dimensions . And i actually kinda like how they look .... I even would say if you talking bout looks only...i find a Mini humbucker fitted in a p90 cover prettier than a regular humbucker in a standard monting ring. but maybe thats just me. if you want better looking regular p90s though, you could make your own covers from some preatty wood ... i think that could look amazing... and to the "Rock music staple" .... yeah ... Like The Beatles (they often used p90s) ... or The doors .. (also p90s) ... The Who (often p90s ) maybe we look at latin rock... Carlos santana on woodstock (p90 equipped SG) ... ok maybe we look more into the heavy direction ... what about early Black Sabbath ( P90 SG ) ... ... Something more modern? ... Green Day (often a p90 les paul junior ). And even though he is not really "rock" ... Bob Marley also used p90s i dont want to say that youre wrong about Humbuckers beeing a staple of rock music... BUT p90s are too ...

[@MarcNevali]

the sound comparison (starts ar 9:09) is very good, easy to understand the differences. Thanks for that. P90 = THE BEST sound ever. Love them

[@josephliptak]

I'll play P-90s all day long over buckers. they're meaner and grittier .

[@chicolopez8722]

This is the best explanation and video demo of this subject i have ever seen! Very informative and well done. Cool stuff here!!

[@ricksmith201]

OK, so I ordered my P90 LP Standard...now the wait. Thanks guys, this video had a significant impact on my decision. I already have a humbucker equipped LP, so looking forward to adding this new one to the collection.

[@safetypatrol]

How did it turn out for you

[@ricksmith201]

@@safetypatrol great, I love it. The neck took a minute to get used to, but it sounds great!

[@Popskull_666]

Man you playing that P90 in the middle position was so beautiful

[@Tradcraft1692]

Thanks for a great job on the side by side comparison. You really highlighted the difference between the two pickups. I love both sounds. Mighty fine playing too!

[@grene1955]

First... Dude, that is some incredible playing! Second, I love P90's. I have quite a few guitars, I've had American Tele's, Epi Les Pauls, Gretsch's... and my main axe is now a Harley Benton Semi hollow T-style with P90's. Love the tone and versatility! Keep up the good work, guys!

[@skatetodeath666]

P-90 best sounding pickups there is.

[@JT-gm4fk]

Nah, I'll have to go with a humbucker

[@Mephilis78]

Nah

[@wakjob961]

The 50's Tributes from a few years ago were a bargain. The p90 one was epic!

[@AuntAlnico4]

The gold top with p90's, Les Paul studio 60's with the gold top was premo !

[@DCrockett1]

P90s are the bomb! Got a GoldTop and an SG and LP Jr, with P90s. But love Humbuckers also. It's all about the individual taste. Buy what yuh fly! It's all good! Smile! 😃

[@haroldroberts5250]

P-90 all day long.

[@chillpillology]

The humbucker for me. I think i prefer my p90s in a Fender

[@wilson4180]

Humbuckers because I want my guitar to sound like a piano.

[@burtonkephart6239]

Humbuckers were essential to the development of the rock music genre itself and also hard rock sub genre with there punchy sound and even percussive crunch hence the name ROCK!! P90s were not !! And also P90s are too proprietary !

[@DSilvergun]

@@wilson4180 But it doesn't

[@jacobzhu5589]

@@burtonkephart6239 Try Black Sabbath, sound of p90

[@zororosario]

Yes, I would seriously consider a P90 Les Paul for my stash! It's like Jim Beam and Jack Daniels , gotta have both.😊

[@n9723x]

or Blanton's ????

[@MAGROLA43]

I have a LP Humbucker and a SG, right now I’m buying a gold top P90 and I love all

[@keseysvenisonchili]

Gold top with P90s is my dream, humbuckers are for SGs

[@northernthrifter8817]

Tell Pete Townshend that

[@HooksBill]

?

