P90 Pickup Comparison | Lollar/Fralin/Gibson/Seymour Duncan | Shootout
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- Опубліковано 4 лип 2024
- 🛑 Better results with Headphones / Earphones / Studio Monitors 🛑
➤ Lollar “'50s Wind”(Alnico 2) ➤ Fralin “Stock” (Alnico 4)
➤ Seymour Duncan “Antiquity” (Alnico 2) ➤ Gibson “Originals” (Alnico 5)
➤ More Gear stuff ⬇︎
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Guitar Strings Comparison || • Acoustic Guitar String...
#P90 #Shootout #Pickups
0:00 Intro
0:24 Bridge/Clean
1:27 Neck/Clean
2:21 Middle/Clean
3:11 Neck/Overdrive
4:08 Bridge/Overdrive
5:03 Middle/Overdrive
5:57 Bridge/HighGain
6:48 Neck/HighGain
7:43 Middle/HighGain
8:24 Bridge/Lead
8:58 Neck/Lead
9:32 Middle/Lead
Great video. My conclusion is there isn't enough difference to worry about these pups.
Thanks a lot Max! You're absolutely right, they're all great! 👌🏼
It’s true! I like the Gibbys for the price.
@@ernststavroblofeld2109 ;)
I swapped the stock P90 on my 2003 Gibson LP Jr for a Lollar 50’s. Huge difference in overall clarity and much tighter bass with the Lollar.
😂
The king is back , the only one that knows how to do a pick up comparison, great job as usual.
Thanks a lot Johnny!! :)
Can’t pick a favorite… Great tones! Awesome video, thanks.
Thanks a lot!!
🤘🏻
Thanks! Awesome demonstration
Thanks a lot Derek! :)
Excellent format. Amazing how close they are.
Thank you! I know... I was shocked too! So close.
Amazing playing. Best pickup comparison I have ever heard.
Thank you so much Andreas!! :)
These are so close it's hard to make a distinction - but - In general, I liked the Lollar best, followed by Gibson, Fralin and last Seymour Duncan. The Seymours weren't as clear as the rest in any of the positions. They still sounded good, but not as good as the others IMO. Great comparison! Few shootouts I've seen like this have any value in terms of making an actual comparison. But you sir, did an excellent job!
Thank you so much Dale!!
Kaven you’re amazing 😳 Thank you SO much for this. 🙌🏻🎸
Thank you Fabrice! :))
Outstanding demo !!
Keep up the excellent work.
Thanks a lot Benjamin!!
Awesome job Kaven!!!
Thank you! ;))
Thanks for this comparison video! IMO you're one of the best guitar youtubers out there, I only wish you made more videos :D
Hey thank you so much!! I really appreciate it! :) I'll try to do more videos!
We missed you Kaven!! You're so worth the wait! Outstanding. Gibson bridge and Lollar neck for me. 🔥🔥🔥
Haha! Thanks Ned!! Great pickup combo!!!
I love P90s, I have 5 guitars with them in various formats and brands... Love them all. Great video.
Thanks! I'm with you. Love the P90s!!
Great video ! Very hard to tell which is better, all four are good but i would go for Lollar in this case.
Thank you for your playing also : awesome as usual !
Thanks a lot Nelson! ;) Lollar are amazing!
Great comparison. I have stock Gibsons in my '69 Goldtop Reissue and a set of Antiquities in an old Special, but the Fralins and the Lollars sound just fine, as you'd expect.
Thanks Duke! They're all great!!
Well done! All are very close. If people are looking to change tone, changing the speakers in their cabinets will make more of a difference than pick-ups ever could
Agreed! Speakers/cabs are so important!
Perfect way to do it my friend! I find I like the Lollars. All around little less harsh.
Thanks a lot Michael! ;)
Killer video dude!! Gibsons are more than fine🏆
Thanks!! Yep, Gibson are solid!
I have to agree
Just a Perfect Comparison!
Thanks a lot Adrian!!
