Revolutionary Zero-Hum replacement Pickups and Harness
15-Mar-2019
The following dimensions relate to all model Gen-3 P-90 Hx except the 580 Alnico Staple which, at 22mm high is just 1mm taller than a regular P-90, and will easily install into any and all P-90 soapbar pickup cavities.
Contents:Section 1 Profile dimensions
Section 2 Regular and f-spaced footprint dimensions
Section 3 Installing in solid body guitars
Section 4 Mounting Soapbars in a pickguard
Section 5 Mounting Dog-Ears in solid body and Arch Top f-hole guitars
Section 6 Pole spreads for Dog-Ear models with normal and narrow spaced poles
NOTE-1: Sounds best with 500k Volume and Tone pots. Check existing pot values with a resistance meter. Gibson often use 300k pots which will impact on the sonic performance of the P-90 Hx so it’s best to change them to 500k.
Soapbar covers – Normal 50mm,F 53mm spaced and 47.5mm
Gibson Les Pauls and similar solid and semi-solid arched top body guitars.
As a general rule of thumb pickup cavities with a depth of approximately 19mm at neck pickup and 13mm at bridge pickup (measured at the centerline of the body on carved-tops) will accommodate the P-90 Hx. Most P-90 guitars meet this easily.
Flat bottom cavities like these are suitable but the steel plate must be replaced with our non-magnetic plate so include this option when ordering.
The Gen-3 is not suitable for cavities with a middle channel like this one in a 52 Les Paul Gold Top Historic and Les Paul 2005 R6 Gold Top.
Included with each pickup is a handy drill guide template for positioning the screw holes of an undrilled project guitar. CAUTION: To avoid drilling mounting screw holes out the back of the guitar be mindful the screws penetrate into the wood between 8 and 10 mm on most guitars.
Thin body guitars like the Gibson SG are only 38mm (1.5") thick so the tips of the screws will come to within 5mm of the back of the guitar. Be careful when drilling the holes, use a depth guide on the drill bit.
Mounting Soapbars in Stratocaster, Telecaster and other solid-bodies with pickups on a pick-guard.
We recommend using the inboard mounting screw system as distinct to the outboard mounting screws through an attached bracket. That bracket requires a longer rout in the body that can not be confined under the pick-guard of a Stratocaster at the neck position unless a custom pick-guard is made to cover the excessive routing the bracket needs. Furthermore anything made of magnetic steel in close proximity to the pickup will cause loss of immunity to hum. Plastic or stainless steel are the preferred materials for brackets.
The existing and original inboard screws are a better method of mounting through a pick-guard since it provides a means to mount the pickup parallel to the strings and does not require excessive routing. Gibson Les Pauls and the like are particularly annoying because the pickup is parallel with the back of the guitar, and sits at quite an inappropriate and difficult angle relative to the strings and because P-90’s are so wide the poles have to be raised quite a distance for good proximity to the strings. Pickups look and functions better when mounted parallel to the strings.
We are now offering this non-magnetic mounting plate for US$25 (included 2 specially made 3-48 UNC screws with countersunk Phillips drive heads and cone strings for mounting the pickups as well as and 2 non-magnetic screws to secure the plate to the floor of the cavity. This plate is similar to and is interchangeable with Gibson’s plate. If your guitar has a Gibson plate it must be replaced with ours in order to preserve the beyond excellent immunity to hum of our P-90 Hx. Check the option when ordering your P-90 Hx pickups or Contact us to order separately.
When mounting through a pick-guard it can be tricky positioning the mounting screw holes in the floor of the pickup cavity. We tried to make it easy for you with the plastic drill template included with your pickup which can be attached to the base of the pickup by driving the mount screws through the pickup and through the template. Try to position the screws in the middle of the pickup holes on the underside of the pickup before tightening, this is not crucial ... close enough to middle is probably good enough because the large holes in the base of the P-90 Hx intentionally provide a degree of misalignment for those screws. Then place the pickup into the pick-guard cut-out and rest the tips of the screws on the floor of the cavity. Fiddle with the pickup until you are satisfied it is sitting at the correct angle so that the top of cover is parallel with the strings and then tap on the heads of the mount screws (or turn them half turn forward half turn backwards several times with a screwdriver) to make an impression on the cavity floor. That impression now serves as a starting guide for a suitable drill.
If installing into a Strat or Tele the pickup cavity is should be least 21mm deep. At 21mm deep the pickup will sit 5mm off the floor of the cavity. Ideally Strat cavities should be no deeper than 23mm.
Telecasters will have ample height adjustment with both cavities between 21mm and 25mm deep.
Dog Ear covers:
Nickel-Silver 50m and 47.5mm Dog-Ear covers are now supplied by Kinman.
Chinese Epiphone f -hole guitars: It is far preferable to buy better metal covers from here https://www.allparts.com/PC-0739-001-Nickel-P-90-Pickup-Cover-Set_p_2436.html
If not available search the internet for Plastic Dog-Ear covers and find ones suitable for Casino or whatever and note the pole spreads they are suitable for. Order your P-90 Hx pickups with pole spreads of 50mm or 47.5mm according to what is available.
Discard the original Epiphone covers attached to the pickups since they are troublesome to adapt to the P-90 Hx and also impact severely on the sound of the pickup.
American made Epiphone f –hole and LPJnr guitars: Mount Kinman 50mm pole spread P-90 Hx under existing Plastic or Metal Dog Ear covers.
Other brands: same as point 1 above
Hollow body guitars with Dog-Ear covers. Use a special Kinman bracket under the pickup to mount in hollow body arch top f -hole guitars. An insulation gasket is included for use with metal covers. For neck pickup on guitars such as Epiphone Casino Coupe see the next illustration.
Dog-Ear covers
23-July-14 We now produce our range of P-90 Hx suitable for ALL Gibson & Epiphone models (American, Korean and Chinese). Choose the 50mm pole spread for all bridge pickups and choose between the 50mm and new 47.5mm whichever pole spread is suitable for your neck pickup. Some have 50mm and some have 47.5mm, the order channel illustrates the way to identify what your’s is.
If you want the sound of a P-90 Hx from Archtop hollow guitars designed for regular humbuckers order the P90-Bucker in the Humbuckers section.