What goes well with an MQ? Advice please ...

[GuiTony]

I'm having a custom guitar built, and after hearing many many excellent clips and comments about BKPs (and hearing a couple of BKP-ed guitars live), it's going to be equipped with BKPs.

The guitar will be mahogany + maple, with a thru neck.

I play mainly classic rock stuff, so nothing shreddy or twiddly, nothing ultra-fast.  After many years, I saw (heard) the error of my ways, and now play through an Epi Valve Jr, or a Marshall JTM 60.  Depending on how annoying I want to be.  It's mainly for my own amusement as it's been years since I've played in a proper band.  The odd jamming session with my neighbour-the-drummer doesn't really count!

I love the clear, cutting, bodied sound of P90s, so I'm having an MQ in the neck position.

Question is, what should go in the (piezo equipped) bridge?  The sound clips posted here have so many variables (guitar, amp, fx, playing styles, recording set-up, etc, etc), that I've not found them hugely useful.  However, based on those clips and the product descriptions, I'm thinking about either Stormy Monday or Mule or Cold Sweat.

But I'm sure (hope) someones here will have some opinions ...

Before anyone asks, yes, I'll post pics here when it's done  :D

[AndyR]

I'd personally say "another MQ" :lol:

I've got MQ neck and bridge in an all mahogany Gibson Explorer - works very well for me. If anything I use the bridge more.

I've heard that MQ neck and Riff Raff bridge gives a nice combo. I've not tried it as a combo, but I suspect it would be cute. I think the Riff Raff bridge would produce a slightly tighter sounding option on the guitar than another MQ or a Mule. But I actually prefer how this all mahogany beast works with the MQ bridge - it has had a Riff Raff set, which was cute, but it was a bit "weedier" through my amp settings in comparison with the MQs.

I'd personally lean towards the Mule bridge, it seems to have a "hairier", un-tamed sound that leans more towards an MQ but would give you that "humbucker thing" that MQs almost have but not quite...(but as you can see, I obviously want another MQ there! :lol: )

[Twinfan]

As Andy says, an MQ or Riff Raff would get my vote  :)

[GuiTony]

Thanks both for the comments.

I think I'd prefer a standard HB in the bridge, just to give some more tonal variety than 2 P90s. 

I'm going to coil split the both p'ups, and with the piezo too, I'm hoping for quite a tonally flexible guitar - within my needs of classic rock sounds.  I think 2 x MQs might just limit that flexibility a touch?

[WezV]

i'm still thinking mule or crawler

tap on the MQ, split on the Bridge HB

[GuiTony]

i'm still thinking mule or crawler

tap on the MQ, split on the Bridge HB

For some reason I'd missed the crawler when looking through the product page.  That sounds like just what I want  :D

[AndyR]

I think 2 x MQs might just limit that flexibility a touch?

That's what I was wondering. I like a cohesive/similar set of tones across my pickups on a single guitar, but I realise that others are looking for more variation.

Sitting here thinking, I'm also realising that across my "gibson" type guitars, I'm using sets of MQs, Mules, and Riff Raffs, all to (successfully) produce slight variations on the same theme... so I'm not sure how much help I actually am for this one!

Out of the ones I've tried, for variation between the two pups and obtaining that humbucker thing in the bridge, I think I'd recommend the Riff Raff bridge to pair with a neck MQ. In my experience, I believe the Mule would be more like another MQ in there (with the obvious addition of its humbuckerness!).

But I could be completely wrong - it's all a bit subjective and seems to depend on how/what you play, and what sort of amps you're running them through (I use modellors, and I get widely differing responses/behaviour from these pups from different types of amp - all good, but "different")  :D

EDIT: your reply to Wez appeared while I was typing - I've not tried Crawlers, but I was thinking, from what I've read, that that could seem a very good avenue to explore...

[Roobubba]

Before anyone asks, yes, I'll post pics here when it's done  :D

We don't 'ask' this of anyone, it's an absolute requirement :)

Oh, and clips, too! :)
So, are you making this one, yourself? I remember you posting a few times on here a while ago...

Roo

[GuiTony]

Before anyone asks, yes, I'll post pics here when it's done  :D

We don't 'ask' this of anyone, it's an absolute requirement :)

Oh, and clips, too! :)
So, are you making this one, yourself? I remember you posting a few times on here a while ago...

Roo

 :lol:

OK, Pics & clips ... I'll just have to find someone to play it properly!

I'm not making this one myself - I just don't have the time at the moment - but a result of me not having the time, is that I'm earning the money to be able to pay someone much better at guitar building, to build a much better guitar for me.  I believe a thread is about to appear ...

But as you mentioned it, here's a quick pic of my last build, finished a couple of weekends ago ...

[PhilKing]

I have a Warpig bridge with an MQ neck in a mahogany explorer and the combination works great.  I put a series/parallel switch on the Warpig to get an extra set of tones out of it and it gives me a great range.  The Crawler would also give you good tones, the difference is Black Sabbath vs Bad Company.  There is more power and bass in the Warpig, the Crawler is a PAF on steroids basically.

[GuiTony]

the difference is Black Sabbath vs Bad Company

Thanks - that's a helpful comparison.  Bad Co is more my thing.  I guess I can always stick a pedal or two in line to get the Sabbath sound (should I want it!).

[_tom_]

I wouldnt say high output pickups work well with the neck MQ, if my Pig 90 is anything to go by. The neck MQ is really clear and low  gain in comparison, they dont match too well..

[WezV]

dont forget we have the peizo mixing in with this as well... i want to avoid going too high output with the bridge humbucker  so we can get a nice balance between the mag and peizo side of things

[PhilKing]

I wouldnt say high output pickups work well with the neck MQ, if my Pig 90 is anything to go by. The neck MQ is really clear and low  gain in comparison, they dont match too well..

Strange, I have no balance problems with the Warpig and MQ (I ordered them as a calibrated set, so perhaps this is why).  I do have a problem with my MQ/Mini-Mule, but that's because I have a Black Dog wind MQ I think! 

[dheim]

MQ set is my answer... bridge MQ rocks! it' perfect for classic rock, and has become my favourite pickup for early sabbath tones... i put it in a dean cadillac with exactly the same specs as yours... mahoganey body, maple top and neck through body. you can hear the result here:
http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=16058.0
but it can be really better than this... :) just listen to tom's clips!