I dig the Fralins over all! Thank you for sharing...
👌🏼😉
I agree: your amazing, consistent playing makes them all sound good. Could've thrown some eBay or Amazon ones in there, and we'd never know. I have no idea which one to pick for the neck of my offset Tele. They're definitely all quality choices... 👍
Thanks a lot!! Yup, like you said, can't go wrong with any of these! ;)
Lollars for me! Clear and punchy 👏
Agreed!
I'll 2nd that.
Totally!
Yup
They all sound great! There’s subtle differences, but they all worked. I would not change out any of them, if they were in the guitar already.
Lollars being under wound, had more clarity clean, and not as much bite dirty. I love Fralin pickups in general and these were in the pocket. I also know it would be no big deal to have Fralin wind their pickups 5% over, or under. Fralin is a great company to work with, and they have always treated me (…and anyone I have ever talked to) great. Very personable.
Agreed 100%!... Yup, Fralin makes great pickups!!
High Gain Neck - Lollars win for clarity. Kaven, I just can't say enough about how cool all of your licks were here. And to be able to play them over and over so exacting - props!
Thanks a lot Steven! I really appreciate it!!
Very helpful video. I've always wondered what the difference between Lollar and Fralin, but I was pleasantly surprised by the Gibson which were a bit cleaner than I expected.
Thanks Rudy!
Thanks for all the work and money that went into this! Phew, hard to choose. I have Gibson Al5 P90s in my LP Special and like them, but want to put a neck Al2 P90 in my SG Special, Antiquity and Lollar sound different but great, probably lean to Antiquity. Fralin Al4 great too, I like Fralin pups already.
Hey thank you so much Jimmy!! I really appreciate it!! Hard to choose indeed! ;)
My takeaway is that you won’t be lacking anything with any one of these sets. They all sound fantastic. As long as it’s the sound and feel you want under the fingers, you need never worry!
Currently waiting on a mojotone soapbar clone to come in and replace a standard Lollar in the neck position of an old ‘07 Les Paul BFG, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there’s more to be gained from dialing the bobbin and screw pole heights than swapping pickups.
Great comparison, awesome sounds!
Yep, can't go wrong with any of these! That's right, adjusting pole heights will make a difference, but it's quite limited!
I only have first hand experience with Fralin and Gibson p90s but I have to say that I prefer the Fralins across the board in this video. I have a new Gibson LP Special and the weakness of the stock Gibson pickups is that they're pretty much equal output giving the impression that the neck is WAY hotter than the bridge but they're by no means bad pickups. I set the treble pretty high on my amp and use the guitar controls so clarity isn't really an issue.
Very well done video!
Thanks!! Yes the Gibson neck pickup is just a bit too hot! Great pickups though!
@@KavenGirouardWide open I agree with you but I play mostly with the amp gained up quite a bit and the guitar volume rolled back about halfway and the Gibson neck pickup has plenty of sparkle.
@@maxpeck4154 True! ;)
Fralin
Dang dude thank you.
I am trying to pick one… they all have something I like about them but this narrows it down to Gibson or Fralin for me. Thank you so much.
👌🏼😉
Great playing, the lollar has edge - just, only just. They all sound good
Agreed! All great pickups! Lollar have a nice "chime".
What a beautiful work! It's really interesting how lollar can manage picking dynamics and licks at low gains, and still sound beefier on lead. Not sure if they are my favorite p90s flavor, but so clear anyway showing the player character
Thanks a lot!! Love the clarity with the Lollar!
Fantastic playing-some great ideas in there to inspire the rest of us at home! In terms of the pickups, I preferred the Lollars for the clean tone, but I liked the good old Gibsons best once overdrive was introduced. Although honestly you wouldn't go wrong with any of these.
Thanks a lot!! :) I agree, Lollars for clean, Gibson for overdrive!
Got a 5% over wound Fraln dogear a couple years ago for My Gibson LPJ and haven't looked back! Just perfect t and added a 50s bumble bee cap with 50s wiring. It's a working man's Custom to me!
