P90
The Ultimate Vintage P90 Tone
Discover what you’ve been missing with the Fralin P90: a vintage-voiced P90 known for its versatility, clarity, and snarly midrange. With clear lows, thick mids, and percussive highs, we guarantee that the Fralin P90 will inspire you, no matter what guitar or music style you play. As with all Fralin Pickups, you can take pride in knowing we designed, built, and assembled your P90 in Virginia using 100% USA-Made parts.
Quick Links
Jump to Sound Clips and more info
The Ultimate Vintage P90 Replacement Pickup.
Want to learn more about our P90? Here's all the information you'll need:
Features
Don’t you love the sound of a screaming P90 Pickup? What’s not to love? Easily one of the most unique and versatile pickup designs out there, the Fralin P90 pushes the limit by using 100% USA-Made parts and a tone that will make your jaw drop.
Whether you play Rock, Jazz, Country, R&B, or Funk, you will undoubtedly stand out in the mix with the pronounced pick attack and crystal-clear lows. Available in a Soapbar, Dogear, and Humbucker, you can rest assured knowing you can get the Fralin P90 tone, in any guitar you have.
Features:
- Original Gibson Size – Soapbar and Dogear models available
- Strong and bold – lots of midrange and snarl
- USA-made Alnico 4 Magnets for aggressive tone and output
- Compensated Bridge for even volume across all pickups
- RW/RP Neck pickup for hum-canceling on the middle position
- Adjustable USA-Made Steel Pole pieces for fine-tuning string balance
- Hand-wound with our “Sectioning” technique for unique, dynamic tone
- Hand-built and hand-wound for unrivaled quality control
- 10-Year Warranty on manufacturing defects
- Risk-free 30-Day Exchange Policy
Sound & Video
Get excited – Fralin P90s covers an impressive, broad tonal spectrum.
Featuring a clear neck and an overwound bridge, our P90s have that undeniable thick Single-Coil tone with a distinct wound string, and percussive treble string. The midrange is full, thick, and warm – perfect for adding depth to your guitar.
Whether playing clean or dirty, we guarantee the “3-dimensional depth” that the Fralin P90 provides will inspire you for years to come. Single notes are punchy and clear without sounding tinny, and chords break up with a tight compression that’s guaranteed to push your amp.
And with a hand-wound scatter-wound coil, your pickup is as unique as you are – each coil features a subtly unique voice that will undoubtedly inspire you. Experience what you’ve been missing and give your guitar the P90 voice it was meant to have with the Fralin P90.
Sound Samples for P90:
About this Sound Clip:
All sound samples are played from Neck Position First and Bridge Position Last.
Soundclips recorded by Phil Heesen III, on a PRS SE. Pickups are the Stock Output Soapbar.
Tonal Graph For P90:
The tonal graph below for our P90 features Lows, Midrange, Highs, and general Output.
Attack: Stiff & Percussive
Videos for P90:
Tech Specs:
See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our P90.
| SPECIFICATION | VALUE |
|---|---|
| Neck Ohm Reading: | 7.5K 1 |
| Bridge Ohm Reading: | 8.0K 1 |
| Neck Polarity: | Counter Clockwise Coil Direction, North to Strings |
| Bridge Polarity: | Clockwise Coil Direction, South to Strings |
| Wire: | USA-Made 42-Gauge Plain Enamel |
| Magnet: | USA-Made Alnico 4 Bar Magnets |
| Recommended Pot Value: | 500K |
| String Spacing: | 50mm |
| Wax Potted: | Yes |
| Recommended Cap Value: | 0.02mfd 2 |
Additional Technical Info:
1 Ohm Readings can vary due to a multitude of factors, including ambient temperature, multimeter calibration, different wire batches, and other factors. Due to this, ohm readings are approximate. Learn more about Ohm Readings here.
2 We recommend a 0.02mfd Cap Value on most guitar and bass pickups. The exception is a Magic Cap, which Lindy prefers on the Bridge Pickup of Fender® guitars only. Learn More about Caps Here.
