Contrasts in Tone

[Axemeister]

I jammed this weekend with three guitars.....My favorite Custom 24, my Custom 22 Soapbar, and one of my Strats.

The range of sounds was amazing. I love my Custom 24s for rock. They sear, but IMO they are too hot and dark for some bluesy stuff! So, after the Custom 24, I picked up the Strat, and I was wowed by the quack and texture of the single coils in contrast to the Custom....Even with my limited ability, the guitar change took me from metal mode to Stevie Ray ........

Then I picked up my Soapy...WOW. It was like the best of both worlds, the P90's can still crank and bite at high gain-- but adjust the EQ and split them, and it is Strat on hormones! I love that guitar. The Custom 22 Soapy is a great axe.....It may have been a commercial dud for PRS, but they are the hot ticket for tone!

[Thomas Hebert]

Hey Axemeister, thanks for the report. How do the P90 pickups compare to humbuckers as to a volume roll off with a distorted tone? Do they clean-up better than humbuckers, more like single coils?

Thanks

[Dan Desy]

Hey Axemeister, thanks for the report. How do the P90 pickups compare to humbuckers as to a volume roll off with a distorted tone? Do they clean-up better than humbuckers, more like single coils?

Thanks
Yes they do. P90s can really cover just about any sonic territory.

[Ron M]

I love my cu 22 soapbar also. I have a rosewood board on mine. I think it is a little on the dark side though. I wish I had gotten the maple. Oh well maybe I will.

[Axemeister]

I love my cu 22 soapbar also. I have a rosewood board on mine. I think it is a little on the dark side though. I wish I had gotten the maple. Oh well maybe I will.
I am sure that the rosewood has a slightly different tone than my maple equipped soapy.

As Dan said, the P90 pickups have a great range which changes with volume roll off. At full throttle through a hi-gain amp set up they can crunch, but lower the volume and clean them up and they sound quite sweet by comparison.

I should note that they do exhibit more noise than most Humbuckers, especially at high volume.

[Michael Nolan]

Oh, how I love the P90s in my R6.

I'm right there with you Axemeister! I played my new Strat the other day and was digging the tones I was getting out of her. Then I switched over to the Les Paul, and was feeling that just as much or a little bit more than the Strat tones!

BTW - I have come full circle with my gear:

1st guitar ever was a Strat.
2nd -> Strat
3rd -> Les Paul
4th -> PRS
5th -> PRS
6th -> SG
7th ->SG
8th -> Les Paul
9th -> Strat

Now the R6 Lester and the Strat are my number 1 and number 2 axes. Strange huh?

[rhythmace]

Whoa! This is exactly what I've been up to for the last couple of weeks. I've never owned a strat before and I finally caved. I've got to say it rocks! Damn thing sings like crazy with an incredible vintage spongy tone, it is amazing. Then I go back to my Cus (22,24) and Les Pauls and they just sound dead by comparison. I'm sorry, but they do. They are warm and rich, but just no voice, no vibe in comparison. They are great axes - it's partly because I'm forced to play fairly soft and clean in my apartment. Now, I've been Jonesing for a Mac BLE, I checked out IRW necks, but I much prefer the sound of mahogany, and those Macs do sound pretty good. My question is, how would a P90 Mac compare to a vintage strat sound? Is it what I'm looking for? Can you really get those magical strat tones with one of those? Seriously? The whole shebang? I know I need to check one out, but neither of the two GCs near me have one, damn it! Needless to say I'm also very curious about the 513.

[Christof Matthiesen]

Rhythmace,

The MacSoapbar is quite different from a strat. IMHO you are unlikely to find your favourite strat tones in it, though they are great guitars in there own right. The Mac will be more on the LP-side of the spectrum. Think Les-Paul 56 re-issues....

The CU22 soapbar sounds much closer to a strat but it still is something different. Unique in a way, in a *good* way. I have a rosewood-board CU22 soapbar since ten days now (thanks jda) and I am more than happy to have this kind of an "alternative strat". The P90s push the input of an amp way more than your regular singlecoils. I personally like it a lot, PRS did a great job with these guitars. Unfortunately they are discontinued now...

Christof

[Eric Thomas]

I'll second Christof's comments. The P90 pickups have too much "girth" to really sound like a Strat. Maybe a Strat on lots of steroids, but definitely not authentic Strat tones.

[Axemeister]

I'll second Christof's comments. The P90 pickups have too much "girth" to really sound like a Strat. Maybe a Strat on lots of steroids, but definitely not authentic Strat tones.I agree that you are not going to get an authentic vintage Strat tone out of P90's...but to my ears the P90's fit in a nice place between Humbuckers and traditional Single Coils.

By the way, there are plenty of Strats with high output single coils that drown the authentic Strat tone too...but they can sound great in their own right too.

[Ron M]

I enjoy the unique sound and feel the PRS P90's get. Strats sound sweet and can sing, but often to thin.