given the option...

[slickcipher]

as a graduation gift, my dad has offered to help me with a guitar. something i've always wanted to have is the sound of a p90. i have a strat for sc, hot rodded tele for hb, but no p90s.

so, with that being said, i've been doing some research for a while. being a HUGE fender guy, i checked into them first. the two only options i came up as a result with stock p90s was a strat-o-sonic II DV with blackdove p90s in them, and the tc-90 with seymour duncan p90s (classic in the neck, and "3" in the bridge i think). i haven't heard too much on the strat-o-sonic, and it's rather pricey for an unsure thing. it's a chambered mahogany body, so it's probably got a nice bite. the tc-90, i've heard mixed reviews on. some love it and think it's great, others not so much.

my other option would be to have some duncan phat cats installed into a humbucker routed guitar. having g.a.s. for a union jack guitar since i missed out on an epi supernova, i found the agile al-2500. i've never had any experience with any les paul other than a gibson or an epi, so i'm not sure what to expect. i've heard great things about them, but i'm not sure. again, i'm a huge fender guy and i'm not sure if i'm ready to make the change. but, if that's where the tone i'm looking for lays, then so be it.

so, overall, i'm looking at 2 fenders with stock p90s or placing phatcats in a les paul "knock off". what would you guys do?

i'd like to add that i've tried the epi casino and thought it was way too stiff feeling. i like to have some slack in the playability...maybe that's what always drew me to fender...

[Plugger]

I'd get a used Gibson LP Special or Junior.

The other possibility I'd consider is a PRS.

Neither option is going to set back much more than about $500 or so -- maybe considerably less if you can get one of the PRS soapbar models on special.

-Mark

[slickcipher]

I'd get a used Gibson LP Special or Junior.

The other possibility I'd consider is a PRS.

Neither option is going to set back much more than about $500 or so -- maybe considerably less if you can get one of the PRS soapbar models on special.

-Mark

the only thing with gibson is that i have "acid hands" and they screw up the nitro paint...at least it did w/ a white sg i had.

[Plugger]

the only thing with gibson is that i have "acid hands" and they screw up the nitro paint...at least it did w/ a white sg i had.

Probably going to be less of an issue with a "faded" finish.

But if you've got acid sweat, you should probably be keeping a rag in your case to wipe down the strings after you play, otherwise your strings are going to go dead very quickly. Might as well do the guitar body and neck while you're at it...

The PRS soapbars are probably poly. Not sure, so you may want to check. Gravity Jim raves about his....

-Mark

[slickcipher]

Probably going to be less of an issue with a "faded" finish.

But if you've got acid sweat, you should probably be keeping a rag in your case to wipe down the strings after you play, otherwise your strings are going to go dead very quickly. Might as well do the guitar body and neck while you're at it...

The PRS soapbars are probably poly. Not sure, so you may want to check. Gravity Jim raves about his....

-Mark

same issue w/ a faded finish as well, even after wiping it down very well after every use...that was a big fiasco haha. so pretty much, all i can play these days are poly coated guitars.

i really appreciate your help mark.

[Plugger]

These are the PRS models I was thinking about.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Paul-Reed-Smith-...QQcmdZViewItem

It doesn't say whether it's poly or nitro, but I'd expect if it was nitro, it would be mentioned.

I'd check out the PRS website perhaps to confirm.

-Mark

[Gravity Jim]

The PRS Soapbar II SE is covered in your stock Pacific Rim bulletproof poly.

It also rocks your face off. Fun to play, a truly great wrap bridge that gives it that aluminum clang AND plays in tune, looks good, light and loud, comes with an awesome gig bag. Not just me... it seems everybody who bought one of these is a little in love with it. You might want to replace the nut, depending on how any given example plays, but that's all it needs... the frets are great, the electronics are fine, the pickups very versatile, the body and neck feel outtasite.

$320 for a "like new" That's just about as cheap as Don and I got ours. Buy It Now!

[Kap'n]

FWIW, I like the sound of the Fender Black Dove pickups.

Other people have different opinions of them.

If you can't do the nitro thing, I'd guess the PRS is going to have a better resale value than just about anything out there. Given how fickle guitar players are, even if you love it odds are you are going to sell it at some point.

