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P90 Vs. P94 Pickup

In the world of electric guitars, pickups provide the critical translation of guitar vibrations into electrical signals that eventually become sound from an amplifier. Two of these pickup designs that have gained fame include Gibson's P90 and P94 models. However, the pickups to the untrained eye look generally similar in shape, raising the question on what's the difference. Much of it involves performance and sound. From crisp notes to warm sounds, the pickups can dictate how well or poor an electrical guitar sounds when played.

Guitar Pickups in General
- Pickups are installed into electrical guitars in either one unit or two unit designs. One pickup guitar tend to be basic, bargain models. Double pickups increase the sound transfer to the amplifier, creating a higher quality sound output from the guitar playing. Gibson pickups have been developed over decades of playing, engineering and redesign by the manufacturer.
P90 Model
- Designed as coil-type pickup, this component first appeared on guitars as early as the mid-20th century. Because the pickup is much beefier than what were standard guitar components for the time, it frequently gets confused with the famous humbucker guitar pickups. However, the sound produced was distinct; P90 pickups became famous for a crisp, no-frills sound production, particularly high notes uses in lead guitar playing. The P90 was ultimately replaced by Gibson's humbucker pickup only 15 to 20 years later, only to still be installed on bargain electrical guitars by Gibson subsidiaries.
P94 Model
- Designed with the same single-coil approach as the P90, the P94 pickup makes swapping out pickups to Gibson quality parts easy. Unlike earlier pickups including the P90, the P94 can be installed into a guitar body without much in the way of changes or customizing to fit it in. A significant benefit of the P94 model involves additional shielding. One of the problems with pickups is that they are prone to feedback when near a microphone or an is cranked up in volume. The P94 has been crafted to cut down on these problems, reducing amplifier hum and piercing microphone shrill.
Market
- The market of guitar fans began to favor originally dubbed "bargain" guitars, which included the P90 pickups versus humbuckers during the reign of big rock and roll. From the 1960s to the 1980s, various Gibson guitars became famous thanks to rock star guitar players. Fans and musicians emulated their heroes, purchasing guitars that included the same P90 pickups. Gibson's Les Paul, SG and Les Paul Special models all were included in this purchasing demand over time. Today, these guitar models are some of the most expensive to collect for amateurs. Being a more modern pickup, the P94 has yet to attain such a following in specific Gibson guitars.

Other Collecting