Awesome! He sure makes great pickups!!
Loved the Gibson!
Gibson are awesome!!
He strikes again!! Incredible job man. Fralin gets my vote 💪🏼
Thanks Marc! Love the Fralins too!
Just ordered a set! 😎
@@marcgibson5590 Nice!! You won't be disappointed!
Fralin all the way
great vid - I'll tell you what the difference is , everyones ears , we all have a sound in our head that we love and its different for us all as we can see by the way we all prefer a certain pickup -- answer is they all sound great so whatever pickup works for you its the right one
Exactly! We all have a different sound in our head... in the end, it all works!
Very interesting what I realized. First thanks for an excellent video (and playin’). I listened to it three times, the first time looking at what pickups where used and then the two other times looking somewhere else because I noticed I was a bit bias at first. Everyone of them landed up as a “winner” as well as a “looser” at sometime according to different test. But they all sounded as a P90 compared to a PAF, humbucker or single coil. So the subtle difference I perceived was in the attack, definition, clarity, power ect these are all things that can be compensated for with pickup heights, pedals and amp set up. So oranges or apples???
Thanks a lot!! Yes there's always a way to compensate with pedals and amp settings! No looser here ;))
Great comparison, some real distinct differences between them, more than I thought there'd be. To my taste, it's the Fralin bridge and either the Gibson or Fralin neck.
Thanks a lot Kyle!
I've never heard about the Fralin pickups. I think I'll check them out...
He builds great pickups!!
Fralin would be my choice based on this video
Call me crazy, but I think the Gibsons sound the best in high gain. It's got a ton of growl and bite, and while not quite as articulate as the others, is still plenty expressive. Sort of a nice middle ground between the clarity of a single coil and the power of a humbucker. Not the say that any of the others sounded bad, they're all phenomenal choices.
This is an outstanding comparison video. Hearing those nice open chords ring with that overdrive made me smile
Thanks a lot Joe! Gibsons are awesome! ;)
Thank You
You're welcome!
next vid try the domino P90 from Duesenberg, was digging the Fralin
Great idea!
You could make any pickup sound great!
Thanks a lot Sam! :)
P-90s are my favorite pickup. You just proved why. They all have great tone.
LOVE it!
Love yer vids n playing! ❤
So, which are you going with and why?
Thanks a lot!! I ended with the original Gibson in the bridge, with the Lollar in the neck! Works great!
Excellently done and played. To me, the Duncan sound the darkest, but as noted very similar. I would have loved to see this done with the Epiphone LP Special (that I have) which is advertised very vaguely as having P90 “Pro” Soap Bar (couldn’t find output stats).
Thanks Adam! Do you have a multimeter to measure the output of your pickups?
@@KavenGirouard I do have one and will try it, although I’ve never tried it on any of my guitars. Thanks.
@@adamkrauss303 Great!
Fralin. All day
Great pickups! 👌🏼
Yeah, Fralin all day long.
All of them sound fantastic. I'm more than slightly suspicious that what's really fantastic about these pickups is the common denominator of exceptional playing. Great gear with an expert operator.
Haha! 👌🏼😉
Nice comparison work. They're all good. Lollar had the best top end. Gibson had the most grunt. Fralin was somewhere in-between those. Duncan did the best overall. I'd take the Lollar because it had the best string separation along with the treble response, with the Duncan's overall goodness coming in a close 2nd. I could live with any of the four though.
Excellent analysis!! I agree with you!
Absolutely fantastic video, Thank you!
Wondering if I'd notice a difference in my Yamaha Revstar swapping out the stock pick ups for some of those Lollars?
I'd hope to get more punch, clarity and spank from them.
Thanks a lot David! Do you have a Multimeter at home? You could start by checking out the output of those P90... the more output they have, the less clarity! Let me know ;)
@@KavenGirouard I do have a Multimeter yes. Without even check I can tell you they are running hot. My Tele bridge pick up is ballsy but doesn't come close to driving my amp the way the Revstars P90s do.
