. Go on ebay. Search for P90 pickups Find the sets that are between $12 and $20 per pair. Look at the pictures of the backs of the pickups and choose the ones that look like they put the best materials in them, like *not* the ones with silicone goop holding them together. Look for shielded cables and heat shrink tubing. Sorry, can't be more exact with a brand than that, they don't use a brand and the sellers change all the time. Order them. P90s are the most difficult pickups to screw up. Most any brand will be quite similar. Some of the ebay import inexpensive pickups have much lower internal capacitance readings than the popular aftermarket brands in most of these types of threads. They have readings more like boutique hand-wound pickups. Hmmm, could that be because they are actually hand-wound? So spend a little and get a lot. P90s are awesome pickups. .
I'm in to the multi-tap fat single coil thing at the moment and I love it. Especially in a strat. This is a Supro style humbucker-sized pickup but it gives you a good idea what kind of tonal differences you get from lower and higher output fat coils in a s-type guitar. P90-wise, the best I've ever heard was made by (Jason) Sandford Magnetics. I'm not sure if he's still in business though.
I've got an Iron Gear Platinum 90 in this one, it sounds great. I think as long as you go for a proper P90 and not a stacked humbucker P100, you'll be fine. The hum is only really noticable when you're not playing, and P90s sound so good you won't want to stop playing.
Since you're already going fancy with this build, you may as well go with Lollars. They're great. A while ago I swapped in a set of them into a friend's Casino. They made a huge difference in that guitar, mainly because the stock ones were ridiculously overwound. I kept the old ones and used them in cigar box style guitars. The important thing is a vintage wind. You can get that from about $20 up but, as the price goes, the quality and attention to detail goes up. Avoid the hot, modern, ones. I like a metal casing but not everyone does.
I've never heard a P-90 that sounds bad. Even the P-90s in the cheap $99 SXs sound good. It is such a robust design, it's near impossible to screw it up. Some sound different (better?), some are quieter/noisier... spending more may get you a more refined sound, but part of the appeal of the P-90 is it's raw edginess.
Lace uses the holy grail technology in a p90 form called the ps900. Not sure if they still make them though. I have holy grails in my strat and love them too. I think most people think they are just another sensor. I think lollar or another boutique builder is using the sidewinder design as well, bow that the patent is expired.
Good stuff - thanks! The consensus from what I have red elsewhere is 500K pots. I'd assume Gibson value .022 mf caps too...
Was very happy with Lollars but not happy with the noise (I know, it's unavoidable) Been using Mojotone '56 Quiet Coils and now totally happy...
