Call me crazy, but I think the Gibsons sound the best in high gain. It's got a ton of growl and bite, and while not quite as articulate as the others, is still plenty expressive. Sort of a nice middle ground between the clarity of a single coil and the power of a humbucker. Not the say that any of the others sounded bad, they're all phenomenal choices. This is an outstanding comparison video. Hearing those nice open chords ring with that overdrive made me smile
High Gain Neck - Lollars win for clarity. Kaven, I just can't say enough about how cool all of your licks were here. And to be able to play them over and over so exacting - props!
I only have first hand experience with Fralin and Gibson p90s but I have to say that I prefer the Fralins across the board in this video. I have a new Gibson LP Special and the weakness of the stock Gibson pickups is that they're pretty much equal output giving the impression that the neck is WAY hotter than the bridge but they're by no means bad pickups. I set the treble pretty high on my amp and use the guitar controls so clarity isn't really an issue. Very well done video!
@@KavenGirouardWide open I agree with you but I play mostly with the amp gained up quite a bit and the guitar volume rolled back about halfway and the Gibson neck pickup has plenty of sparkle.
I love the Lollars but it seemed like at the lead part they fell short of the Duncans. Those seemed to be hotter all the way around. Gibson sounded great at lead but weaker on all other tests. Could be my ears or the earbuds I’m listening too as well
They all sound great! There’s subtle differences, but they all worked. I would not change out any of them, if they were in the guitar already. Lollars being under wound, had more clarity clean, and not as much bite dirty. I love Fralin pickups in general and these were in the pocket. I also know it would be no big deal to have Fralin wind their pickups 5% over, or under. Fralin is a great company to work with, and they have always treated me (…and anyone I have ever talked to) great. Very personable.
Great playing and thanks for the work in these swaps! Also, props for switching up the orders - that does make a huge difference...especially with good speakers or cans. My preferences worked out pretty much exactly as I expected - nice to have it confirmed with superior playing to my own ;-). For a an all-around paired set, the Fralins are my winners. That said, I'd skip that and keep the stock Gibby bridge pickup, which is killer pickup. I'd yank the Gibson, however, and replace it with the Duncan Antiquity or Fralin (I have done this with the Antiquity in my Special and love the combo). Lollar pickups all sound the same to me - just can't bond with them, although I am a huge fan of his Strat pickups.
Best P'90s shootout I've seen ! They're all top notch pickups and the differences are subtle. I like the overtones and articulation of the Lollars in the bridge position, the Fralins in the neck, the Gibsons in High gain and the Antiquities for lead. Very difficult choice. If I had to choose a set, I'd probably have a Lollar in the bridge and Fralin in the neck. Kudos for the demo !!
Agreed. The Fralins sound a little more wide-open and clearer with better articulation (and still had good bass tones). What surprised me was that the Gibson's weren't that far behind the Fralins. From a price-point of view, the Lollars were somewhat of a disappointment. They sounded much better that the SDs (which sounded somewhat muted and muffled), but I was expecting a Fralin-Lollar dust-down and it didn't happen for me...
Great comparison. I have stock Gibsons in my '69 Goldtop Reissue and a set of Antiquities in an old Special, but the Fralins and the Lollars sound just fine, as you'd expect.
Well done! All are very close. If people are looking to change tone, changing the speakers in their cabinets will make more of a difference than pick-ups ever could
Great comparison! I've played all in real life so I've experienced my preference out of those 4: 1: Fralin 2: Gibson 3. Lollar 4 Duncan Antiquity I compared them an a lot of others to my vintage P90's and the closest an best of all actually was the Brandonwound P90 followed by the Area59
Dang dude thank you. I am trying to pick one… they all have something I like about them but this narrows it down to Gibson or Fralin for me. Thank you so much.
Great video ! Very hard to tell which is better, all four are good but i would go for Lollar in this case. Thank you for your playing also : awesome as usual !
My takeaway is that you won’t be lacking anything with any one of these sets. They all sound fantastic. As long as it’s the sound and feel you want under the fingers, you need never worry! Currently waiting on a mojotone soapbar clone to come in and replace a standard Lollar in the neck position of an old ‘07 Les Paul BFG, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there’s more to be gained from dialing the bobbin and screw pole heights than swapping pickups. Great comparison, awesome sounds!