I like the sound of the lollars the best in this comparison. They seem low in output too, very clear sound coming from them.
@@daviddorrian5349 Exactly! Lollars are low output... I'm sure it would be a perfect fit for the Revstar!
🔥🔥🔥
😊
Friggin' brilliant job, man. Great licks! The Lollars sounded the most "musical" of the bunch (being a low wind, I guess) but this more confirmed for me to just hang with my stock Gibsons until I get me some disposable cash and wanna dick around. I'd start with a Lollar in the neck position.
Thanks a lot Dan!! I agree with you, stock Gibson in the bridge with a Lollar in the neck sounds like a great plan!
I think for most p90 players it’s about getting a little more clarity out of the neck pup while being able to balance the volume with the bridge. At least that’s my thoughts with my 50’s LP standard RI…. I’d possibly swap the neck out for a 50’s wind
Spot on Matt! I did ended up swapping the Gibson neck for a 50's wind! ;)
@@KavenGirouard awesome!
I can usually tell the difference in comparison videos. Not here. They’re all similar enough that I wouldn’t care, so I’d stick with the Gibsons because that’s what they’re ’supposed to sound like.’ My problem is that I have a Friedman guitar with P-90s, but don’t have a frame of reference. Not sure if the pickups aren’t giving me what I want, or if it’s the ‘amp(s)’ or just my cruddy playing…. But I’m recently very deeply into Gibson fandom, and I want a third Gibson….
Yep, can't go wrong with any of them!
@KavenGirouard
Hey! Nice comparisson. Do you by any chance feel any difference in person that you didn't hear later on on the video? I'm asking as I've had a pair of antiquity's in a guitar for over a decade and now got a USA Casino with Gibson's and swapped for 50's Lollars and there is a huge difference between all three. All sound good but not all great. I guess it comes down to taste but IMO the Antiquity's are WAAAAY more open, richer and deeper sounding than the other two. The low end (not muddy, just defined) on them is just insane, just like HiFi. They sound clear and cut through the mix perfectly but sound like a piano. I also have acces to both regular Gibsons and Custom Shop as I work at a guitar store, so I'm not basing it just on memory. Custom Shop Gibson P90's sound amazing and I feel Seymour Duncan's are the closest ones (maybe sounding better). At least that's the way I feel. Of course, as I said, the pair I own is from around 20010 or so. Any thoughts? I don't really hear such a big difference on video, that's why I ask.
Hi! I hear you! I decided to keep the stock Gibson in the bridge, and have the Lollar 50s wind in the neck (cleaner, more sparkle). Antiquity's are awesome, a bit too much mids for my taste, but they're probably the "best" sounding set, they just feel great! That being said, you can't go wrong with any of these!
The Lollars seemed to be the biggest departure from the group, but it seemed like the differences narrowed as the gain increased. I think that from beginning to end the Fralins seemed to be in my top 1 or 2 most of the time. I do think that I've become a bigger fan of SD as I've aged; I kinda like them. But at the end of the day I'm not kicking any of those tones out of bed.
Excellent observation!! Thanks.
I have stock Fender P90s in my Mustang and never thought about changing them
I honestly can’t tell any consistent differences on my phone speaker with your testing- maybe the hotter ones are louder?
The only way I’d swap pickups is if I wanted to get a different output level (which you can tell with pickups when the differences are significant like 8.5K to 6k or whatever)
I just don’t know what reliable measurements they have to have differences in frequency response (Henry’s? Resonant peak?)
If you're happy with the stock P90s, then there's no need to change! ;)
Give it a try with some headphones on, the subtleties are more obvious!
the SD's had a lovely "chime" in the tops. but the Gibson's had a rounder and smoother bottom.
ideally, i'd go Gibson bridge, SD neck. you'd likely lose most of the Gibson's bottom in the bridge position, but it would reinforce the low-mids and make them more shapely.
