Through all the leaps and bounds of guitar technology since its introduction almost 80 years ago, the P-90 pickup has remained a favorite of guitarists from across the musical spectrum.
From the metal thunder of Tony Iommi to the rabble-rousing volleys of Billie Joe Armstrong and Mick Jones, P-90s have served as the conduits for some of rock guitar’s most iconic riffs. However, that iconic growl sometimes comes with a price.
“Many factors from stage lighting to inconsistent power at venues and rooms,” explains Guitar World’s Paul Riario, “lead to a host of noise-related problems for single-coil pickups, especially P-90s.” These pesky issues can even extend to home practice, due to interference from home appliances and the like.
Top pickup builder Lollar already had a number of its own takes on the P-90, but was looking to further nip noise-related problems in the bud, while still delivering that classic P-90 performance – and style. Enter the new DC-90.
The DC-90 features a DC reading of 11K in the bridge, and 12.3K in the bridge, and – while its somewhat close in character to Lollar’s '50s Wind P-90 – has a unique, dynamic voice, that, as you can hear in Paul’s demo, can add depth and character to ethereal cleans, and bite to gain-driven riffs and single-note runs.
Tested fully clean, Riario lauds the DC-90 as “full and warm-sounding in all positions.” With reverb, compression, and delay in the picture, the DC-90 is simply gorgeous, giving Riario’s sound all the definition needed to paint a clear picture with his playing.
With a Screamer-style overdrive and a brighter distortion, the DC-90 still sounds right at home.
“The Lollar DC-90 is a unique-looking pickup, with a hum-canceling design,” Riario says. “Much like Lollar’s other fantastic pickups, the DC-90 is expressive, musical, and now, quieter. If you love a P-90 with that mid-range-forward voice, snap, and gutsy grind, the DC-90 delivers the same tonal profile in spades.”
Only available in Soapbar format at the moment, the DC-90 is available now for $175.
For more info on the pickup, visit Lollar.