Very interesting what I realized. First thanks for an excellent video (and playin’). I listened to it three times, the first time looking at what pickups where used and then the two other times looking somewhere else because I noticed I was a bit bias at first. Everyone of them landed up as a “winner” as well as a “looser” at sometime according to different test. But they all sounded as a P90 compared to a PAF, humbucker or single coil. So the subtle difference I perceived was in the attack, definition, clarity, power ect these are all things that can be compensated for with pickup heights, pedals and amp set up. So oranges or apples???
Got a 5% over wound Fraln dogear a couple years ago for My Gibson LPJ and haven't looked back! Just perfect t and added a 50s bumble bee cap with 50s wiring. It's a working man's Custom to me!
Friggin' brilliant job, man. Great licks! The Lollars sounded the most "musical" of the bunch (being a low wind, I guess) but this more confirmed for me to just hang with my stock Gibsons until I get me some disposable cash and wanna dick around. I'd start with a Lollar in the neck position.
Il migliore video comparativo che ho visto finora, complimenti per l'accuratezza. Preferisco i Lollar, seguono Gibson, Fralin, SD. La differenza non è molta comunque, sino tutti ottimi pickups.
What a beautiful work! It's really interesting how lollar can manage picking dynamics and licks at low gains, and still sound beefier on lead. Not sure if they are my favorite p90s flavor, but so clear anyway showing the player character
These are so close it's hard to make a distinction - but - In general, I liked the Lollar best, followed by Gibson, Fralin and last Seymour Duncan. The Seymours weren't as clear as the rest in any of the positions. They still sounded good, but not as good as the others IMO. Great comparison! Few shootouts I've seen like this have any value in terms of making an actual comparison. But you sir, did an excellent job!
Agreed - I did a similar comparison and the Antiquity surprisingly lost to everything else... tame, lacking clarity and character. Was actually the one furthest way from my 1956 vintage p90.
Well, this just proves that Gibson had it right the first time. The Gibsons are more clear and have better highs and distinction. The Seymour Duncans are the ones I thought I would like the best, but they sounded more nasally at times, and not in a good way. The Fralins are probably what I'd consider the second-best to the Gibsons overall. I didn't like the Fralins at first, but overall they came in second. I think that leaves the Lollars which I thought were going to be great. But they just didn't win in any situation IMHO. Great video!!! It gave me a chance to experience what they might sound like on one of my guitars, except that all guitars can sound different from one of their twins.
man, these all sounded fantastic! the Gibsons have that growl that i expect, though, with SD a close second. me personally i have a pair of Rio Grande Lowbars in one LP and a Jazzbar/Lowbar combo in another. i might be tempted to try the stock Gibsons again thanks to this
Very helpful video. I've always wondered what the difference between Lollar and Fralin, but I was pleasantly surprised by the Gibson which were a bit cleaner than I expected.
I agree: your amazing, consistent playing makes them all sound good. Could've thrown some eBay or Amazon ones in there, and we'd never know. I have no idea which one to pick for the neck of my offset Tele. They're definitely all quality choices... 👍
Excellent presentation and fine playing. That said, I could detect only very slight and subtle variations across the 4 sets, all of which are excellent choices. If you’ve got one set in a guitar already, there is no reason to replace them with another among those 4 choices. If you have deep pockets, and compelled to change, get a set of Ron Ellis classics, at $750. Otherwise, a $59 EQ pedal can make the subtle differences disappear. The variations are much more pronounced among the various PAF style humbuckers on the market … not so much so with P90’s.
Who would buy anything from Gibson after they've sued just about everybody in the guitar business. I'm a Lindy Fralin fan. I have his P-90s and his Blues Specials single coils and they're the best I've ever heard.
All of them sound fantastic. I'm more than slightly suspicious that what's really fantastic about these pickups is the common denominator of exceptional playing. Great gear with an expert operator.