That would make a great combo!
❤️❤️❤️
😊
Hello my dude ... best P-90 pick ups I've ever played are the Roswell models that come in the Harley Benton CST 24T P-90...yeah, yeah, I know, I bought the Benton out of curiosity I played it and decided to swap the Roswells for Gibson P-90s and when I played the guitar the Gibsons which I was very familiar with but hadn't played 'em in a couple of years sounded like trash compared to the Roswell, even the luthier who installed the Pups said to me when he brought the guitar..."You're probably going to regret buying the Gibsons because the stock P-90s are much better and boy was he right.
Nice! Never heard of Roswell pickups, I'll check it out... What was the biggest difference compared to the Gibsons?
Duncan's for me
They have a nice "grit"!!
Lollar for me
👌🏼😉
Fantastic comparison!! 🤩🙏 All are great but Lollar is on top I think.
Thanks a lot!! :)
I have the 2005 model, differences to me are imperceptible so I will keep the originals in.
No need to swap the originals! They're solid.
05:20 Fralin beats all other three in arppegios. I’d use them for Japanese rock music.
👌🏼😉
Ils sont tous très bien. Les lollar et fralin sont un peu plus fins.
Les SD sont proches des gibson mais plus flutés.
Les gibson sont très légèrement plus brouillons.
Au milieu je prends les SD du coup
Exact! Ils sont tous excellents! ;)
Gibson for clean.
Fralin for overdrive.
Lollar for high gain
Gibson for your soloing!
especially neck pickup for:
(Purple Rain and Think Twice w/ C.D )
🙂 ⚡ 👌
Haha! That's right!! ;) Great picks!
Fralin for sure
All great P90 Choices but just so slightly the Fralins
👌🏼😉
Like the Fralin`s the best.
They're awesome!
For me personally it's between the Gibson and the Fralin. I think the Gibson edges it out in the higher gain stuff, but everything else they're pretty close. The Duncan and Lollers are too bright for my liking and sound like they're missing a little girth in the lead playing.
👌🏼😉
Man i wish a bareknuckle was in this.
I know! Next round!...
Whichever one is cheapest. No one but you will ever know. 😅
Now take just one of them and compare woth a few cheapos - HB stock, fleor and oripures. That would be interesting. 😊
Haha! Sadly true ;) I tought about adding a cheap one in the mix... well, next time!
I want to change pickups on my les Paul special. Which is the model to buy to have the same tonal characteristics of my Gibson pickup but with more clarity? Most important on the neck because the Gibson is a little muddy.
I think lollar but they make a lot of models of p90s… thanks
Hi Davide! Did you take a look at the pot values in your guitar? Mine came with 300k, I upgraded to 500k, the clarity is back! Maybe put a 500k on the neck volume pot? Worth a try... Otherwise, in my LP Special, I kept the Gibson in the bridge and a Lollar in the neck! Works really well ;)
@@KavenGirouard thanks, mine is a modern ‘23 so I have to check, never opened till today. It’s a cheap try so I’ll check
@@davide88rn Awesome!
What is the order of noise of the 4 products compared in every way, when you didn't play the guitar and when you played it?
The only thing I noticed is that the Fralin had a little bit more noise... but nothing dramatic. All the others are quite the same!
@@KavenGirouard Is the noise in fralin slightly worse and the rest of it similar? (Thank you for the useful video)
@@user-xl2vg1zn2t Correct!
You know… I think Im good with stock Gibsons. But if I was looking for sparkle Lollar, clarity fralin, low end punch seymour duncan, but I think stock Gibsons are pretty bad ass just the way they are.
100% with you Simon!
1 Fralin
2 Lollar
3 Seymour Duncan
4 Gibson
👌🏼
While I can tell a difference and did prefer Fralin/lollar... and the stock Gibson pickups did loose this comparison... changing pickups is, as demonstrated here, only done to satisfy your own "geekiness". The cost and work with selecting new pickups, buying and installing will never pay as far as any audience is concerned...