[@keseysvenisonchili]

Northern thrifter I did, he agreed. Said he used the P90s cause his Sg standard was in the shop

[@Chreative427]

SGs are amazing with P90s though

[@christopherclarke3022]

I must admit there was at least on this clip, not a huge difference in the tonal difference between the 90s and the humbuckers this was being listened to through an HP laptop and Avid Mbox-3 and two KRK Rockit 5 monitors. It might just be the clip or my have lost higher frequencies than I thought. But based on this clip I would go for the std Humbucker purely for reduction of 50 - 60hz cycle hum. Both models looked great. I own a 1977 tobacco burst std LP with an ebony fretboad which I love the sound of and I think has a slightly slimmer neck I assume is modeled more on a 60s neck rather that a 50s. apart from the weight (non-weight relief). Thanks for the clip, it was interesting.

[@YouTubeHandlesAreMoronic]

Agreed. I'm listening through a didicated sound card and a decent set of real headphones, and there's NOT a night/day differrence. I'm assuming it's more noticeable in person, absent the KZbin compression, but I think the raving in these comments is driven mostly by confirmation bias. I preferred the humbuckers on cleans, and the P90s on the driven bridge pickup.

[@apianta56]

I hace both types of pickups at my guitars, HB tend to sound more bassy, while P90 is more equilibrated from tone point of view. Of course P90 is more noisy especially when you crank the amplifier, none of them are the perfect one, it depends of your guitar style and music what to use each time. Both are great.

[@thomaskent3712]

Yes, that's exactly what I thought.

[@thiagoborsari7364]

I own a Classic Gold top 2019 60's and it is just amazing. My collection will be complete when I get the Gold top with P90s and 50's neck. Well, this is what I tell my wife.

[@WinstonGuitar]

9 minutes in, and the funny man is still just talking. talk talk talk

[@glenn7350]

I owe you 8min of my life sir

[@markyokum1873]

@@glenn7350 Some people just find themselves very, very interesting :)

[@TuxTweaks]

Those P90's sound amazing! I don't know if this makes sense but to me they sound like the musical equivalent of a creamsicle. A sharp tangy taste on the outside with a smooth creamy center. And as always, it's a joy to hear Cooper play. I love to listen to Chris play in all the acoustic videos too.

[@dimitrisaivaliotis5616]

Hello there Are there any noise problem with p90s?

[@walmartjihad2860]

Makes complete sense

[@trevorverdoold4843]

This comment makes me believe you’re an obese American.

[@DavidLaFerney]

The thing is they both sound pretty excellent.

[@mowaxbro]

Humbuckers sound superior to my ears. Way smoother, fuller, warmer, thicker. P90s I thought only sounded more convincing in crunch mode at end 😁

[@absea7918]

When the humbucker first came out, the reception was mixed. Guitar players loved the noise-cancelling aspects, but some also felt the tone suffered with the humbucker. That was through the lens of mid 1950's guitarists. They felt the humbucker was too dark. Fast forward into the late 60's and guitar players started playing heavy rock, and the humbucker fit perfectly with that approach. I love P-90's, but have had issues with stock ones when playing live (due to hum).

[@davidkieltyka9]

PAFs are *brighter* than P-90s. Lower output too. Think Tele bridge pickup with more mids and hum canceling. But beginning in the mid 1960s Gibson’s patent number pickups got progressively darker, and that’s the sound most people associate with “Gibson style humbucker.”

[@absea7918]

@@davidkieltyka9 Agreed about the lower output. I have never owned or played an original PAF. I do have some Tim Shaw's (from an 1981 LP). I have P-90's (from a 78 LP), and they are loud with a bright/mid-range honk/growl in the bridge position. In the neck they are warm, and rich. Love them both.

[@davidkieltyka9]

AB Sea Yep, I love ‘em both too!

[@tdunster2011]

@@davidkieltyka9 Yep. Original LP with PAF sounds more like a 52 telecaster on steroids.

[@ksgtrpkr]

Best of both set up, humbucker in neck and P90 in bridge! With a good set up, you can cover everything with one guitar!!! 40 years on stage here!

[@michaellittlewood3032]

Good one.

[@arn999]

I’d actually go the other way around, to tame the low end and darkness of the neck a bit, but hey.

