Hybrid Pickups · P90 in humbucker format
Alchemist 90
All the full-range single-coil “clang” you expect from a P90 — in a pickup with the exact dimensions of a standard humbucker. Drop-in replacement, no routing.
Single-coil P90 voicing in humbucker format
IronGear brings the classic P90 sound in a humbucker-format pickup. The Alchemist 90 provides all the clarity and sparkle of a classic single coil pickup while retaining most of the warmth and depth of a humbucker.
This pickup is for guitarists who want to introduce something a little different to the common twin-humbucker instrument. It’s excellent for rock, blues or jazz, and is particularly popular as a neck pickup when paired with the Rolling Mill in the bridge position — though using a pair for bridge and neck works brilliantly as well. Available with chrome or gold covers.
Soundclips
Four soundclips — clean and dirty, bridge and neck. Hit play below.
Specifications
| Format | Humbucker-sized single coil |
|---|---|
| DC resistance | Bridge 7.6 kΩ · Neck 5.3 kΩ |
| Magnet | AlNiCo II |
| Coil wire | 42 AWG enamel |
| Conductors | 2-conductor |
| Pole spacing | Bridge 50 mm · Neck 50 mm |
| Baseplate | Nickel silver |
| Dimensions | 70 mm L × 38 mm W × 24 mm H (incl. lugs) |
| Cover options | Chrome or gold |
| Recommended components | 500 kΩ pots, 0.047µF tone capacitor(s) |
| Included | Screws and springs |
| Applications | Rock, blues, jazz — and adding clarity to guitars equipped with humbuckers |
What customers are saying
Sixteen unedited reviews from real Alchemist 90 owners.
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Wanted to say thanks and give a bit of feedback on the Alchemist 90 pickups. I’ve just stuck a pair into my Tele to get more of a clear, single-coil tone (replacing a pair of humbuckers) and the results are great. Both at bedroom levels and full band gig/practice volumes they are sounding spot on, really cutting through with a ringing bell-like tone on the cleans and also some nice bite for overdriven sounds. I won’t bother shopping around anymore when looking for pickups.
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My latest upgrade was the Alchemist 90 pickups, and now installed on my Hagstrom Swede Tremar. I always thought the humbuckers on this guitar were a little dull and lifeless, so I thought I’d give the Alchemists a try to give it some character. WOW what a difference, the guitar sounds great, with much more clarity and definition on both chords and single notes. Clean or dirty the Alchemist 90s sound fantastic.
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Just thought I’d drop you a line to let you know I’ve successfully installed the Alchemist 90s with the wiring kit you supplied into my old Strat copy! What a difference a set of pickups make!!! The sound from the Alchemists is just fantastic — great clean, even better dirty!! I’ve installed the neck the wrong way round to get an out-of-phase sound when used together, which gives a sound I’d dreamed about! Awesome! Thank you for such a quality pickup!
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We installed the Alchemist 90 yesterday and there were no problems whatsoever. To say I’m chuffed to bits with the sound would be the understatement of the year! It has made my Strat look unique as well, but the best thing is how well it works with the other two single-coils I bought off you. My brother reckons the Alchemist is even better, and certainly more “musical”-sounding than his Bare Knuckle P90.
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Thank you for the quick delivery of my order. I have fitted the pickups (neck & middle Pig Iron and an Alchemist 90) to an old Sunn Mustang Strat copy. What a difference in sound! I did expect an improvement but the change is remarkable — all the classic Strat sounds are there plus that extra “something” that P90s seem to have. The electric kit was first rate too! I would have no hesitation in recommending your pickups.
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I replaced the humbucker in my poor old first guitar, a £75 Strat copy, with an Alchemist 90, and the tone has changed dramatically. I am very impressed with the response and punch this pickup offers, and it fits in nicely with the other single coils. It sounds fantastic, and completely within my budget.
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The first thing I noticed about IronGear pickups is the price. Wow, far cheaper than any other pickup brand I have seen, and the quality of them is amazing. I fitted them into a cheap Les Paul copy. The Alchemist 90 delivers exactly what I was looking for in tone, and is a massive improvement over the stock pickups. I raised them closer to the strings to take advantage of a brighter and more punchy sound. Many thanks for satisfying my hunger for tone!
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Just wanted to drop you a note saying that I got my Alchemist 90 pair in today and they kick posterior! Had previously tried pups costing almost four times as much and they are nothing compared to the IronGears. You’ll be getting some more of my money soon.
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I’ve rewired my Epiphone Les Paul and replaced the stock pickups, which I found muddy, for a Blues Engine bridge and an Alchemist 90 neck. I was bowled over with the tone of the Blues Engine and then fell immediately in love with the Alchemist 90. They combine really well and make the Les Paul a much more versatile guitar.
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I bought these pickups (Alchemist 90 set) a few months ago to replace the humbuckers in a Jazzmaster modern player. The bridge pickup has loads of bite, and the neck is beautifully sweet. Both sound great with overdrive. This has quickly become my favourite guitar — and I’ve had lots. It’s my main gigging guitar, and every time I play I get compliments on my sound. The best thing is the quality of these pickups for the price paid. If I ever need pickups in the future I’m definitely going straight to IronGear.
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I recently took delivery of the Alchemist 90 and Steel Foundry pickups for an old Squier Fat Tele which I loved the feel of, but it never really had “that” sound. Suffice to say, it sounds amazing now. The Steel Foundry sounds more Tele than ever, bright and cutting and super-twangy. The Alchemist in the neck sounds juicy, fat and mellow. These pickups have transformed this guitar from one I wanted to like to one I unreservedly love.
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Stripped out a Hagstrom Swede and had the bridge Alchemist P90 pickup installed by Chris from Essex Guitar Services for that melody-maker feel. The stock pickups were fine but the Alchemist takes the guitar to another level. Rich, harmonic, responsive — it just feels like velvet now but hard-ass velvet! The other guitarist in my band has an LP gold top with the P90s. He can keep it. This is amazing, thanks!
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Just to let you know how pleased I am with the pair of Alchemist 90 pickups I’ve just fitted to my Hagstrom Super Swede to replace the original humbuckers. What a difference they’ve made to the guitar. The original clean sound was dense, muddy and unpleasant. Problem solved in style. The tone is now bright and full and I’ve lost none of the lower-end richness. Overdriven the sound is superb and they look stunning on the guitar.
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Wow, what a set of pickups! I am completely surprised by the value for money. I took a punt on the Alchemist 90s because I needed pickups for a cheap guitar, however they have helped turn it into a superb guitar to play live. Fitted to a Strat-type guitar, these pickups have bite, clarity and the standard amount of power. I have compared them to another brand, and they can easily compete against more expensive brands. Gigged with them for the first time last week, I received compliments about the sound.
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I ordered the Dirty Torque + Alchemist 90 through Axetec. I have to say that I am very impressed. The Dirty Torque provides the power I need for high-gain riffing while maintaining the clarity I need for full chords, and the Alchemist 90 is an amazing pickup that just sings clean or dirty. The pickups are just great full stop — easily as good if not better than their more expensive competitors!
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You guys do an excellent job with your pickups. I had a PRS copy with two good vintage-style humbuckers. But although they sounded powerful, they were always too warm, dark and muddy for my taste. Then came along a pair of Alchemist 90s, providing a much meatier sound than single coils but with similar note clarity and pleasant treble. This is now my favourite-sounding guitar (and I’ve had a few).