What are the best P90 pickups on the market at the moment? We know the right answer.
You’ve been playing guitar for a while, and you’d love to upgrade your instrument, but the prices are more than a little prohibitive to get to the top end.
It can dramatically improve the sound quality by replacing the pickup, and the best P90 pickup is an excellent choice.
Gibson started offering this pickup in the mid-1940s, and it remains the most overlooked but widely-revered pickup ever made. Installing a new pickup is a surprisingly easy process that you could do yourself or get your local music shop to handle for you – an inexpensive way to get high-end audio.
Best P90 Pickups – Comparison Table
| Image | Model | Price |
|---|---|---|
 | Seymour Duncan Antiquity P90 Dog Ear Pickup (Top Pick) | Check Price |
 | Seymour Duncan SPH90 Phat Cat P90 (Yes - Humbucker-Sized!) | Check Price |
 | Lindy Fralin P-90 | Check Price |
 | Gibson Gear IMP9R-CC | Check Price |
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Seymour Duncan Antiquity P90 Dog Ear Pickup (Editor’s Choice)
Pros
- Classic sound and look at a good price
Cons
- Fewer options in the look
With this pickup, you can capture the sweet, weathered single-coil tone heard from a classic ’52 Goldtop. That takes on the original pickups that allowed the Gibson Les Paul to produce its most classic sound. The tone is really warm while still maintaining very impressive. The mid-range gives a bright tone with a really clean sound.
With a Tubescreamer or similar thrown into the mix, there is an intense rock and roll feel. Unfortunately, that is not a kind and gentle pickup – instead, this is a midrange that grinds alongside a nice woody thump.
The bobbins are hand-fabricated with the same kind of wire and tape that were used in the original. In addition, they use specially calibrated Alinco II magnets attached to a precision metal spacer that transfers the magnetic field to the strings through fillister head pole pieces.
There are two colors available, black or cream, and all versions have the classic tone you would expect.
This pickup performs best with crunchy amp settings and is great to rock out with.
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Seymour Duncan SPH90 Phat Cat P90 (Fits a Humbucker Slot)
Pros
- Clear and bright
- Maintain definition
- Great price
Cons
- It may be too tight and bright for some guitars or players.
It is a true P90 bridge pickup but in a standard humbucker size, making installation even more straightforward. This pickup was initially developed in the Custom Shop for Hamer Guitars and is a true single-coil P90 Soapbar. You get all of the authentic bridge position grit and growl that you’d expect from a vintage P90 soap bar. It has been wound to give you chords with lots of bright harmonics, and solos have that sharp single-coil cut.
It is a lively and punchy pickup with a slightly thinner low end than a traditional P90, but this is more than made up with the mids and top ends, which shine. The Phat Cat is responsive to pick attack and very touch-sensitive. Chords and single notes snap and pop, making them great for fingerstyle playing, country licks, or any style where clarity is the top priority. The tone is less compressed than a humbucker, and the sound is nice and crisp.
This pickup also uses Alnico II magnets for more sustained and softer attacks. In addition, the metal covers provide more shielding and noise reduction than standard soap bar covers.
There are two choices of color here, black and nickel, both of which look stylish.
If you want to fingerpick along with Eddie Vedder, then this pickup could well be for you.
Pros
- Great sound
- Easy to install
- Well-known and quiet without shielding
- Great sound, easy to install, well-known and quiet without shielding
Cons
- Quite expensive
This classic and screaming pickup allows for a sound quality that is out of this world. Fralin is known for their solid US hand-wound, high-quality pickups, and this one does not disappoint. These pickups allow even the cheapest guitar to ring like a bell from sleepy soul to nasty grit.
The pickup is known for its prominent, fat mid-range. With this pickup on board, you can look forward to a strong and aggressive top-end alongside a bottom end that is clear, present, and round. Single notes are thick with a solid, sustained footprint. Chords sound out with a slight compression, and the note separation is fantastic. The clarity and definition with this pickup remain strong and punchy.
The pickup has a reverse-wound bridge to help with hum canceling when two pickups are on. In addition, it comes with adjustable poles and Alinco II bar magnets separated with maple.
It is available in various colors with several dogear cover options if you want to use this pickup on a hollow-bodied guitar.
While expensive, these pickups will exceed your expectations for sound and crispness. As a result, they are highly recommended for players of most styles where beefy sounds need to ring out.
Pros
- The classic look and sound.
Cons
- Hard to get for non-US residents
It is the original P90. First introduced in the early 1950s, Gibson’s legendary P90 single-coil pickup produced a raw, powerful tone that helped define the blues and rock and roll in their formative years. Today, the P90’s traditional combination of high output and brilliant tone is still considered a favorite among many top musicians.
Known by such familiar nicknames as the “Soapbar” and the “Dogear,” the P90 still cuts through any music, all while displaying exceptional tonal sensitivity for everything from blues and rock to mellow jazz riffs. It’s perfect as a vintage replacement and features vintage, braided two-conductor wiring. It’s also thoroughly wax potted to eliminate any chance of unwanted microphonic feedback.
This pickup uses the Alnico V magnet, which provides a fat tone that is more punchy than the Alnico II variety.
These are available in a variety of colors and can be used in the bridge or neck position.
What Features Should the Best P90 Pickups Have?
A P-90 pickup will have a brighter tone and an attack, which is more straightforward than a humbucker. It will also have a mid-low range response, which is beefier than a simple one-coil pickup. As a result, the best sound will be twangy and powerful, complementing country and even rock while having the nostalgic hum reminding you of the 60’s style single coil.
At one time, the P-90 was considered a “budget” alternative to real humbuckers. As a result, they were often found on Gibson’s mid-level instruments and some Epiphone models. But times change, and the P-90 has made a big-time comeback. See, the P-90 is a single-coil pickup, and we now know that single coils can deliver plenty of top-end response, allowing it to cut through even the densest mixes.
Many of The Beatles’ biggest hits were recorded using P-90 equipped guitars. But the most remarkable thing about the P-90 pickup is that once you roll off the highs, you can still get the smoky tones we usually associate with humbuckers. Best sounding P-90 pickups come in two styles: Soapbar (for solid body guitars) and “Dog Ear” (for hollow-body guitars).
Depending on your need, the range of colors and styles may be substantial. The noise-canceling level, the quality of chords, and individual notes will be significant factors in deciding which of these to go for.
If you want to find the most popular and reliable P-90 pickups, check our list above. I’ve looked at each of them’s sounds and thought about the style of music that each is most appropriate for. Then, the pros and cons are listed, and there is my opinion at the end, letting you know what I’d pick if I were only allowed to choose one.
As you’ll see, the type of music you are playing is one of the significant factors when deciding which of these you will use to alter your guitar.
Best P90 Pickups: Our Verdict
All of these pickups provide an incredible sound, and the one you pick will depend on the style of music you want to get into. I’ve enjoyed exploring these and thinking about which to rock or mellow out. However, if you are looking for finger-picking clarity, I’d suggest going with Flat Cat.
If, however, you’d instead go for the harder rock and roll style, I’d suggest the Seymour Duncan Antiquity, which gives the classic sound at a reasonable price. The best p90 pickup can be your and can transform your budget guitar’s sound at a much less substantial price tag than an entirely new instrument.