56 Sun Bear 90 Soapbar

56 SB90 Soapbar

Here at SUNBEAR we adore the humble P90; it’s a fantastic and fascinating pickup design and arguably the birth of all that guitar players love about those classic set neck, solid body guitar tones. While we offer considerable options for customisation, our 56 inspired SB90 set is our distillation of all of the favourite features on offer. AWG42 Plain Enamel wire was a key starting point back in the 50s and that remains the case for us today. From the wind itself we just go deeper into the rabbit hole; choosing to employ our preferred low-carbon pole screws and keeper bar, paired with two traditionally made rough-cast Alnico magnets per pickup.

Tonally these are pure, clear and forthright with all the midrange girth and harmonic complexity we can squeeze out of this beloved design.

BRIDGE AIV +/- 8.2K: A great P90 should be full of detail and track the players attack, vibrato etc as well as any pickup design around, and that was our goal here. The choice of Alnico IV as standard helps to keep the high end airiness and swift response, but keeps the low-mid fullness that’s just so enjoyable to play! A Tele’s clarity but with an extra heap of rich-midrange growl is the shorthand for this characterful pickup.

NECK AIII +/- 7.2K: A drop in output and a lower magnet intensity help to keep this pickup perfectly balanced with its bridge counterpart. A plummy, throaty character with creamy, vocal midrange warmth and a clear, open high end clarity was the heady mix we wanted to craft; something utterly addictive under the fingers.

This set is offered as standard with two-conductor vintage braid wiring and are supplied with plastic covers in cream, bone or black. If you would like nickel p90 covers, hand ageing or virtually any other tweak please do get in touch; various contact options are available here.

Please note we supply these pickups un-potted as standard for maximum tonal transparency, just as they were originally made. However, we completely understand that you may prefer some more defence against microphonics and feedback. Should this be the case, please make a note during check out stating that you would like them lightly potted in our mix of beeswax and paraffin.

Pickups are generally supplied to customer specification in 7 - 10 days although we do carry some in stock so please give us a call if you wish to order.