Many jazz players really like the minis, however, P90s can work amazing clean tones too. Now, if we talk about tone, the situation might be opposite to what you might be thinking about when we said that ones are bigger single coils and the others are smaller humbuckers.Īctually, P90s are the warmer and rockier of the 2, while mini humbuckers tend to be a bit less present in the mid-range and have lower output. It isn’t a tonal difference, but it’s a feature that many would look after. You can think about them of different flavours of a tonal concept if you like the idea.Īs for the differences, mini humbuckers, as they name claims bring hum bucking to the party. Of course, the result of these different designs is not the same.
![single coil vs humbucker preference single coil vs humbucker preference](https://thumbs.static-thomann.de/thumb//thumb1000x/pics/cms/image/guide/en/pickups/11_01_single_coil_switching.jpg)
This is like having 2 different approaches when trying to achieve the same thing: A pickup that sits just in the middle of single-coils and humbuckers. P90s are bigger single-coil pickups, while mini humbuckers are, obviously, smaller humbucker pickups. If you want to get a broader view of the most common pickup spectrum, here’s something that might help you order your thoughts: Main differences between P90 and Mini humbucker pickups Here is where comparisons begin to happen. It’s said to be tonally in a place just between single coils and original humbuckers.Īnd if you have been paying attention, this place in the pickup range puts them in a very similar spot to the P90s. These particular features that are consequences of only its size make for a very particular sound that many players love about the mini humbucker. Also, its size means that there’s less space for the wire to be wound around the bobbin. Given its smaller size, a mini humbucker captures a shorter length of the string’s vibration. They were originally designed for Epiphone by Seth Lover, the one who invented the original humbucker. The mini humbuckers came later, as a variation of their full-size relatives. The tone that these 2 variants output is virtually the same, although some would argue that the mount of the dog ears lends to a better transfer of vibrations from the body of the guitar. Dog ears, because of their side mounting extensions. Soapbars were named that way because in their original white finish they looked like actual bars of soap. Dog ears have extensions on their sides that hold these screws.
![single coil vs humbucker preference single coil vs humbucker preference](http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/yudXHR6agaM/maxresdefault.jpg)
Soapbars have their mounting screws contained within the coil perimeter. These are actually the same pickup in design but differ in their mounting mechanism. Original P90s come in 2 variations, the “soapbars” and the “dog ears”. These pickups were the standard for the Les Paul until the Les Paul ‘57 when the humbucker was introduced and history began to be made. This difference in construction, which you really don’t need to understand deeply, makes for the P90s to have a warmer, darker, less edgy sound.Īnd that’s a sound that a lot of players really like. Also, their wires are further from the individual poles. That’s because these Gibson-designed pickups have a shorter but wider bobbin. You might, then, ask yourself how it is that P90s sound so different from traditional Fender-style single-coil pickups. P90 pickups were introduced by Gibson in 1946.
![single coil vs humbucker preference single coil vs humbucker preference](https://luckyretail.com/Uploadfile/202008/202010162/488097/488097-1.jpg)
So you might be wondering, should I get a P90 or a mini humbucker? What are the differences between them? If you are here it’s because you are thinking about deviating from the norm of single coils and humbuckers, and that’s amazing.Ī “less common” pickup format will surely give your guitar when complemented with your playing a unique sound. It’s not something you would be buying by the dozen. Even more so if you consider their prices. Pickups are one of the most important things in an electric guitar, and deciding about them is always something to worry about.