Got My USGP90 Tokai SG --- P90 Pickup Question

[artpop]

My Tokai SG USGP90 arrived from England yesterday. Great quality (Made In Japan), plays great, looks killer (white body, 2 P90s; like a 60's Gibson Les Paul Special). Sounds... well.... one issue I have is the bridge pickup sounds very brittle to me. I would expect it to have more midrange and be warmer, like a Gibson. The neck sounds thick and warm, but not the bridge. Has anyone had that issue with Tokai P90s?

I was thinking of pickup up a Gibson or Lindy Fralin pickup, but before I go and change anything I thought I'd see if anyone else has had this experience.

 

[Donkey Oaty]

I would expect it to have more midrange and be warmer, like a Gibson. .

Why ?

Its a Tokai, not a Gibson :-?

 

[marcusnieman]

Mine sounds great as is....

Before replacing pickups, try dialing in your amp differently.....remember that these are single coil pickups and can sound shrill if you don't pump up the mid level EQ.....plus, a thin body guitar loaded with P90's is going to sound different tonally than say a beefy 56 Goldtop with P90's. They each have different personalities and require tweaks on the amp settings.

Just a thought....

 

[artpop]

Actually I had borrowed a friend's 60's SG with P-90s in it, so I'm familiar with the sound through my amp.

I have a couple of different amps that I played the 60's SG thru and it sounded thick and full; the Tokai thru the same amps with the same settings sounds brittle and shrill - more so than my Telecaster with Nocaster pickups.

The bridge pickup is set pretty close to the strings, so it's not a volume issue; it's more of a "warmth" issue.

 

[marcusnieman]

Is the 60's SG a real 60's Gibson SG?

If so, you're not comparing apples to apples. Those old Gibsons had low output p'ups - not to mention that both the electronics and tone wood have aged.

But hey, the guitar should sound like you want it to and if that means swapping out components, then go for it - don't play something that doesn't give you what you want. Lot's of nice aftermarket pickups to select from.....l

 

[artpop]

Yeah, it's a 61 or 62 Junior (SG shape). Pickup is loud and thick.

I'm going to play around with the pole pieces later on today; otherwise I may just pick up a Lindy Fralin P90 for the bridge and try that out.

 

[orvilleowner]

Here's something most people don't think about. You could hard wire in a capacitor (and possibly a resistor) to that bridge pickup to reduce some of the highs (assuming that the brittleness is due to high frequencies). This is a much cheaper way of handling the problem than buying a new pickup.

Essentially, this idea is like fixing the tone control at some position. So to know if it will work, try adjusting your tone control. Can you get a sound you like out of that pickup? If you can, then the above would probably work for you. (Actually, an even cheaper fix is just leave your tone control at that decent sounding setting!)

To do the tone shaping I mentioned, you would probably want to buy a few capacitors/resistors and do some experimenting. The cap and resistor would be wired in series and then placed between the hot and ground where the pickup's wires first connect up to the volume pot. I could provide more detailed assistance via PM or email if you want to try this approach.

 

[Jim Jones]

I bought a Tokai Jr. last year and to be honest the pickup was sadly lacking. I replaced it with a Lollar and couldn't be happier with the guitar.

What's the DC resistanc on the P-90's in your SG? (Mine was way low...)

Jim

 

[Rigid Digit]

I agree, the Gotoh P90 in my Tokai junior was quite harsh and low output. I changed it for a Bare Knuckle. The secret is to roll off some of the tone control anyway to give a warmer fatter sound. I always do this on Teles as well.

 

[artpop]

Actually mine has high output, it just sounds harsh to my ears. With the tone rolled down it's better, but still not what I expect to hear from a P90.

 

[stratmoto]

Maybe it will mellow out a litle if it was lowered down. Especially if it seems to have a high output and harsh sound. Worth a try.

 

[chrisheyes]

Artpop

I could recommend you giving one of these handmade pickups a try from Crumbhorn on ebay. They usually go for about ?30.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/P90-Soapbar-HANDWOUND-ALNICO-5_W0QQitemZ300001398188QQihZ020QQcategoryZ22670QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I've got one of his Telecaster P90 pickups in my Candy Apple Red 62' Re-issue. Really meaty.

I got my first one and was really surprised how good it was for the price. I emailed him and asked if he did coil tapped versions. He made me another with 3 outputs !! Underwound / Normal Wound and Overwound.

Ontop of that he sent the pickup to me saying pay me if you like it and return it if you don't !!! What more could you ask for ??

I can get Country to flat out Rock tones on that tele now.

I would think he would make you one with the output and covers that meet your requirement without costing a fortune like Lollars and Fralins etc.

Have you considered Bare Knuckle Pickups ??? They aren't as expensive as Lollars / Fralins but they are the business. I've got single coils and hummbuckers of theirs, but not tried their P90's

 

[Jim Jones]

Artpop,

Is the white USGP90 up on eBay at the moment yours? If so are you selling because of the pickups or other reasons?

Thanks!

Jim

 

[TUNAFREAK]

I put two new sd hot P 90 pups in my LS 145 gold top and love every sound they make. It's a matter of taste, so just do it, or something!