[@Hectrucci2]

I would do quite the opposite, humbucker in bridge (bottom rock sound) and P90 in neck (cleans, mid gain stuff). How would the mid position sound like?

[@ernestoflores5771]

@@Hectrucci2 : Exactly ! Better solution !

[@dougcox3990]

Yamaha Pacifica 611. P90 in the neck, humbucker in the bridge.

[@mouluc9969]

Yesterday I got rid of my SG's humbuckers and put some cheap Chinese low impedance P90s. I swear I'll sell those Gibson humbuckerd! Finally my SG is dynamic, expressive, rich sounding 😍

[@HardRockingSteel]

I have guitars with both pickups, already a fan of P90s, to be honest I don't think this production did any justice to showing the differences between the 2 guitars/pickups other than the look, not sure why but I can usually hear a distinct difference between P90s and Humbuckers but in this video I didn't hear anything different they both sounded the same I'm sure I would fail a blindfold test if I was just listening to this.

[@gregh.2138]

If i had to take a drink every time Cooper said "yeah" I'd have died.

[@vriendelijkegroet]

Solo: Another brick in the wall, I rest my case..;)

[@billd7183]

Ha funny you mentioned this. I just recently got my gold top p90 (absolutely rockin) and started to learn the solo from part 2 without knowing at the time Gilmore used one. Freakin amazing.

[@PeteWizzle]

@@billd7183, who's Gilmore? Happy Gilmore?

[@Mark254-TX]

Love me some P-90's !! I always describe it like this ... a really really GREAT sounding single with the commanding presence of a bucker ... and if you gotta get rid of the noise the Boss Noise Suppressor works famously well.... an early set of true PAF's were very convincing to the tone of the P-90... however they were low windings to the tune of about 6.5k, with covers and were not wax potted... and that comes with its own inherent issues lol... however if you want a great experience have some buckers made in the mid to high 6's and do very very light potting ... and youve got the best version of what a PAF should be ... and with low windings you get a nice scooped tone with plenty of clarity and bell tones... love the content guys ... keep it up ... i'm subscribing !! :-)

[@nazmoking3171]

You are right - the early PAF humbuckers were designed to emulate the tone of the existing P90's.

[@JWS1968]

I've always loved P-90's I played them in a Les Paul double cutaway through a Marshall Bluesbreaker 1968 reissue. Great sound like he says in the video, just a lovely warm crunch to the distortion clean sounds bright and warm I never used pedals just the guitar and amp super simple.

[@caseylm100]

I discovered P90s a few years ago. They are mu favorite by far. They have the meat to handle overdrive buy still give u a bright clean sound. It is the perfect middle for those not playing heavy metal. I have an old les paul and wish it had P90s. LPs are just too dark for me

[@burtonkephart6239]

Interesting point. Probably true. But most or many people playing electric guitar may play a lot of hard rock and metal( depending on your definition )!!! Also why don’t or did you see many great guitarists using the P90s ? You didn’t but that doesn’t mean they aren’t great.

[@johnmoore9039]

Just received an early Fathers Day gift: L P Gold Top W/P90’s. IT’s EVERYTHING it’s cracked up to be y’all; and then some! Gibson hit a home run with this one.

[@brucer261]

I have come to realize you have to have a both. I have played them back to back. It seems to me that P-90s have more definition. That's the only way I can describe it. I get a sense that humbuckers seem a bit muted or muddy in comparison ... only slightly. I cannot choose a favorite. I like them both and have both as well. I wanted to buy a gold top with P-90s. I had one rented and played with it for 3 weeks or more. Finally (reluctantly) returned it. I decided I would build one with P-90's. It was my first build and turned out far better than expected and cost a lot less. Still have it and I have built a 72 Telecaster Deluxe replica after that. Turned out even better. It has a traditional Fender single coil in bridge position and an extended range humbucker at the neck position. Just starting on a strat and have another Gibson style and another Tele in the works. Great video guys!! Thanks!

[@rogerbranton1752]

Here's what my ears heard: the Humbuckers sounded great in finger picking and the P90s had the edge with a pick. I guess the answer is, save up & but one of each, kids! Full disclosure: whenever I see a Goldtop Les Paul, I get a bit mesmerized, so I can't account for my judgement in this case!

