Topic: gibson P94'S anyone?

[unezrider]

hello friend,
i have a 92 or 93 les paul studio that has the stock humbuckers on it, but i really have been wanting that P90 sound. for years, actually (but thats my own fault). doing some research i seen gibson makes a humbucker sized pick-up, that is supposed to be like a P90. the idea is to be able to get the P90 sound w/out routing your guitar to fit one. but after doing some reading at harmony central, i have found very mixed reviews. seems some people really love them, some think that while it's not exactly a P90, it's still a cool pick-up, others (& these are the one's that give me pause) say they are nothing like a REAL P90, & to just stay away.
i was wondering, if anyone here has had any experience w/ these (i know most here are country blues guys - but i figure it's worth a shot).
i really don't want to get rid of the guitar, but it's not the sound i've been wanting.(bought it when i was 17 - tastes have changed over the years ) & obviously changing pick-ups is cheaper than a new guitar.
any thoughts would be appreciated.
thanks, chris

[frankie]

This is going back some time ago, but a friend of mine builds & repairs amplifiers and had replaced the humbuckers in an SG with P94s.  I thought at the time that they had a lot of grit, but not the same kind of character, really...  they broke up pretty easily, and that's kind of exciting at first, but wore me out quickly.  I'd rather keep my eye out for a Les Paul Special w/P90s or P100s...  they turn up used now & then.  If you need to do it on the cheap, maybe an Epiphone Les Paul would do...  another friend of mine has one (with humbuckers) and it's a surprisingly good guitar.  It'd definitely scratch a Les Paul itch...  if I had one.

[unezrider]

hello friend,
to update the situation..
my '93 was black, chrome hardware, ebony fret board, trap inlays. i came across some kent armstrong p-90 pickups retro fit for humbucker sized holes, that had great reviews, so i went w/ them. i couldn't be happier! they had the option of coming in a cream colored plastic casing - to look like p-90's (bonus!). they also registered at a nice 8.12k. & they sound wonderful. i can get, among others, a real good hubert sumlin/ howlin' wolf sound. or, early 50's blues sound in general. (non-hollow bodied, of course) but then i took it a step further - i replaced the black plastic speed knobs w/ 50's style gold top hats, put on a blank truss rod cover, (the original said 'studio') changed the toggle switch & rhythm/treble cover to cream (from black), & lastly came across a sweet looking, light cream colored pickguard w/ a 50's style pin-up girl on it who looks like ava gardner circa 'the killers'.  (why i know that is another story) plus she's color coded to the guitar! also, for what it's worth, i went w/ gibson pickup rings, because i didn't like how the pickups sat on the guitar w/ the kent armstrong ones. they were too thick, i thought. (not specifically designed for the archtop, i guess).
so if anyone is thinking of doing the same, i would recommend the kent armstrong wpu900c - i am finally glad i own this guitar
chris