P-90 Equipped Supro Twin

Rockne Riddlebarger · Post by **Rockne Riddlebarger** » 21 Oct 2012 7:08 am

This has been my main steel since 1999. I bought it in very rough condition, bodies were seperated, no tuning buttons and the pickups, what was left of them, were ruined. I had a '67 Firebird that was retired and worn out so I used two of the p'ups from it. It took a bit of work to open up the steel plates and route the wood below to fit the P-90's but it came out very nicely. It will play any type of music you want. I also made the hand rest for it. I use A6 and Emaj and play it in the West coast style in a swingin' honky tonk band.

Peter Jacobs · Post by **Peter Jacobs** » 21 Oct 2012 7:51 am

Nice work, Rockne -- glad you got this one up and running. Are those really pink knobs? Cool! How do the P-90s sound? Any noise issues?

Rockne Riddlebarger · Post by **Rockne Riddlebarger** » 21 Oct 2012 7:57 am

They are indeed pink knobs and they glow in the dark! Ha! The P-90's are no noisier than any single coil p'up. I find that noise is usually a problem with the venue's electrical supply, it's amazing how under-circuited and over-neoned some bars are that have regular music. I carry a little humbuster box devise that I put in my effects loop when I play those places. It's possible that those thick plates surrounding the p'ups help with shielding.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 21 Oct 2012 2:45 pm

That's a cool little axe for sure, but I want to hear more about this '67 Firebird

Rockne Riddlebarger · Post by **Rockne Riddlebarger** » 21 Oct 2012 3:09 pm

That Firebird was my #1 electric guitar for 17 years. It was 10 years old when I got it and it had already been greatly abused. I refurbished it but over time the frets were silver lines on the fingerboard and the body was starting to split from the bottom. I still have it but it has no hardware at all. Those two p'ups were the only original parts usable when I bought it.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 21 Oct 2012 3:22 pm

I see. Those old Firebirds were cool but fragile and not without issues. I thought they had mini 'buckers. Anyway, good that you could make use of the P-90's after it was used up. Cool old Supro.

Rockne Riddlebarger · Post by **Rockne Riddlebarger** » 21 Oct 2012 3:39 pm

The '67 Firebird was the second generation Fbirds a.k.a. non-reverse. Most were equipped with P-90's. the one I have had 3 of them but one was already missing.

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 21 Oct 2012 5:22 pm

Nice save Rockne! ... P90's can be a lot of fun in a steel.

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 22 Oct 2012 4:08 am

The P90 has to be wtihout a doubt one of my favorite pickups , if not THE favorite pickup !!.....Jim

Steve Ahola · Post by **Steve Ahola** » 22 Oct 2012 9:35 am

James Quackenbush wrote:The P90 has to be wtihout a doubt one of my favorite pickups , if not THE favorite pickup !!.....Jim

A lot of the guitarists who defined modern rock played P-90's. Like Carlos Santana. IMO you can't get a better tone which is halfway between a humbucker and a tele bridge pickup.

Steve Ahola

Rockne Riddlebarger wrote:The P-90's on this guitar give me a full range of sounds: when turned down they produce a clean well defined steel guitar tone or when cranked up will rock out, and they are LOUD! I'm also able to get beautiful artificial harmonics that simply sing.

Their range is incredible- from a beautifully clear tone to a raunchy crunch.

Rockne Riddlebarger · Post by **Rockne Riddlebarger** » 22 Oct 2012 11:03 am

The P-90's on this guitar give me a full range of sounds: when turned down they produce a clean well defined steel guitar tone or when cranked up will rock out, and they are LOUD! I'm also able to get beautiful artificial harmonics that simply sing.

Steve Cunningham · Post by **Steve Cunningham** » 22 Oct 2012 12:33 pm

Hey Rockne, any audio/video of you playing the steel? I think we'd all dig hearing it in action.
BTW, I remember your Guitar Player mag Spotlight feature back in the day...it was right around the time I started getting into lap steel, and I thought it was cool seeing you in there amongst all of the sweep-pickers and tappers.

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 22 Oct 2012 1:27 pm

I know in the world of electric guitar pickups , that in Humbucker land there are the original, revered, P.A.F. pickups that command a pretty good buck !!!..... I was just wondering if there were any special years that were predomanant for P-90 pickups .....I know that in the same time period ( Early to late 60"s ) there were some really SWEET P-90's produced ......But then again , the 50's had some GREAT P90's too !!..... Perhaps a better question is .....When did Gibson start screwing up the P-90, and when did they start coming out with the P-94's and the P-100's ? .....Jim

Rockne Riddlebarger · Post by **Rockne Riddlebarger** » 22 Oct 2012 1:52 pm

Here is a reply to both James and Steve...You bring up a good question about are there better years for P'90's like there are for hbuckers. I have never heard of referred P-90's, I personaly have played a vast number of guitars from the early 50's to the 90's that had P-90's and thinking back about, I don't remember any difference from one to the other. Maybe that is the secret of their sucess, consistancy!
There are no videos that I know of with me playing this steel, I have recorded with it, the best and latest example might be the CD "Nothing As It Was" by Magnolia Mountain from 2009 (Check their website) the Supro is the only steel I used. Half the tracks were on steel and the others I play dobro. I think the band I'm in now, the Andyman Hopkins Band, is going to be video'd at a gig early next month and I only play this steel in it..Thanks for remembering me from Guitar Player!

Rockne Riddlebarger · Post by **Rockne Riddlebarger** » 23 Oct 2012 8:15 am

I have posted some links to a couple of videos of me playing Dobro...See the STEEL ON THE WEB section of this forum....Thanks to all who responded....

Rob Munn · Post by **Rob Munn** » 26 Oct 2012 6:00 pm

Man Rockne
That was some sweet music. NIcely played! Very cool vibes and can tell you feel the music. Sounds like a kind of sad/new hope/relationship full of love and promise but sprinkled with setbacks, things to work out. Cool tune.
Rob

Rockne Riddlebarger · Post by **Rockne Riddlebarger** » 27 Oct 2012 11:01 am

Thank you!