In this Gibson Gear Guide video, hear in detail what makes the P-90 pickup a weapon of choice among great players in the know
In this Gibson Gear Guide video, hear from Charlie Starr, Joe Bonamassa, and Jared James Nichols about what makes the P-90 pickup a weapon of choice among great players. These guys will give you insights into timeless guitar tone, often found on single-pickup guitars, but obviously not exclusively. For example, witness the Epiphone Joe Bonamassa 1955 Les Paul Standard—dual Epiphone P-90 PRO pickups at your service, also featured on the Epiphone Les Paul Special.
The P-90 pickup has been a beloved staple of electric guitar design since it first appeared in Gibson’s catalog back in 1946. Originally developed as the company’s standard pickup option before the humbucker™ took center stage, the P-90 quickly set itself apart with a sound that was both rich and assertive. Early adopters included legendary models like the ES-125, and the influence of that early dogear design can still be heard in countless recordings across rock, blues, jazz, and soul.
What is the P-90 sound?
Joe Bonamassa observes that Gibson fans, typically in love with humbuckers, will “say behind closed doors—when the internet is not watching—that their favorite pickup is a P-90.”
But what makes the P-90 so cool to guitarists? First of all, it has an awesome tonal balance. Sonically, it sits right between a smaller single-coil’s bright, jangly character and a humbucker’s thicker, more powerful tone. The result is a warm, midrange-focused voice with extended bass and treble that can be mellow and sweet or snarling and overdriven.
Humbuckers vs P-90 pickups
Players love the P-90 for its raw, natural texture—rolling the volume knob back delivers smooth, clean tones with amazing detail and dynamics, while cranking it up lets you unleash gritty, full-bodied riffs that cut through the mix and drive the band.
The unique design of the P-90, delivered in Soapbar and Dogear variations, also adds a touch of vintage charm to a guitar’s look. But beyond looks, a slightly larger coil and magnetic structure give it a broader sonic footprint than smaller single coils and a different tone than humbuckers.
Mat Koehler, Gibson’s Vice President of Product, notes in the video that the two main flavors of P-90 are distinct sounds—that the Soapbar is more adjustable and direct-mounted into the body, both affecting the tone in various ways in comparison to a Dogear or a humbucker.
Also in the video, Bonamassa demonstrates that a P-90 has a little more going on in the top end than a typical humbucker. Over the decades, the P-90’s accurate reproduction of overtones and its natural responsiveness to a player’s touch has made it a secret weapon for many guitarists, as evidenced by Charlie Starr’s observation of how it can rock with the volume on full blast but also mimic the cleaner, smaller single-coil sound when you dial it back with attention to your picking dynamics. His playing tells the tale better than I can write about it, and he discloses that he discovered this about P-90s when using larger amps.
In an era when guitar technology seems super complex, the P-90 reminds us that innovation isn’t always about reinventing the wheel. Sometimes, a classic design’s timeless character and versatility are all you need to make your music really sing.
Learn more about P-90s in this article, where Jim DeCola shows you how to install them. We noted there that “P-90s typically deliver a ferocious snarl when driven hard, which makes them a favorite of punk, indie, and rock musicians looking for aggressive rhythm tones.
“There’s plenty here for blues soloists too; thanks to their incredibly expressive and touch-sensitive dynamic response, P-90s respond exceptionally well to adjustments in playing attack—cleaning up beautifully when played softly, yet capable of fireworks when you dig in hard.”
Need a P-90-equipped guitar? Both Gibson and Epiphone have models that fit the bill.
