If you've ever thought the world of electric guitar is due for a P90 renaissance, you’re probably not alone.
In the past few months, diehard humbucker players like Joe Bonamassa and Warren Haynes have leaned into P90s. Last October brought the arrival of Bonamassa’s Epiphone 1955 Les Paul Standard, the first guitar in his Artist Series to feature P90 pickups.
Then, in mid March came word that Haynes’ new signature Gibson Les Paul Standard will also feature P90s.
Now we’ve learned that Bon Jovi guitarist Phil X is working with Gibson on a signature SG equipped with P90s.
It's quite an about-face for the humble P90.
The single-coil pickup has been made by Gibson since 1946. But with the arrival of the humbucker in 1957, the P90 took a backseat to its double-coil sibling.
But as many guitarists have discovered, P90s have a lot going for them. Crank ‘em up for rock and roll, dial ‘em back for country, or a little further for some glassy Tele tones. Available in soapbar and dog-ear formats, they are the same pickup in either mounting configuration, though some guitarists are certain they hear a difference. (And as you'll see, Joe has his own theory about this.)
As for that tone, it's more beloved than you might think.
Bonamassa himself declared, "Most people who are dyed-in-the-wool Gibson people, they'll say behind closed doors — when the internet's not watching — that their favorite pickup is a P90."
As Haynes told us, he chose P90s for a few reasons. In addition to giving him tones that are different from his go-to sounds, they allow him to change up his vibe without relying on pedals.
“I’m not depending on pedals for the majority of the sounds that I use,” Warren says. “I like to change the volume knob on the guitar to get a lot of different sounds that way, and P90s are definitely great for that."
Having spoken to Warren, we thought we'd ask Joe and Phil to weigh in on the subject. Here’s what they told us.
Joe Bonamassa
Although he’s admittedly a “humbucker guy,” that didn’t stop Joe Bonamassa from releasing a P90-equipped Epiphone Les Paul at the end of 2024 in a spectacular, vintage-inspired Copper Iridescent finish.
“I was using the Epiphone onstage the other night for a song or two,” Bonamassa tells Guitar Player. “I really liked the way it sounded. It sounded really great.
"But," he cautions, "you are subject to the same noise issues that a single-coil will produce — though that’s also part of the charm.”
That charm, which dates to the 1950s and 1960s when P90s were often found in Les Paul Jr. and SG models, has captivated the minds of some guitarists and left just as many dumbfounded. As for Bonamassa, a collector of such seductive relics, he says, “They all tend to sound pretty good.
“But my favorite P90 guitar is a 1961 SG Special in Polaris White," he adds. "It’s the Pete Townshend spec. That thing just roars!”
That said, Bonamassa generally reverts to his humbucking ways, though he admits to the versatility of a P90. “You can play anything on them,” he says.
At the same, he notes, “I can take a [DiMarzio] Super Distortion or a [Mighty Mite] Motherbucker and play straight jazz if I had to!"
He laughs at the idea of it all.
"They’re all versatile," he contends. "It’s the player. It’s not rocket science. Look, Les Paul himself didn’t play rock or blues, you know?”
Ultimately, while Bonamassa respects P90s enough to put them on a signature guitar, he’s not about to ditch humbuckers anytime soon.
“Oh, no,” he says. “If that was gonna happen, I would have done that years ago. I’m getting set in my ways. But like I said, it depends on the song, and the application.”
Your recent signature Epiphone Les Paul has P90s on it, which is a bit of a departure for you. What's the appeal?
Well, all my signature stuff is based on old guitars that I won, so the brown P90 Les Paul that we did last year is based on two original ones that I own from the ‘50s. We’d never done a P90 guitar, and they have that thing. They clean up really well; they roar. Juniors and Specials, sometimes they roar. They hit harder.
What tonal possibilities do P90s open for you that humbuckers or Stratocaster-style single-coils don’t?
They’re their own thing. With P90s, you’re generally talking about pairing them with an all-mahogany body, like a Junior, a Special or a Les Paul Standard. You usually have a maple top, which adds a little brightness, and a mahogany back. P90s tend to read in the high sevens and low eights [ohms], so they’re a very specific thing.
A lot of people even set their rigs to P90s and set their gain structure to the P90. I guess I have to break that code because my rig is set for humbucking pickups, so the gain structures are different.
If you were to alter your rig to accommodate a P90, how would you do it?
Generally, if I’m using a P90 guitar, I’m playing rhythm. I love a P90 through a Fender Deluxe, a Vox, or even a JCM45 Marshall, you know? That’s like instant Who Live at Leeds. The P90s are great for power chords. You hear all the notes in-between, and they’re very articulate.
What’s the trick to intermingling P90s with effects pedals?
I find that P90s take boost pretty well, though sometimes you don’t really need to boost at all. They have plenty of gain. Plus, I don’t use a lot of gain to begin with.
