594 SOAPBAR VS. 594 TAPPED HUMBUCKER

[ViperDoc]

I may be splitting hairs here, but I'm looking at a 594 backup option. I was playing last night with both humbuckers tapped and having a blast. Nice to have the option on the same axe. But I also love P90s. Who of you that have both, can you explain how the tones differ to you? Are you glad you have both? And what of the Singlecut body? Lots of options here...

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I thought we already prescribed a Santana?

 

[ViperDoc]

I thought we already prescribed a Santana?

I'm holding the scrip for a future refill. I definitely need a Carlos, but the 594 backup is becoming a necessity. Just don't have a guitar store here within 2-300 miles, it's the brown truck trial every time.

 

[bodia]

I'm holding the scrip for a future refill. I definitely need a Carlos, but the 594 backup is becoming a necessity. Just don't have a guitar store here within 2-300 miles, it's the brown truck trial every time.

I dunno, when I got my first Santana, I was shocked at how much "grunt" it had. Really shocked. I put a set of Narrowfields in one of my Santanas....holy sh!t does it sound good.

 

[ViperDoc]

I dunno, when I got my first Santana, I was shocked at how much "grunt" it had. Really shocked. I put a set of Narrowfields in one of my Santanas....holy sh!t does it sound good.

I recall seeing that. Didn't you make a NFbucker in the bridge position, or was that someone else? I need a picture of that thing!

 

[Herr Squid]

To my ears the P90s in the 594 have a beautiful combination of humbucker fatness and single coil chime. The tapped humbuckers are definitely thinner and brighter sounding than the P90s.

 

[ViperDoc]

To my ears the P90s in the 594 have a beautiful combination of humbucker fatness and single coil chime. The tapped humbuckers are definitely thinner and brighter sounding than the P90s.

I'm honestly torn about it. 594 Hog/Maple with Maple neck or P90 Hog/Maple with Hog neck.... Korina???

First world probs.

 

[László]

I have both, and the sound is quite different between the tapped ‘buckers and the P-90s (which is why I bought both).

Comparing them, the P90s are going to give you a tone that’s thicker in the lower midrange, less glassy on top, and have the vintage, more rounded low end you’d expect from this style of pickup; if you’re into vintage Gibsons, it’s much more like my ‘65 SG Special than previous PRS P-90 models have been. So I find it a far more authentic vintage style guitar than most P-90 stuff on the market these days.

However, with the maple top, and various PRS advances, it’s more articulate somehow, without losing that vintage thing.

I’ve posted this little comparison demo ten zillion times in threads, so forgive if you’ve heard it. The rhythm track and first solo are the Soapbar. The second solo is the humbucker version, but ignore that since I didn’t use the coil taps, and you know that sound anyway.

The amp is the DG30. I did goose the solos with an overdrive set low gain, more like a boost.

https://soundcloud.com/lschefman/messya-deux-v2

 

[bodia]

I recall seeing that. Didn't you make a NFbucker in the bridge position, or was that someone else? I need a picture of that thing!

As requested!

 

[ViperDoc]

As requested!

That’s crazy. Someone on the forums had a double NF pickup made for the bridge position. Who was that?

 

[bodia]

That’s crazy. Someone on the forums had a double NF pickup made for the bridge position. Who was that?

I remember seeing pics of it, but I can't recall who it was.