Polarity Information:
Here's how we wind and magnetize our pickups:
Note: We depict all our coil directions from Ground (Black Wire, or Start Wire) to Hot (White Wire, or Finish Wire).
Tools
Dogear Shim Height Calculator
Calculate what shims you need!
- Select your cover height. Most cover heights are either 1/4" (Short Dogear) or 7/16" (Standard Dogear).
- Depress the Low E string at the highest fret
- With the Low E depressed, measure from the bottom of your pickup to the bottom of the string
- Input that measurement into the "String Height" box, and calculate!
Note: Shims are stackable and sandable. It's good practice to get more shim than you need, then sand it down to meet your measurement.
Lead Options
See below for our Lead color codes. For help with matching to other manufacturers, check out this resource here.
Gibson Braided Lead
Gibson-Style instruments
Phase Reversible
Coil Splitting
2-Conductor Lead
Phase Reversible
Pickup Dimensions
Soapbar
Plastic Dogear
Metal Dogear (Archtop)
P90 FAQ's
General FAQs
Here are quick answers to common questions we get:
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What Ohm Readings does your P90 have?
Navigate to our Tech Specs Tab for complete Ohm Readings and more useful information.
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Will this pickup fit my instrument?
Check our Sizing Tab for the size of the pickup. No Sizing tab? Check under the product image gallery for dimensions, or head to our Dimensions Page.
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Is your Lead Time of accurate?
It depends on the shop capacity at the moment, and the size of your order. Feel free to give us a call for an accurate lead time. We always try to beat our estimated Lead Times.
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What pickup height do you recommend setting your P90s to?
Our recommended Pickup Height is 1/8" (3.175mm) on the Bass Side and 1/16"( 1.5875mm) on the Treble Side. To measure, hold the correct side down at its highest fret. Then, measure from the bottom of the string to the top of the pole piece.
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Are your P90s wax potted?
Yes, all of our pickups are potted in USA-Made Parrafin Wax carefully chosen for it's transparent effect on tone.
Product FAQ's
People frequently ask these questions about our P90. If you have a question that you don't see listed here, click "Ask" in the Quick Links section above.
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Can I get my Dogear Pickups with a Metal Cover?
Only if you have an Archtop, like a Casino. Our metal covers feature a curved base that will form a gap if installed on a guitar with a flat top.
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My guitar is an Archtop, but I need a Standard Height (Bridge Height) Dogear in the Neck Position. How do I order that?
Some Archtop guitars feature a Standard Height P90 in the Neck with a Metal Cover. If your instrument fits this description, select “Short Dogear”, then select your cover choice and add to cart. In the “Notes” field on the checkout screen, request your neck be made as a Standard Bridge Height. We’ll make it custom!
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I need 3 P90s. How do I order that?
You can order 3 P90s by ordering a Complete Set, and an additional Neck Pickup. This additional Neck will be used as your Middle. Be sure to check the box “I’m buying a 3 P90 Set” and let us know how you want us to wind your set. You have two options:
- Standard “Strat” wiring (most popular) – this features a RW / RP Middle pickup like a Start where positions 2 & 4 are hum cancelling
- Standard “Tele” wiring – this wiring features hum-cancelling when the Neck & Bridge are combined, like a Telecaster. Lindy likes to use this wiring to use a middle pickup volume to bring the middle in gradually, which is great for out of phase options.
Upgrade To Prewired
Drop in, Plug in, Play.
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Prewired Les Paul Harness
Les Paul Harnesses. The Fralin Way.
Customize This product has more options. You can choose them on the product page.
Builders Love Our P90
These are just some of our talented builders that use our P90
Featured Artists
These artists trust their tone to our P90
String Cheese Incident
"I have used lots of Lindy’s pickup in my custom Scott Walker instruments. Love the Big Single and P-90’s and looking to try more."
Featured Reviews
Reviews We Worked Hard For, and Are Proud Of
Customer Reviews
208 Genuine Reviews for P90
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The P-90 with the extra 5% wind rocks!