Yep, it's mostly about "geekiness"! ;)
Why would you make *any* gear choice based on an “audience?” Don’t *you* spend more and more _intimate_ time with your tone than some schmuck in a bar? Aren’t *you* supposed to be the better-informed, more discerning person? Dont you play for yourself *far* more than you do above a dummer [accidental sic] and bassist?
they are all very close.
Absolutely!!
Gibson or Fralin for me
👌🏼😉
I like the sound of Fralin the most
Fralin>Gibson>SD>Lollar
👌🏼😉
The differences are too subtle, which makes sense since these all try to replicate the sound from the same era. I would buy whatever is cheapest.
Quite close indeed!!
Which one has less noise between fralin and lula? I’m really curious (I heard p90 has a lot of noise!)
A bit more noise coming from the Fralin set!
@@KavenGirouard Is there clearly a big difference in noise between the two products? Or is there a very small difference?
@@user-wq3yf2ew1o Small difference! Got for it! ;)
@@KavenGirouard Thank you for your answer! If you want something quiet, choose Lollar. Is this correct? (I'm sorry to ask you a lot. The translator might be weird) Have you noticed any sound differences? Lollar,Fralin
@@user-wq3yf2ew1o You will get noise from any of these 4 pickups! The Lollar are just a little bit less noisy. I would personally choose "tone" before "noise"!
P90, P91 .. whatever it takes .
Haha!
had listeтed with the closed eyes. gibson almost all the time! lollar solid 2d: very nice and tide mids. seymours are the muddiest. dont like them at all. fralins smtimes yes smtimes no...too trasnsparent to me. whats the name of that ginson p-90s model and are they in stock?
Gibson P90s are great! They're simply called "P-90 Soapbar (or Dogear)" you have the "Underwound" option also...
@@KavenGirouard thank you, but is it really possible to mount "dogears" on SG special, for instance?
@@bruceleemagomaev9157 I'm not sure... I've seen it on SG Junior, or 335, LP Junior!
My ability to discern a difference is zero. They all sound great.
Agreed!!
Once some dirt was added all four sounded pretty much the same.
They're pretty close!
The PUPS don't matter. Invest in your playing skills; that matters!
True!... But gear is fun! ;)
Idk man!? If that one guy at that one show would've had Lollars instead of Gibson's it would've totally been a way better show. Tone just ruined the whole thing for me. 😂
@@OneMoreGrave 🤣🤣🤣
@@KavenGirouard True but, the best pup's in the world don't sound good when the guitar player can't play. Spend money on becoming a better player, then invest in better equipment and gear. If you don't sound good playing a $500 dollar guitar, you won't sound good playing a $3,500 or more $$$$ guitar. That's all my point was.
@@luckyrocks1 Of course I got your point! I agree 100%!!
Which one is the hottest?
In terms of output, the Seymour bridge and Gibson neck! Overall, the Gibson set.
The SD wins ny my taste
They're great!
Fralin
They're great!
They all sound like P90s. Preferred the Gibsons. The Fralins were my least favorite. That said, I'd be happy with any of them.
Agreed! Gibsons are nice!
Very little difference however I think the Gibson had the most classic tones.
Agreed!
Fralins
👌🏼
No real standout here. Great playing BTW.
Thanks a lot!
About 1% difference between all of them I think! \m/
Yup, quite subtle!!
@@KavenGirouard Indeed!
Antes de cambiar ire al psiquiatra haber si los del GAS...
En serio no noto diferencia, si acaso con distordion a lo mejor si.
Es muy sutil!! :)
Lollars are somewhat disappointing.
The neck is great, the bridge maybe a bit thin!
All very good, but Lollar to me is the winner, more bass & clarity
Thanks Gabe! "Clarity" is the perfect way to describe them.
My conclusion is that P90s kick butt … I recently got a Standard Goldtop P90 …. 🤌🏻😘
Agreed!! I also got a Standard Goldtop P90 recently... LOVE IT!