There’s an argument to be made that P90s are more versatile than humbuckers since they run the tonal gamut from rock to blues to country.
It depends on the wood [of the guitar]. I’ve seen P90s jammed into Telecasters, and I’ve seen a bunch in a Les Paul context, but they are pretty versatile. Everybody tends to trade up to a PAF, but that’s a different animal altogether.
So P90s are very versatile, but they’re not like Fender pickups, which tend to be more scooped in the midrange. P90s tend to have more midrange and a little more output.
"If I’m using a P90 guitar, I’m playing rhythm. The P90s are great for power chords. You hear all the notes in-between, and they’re very articulate."
— Joe Bonamassa
Some guitarists are certain dog-ear and soapbar P90s sound different. Have you ever found anything to back that up?
It’s just the cover. I can’t hear the difference between plastic, you know? It’s the same pickup under the soapbar and the dog-ear. [laughs]
And yet some players swear by dog-ears over soapbars, and vice versa.
Those people are full of shit. [laughs] I’m sorry, but tell me you don’t know anything about guitars without telling me you don’t know anything about guitars. [laughs] It’s the same fucking square magnet; it’s the same pickup! [laughs] It’s like going, “I prefer the sound of Bakelite versus polystyrene versus plastic.” If you can hear those nuances, my hat’s off to you.
What do you think they’re actually hearing?
Here’s the thing: Generally, the dog-ear is put in a Les Paul Junior, and a Junior is different than a Les Paul Standard. There’s no maple cap, and it’s all just mahogany, so the wood is going to change the nature of the guitar with the pickup in it. If you put a maple cap on a Les Paul and stick the same pickup in there, it’s going to sound different because of the maple.
You’ve got a signature Epiphone Les Paul with P90s, Warren Haynes has a signature Les Paul Standard with P90s, and Phil X is working on a signature SG with P90s. Are we experiencing a P90s renaissance?
I don’t know. I mean, Warren historically has been a humbucking pickup guy for his whole career since I’ve known him, for 30 years. I was surprised to see that he went with the P90s. But everybody’s tastes change, and everybody has different needs and applications.
Phil X
Seeing as Phil X is the lead guitarist for Bon Jovi, one of the more iconic glam rock bands of all time, you might assume he's into hot-rodded Strat-style guitars. Unless you've seen him play live, you might now that he's hooked on old-school P90 pickups.
According to Phil, P90s give him all the tonal options and versatility he needs to tackle Bon Jovi’s iconic catalog, as well as his music with his solo band, the Drills.
He tells Guitar Player, “What I like about the P90 is, if I have the volume on 10, it’s angry rock and roll, full of angst and spit.
“Then, If I turn it down to seven, I get Telecaster country sounds. And when I turn it down to three or four, I get beautiful, glassy cleans. It doesn’t get muddy or murky; it’s nice and bright and in your face.”
Phil loves his P90s so much that he’s working on a signature SG equipped with them. Currently in the advanced prototype stage, the guitar features a thicker body and neck. Phil calls it "my favorite."
“I love how it feels when I’m wearing it or sitting with it. I just did three shows in Texas, and I played that guitar every night. I was like, ‘Man, this is the one.’ I’m really excited for it to be released by Gibson in the next year or so.”
"That guitar was magical, but it was the P90 that took the magic and made it undeniable.”
— Phil X
Phil’s love for the P90 pickup is clear, although he admits that, due to its hum-laden and perceived uncontrollable nature, not everyone agrees.
“A lot of people are listening with their eyes instead of their ears,” he says. "They’re like, ‘Oh, no, that’s a P90, it’s gonna sound like that.’ I’m like, ‘No, wait until you hear it.’ "
He recalls a studio incident when he was playing a 1966 Gibson ES-330.
"It has nickel-covered P90s,” he says. “When I plugged into a Marshall and hit an A chord, everyone ran in and said, 'What’s that guitar?'
"That guitar was magical, but it was the P90 that took the magic and made it undeniable.”
What first turned you on to P90s to where you developed a signature unit with Arcane?
I just find them super dynamic. I really got accustomed to the P90 that I did with Arcane, which was called the PX-90. We tried different gauges of wire, different winds, and stuff like that. We settled on this one magic recipe, and it was amazing.
Does your attack change when you’re playing with P90s?
It all comes back to how dynamic they are. If you pick close to the bridge, they’re going to be really bright. And if you pick closer to the fretboard, then it’s going to be darker. Every pickup does that, but it’s more articulated with a P90.
Do P90s alter your amp choices?
It’s funny you asked that because my approach does change with the amp. If I use an old [Marshall] Plexi, I know I can’t hit the guitar as hard because it’ll fart. [laughs]
Are your amp settings much different from when you’re playing with humbuckers or Strat-style single-coils?
I don’t know if there’s much of a difference. I know when I plug into an amp, if I’m not familiar with it, I start with everything at 12 o’clock and then flavor to taste. And I find that the P90 has enough bite, so I don’t have as much presence up on the amp, but it’s never a bass thing.