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i bought the bridge p90 dogear and it sounded so freaking good on my Casino that i bought the neck, it gives in the middle position such a cool sound. I’d already bought Jazz bass pick ups and now the Mustang….and i’m pretty sure they’re gonna rock as well. Very close to the real thing is what i want…(there was a problem with the Mustang pickup in the shipping but that got solved quickly and efficiently by Jenny…)
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Guitar 1: Late 1940s Gibson ES-125.
Guitar 2: Late 1940s or early 1950s Gibson ES-125.The guitars have no cantilevered fingerboard, so the neck pickup is pushed back by about an inch, making it a bit more clear or less boomy than other guitars. Both guitars are full pressed mahogany, including the tops. (Most of these had a pressed maple top.) Both guitars came with early version P-90s with iron slug magnets. I found these to be a bit hard sounding.
Most important to note is that while each guitar is the same model, construction, and era, they sound very different acoustically. Guitar 1 has a pronounced midrange character which projects well. Guitar 2 has a much more delicate acoustic tone. Very quiet and polite. These characteristics affect what the pickups hear.
Guitar 1 has a standard Fralin P-90 which measures 6.0 Henries in the circuit. (I measured pickups in the circuit so I could compare to a 1955 ES-175 which has pickups that measure 6.0 H in the circuit.) This guitar sounds fantastic. I cannot do a gig without both musicians and civilians commenting on the great tone. I’ve come away from gigs saying to myself, “Well, I could live with this for the rest of my life.”
Guitar 2 has a Noiseless Fralin P-90 with the 5% overwind. It measured 6.0H out of the guitar and 4.9H in the circuit. As expected, this guitar does sound more delicate than Guitar 1, but I would mostly attribute that to the guitar itself. The pickup is flawless. I find myself needing a hum/noise-free guitar on some gigs, and this one really fits the bill. Additionally, some gigs are done without a drummer, so there is nowhere to hide hum and buzz. This pickup really fits the bill.
Fralin makes great products and the fit, finish, hardware, and instructions are top notch. No apologies necessary. Tone-wise, I am fussy (greedy), and I do not find the Noiseless variant to work against me at all. In my case, it is part of a combination that makes for a guitar I call upon more and more. -
I was seeking the vintage tone in a newer imported Epiphone Casino without the price tag of a USA made guitar and the Fralin P90’s totally exceeded my expectations, the sound is better than the stock Gibson P90’s and without question better than the Epiphone Pro P90’s. I did allot of research on P90’s for this project watching you tube videos reading the blogs and can honestly say the Fralin route was the way to go. My luthier was very impressed with the quality and the end result see it here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFeB5wDIaT8t). If you have an imported Casino you wanted elevated and your journey has brought you this far don’t hesitate get these P90’s. It will not change the craftsmanship of the guitar and if you have a problem with imported guitars you will soon forget once you hear these babies! Fralin customer service was top notch with my questions they arrived quicker than expected – Thanks!
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These are easily one of my favorite sets of pickups in any of my guitars. Stunning tone. Super responsive to how hard or soft I’m playing. I think going +5% is my spot. I did +2% on both my first two Fralin orders. All awesome, but one has a little more snarl and body. However, what really makes these pickups special is the sincere reaction that my music partner had when I brought this guitar to practice the first time; equal parts impressed and jealous. The sweet spot.
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finally my ephiphone casino sound as I wanted!!
thanks Fralin!!! -
Bought a dogear P90 in cream and 5% overwound to replace the P90 in my Les Paul Jr. My goodness, the Fralin P90 sounds 100 times better than the stock Gibson P90. Way hotter with so much more clarity if that makes any sense. The tone is incredible. Sure, it took a few weeks for my order to ship, but what an investment. The options are endless. I highly recommend.
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So I installed a Fralin p90 dogear on my Casino and it sounds absolutely incredible, the stock pick up of my Chinese Epi were really good actually but that upgrade makes a huge difference, more punch, mids, attack, more everything….should have bought the neck as well haha….
Oh I forgot…And great harmonics, it sounds like the real thing…
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