[slickcipher]

so, how far of a leap is it for one to make the transition from fender to this prs soapbar ii se? i've found one in black/blue that looks badass...just hope it's as nice sounding as it looks.

[NeoFauve]

so, how far of a leap is it for one to make the transition from fender to this prs soapbar ii se?

No real leaping needed.
Tune it, plug it in and play.
They're good, very comfy and sound killer.
You can leap when you hear it.

A Super Nova (or any 335 style gtr) would be more of a leap. They're physically different enough, in terms of size and layout.
That's not neccesarily good or bad.

[Russ]

You could also get an Epi 56 gold top, Epi has brought back the Les paul special but I think only for the Canadian market. MF sells a Epi with p-90 in black (exclusive ?) The PRS SE soap bar II is a good choice as said also I like the SE one. Other Epi semis with p-90 the wildcat ,and the Nick whats his name riveria has p-94s (phat cat type), a another consideration the fully hollow Casino.

[slickcipher]

You could also get an Epi 56 gold top, Epi has brought back the Les paul special but I think only for the Canadian market. MF sells a Epi with p-90 in black (exclusive ?) The PRS SE soap bar II is a good choice as said also I like the SE one. Other Epi semis with p-90 the wildcat ,and the Nick whats his name riveria has p-94s (phat cat type), a another consideration the fully hollow Casino.

i saw the lp's. i dig the black one. and i'm going to a music store today to try out EVERYTHING with a p90 to see what i like the most. will update.

[Don]

I can't say enough about my PRS SE Soapbar II.

Lately, I've played it more and have gotten used to it having slightly lower frets than my other guitars (they're similar to an Am. Series Strat or Tele).

For a Fender player who wants a Gibson sound, it feels like an old friend. The body shape is sexy looking and comfortable. The wide/fat (fat/wide?) neck fills my hand nicely, like an old Junior that I once played. The guitar is small and weighs less than 6 pounds.

On caveat, the pickups are more modern and cleaner sounding than Gibsons. The P-90 in my Les Paul Junior was down right nasty sounding (in a good way). The pickups in these are more polite and more versatile. That could be changed with a $100 set of used Gibson P-90s.

I've really taken a liking to this guitar! It'd take a lot more than $300 for me to part with it.

[slickcipher]

I can't say enough about my PRS SE Soapbar II.

Lately, I've played it more and have gotten used to it having slightly lower frets than my other guitars (they're similar to an Am. Series Strat or Tele).

For a Fender player who wants a Gibson sound, it feels like an old friend. The body shape is sexy looking and comfortable. The wide/fat (fat/wide?) neck fills my hand nicely, like an old Junior that I once played. The guitar is small and weighs less than 6 pounds.

On caveat, the pickups are more modern and cleaner sounding than Gibsons. The P-90 in my Les Paul Junior was down right nasty sounding (in a good way). The pickups in these are more polite and more versatile. That could be changed with a $100 set of used Gibson P-90s.

I've really taken a liking to this guitar! It'd take a lot more than $300 for me to part with it.

so prs soapbar se's seem to be quite the rave around here...

just got in from the shop and tried out only a few guitars. the first being some schecter that i didn't really like, but it did have duncan designed p90s. it was ok, just, felt like it wanted to be used for more high gain stuff. then, i tried out an epi casino w/ bigsby that had a rather nice sound to it, definately different body style, but had a great tone overall. finally, i tried out a dan armstrong w/ the single coil in it for the hell of it, and while it was warm, it didn't have the punch of a p90. so, with that said, the best p90 guitar i've played today was an epi casino. i wish they had these prs soapbars in...

[slickcipher]

any love for the epiphone wildkats at all? seem like very cool guitars for the price, but tone's the definite factor.

[Gravity Jim]

any love for the epiphone wildkats at all? seem like very cool guitars for the price, but tone's the definite factor.

Not from me. I really wanted to like it, was ready to buy one based on specs and looks, but the ones I've played have been doornails... heavy, non-resonant, uninspiring.

[Plugger]

I think the trade-off is going to be looks vs sound and playability. If looks are quite important (and it sounds like it is to you), an epi may be the way to go. They make undeniably great looking guitars.

