In this article you’ll find the best p90 guitars for rock. If you absolutely love the gritty tone and the versatility of a p90 pickup……….you’ll definitely find a guitar you’ll love here.
If you’re interested, after this list I’ll include a section on the history of p90s…….and a little bit more about how they’re different from other pickups.
Thanks for reading!
Note: Not all p90 pickups sound the same, for a variety of reasons. So I included video of the guitars being played as well.
Gibson les Paul special
There’s quite a bit of recent hype about these, considering that Gibson has just been making lots of changes in recent years. Adding insane amounts of quality checks, and all-around better parts and manufacturing processes.
The Gibson Les Paul special is undoubtedly one of the most popular P90 equipped guitar’s out there. They’re all around a great guitar, and you won’t see a lot of issues now on Gibson guitars thanks to their recent changes.
Popular YouTuber AGUFISH made a really good review of this guitar, he’s obviously ecstatic about it.
Check it out.
Epiphone Les Paul Special P90
My jaw dropped when I saw the price on this guitar.
Honestly I’m confused at why they’re so inexpensive……..it makes no sense at all. Like, yes I do understand that this guitar isn’t insanely great quality, and that you’ll definitely be needing to set it up when you get it…..
But seriously this is the best deal ever for someone who doesn’t have a lot of cash and wants to just jam on a guitar with p90s and not have to worry about it.
So you might be thinking btw…….the p90s can’t be that good on this if it’s so affordable.
Nope, just listen. I’m still just flabbergasted at this. Whoever decides the price of guitars just makes no sense to me whatsoever.
(See more Specs, Details, and pricing info on Amazon)
Reverend sensei 290
Great guitar with a slight tweak on a common look. Built well, and won’t need much set up if at all when you get it.
Surprisingly light, sounds fantastic with incredible tone from the p90s. Not the most aggressive p90s I’ve heard, but still would be fantastic for rock.
All in all great guitar. Not a lot of people know about reverend, but the people who do are definitely obsessed fans.
Take a listen:
Gibson and epiphone SG
Two EXTREMELY similar guitars. I’m not even going to say much about these at all actually, since I’m sure basically everyone out there knows a ton about them.
But if you DONT know about them, and are interested in learning more……definitely check out this video below…..doing a comparison between the two. I’m going to go against the grain btw, and I think the epiphone sounded better. Tough choice however.
Rivolta combinata 1
These look absolutely phenomenal. The style is a lot like a les Paul junior, but they added a twist to it that gives it a more modern feel. Really cool considering most guitar companies don’t think outside the box when it comes to the shape of their guitars.
What surprised me the most was their tone. If you listen to these compare to other guitars with p90s………it stands out. Even over brands like Gibson.
Don’t believe me? Listen to this shootout below.
Reverend sensei junior
People that love p90s are starting to go kinda crazy about these guitars…………and it really comes down to how ridiculously good they sound. The tone coming out of these guitars are just seriously incredible.
Not a lot of people know much about these guitars, but I suspect in the future a LOT more people will and they’ll be generally well known. Maybe not a huge brand name like Gibson, but maybe like a smaller upcoming brand like Luna possibly?
Best thing about these is how affordable they are. Probably has to do with the very simple design build.
Watch this review. Very cool guitar.
Fenders JA-90
Note: In case you didn’t know, Jim Adkins is the lead guitarist and lead singer of Jimmy eats World.
Obviously, this guitar looks awesome. Double cut hollow with p90s…….awesome.
Why’s crazy is the TONE of this guy. It’s SO different from other guitars with p90s. I assume this is because of how resonant it is because of the hollow body. Pretty damn cool.
Seriously just listen to it for a second, and compare it with other p90 guitars. You’ll be surprised. Below is a great review I found of this model.
(See more Specs, Details, and pricing info on Amazon)
PRS SE ONE
This PRS has an extremely aggressive sounding p90 equipped to it. The gritty feel of it sounds perfect for psychedelic rock styles in my opinion. I assume the output of this p90 is much higher than other p90s, however I couldn’t find any information online to verify this.
PRS is an incredible value, you’re not going to have to do much to set this up when you get it. These are really high quality guitars.
Take a listen:
Hamer special junior
Pretty decent guitars. What really sets them apart from others is the affordability. I’ve only gotten to play one of these once, but I was surprised how good it felt to play some licks on. My hand felt super comfortable.
Not a TON of reviews out there for this model online, but the reviews I did see everyone loved it. Only a couple complaints, and they were for ridiculous stuff that really had little to nothing to do with Hamer.
Yamaha 502
Great guitar, but has small problems that you’ll need to fix. Nothing serious, just stuff like a heavy neck so there’s neck dive and other small stuff like sharp fret ends. Basically it just needs a little bit of setting up when you get it. Not a big deal.
I really enjoy the tone out of this guitar, that’s probably the best quality it has. Then again……I’m practically obsessed with how all p90 equipped guitars sound. If that’s not obvious in this review. Lol.
I hate to say it, because I used to not like Yamaha guitars at all…….but this tone is incredible.
Eastwood sidejack dlx
My heart actually hurts looking at these. I cannot wait to get one, and this will DEFINITELY be my next guitar.
These really are underrated, and should get more recognition……….they’ve got everything you’d want in a good p90 equipped guitar.
What I absolutely adore though is just how they look. Yes they sing to, and have incredible tone……but man. They just honestly look incredible.
Godin core CT P90
This has the build quality and feel of an expensive instrument, with a way better price.
What’s weird to me, is that the first time I played a godin……I really hated them. I think at the time, I just didn’t enjoy short scale guitars possibly. But now they feel great in my hands. Weird.
Definitely worth checking out, super high quality build on these. Some people online complain about how they used circuit boards instead of real pots which I get……..but that’s just really nitpicky in this case. Especially considering how much you’re paying and how much quality you really get.
All in all, great guitar for rock. Just listen to it.
Epiphone Casino
I added this guitar, because tons of people love it……I’m not a huge fan, which is weird because I’m absolutely obsessed with Epiphone and have loved all their other instruments.
Honestly, I think my problem with this guitar is how it feels to play. I picked it up in a local shop just to try out and it was way to bulky and playing just felt unnatural.
BUT, people ADORE this model. Everything from the tone to the way it looks (it does look cool I’ll give it that)
Here’s a great review I found on the model:
(See more Specs, Details, and pricing info on Amazon)
The history of the p90
The p90 came around in 1940, replacing the Charlie Chaplin pickup. Also known as “the blade”. But…..production didn’t start until 1946, after World War 2.
Their popularity didn’t last long however, because of course. The revolutionary humbucker came out in 1957…..and changed a TON of things.
The p90 still lived……in budget guitar models. Even still, the p90 had a very obvious fan base. Many famous players were still using them.
But, they were still not Gibson’s main pickup. The P90 was really put only in select few guitar models on their lineup. Mainly reissues.
Still, the P90 continues to catch on in genres. From everything from classic rock to punk to blues even.
Today, the p90 is seen in a variety of guitars, and they still have quite a large fan base who love that gritty tone.
Conclusion:
Hope you enjoyed this article on some of the best P90 equipped guitars for Rock.
Honestly, in my personal opinion… I haven’t found any P90 equipped guitars that could it produce a generally good rock sound.
So, you’re in the clear on getting almost any P90 equipped guitar out there… But you should know and be aware that all P 90s are created equal. They don’t all sound the same. So it’s best to at the very least watch some videos and listen to how the tone sounds before picking one up. I highly recommend of course actually going to a store and actually picking up and playing the model of guitar you’re looking at, if at all possible.
Thanks again for reading!