[@fluxerflixer1]

I LOVE P90 pickups, especially the vintage ones from Gibson’s early years. I have been looking at the Les Paul Deluxe “PRO” models from the mid- late 70’s. Gibson went back to the solid mahogany body and with the Ebony fret board on the PRO model it becomes a rock machine! They are very heavy guitars as most run 10 1/2 - 11lbs and up. The sustain is unmatched. The PRO DELUXE was only made for about 5-6 years and in limited numbers, so with them now going on 50 years old they are becoming highly prized if you can deal with the weight!

[@WyattScott]

i just got the P90 Les Paul Standard Gold Top today and it is fucking amazing. Plays like butter and sounds so sweet. I’ve got my 1997 LP Standard with humbuckers too so I’m set. I had the TV yellow LP Special with P90’s for a year but sold it and got the Standard Gold Top. I just couldn’t bond with the Special, the feel and playability just kept me wanting, but it did sound amazing no doubt. The Standard blows it outta the water for sure though. If you can afford it, get the Standard and bypass the Special.

[@johnfunk6343]

Love them both . I have a original 59 with the p 90 s and I just got a brand new one with the humbuckers

[@Sidechainkik]

I had a 54’ Jr. (sold it to a guy in Boston, who plays in a Skynyrd cover Band), never have a found that tone again. In 2014 I bought the Les Paul melody maker, they tweaked the P90’s and it never had that tone, I’ve been trying to get back. I know the MM had 2 P90’s vs my Jr. with one P90. This year Gibson released a single cut Jr. $1499 is bit pricey. I’m going to get one and pray. Also do you thing the Dog ear P90’s sound different than the soap bar P 90’s. Just a thought to see what other players feel about the 2 types of P90’s.great video guys.

[@daved1098]

I have a Custom Shop 56 and 59 reissue. Both are wonderful. Different not better. This is a great channel. Esp Chris Mckee- I always learn something!

[@shaneroberts9466]

For me, YESSSSS. P-90 all the way!!

[@andrewmize823]

I have P-90's in one of my Les Pauls, and it's my go-to guitar when I want to do a good classic metal/lo-fi sound. I love the clean tones, too.

[@Kirklian27]

I went with the humbuckers, ordered mine online so I wasn’t able to try out the p-90s. Golden either way

[@jimcarter6669]

I gotta go for the P90s. It cuts more with a bit beefier sound.

[@Deliquescentinsight]

The P90 is a single coil, but the size of that bobbin and magnet makes them very powerful single coils, very sweet, creamy tone, I love them

[@scottyducati35]

Humbuckers sounded good, P-90’s always sound cleaner and cut through. Mini Humbuckers for the win for me!

[@bobsmoot8454]

A very nice demo of two different ground breaking pickups

[@bbadgett29]

Just got my first P-90 guitar. A 50's Les Paul Goldtop. I'll never go back to humbuckers!!

[@bbadgett29]

@@Hi_There_E246 It's really a matter of personal preference. Mini Humbuckers will have a somewhat lower output with a cleaner sound. The P-90's will be more raunchy and offer more bite when you lean into them.

[@bbadgett29]

@@Hi_There_E246 The guitar and pickup type are only one part of the equation. You also have to factor in amp type and settings as well. But yes, you could very easily get the Pete Townshend one your looking for with a set of P-90's

[@n9723x]

I like the warmth of my 59RILP, and I have a strat when I'm looking for that edgy sound. I enjoyed the comparison, but I still think my next one is going to be a Tele, just looking for a different sound...lol. Thanks Alamo for putting in the time and effort in posting this review of the two pickups...

[@rhllnm]

I was born in San Antonio so you guys are probably from San Antonio, no? props to Pistons and Pixie Dust! Bought my old lap steel out on Military Blvd. when I though I had failed my law school exam. Now retired and wanting to be The Owl - Alan Wilson - with his P90s. Thanks for the info.