Great comparison, some real distinct differences between them, more than I thought there'd be. To my taste, it's the Fralin bridge and either the Gibson or Fralin neck.
I'm listening to this as I wait for today's arrival of an Eastman (sb55 dc/v) with the Lollar - based upon this it could have any of these and I'd be happy (but I'm really glad I like the sound of the Lollar for sure). Fantastic playing !
Trusting my AirPod Pro 2s, err, I’d say this: For clarity: Lollar followed by Fralin For best high gain sound: Duncans, followed by Gibson Best low end: Fralin Best overall: Fralin I have Duncans (not sure how old, but old) in a thin line Tele w/ a Gibson-scale Warmoth neck. Sounds great for jazz, very good rock and country-rock tone, too. I have a few more P90 guitars, too. I want to build one now w/ Fralins.
The differences were so subtle that any were as good as the others, especially with any od or gain added. The Lollars seemed a little more clear on the clean stuff, but I wouldn't necessarily call that a positive. The stock Gibsons are gonna stay in my sg. If I was looking to buy a set, I'd just go with whatever I could get for the cheapest price.
Fantastic playing-some great ideas in there to inspire the rest of us at home! In terms of the pickups, I preferred the Lollars for the clean tone, but I liked the good old Gibsons best once overdrive was introduced. Although honestly you wouldn't go wrong with any of these.
Wow such a comprehensive video thanks. Very interesting. My conclusion is for my tastes, the Lollar is too sparkly on the high end, the SD has the most harmonics, the Fralin is most similar to Gibson but the Gibson was best for me with the most raw grunt and full body of all.
I think for most p90 players it’s about getting a little more clarity out of the neck pup while being able to balance the volume with the bridge. At least that’s my thoughts with my 50’s LP standard RI…. I’d possibly swap the neck out for a 50’s wind
They all sound great. All in all, I prefer the Fralin, they had the most warmth in the clean tones and still had bite in the overdrive. A close second are the Gibson. I thought the Lollars sounded a bit thin in comparison and the SDs a little muddy. Again, they all sound great but those are the differences I noticed.
great vid - I'll tell you what the difference is , everyones ears , we all have a sound in our head that we love and its different for us all as we can see by the way we all prefer a certain pickup -- answer is they all sound great so whatever pickup works for you its the right one
Thanks for all the work and money that went into this! Phew, hard to choose. I have Gibson Al5 P90s in my LP Special and like them, but want to put a neck Al2 P90 in my SG Special, Antiquity and Lollar sound different but great, probably lean to Antiquity. Fralin Al4 great too, I like Fralin pups already.
It seems to me different pick ups don’t give substantive difference on a particular guitar, but just a little bit different. One pick up sounds milder on middle when another one gives just a little bit harder bass, but different guitar models might sound pretty different in this comparison. Maybe changing tone positioner can give appreciable effect?
Nice comparison work. They're all good. Lollar had the best top end. Gibson had the most grunt. Fralin was somewhere in-between those. Duncan did the best overall. I'd take the Lollar because it had the best string separation along with the treble response, with the Duncan's overall goodness coming in a close 2nd. I could live with any of the four though.
Listening/hearing...so subjective...! But! ;) I really, honestly like them all! And yet, to my ears, the Fralin's and Lollar's seemed to exhibit a bit more airiness/transparency, whereas the Duncan's and Gibson's are ever so slightly darker/compressed. So...maybe...Fralin or Lollar in a (acoustically speaking) darker, less resonant guitar...? Duncan or Gibson would be perfect in a Casino when going for something more rocking than that early Beatles/Stones thing w/ those... Merci Kaven!
like the instructions indicate ,.,I probably need better sound quality than my laptop to tell any difference ..good job .these are all very comparable and sound very much alike ..I probably would choose the least expensive
@@KavenGirouard Thank you for your answer! If you want something quiet, choose Lollar. Is this correct? (I'm sorry to ask you a lot. The translator might be weird) Have you noticed any sound differences? Lollar,Fralin
@@박윤택-x6g You will get noise from any of these 4 pickups! The Lollar are just a little bit less noisy. I would personally choose "tone" before "noise"!
