Guild X500 Change to Humbucker Size P90 Gibson P94

rcboals

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I have a 1977 X500 for over thirteen years. I added a gold guild bigsby pinned the bridge with a Nashville tune-o-matic several years ago. I mainly play rockabilly and fifties sixties rock. The pickups are original, the pots and original wiring have been replaced. It has been refretted, and my luthier says it had a neck reset at some point. So, it isn't a museum piece, it is a player. I have always liked the way Dave Gonzalez of the Paladins X500 sounded with the P90's. Has anybody here put p90's in their big bodied Guild ? Do you think I would get a major difference in the tone over the stock humbuckers?
 
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Walter Broes

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I'd look for a different 'bucker sized P90, the Gibson P-94 ones are unusually hot pickups for a P90. Most pickup manufacturers have something similar these days. And yes, I think single coils would probably work for what you're after. That said, I don't think Guild's HB-1 pickup frames are the typical generic Gibson 'bucker size.
 

rcboals

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I ordered a custom set from Buddha in gold. I will get them in two weeks or so. My 77 Guild HB1 is the same length as standard Gibson humbuckers they are 1/16 wider than the Gibson. Maybe the guild rings will work.
 

txbumper57

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If you don't mind spending some cash the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop Phat Staple pickups come in a Standard Humbucker size and are designed after the original 50's Staple type P90's. They run around $400-$450 a set new. The Humbucker sized ones I have in my Starfire V are absolutely Awesome. Each individual pole is a Magnet with the ability to adjust the height of each individual magnet for string balance just like the old Dearmond pickups. Mine have an output of around 9.5K and they really do everything well from country to Rockabilly to jazz to Blues to all out Rock and Roll. They are single coils but they are very quiet and I get no background noise out of them at all. They should fit the original route on your X500 as well. Personally these are some of my favorite pickups of all time. They come in Black and Gold, Black and Chrome, Cream and Gold, and Cream and Chrome.

Here is a link to the humbucker sized version and it's clean tones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtWjWHPS9HA

And here is a link to the P90 mount version, these are the same pickups in a different mounting option.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7-MVzCtFPA

Best of luck!

TX
 
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kakerlak

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Regarding fit:
Anything made for standard Gibson humbucker bezels won't be an exact fit for your HB-1 bezels. You can probably use Gibson bezels and cheat screws into two of the four Guild mounting holes (might be a little cockeyed), but will have to make at least two new holes. If done right, it'll all be invisible under the wider OEM footprint if returned to stock later. You could also mount the new pickups to the Guild bezels by using a standard pickup screw in the one-screw side and then fabricating a metal plate like Guild used on Dimarzio/SD pickups to screw into the bass side of the humbuckers' mounting legs, with two threaded holes in it to mate up to the two height-adjust screws in the Guild bezels. I'd expect this setup to leave a bit of gap around the pickups in their bezels, but it'll be the least intrusive and you should be able to splay the humbuckers' legs out a little to at least center them up in the bezels. Third option would be to fabricate your own bezels out of some sort of plastic/wood stock.
 

rcboals

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You are right the Guild ring is a lot different. Looks like I will have to modify a Gibson style ring or make a couple to fit. No biggy. I had no idea these 70's HB-1 are worth so much.
 

Quantum Strummer

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IMO the '70s HB-1s are up there with the finest humbuckers—no, pickups in general—anyone has made. Way undervalued relative to the equally fine but overhyped '50s/'60s PAF. That said, P-90s are terrific too…if you're going for a rawer sound they'll help you get there.

-Dave-
 

dbirchett

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Raye, you might want to check out Lindy Fralin's offerings. A shootout of HB-sized P90 pickups had his rated really well. The True P90s were more highly thought of than the split singles or the P92 hum cancelling. But hey, read it for yourself: http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/20058-humbucker-sized-p-90-review-roundup?page=3

I bought a G&L ASAT Semi Deluxe that had the HB pickups replaced with Harmonic Design Z-90s (also in the review). I see no reason to replace them. However, they are hotter than most P90 types.
 

rcboals

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I just ordered a pair of custom wound to Gibson Specs. P94R and P94T from Budda pickups. He is a one man shop who has great reviews on other forums and the price is to good not to give him a try.
 

rcboals

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Came to my senses not gonna put in p90 in this baby. Too much work and the stock 77 humbuckers sound great anyway. Just going to leave it as is and play my other p90 guitars.
 

rcboals

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Haven't got them yet should be this week three to four week wait to get them. I will put them in something else. Just decided I didn't want to mess with different sized pup rings and new holes in the X500. Just going to leave her alone as she is pretty awesome with the Guild HB1's
 

GAD

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Consider either finding or making an adapter for putting normal sized hum buckers in the existing rings. This is a set of Seth Lovers in a Bluebird that has wider HB1 rings. Not the brass-looking plate on the right side that has a screw for the pickup leg, and is also connected to the height adjustment screws. This lets you keep the original rings and you don't have to drill into the top to make other rings work.

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Guildadelphia

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I had the good fortune to have gotten a few minutes of playing time on an older X500 with HB1's and really liked the tone...definately different animal than most Gibson style humbuckers. There was a pronounced clarity to the high end in addition to the punchy lows and mids: I guess fat and twangy would best describe the sound. IMO, leaving the HB1's in was definately the right move and I am a huge P-90 fan.
 

rcboals

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The HB1's are different than the usual Gibson so I think leaving it alone is a good thing. That being said I got inspired with the idea because of the Paladin X500. Might have to see if I can find one of those I think they may be out of the park price wise now.
 

txbumper57

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The HB1's are different than the usual Gibson so I think leaving it alone is a good thing. That being said I got inspired with the idea because of the Paladin X500. Might have to see if I can find one of those I think they may be out of the park price wise now.

The X550P Paladin model has a 25.5" scale as opposed to the 24.75" of the regular X500. The Paladin Models are very hard to come by. The link below is to a X500T that was made in Westerly and came stock with Duncan Antiquity P90's. I think it is still available at the moment though it is located overseas and would require such shipping.

http://letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?189851-Why-aint-nobody-bought-this-orange-X500

Another Option would be the 2012 GSR T500. I believe Bing at Guitars of Montana has a few left in stock New. They might be a little shallower than the X500 but they came factory with Franz style pickups. Here is a link to the GBase ad.

https://www.gbase.com/gear/guild-gsr-t-500-2012-natural-1
 
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Guildadelphia

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If you don't mind a non-USA Guild, the Newark St X175B has the Franz single coils and will do Dave Gonzalez tone all day.
 

Guildadelphia

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