[@JohnnyRebKy]

I’m mostly a country picker and go straight for a telecaster most of the time. But for slow bluesy stuff I LOVE a Gibson with classic PAF Humbuckers 👍🏻😎. Plug straight into a Fender Twin Reverb and they sound magical. Smooth and crystal clear

[@robertriedinger9695]

I wanted a P90 guitar and almost purchased a 400 dollar Epiphone. Last night I had a few drinks and ordered the Gibson Les Paul Standard Gold Top P90. Can't wait for it to come in.

[@runesvendsen2270]

Every amp and guitars have a sweet spot. So if you tune It right. Both are fantastic guitars. More air and aggression in the P90 I feel. Humbucker rounder jazzy/Blues character. But if I had it home, I could feel more of the sound colours. It,s a dream to get one of those to me. I use a Epiphone Les Paul. It sound fantastic also. Welcome to listen on my cite.

[@thesoulshakers]

When I think of P-90s I think of Pete Townshend Live at Leeds. I don't think one is better than the other. They are both great classic pickups for that quintessential Les Paul sound. Every serious player should have both in their guitar collections.

[@flapjack413]

Thank you for pointing out the fact that Jazzmaster pickups are not P-90's... It drives me nuts when people use the names interchangeably, lol. Yes they're both single coils, but the coil geometry and magnet configurations are very different, and result in very different sounding pickups.

[@thejimrodden]

Nice comparison video. Interesting descriptions and history. Great job covering various settings. Love the humbuckers, but, from this video, prefer the P90s.

[@GregoryPearsonMusic]

Good comparison video - the humbuckers seem to have a slightly more refined tone in most of the examples, but not overwhelmingly better than the P-90s. I would like to see the comparison extended to higher volumes with intentional feedback - my thinking is that one of the drawbacks of the P90 pickups could actually be a benefit with controlled feedback.

[@graysonward5086]

Just got an early 2020 LP Goldtop with P90s and it is incredible! Best sounding/playing electric I’ve ever had. The P90s, in my opinion, have a warmer, fatter tone than the humbuckers. And of course, nothing beats the P90 growl!

[@AlamoMusic]

The Growl is Awesome!

[@craiger2399]

I not only love the P90, but I think the Gibson P90 is my favorite.

[@rickvirginia7015]

I always have a couple guitars in my collection that have P90's I love them.

[@deanmccaskill5495]

I just bought the P90 last week(a 2019) took me a while to find it. Then I’ll admit I went a little nuts and grabbed a 2016 Traditional, a Pro 2 and an SG Std. All last week. I think that’s enough for a little while.

[@kevinkeener]

Humbuckers: fat, rich, warm tone that sounds great overdriven. P90s: sweet, clear, articulate, with that awesome midrange punch. Hard to choose a winner, it's steak or lobster. Me, I'm a Tele guy, and that means fried chicken for the win, y'all.

[@donkeninitz4590]

I sold my desert-burst early 2000's LP w/ humbuckers for $2,300 and bought an Epi 1954 LP Deluxe w/ P-90's in candy apple red brand-new for something like $550 (can't remember exactly what I paid, but it wasn't much). Incredible guitar. As a side-note, I bought my first LP brand-new in '73 - cherry sunburst - and it had mini-humbuckers. Back then, I didn't even know there was a difference: when you were shopping for an LP it was either cherry or tobacco-sunburst, or else a black custom. I'm pretty much a single-coil/Fender guy, but fell in love with Sean Costello's tone; hence, the P-90 LP lust.

[@danielseven7927]

I am the proud owner of a PRS Custom 22 soapbox. I absolutely love the sound these pick ups produce and the sustain is beyond anything I have ever heard. Thanks for this video. Both sounded good to me...but love my P90s.

[@rubbadubdub6543]

Daniel Seven - Soapbox?

[@sporketernal5479]

Soapbox is another word for p90

[@sporketernal5479]

Because they resemble a bar of soap

[@rubbadubdub6543]

It’s ‘soap-bar’.

[@petergedd9330]

Love the P90's on that Gold top Beautiful!!!! I have P90's style buckers in my LP Burst Heritage, they are full of character and would never swap them out.