The difference is barely noticeable, so my conclusion is that most people are probably unlikely to hear much of a difference between Alnico magnets and slightly different turns of wire. Honestly, you turn up or down your gain or use a pedal and these minor differences just completely disappear in the mix. The only differences that I would say are actually fairly noticeable are different designs of pickups (humbucker vs p90 vs strat single coil etc)
Gibson and Seymour have that mid range which is important to me in a Junior, with Seymour having a touch less for the sake of clarity. I like them both to get that classic sound.
I hear what I suspected I hear in actual in-person playing - Gibson P90's are a bit more heavy on the treble... not in a bad way, just more so that most others. As a Lollar fanboy, I think I actually preferred the SD's in this one. They sounded more wide open to me.
the SD's had a lovely "chime" in the tops. but the Gibson's had a rounder and smoother bottom. ideally, i'd go Gibson bridge, SD neck. you'd likely lose most of the Gibson's bottom in the bridge position, but it would reinforce the low-mids and make them more shapely.
Gibson still my favorite overall. I love the thinner sound, less bass and mid. Love the nasal sound of both pickups on the best. Fralin comes closest. Fralin sounds nice with higher gain. I also want to add that Loller offers several varieties of P90’s. I don’t know if Fralin does.
The Lollars seemed to be the biggest departure from the group, but it seemed like the differences narrowed as the gain increased. I think that from beginning to end the Fralins seemed to be in my top 1 or 2 most of the time. I do think that I've become a bigger fan of SD as I've aged; I kinda like them. But at the end of the day I'm not kicking any of those tones out of bed.
Excellently done and played. To me, the Duncan sound the darkest, but as noted very similar. I would have loved to see this done with the Epiphone LP Special (that I have) which is advertised very vaguely as having P90 “Pro” Soap Bar (couldn’t find output stats).
While I can tell a difference and did prefer Fralin/lollar... and the stock Gibson pickups did loose this comparison... changing pickups is, as demonstrated here, only done to satisfy your own "geekiness". The cost and work with selecting new pickups, buying and installing will never pay as far as any audience is concerned...
Why would you make *any* gear choice based on an “audience?” Don’t *you* spend more and more _intimate_ time with your tone than some schmuck in a bar? Aren’t *you* supposed to be the better-informed, more discerning person? Dont you play for yourself *far* more than you do above a dummer [accidental sic] and bassist?
I can usually tell the difference in comparison videos. Not here. They’re all similar enough that I wouldn’t care, so I’d stick with the Gibsons because that’s what they’re ’supposed to sound like.’ My problem is that I have a Friedman guitar with P-90s, but don’t have a frame of reference. Not sure if the pickups aren’t giving me what I want, or if it’s the ‘amp(s)’ or just my cruddy playing…. But I’m recently very deeply into Gibson fandom, and I want a third Gibson….
Gibson still my favorite overall. I love the thinner sound, less bass and mid. Love the nasal sound of both pickups on the best. Fralin comes closest. Fralin sounds nice with higher gain.
I think the only pickup that sounded remotely different from the rest was the Fralin. Other than that, I really didn't hear enough difference between the other three to make a difference. But, here's a funny thing about the Gibson P90. Gibson has been making these things since god knows when. Back in the 50's and 60's, the P90's were wound on a manually operated machine. The operator stopped the machine when they thought the pickup had enough winds around the bobbin. Some would just let it go until the machine stopped itself, creating a very hot pickup. Well, Gibson did away with that machine sometime in early 80's. But, when Gibson changed hands in 1986 and they began reissuing iconic classics like the Les Paul Junior, they brought back this machine for one run. It was the 1986 Les Paul Junior. This was the first time Gibson made the Junior since 1959 and it was made by the guys who went on to form Gibson's Custom Shop in 1993. In 1987, however, production of the Junior was expanded and turned over to Gibson's main production line and mass produced P90's were used, each identical. So, if you really want a vintage P90 tone without spending wads of cash on a 50's or 60's P90, look for a P90 from 1986 or, better yet, just go buy a 1986 Les Paul Junior. Great video! Thanks for the hard work! Cheers!