OTOH, if sound and playability are more important, then from my recent experience with epis like the Wildkat, and judging from what GJ and Don have said about their PRS soabars, I think the PRS would win hands down -- no contest.

-Mark

[slickcipher]

I think the trade-off is going to be looks vs sound and playability. If looks are quite important (and it sounds like it is to you), an epi may be the way to go. They make undeniably great looking guitars.

OTOH, if sound and playability are more important, then from my recent experience with epis like the Wildkat, and judging from what GJ and Don have said about their PRS soabars, I think the PRS would win hands down -- no contest.

-Mark

oh, i think both are great looking guitars. i just tend to go for more of the classic vibe. and the epi to me has a classic sound and look. but, again, i haven't tried the prs soapbar yet. that would be something i really need to look into. does anyone have any clips of what theirs sounds like?

[slickcipher]

looking at some of these prs ones...look like a lp jr. very nice looking, the cherry reminds me of an sg for some reason, and the sunburst looks great w/ the tortoise shell pickguard.

[Plugger]

Clips aren't going to tell you much. I've heard official Gibson clips of people playing Gibson P-90s on the Gibson website that I thought sounded like complete ass. The amp settings they use in the clip are going to dominate.

What you need to do is get your hands on a real P-90 guitar and play it through something like your rig and see if that's what you want. Again, judging from what GJ and Don have reported, a Gibson P-90 LP Special would be a reasonably close approximation if you can't actually try out a PRS soapbar.

-Mark

[slickcipher]

Clips aren't going to tell you much. I've heard official Gibson clips of people playing Gibson P-90s on the Gibson website that I thought sounded like complete ass. The amp settings they use in the clip are going to dominate.

What you need to do is get your hands on a real P-90 guitar and play it through something like your rig and see if that's what you want. Again, judging from what GJ and Don have reported, a Gibson P-90 LP Special would be a reasonably close approximation if you can't actually try out a PRS soapbar.

-Mark

right. so the prs soapbars have very similar tones to the gibson p90s?

[Plugger]

right. so the prs soapbars have very similar tones to the gibson p90s?

Modulo the "politeness" factor that Don mentions. But they should be a reasonably close approximation. The PRS soapbars were obviously designed to capture that particular vibe, and from all informed reports, it sounds like they succeeded.

(You may be able to detect I'm hedging my comments because I haven't actually played one myself. But I trust GJ's and Don's comments implicitly -- and explictly. )

-Mark

[slickcipher]

Modulo the "politeness" factor that Don mentions. But they should be a reasonably close approximation. The PRS soapbars were obviiously designed to capture that particular vibe, and from all informed reports, it sounds like they succeeded.

(You may be able to detect I'm hedging my comments because I haven't actually played one myself. But I trust GJ's and Don's comments explictly. )

-Mark

i completely understand. it seems like it's the "bridge" between fender sc and gibson p90. i need to see if any stores around me have one.

[cdw2000]

Though I haven't played one, based on your preferences, I'd go with the PRS Soapbar II.

I just checked the specs - it has a 25" scale length so its a compromise between the Fender and Gibson style scale lengths (you complained that the Epi Casino felt "stiff"). Although the neck is described as "wide fat"

The PRS site also says they are discontinued so this year will be the last if you want to get one new.

[Gravity Jim]

Discontinued??! Are they nuts??!? They must have sold a million of those things by now!

[cdw2000]

I only know what their website is a sayin':

http://www.prsguitars.com/sesoapbar2/index.html

So I can only assume that they are crazy...

[Russ]

To bad they nice guitars.

[elicross]

Here's why it was discontinued: New models for 2008 include the SE Custom Semi-Hollow Soapbar and the SE Soapbar!

http://www.prsguitars.com/namm08/index.html

[Gravity Jim]

Ahhh. I see... single-cut.

[elicross]

Yeah, I guess they figured a more Les Paul-style guitar would be more appealing to the average dude seeking a solidbody with P-90s.

Or it's just your basic "Got to keep introducing new models or we die" thing.

[Gravity Jim]

I think the former.... it was originaly a single cut, they went to the PRS body during the lawsuit, and now that it's settled, back to the single cut. I shoulda thought of that....

[slickcipher]

very cool! thanks for the update guys!