Question for some of you guitar players

[tmoney61092]

so me and my dad have started making guitars and basses. I focus mainly on bass and thus that leaves me lacking in knowledge of guitar so here's my dilemma, I'm wanting my dad to build an ES-335 shaped semi-hollow body guitar and am looking for it to have a more unique sound. I'm think about having  P-90 in the neck and some kind of P.A.F. style humbucker in the bridge. As far as the P-90 I'm thinking about getting a Lindy Fralin that's a little overwound to be darker sounding and have a little more grind to it, a Gibson one, or possibly a Curtis Novak one, and it'd have to have the dogear covers because I love that look :p all of them are the same price so any info or experience with any of them or other models would be great.
 
here's where I'm stuck, I have no idea what to get for the bridge humbucker! Curtis Novak makes one, Lindy Fralin makes one that I saw a video of that I liked the sound of, and Seymore Duncan makes one. I watched a video of the Fralin's vs the Duncans and the Fralins have a little more umph to them but people say the Duncans sound more like the vintage ones.
 
here's a video of the 2 Fralins, but I'd get the P-90 a little over wound: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNkTcY5p2Xs
 
and here's the Fralins vs the Duncans: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKcE53WUCLQ
 
if anyone has any experience with any of these then let me know! everything helps and even other suggestions would be awesome to!!!
 
also the neck will most likely be rosewood on maple and the body maple or mahogany, haven't quite decided yet.
 
~Taylor

[gtrguy]

Gibson makes a fine humbucker as well, and they make several models. It is going to be hard to select the best pickup until a guitar like that is finished and you can try several pickups out in it. Van Zandt in Texas makes a fine one at a great price and they are one of my favorites.
 
If there is any way you can try several after the guitar is done, than that is the way to go. P-90s are actually a very hot output pickup, so you may (or not) want to come close to matching the output on the other PUP, so that there is not a huge volume change when toggling beyween them.
 
I would personally get a pickup on a guitar like that where you can split the coil output, which will make a nice clean sounding guitar out of it for various styles too.
 
I personally would not make it out of maple. It is too bright for a guitar like that, in my opinion. An ebony fretboard is nice too, but harder to work.
 
Please post some photos!!

[tmoney61092]

Any specific humbucker model by Gibson that you liked to get that PAF tone? And I'll look into Van Zandt for sure. I do have an old Conrad hollow body that isn't exactly functioning so I'm considering buying different pickups and putting them in that to test them at first.
 
And I'll see about the whole matching output because I'm not sure how that works because I've read most neck pickups have less output than the bridge one because they're located where the strings move freely or something like that. I'm probably going to call Lindy Fralin in a couple days because he doesn't use email and talk to him about some of this.
 
As far as the body I'm not quite sure. I know some of the ES-335 were made out of maple(Chicago Music Exchange has one that they want $75,000 for it!!!!) but I'm still highly considering mahogany. And I just found a blank Carvin neck with an ebony board for a decent price that I may try to grab. Would it be worth it to get a neck made with an ebony board and mahogany neck?
 
I'm still in planning but will definitely post pictures once I'm at that point!! I'm definitely looking forward to this!
 
~Taylor

[tmoney61092]

I've also been entertaining the idea of adding another pickup in the middle position like another P-90 but still not sure! ahhh so many options!
 
~Taylor

[5a_quilt_top]

Re: Humbucker -
 
Gibson Burstbucker w/Alnico 5 magnets
 
or
 
Duncan Custon Alnico 5
 
Both are very clear & articulate with chime-y warm tone when the volume is rolled back - scream with volume up and gain on the amp.
 
Secret is the alnico 5 magnets.
 
New cost about $100 - $130 each.

[hydrargyrum]

Jason Lollar is one of the biggest names in boutique P-90's right now.  He has a ton of different options for other pickups that are supposed to be spectacular.  You could do something totally wild, and put a Charlie Christian pick up in the neck.  You'd have to match the bridge with something really hot, most likely a high output humbucker.  A humbucker bridge, soap bar p-90 middle, and tele neck would be interesting too.  The sky is the limit.
   
Mahogany is warmer that ash or maple for the neck.   I owned an all mahogany Guild Starfire once that was quite nice.

[cozmik_cowboy]

I keep an eye on CME's page, and the highest 335 they have is a '58 (first year) for $27K; don't know what would make one $75K.  Maple body is the default for 335s; the mahogany ones are much rarer.
If you want a hot signal, David's right about the alnico V; my preferance is for a mellower starting tone (you can always add an overdrive pedal, but you can't can't take inherent OD away), so I like the older alnico IIs.  I believe Stew-Mac's Parsons Street series has both available in HB; alas, their p-90s are alnico V only.
 
Peter

[5a_quilt_top]

+1 on the Lollar P-90's. Collings is using them in some of their 290 models.
 
REALLY good sounding P-90.