Pickup idea for 3 pickup les paul

[Mariner]

Hi.  Long time lurker. Long time user of BK pickups (nothing else comes close!) First post (on any forum anywhere ever!!)

Like any right thinking person, I love P90s.  I also love PAF type humbuckers as well - particularly the out of phase sound (wait, don't all shout PG Blues just yet).

Anyway, my idea, (that I've never seen elsewhere) is to get a three pickup les paul custom (modern one with a maple cap, rather than an all mahogany '57 reissue) and replace the neck and bridge pickups with mules and the middle pickup with a MQ.

Any reasons why this would not give me the best of both worlds?

Also, I've not really thought about the switching options - obviously I want the option of the middle pickup on its own and neck and bridge together and out of phase (I'll probably wire them up with a push / pull pot to do this), but I'm not sure what other combinations might also sound good.

Any thoughts welcome.

[Will]

Someone around here has an SG custom like that :P
Lead tone becomes master tone
Rythme tone becomes middle volume.

Something I have thought about a lot, how about conventional 2 pup switching, with the rythme controls controlling neck / middle; with coil taps on push pull.
Then have another push pull to bring in middle pickup, and another push pull for phase switching.
phew... brain sleep now

[Fourth Feline]

Hello and welcome Mariner !  :)

I cannot fault your original plan. I own Mules and M.Qs - both types of pickup are very 'open' and clear, but also rich rounding and very responsive to pickup height adjustments. I  found the M.Q to be surprisingly fat sounding .  Lovely !

Although I have not tried the M.Qs in my Les Paul yet, their perfomance in an S.G. and 335 copy have impressed me. The Mules work very nicely in the mahoghany body / maple cap Les Paul - and I can imagine ( from owning both types of P.U.) - that the M.Q. would also work great in the same guitar.

If you had not have told us what you had in mind, I still would have said exactly what you did. The only minor point to make - is that as the bridge M.Q. is Alnico V - and the neck  Alnico IV ( like the Mules ) I presume you would need to ask for a neck M.Q for your centre position, or even better - note it's intended use on your order form ( or contact  Tim before hand ) in case he recommends a slightly different wind on the single , middle M.Q.

Having heard both M.Qs in stock form - I can imagine a 'standard' neck M.Q being just fine as it is .

Because of your sonic choice - and the aesthetics of the three sets of polepieces sitting as they will at neck, dead centre and bridge; - that is going to sound and look one lovely guitar !  

Tim also sells the push / pull pots - and ( just in case your Les Paul still has 300k volume pots in ) he also has the long shaft 500k volume pots. Just look under the 'accessories' section of the B.K.P. site  :D

[AndyR]

Yep, all what he says ^ (Fourth Feline)  :)

I reckon Mules and a MQ would sit very nicely together. Not sure how I'd personally cope with the fancy switching etc (either figuring it out, soldering it, or using it!), but I'm liking the concept of those pups together.

And welcome to the forum  :D

[Mariner]

Thanks for all your comments - it has confirmed what I thought.  Oh well, just need to explain why I need another les paul to my wife now!

I think I will go with the Alnico IV MQ option - very helpful comment thanks.

As far as switching goes, I think I need to do some more work here, but I have never been a big fan of splitting or tapping pickups - and as I'll have a P90 available anyway, I doubt a tapped or split humbucker would get much use.

One thought would be a phase switch for the MQ so it could be in phase or out of phase with either the neck or bridge pickup (though that might be getting unnecessarily complex - might only do that if I wire the mules permanently out of phase).  Having never had a guitar with P90s and humbuckers, I've no idea if either option (that is bridge or neck with P90 in or out of phase) is useable - anybody got any thoughts on this?