[@rangerrog]

My favorite pickup. My first SG was moded by Chip Todd to be even fatter than stock and when I changed to buckers, because everyone else was using them, I lost the Magic. P90s have Voice, character, bite, response and tone. Buckers are dull and have no personality. I mean you can work with them but who wants to fight that nonsense when it just comes naturally for P90s. They are awesome. I find shielding the cavity and going Wireless cures the noise problem. they'r articulate, clear, versatile, and work with every genre of music. Thank you for getting that off my chest, haha! I needed that...

[@normanperkel139]

The Gold Standard for Les Paul’s and the Tin Cup Standard for mic placement.

[@garysturner1]

I have the Gibson Les Paul Standard 50s P-90. and I LOVE the P-90's.

[@dimitrisaivaliotis5616]

Hello there 😊 Is there a noise problem with p90s?

[@garysturner1]

@@dimitrisaivaliotis5616 Not that I notice, no.

[@blainetrahan2287]

I love P-90’s. I have two guitars with them.

[@stevehughes1510]

P90s do it for me, just more clarity with the neck pup especially. Thanks for the A/B.

[@ricardobarron8081]

It seems everyone is getting on the P90 bandwagon these days and I am very happy about that. They are my favorite and have been for many years. Yes they sound great clean, but add some dirt and they have a rawness about them that I really love. Some of my favorite albums and guitarist used them. Santana, Tom Scholz, Neil Young, to name a few.

[@seanmahoney6228]

I honestly was expecting more of a tone difference between the 2 guitars. The P-90s really are a sound of their own. Impressive tone on both LPs:)

[@frankpearson1840]

I have the Standard 50s with the HBs and really it sounds just like the p90s like in this video. Really no tonal differences really at all. If there is it's so slight that nobody would notice.

[@AuntAlnico4]

It's not so much about change in tone but more in the feeling ! I love the way p90's kinda feel more open and dynamic than humbuckers, but there are some really dynamic sounding and feeling PAF style humbuckers that get the P90 feel and tone, those are the humbuckers that I love !!!!

[@spider5001]

I love P-90’s they basically sound to me like a humbucker with a top boost. They almost sounded like a slap bass at one point in this video. I had an SG classic with P-90’s, I have a les paul junior, and I just ordered a LP special with p-90s. TV yellow 😎 P-90’s are so much more responsive to me in your attack and the volume and tone pots. P-90’s or Death 🤘🏻

[@mrnewty2]

P90 has something special that I’ve been missing all this time,,,

[@Enriquepad]

I couldn't decide so I bought both of them :)

[@bruceMooseman]

Well I'm a bit biased...as I have a 56 reissue..😳😀 still can't believe it, I watch vids like this and still go, 'wow I want that guitar!' shows how good it really is, I actually agree I think they are massively underappreciated, u can barely find a video on Les Pauls pre humbucker , I understand because obviously the humbucker is so famous and the 58-59 models really are what most people 'drool' over, but the 56 with p90s....man!!! I think it has the most incredible tone and feel! Don't overlook it! It is hands down my favourite guitar

[@creativeconcerts4511]

Great vid Guys! Cooper can play! My fav sound ever is from Neil Youngs Old Black which was a gold top originally. He has a Dearmond Humbucker (from a Guild) in the Bridge and an original p90 in the neck. To me that combo is the ultimate.

[@jimballardband]

I’ve been sold on P-90’s since I got a 2005 Melody Maker. So I got a 2006 DC Special. Oh my goodness they sound great!

[@TheShayneMay]

I love P90s! We need more P90s along with the cowbell!

[@continentalaquatics2725]

I love P-90s, but I have them in an Epiphone Casino (not even a very good vintage) & I had a Les Paul Goldtop with P-100s. I agree that P90s are under appreciated, but when I use a Les Paul, I’m looking for a humbucker sound. The P-90s and Humbuckers are different weapons for different weapons for different fronts. P-90s can definitively sound more pissed off than refined Fender Single Coils or Gibson Humbuckers. In the end, it all come down to what sound you’re looking for.