Often overshadowed by the more popular PAF humbucker, the P-90 was originally developed by Gibson in the late 40's the P-90 is known for punchy tone and chunky mids. It was standard on the Les Paul guitars up until the introduction of the PAF. P-90's sometimes get a bad rap for being dark and one-dimensional, but that's more a function of trying to make them "hot". Not a problem here; and with a mid-6K DC resistance G&L's P-90 has both excellent clarity, a smooth top end, and more meat around the notes than Fender-style single coil. Given some overdrive, the P-90 thickens up and takes on a somewhat creamy tone, but without the woody or mushy feel that you sometimes get with a humbucker. It's a great pickup for when you want "more" but still want to hear all the details.
We chose the optional AW4368C covered humbucker for this build, and it's become one of our favorites. With larger gauge wire and fewer windings than the standard AW4470 opn-coil pickup, it's got slightly less output, a more balanced response with less midrange emphasis, and the chrome cover acts to give it a smoother top end. While open-coil pickups are often the choice for getting more snap out of a set neck guitar, with a bolt-on longer scale you've got all the attack and definition you need. We love it: It's got plenty of mid-frequencies to rock your favorite pedal, but cleans up great with plenty of detail and sweetness.
Both pickups together produce the bell-like clean rhythm tones often associated with this combination. The sound is Tele like, but a little fatter with slightly less edge. Percussive and snappy without being tiresome, it's got a bit of Gretsch or Rickenbacker twang that works well for country, roots rock and lush rhythm strumming. For lighter moments you can pull the tone control for a leaner cleaner split bridge setting that blends well with neck pickup, or by itself it does a credible job for crisp rhythm and picking.
The standard neck on the Fallout is G&L's 'Slim C' profile. It has a flat-ish 12" radius, and a 1 5/8" nut width that was standard on all G&L's for years. On this particular build the neck is on the thicker side, and we've included the actual measurements. It's fatter at the bottom but somewhere between the Slim C and Classic C at the upper frets. It's just fine with us, but in the interest of full disclosure wanted to put that out there.
The G&L Fallout gives players a serious alternative to the typical choices for high quality electric guitars. By combining these two famous pickup styles you get a fresh sonic option that gives you an alternative voice in a sea of sameness.
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