A bass thing?
No matter what guitar I use, I feel like I have to have the bass to where it’s not thumpy — but I want it to be violent, like unchained, you know? I'm talking about that low thing, where you hit it a little too hard and it goes sharp, and then you back off and it’s in pitch, and it’s got a violent sound to it. For me, the P90 does that way more accurately than, say, a humbucker.
Do you find that P90s are effective for Bon Jovi’s music, given that many of those songs were recorded with Strat-stye guitars back in the day?
If I have a P90 in an SG or Les Paul Jr. guitar, and I’m playing “Raise Your Hands," then I’ve got the guitar on 10. But if Jon wants to go into “Lost Highway,” which is a country song, without me changing guitars, I’ll pick a P90, because I can just change the volume to get what I need. I'll put it on 10 for “Raise Your Hands,” and drop it to seven for a more country sound on “Lost Highway.”
So the P90s offer you more tonal options and versatility than a humbucker or a Strat-style single-coil.
I think so. If I only have a guitar with one P90 in it, which is usually when I play with my band, the Drills, that’s all I need. And when I want to get that woman tone, I just roll off the tone knob, and it gives me a beautiful woman tone. It’s clearer than a humbucker when you roll the tone off.
See, with me, no matter what pickup it is, it’s always about clarity.
What are your observations on how P90s interact with effects pedals?
It depends. If you use overdrives, you’ve got to watch how much overdrive you put on a P90 because it hums, you know. You get that single-coil hum, though I’ve always been able to control it by facing Mecca or something similar.
Are P90s ever so uncontrollable that you can’t use them?
It’s not uncommon to be in an old stadium in Europe, and you show up at soundcheck and your tech is like, “We can’t use any P90s or any single-coils today because there’s a broadcast station right next door, and the hum is ridiculous.” [laughs] So there’s that!
Having said that, is the dreaded P90 hum as outrageously bad as it’s made out to be?
Well, I’m used to it. You just adjust and acclimate. For instance, if I’m in a room that’s kind of buzzy and I’ve got to play something like [AC/DC’s] “Back in Black,” I’ll literally be rolling down the volume knob in between chords. [laughs]
But at the same time, there’s always a place that you can face where it’s not as bad. And I don’t use a lot of gain, so I can get away with it. But a lot of people say, “Hey, how do you get rid of the hum when using a high-gain amp or with all my overdrives on?” I’m like, “Yeah… that’s not gonna work.” [laughs]
You’re working on a signature P90-equipped SG with Gibson. What’s the story there?
It’s just everything that I’ve been saying. Every time I picked up a Junior or anything with a P90 in it, I was always like, “Oh, man, this is what I like! This is what I really dig. I can do anything with it.” And also, every time you play in front of a bunch of guitar players, it’s like research.
So I’d have two guitars, one with a P90 and one with a humbucker, and I’d be using the P90 guitar all night. And I’d have five or 10 guys come up to me and go, “Man, I thought the P90 guitar was gonna be your spare, but you used it all night — and you got every tone out of it.” I’d respond by saying, “Yeah, that’s what it does; it does everything.”
"I’d have five or 10 guys come up to me and go, 'Man, I thought the P90 guitar was gonna be your spare, but you used it all night.'"
— Phil X
Why is your signature SG your favorite above other P90-equipped guitars you have?
Well, I’m a bigger guy, so the SG feels like a smaller guitar sometimes, depending on my mood. But with the prototype that I’ve been playing lately, Gibson made the body an eighth of an inch thicker, which is amazing for weight and balance. So we made the neck even bigger. I’ve got a ’57 Goldtop neck profile on it.
Do you think the thicker body impacts the tone of the guitar?
I don’t think so. I love punch and clarity, and to me, the punch and clarity of that guitar are way more apparent with the P90. But the thickness and the weight of the guitar didn’t change that all that much. It’s more of a feel thing.
You’re primarily a rock player, but do you feel P90s, like the ones in your upcoming signature SG, are also well-suited for players within other genres?
I think it could be used by anybody. I mean, the neck pickup also sounds fantastic for jazz or blues. And then, the treble [bridge] pickup is just everything. You can get twang by turning it down, and you can get a punch in the face by turning it up.
You’ve got a signature SG with P90s on the way, Warren Haynes just released a Les Paul Standard with P90s, and Joe Bonamassa recently dropped an Epiphone Les Paul with P90s. Are we seeing a P90 renaissance?
I think you’re onto something! [laughs] I personally think it’s amazing that it’s resurfacing like that. I’m seeing more P90s all over the place, but it’s not the heavier rock players that are doing it; it’s mainly the guys that play blue and more classic rock.
I always tell people, “Man, it’s gonna sound great. Let me plug in and listen to what it sounds like before you make your decision.” Once I start playing, their eyes get wide, and it’s like, “Man, that sounds amazing!”
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