Information AboutSoapbar |
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The original P-90 was actually a single coil design, so its tone was somewhat brighter than a genuine humbucker, though not quite as crisp as Fender's single coil pickups. However, because of its relatively rectangular shape, and the fact that the first P-90s on the original Les Paul Model of 1952 were white, it came to be popularly called the "soapbar" pickup. Other similar pickups were mounted on Gibson's semi-hollowbody guitars (like the ES-330) via two triangular flanges, one on the top of the pickup and the other on the bottom, and these came to be called "dog-eared" P-90s. The same pickups were available on Epiphone models (since Gibson was building Epiphone guitars in the 1950s) and the design is best remembered for its appearance on the Epiphone Casino of the mid to late 1960s. All three Beatles bought one and recently, Paul McCartney stated, "If I had to choose one electric guitar, it would be this." High praise for a man who could own any guitar he might happen to desire. It is known for having a distinct single-coil sound yet the thicker distortion of a Humbucker, thus it is quite popular in Progressive and Psychedelic Rock bands. Popular guitars that use/have the option of using P-90's are the Gibson SG, Gibson Les Paul, Epiphone Casino, and Fender Telecaster. Famous users of P-90's are Pete Townshend of The Who (Gibson SG, during the Tommy era), John Lennon of The Beatles (Epiphone Casino around the recording of The White Album and from there on afterwards), and Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day (Gibson Les Paul Junior with 1 P-90 pickup at Bridge) |
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