P90 pickups are amongst the most famous guitar pickups ever. They are widely used for blues, country, and rock music. Although these pickups have some amazing qualities, P90 pickups historically tend to be noisy.
The extent of the noise varies depending upon the guitar and pickup. It tends to aggravate when playing on the high gain and especially if you have a hollow or semi-hollow guitar.
Although there are several options when it comes to different price ranges, musical preferences, and guitar adaptability. Here are our top 5 recommendations:
- Kinman Nasty P-90 HX
- Hum Cancelling P-90 by Lindy Farlin
- Seymour Duncan Noiseless P90 Stack
- Kent Armstrong Stealth 90 Noiseless P90
- Mojo Tone ’56 Quiet Coil P-90 Soapbar
There can be different preferences from certain musicians, these offer a wide variety of price points and options for any type of player. Always have a little play with the pickup before you buy it just to see if it goes with your taste, playing style, and guitar.
1. Kinman Nasty P-90 HX
Sounds like the classic P90 tones with sweet highs, these Kinman P-90 HX pickups are some of the best ones you can buy in the P90 category. A truly single-coil and zero-hum pickup that will give you the exact feeling of playing a classic P90.
This comes in a much larger size than the generic P90 ones so make sure that your guitar can fit them before buying. In the neck position, this will sound like a classic Gibson P90 but in the bridge, it will give the flavor of a thick P90 growl.
These amazing pickups have a brilliant range so you can play different kinds of music pretty smoothly. These are available in Soapbar, Dogear, and Jazzmasters covers.
Have a listen for yourself:
2. Hum Cancelling P90 by Lindy Farlin
Providing the true P90 experience with the vintage smooth sound without any of the noise that P90 has to offer. A fat mid-range provides some very strong and bright sounds.
You can enjoy playing Rock, Jazz, Country, or R&B with these pickups. Soapbar, Dogear, and Humbucker all designs are available for you to enjoy.
Built with USA-made Bonded Neodymium magnets, these pickups produce slightly thicker midrange and rounder highs. You can even fine-tune your pickups voice with the multiple outputs that are available
Have a listen for yourself:
3. Seymour Duncan Noiseless P90 stack
One of the best budget options out there in the market, these pickups will require your guitar to have deep enough slots for the pickup. With Alnico V bars, these pickups provide the vintage P90 sound without any kind of hum.
But the big fat tone of P90 makes the tone sound perfectly smooth. These pickups are known for their bright tone and amazing performance. You get the option to split the coils if you want as well. This one is slightly taller than the typical P90 at 0.95-inch height.
Have a listen for yourself:
4. Kent Armstrong Stealth 90 Noiseless P90
Another one in the budget range, Stealth P90 uses a double coil to vanish the noise while also providing a roar in the sound with its ceramic magnet. The shape of these is somewhat more round and doesn’t have the antic look of P90s.
Sound in general for double coils is a bit less bright compared to the typical P90s. But there is a lot more power in these pickups so if you are playing more aggressive tones, these are perfect for you.
Have a listen for yourself:
5. Mojo Tone ’56 Quiet Coil P-90 Soapbar Pickup Set
Mojo Tone ‘56 Quiet coil brings about the classical sound of the 1950s P90 minus all the humming and noise. With Alnico magnets in place, this gives similar lower outputs to the original P90s.
Other than the addition of hum-free performance in any switch position, the rest is designed just like the original ones. If you are looking for a high-volume grind, you won’t need any routing mods to do that as well.
Have a listen for yourself:
Are noiseless P90s the best alternative?
There are some alternatives to noiseless P90s like installing a noise reduction system, playing mostly in the middle position, or controlling volume settings to reduce the noise. But for most cases, it is an extra hassle or just not that effective.
There is a high-end noiseless alternative that produces the vintage sound while also cheaper options for guitarists who are more on a budget. Getting one of them would give you the ideal setup to enjoy a P90 pickup.
Other ways of reducing your guitar’s noise
If you are finding your guitar to be making noises constantly, start by checking all the grounding points. Make sure your instrument’s shoulder joints are nice and firm.
Using single-coil pickups can cause a hum or buzz which can be reduced by altering to a double coil pickup.
Make sure that you are receiving clean power in all your instrument. This is one of the major problems for guitarists who play on the go and travel a lot.
Make sure your cables are delicate and always in the best possible condition. Cables go through a lot so they tend to wear and tear a bit. Bad cables can cause some major noise issues.
Lastly, check if you are playing everything perfectly. A lot of time, especially for beginner guitarists, there can be small flaws in the technique that result in humming or buzzing sounds.
P90s are some of the most popular pickups ever made.
Their vintage, bright and crispy tone has mesmerized guitarists for decades now. But the noise in P90 is a constant issue for most guitarists.
If you can control the noise, you can enjoy some beautiful and vintage sounds from these pickups.
Hello there, my name is Ramiro and I’ve been playing guitar for almost 20 years. I’m obsessed with everything gear-related and I thought it might be worth sharing it. From guitars, pedals, amps, and synths to studio gear and production tips, I hope you find what I post here useful, and I’ll try my best to keep it entertaining also.