MQ questionS.....

[Dr. Vic]

I have quite no experience with P-90'-ish pickups and I was wondering how cool would the Missippi Queen neck sound like.

Maybe it already has been asked but I've got some questions (*silly*) here :   :mrgreen:

To which humbucker(s) of the range does it compare the best if any ?

Is the MQ more noisy than a regular humbucker (or does it has as much hum as a single coils ? )

Do the MQ handle high gain distorsion as well as an humbucker ?

I am impressed to see that despite of it's modest DC restistance the MQ neck is often paired here with the highest outuput of the range like the Nailbomb and even the Pig. I know that DC resistance is just an indicator but the difference is quite huge......Do the P-90 have more outuput than a humbucker for a same DC resistance value ?

Thanks you guys for your answers !  :drink:

[badgermark]

P90s are constructed differently than humbuckers, so the DC resistance is a bit misleading. I have two sets of MQs, and dont find them that noisy. Only really noticed hum when near a pc or old CRT monitor. Oh and they sound huge under distortion. They are fat but cut a little more than a normal humbucker, i find the bridge model for instance very balanced, not too fat or squeely but just perfect.

[dheim]

Is the MQ more noisy than a regular humbucker (or does it has as much hum as a single coils ? )

yes. they're SCs, so you should expect hum, maybe a bit less than a strat SC but i'm not really sure.

Do the MQ handle high gain distorsion as well as an humbucker ?

if you compare a regular MQ to a similar humbucker (similar in terms of mere output) the answer is no. you can't exactly do death metal with a p90, even if you could with a Mule and a reasonably high gain levels. MQs distort in a strange, fizzy and howling way... they saturate much better than ordinary single coils, at least IMO, but their voice is absolutely peculiar... i love them for doom riffing, but they can'handle intricate riffing or palm muting as well as humbuckers do.
http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=16058.0
this is NOT a very effective way to show what i'm talking about, but in the second half of the tune you can compare how a bridge Cold Sweat (right) and a bridge MQ (left) sound with the same vintagey rock tone.

Do the P-90 have more outuput than a humbucher for a same DC resistance value ?

as above. no. they just sound very different. imagine a single coil (often neck SCs are coupled with high gain humbuckers) with a fatter, deeper and fuller sound. a pickup output says nothing about the perceived volume, and often a vintage style pickup can sound louder than a modern high output one due to lower compression and a wider tone range. this is much more true with clean tones. mind that in saturated sets often the neck unit is much milder than the bridge one. a neck warpig, for example, has almost twice the output of a neck Nailbomb, so it saturates earlier and sounds fatter (the latter is not a rule, of course), but there's not such a difference in perceived output.

[Dr. Vic]

Woua !!!!!!!!

Thanks for the feedback guys and extra thanks for you and your Red essay Dheim !

Is the MQ more noisy than a regular humbucker (or does it has as much hum as a single coils ? )

yes. they're SCs, so you should expect hum, maybe a bit less than a strat SC but i'm not really sure.

Interresting. I think I have read somewhere that now some P90 designed in humbucker size were able to be as "silent" as a regular humbucker.....but this thing should be wrong.....

Do the MQ handle high gain distorsion as well as an humbucker ?

if you compare a regular MQ to a similar humbucker (similar in terms of mere output) the answer is no. you can't exactly do death metal with a p90, even if you could with a Mule and a reasonably high gain levels. MQs distort in a strange, fizzy and howling way... they saturate much better than ordinary single coils, at least IMO, but their voice is absolutely peculiar... i love them for doom riffing, but they can'handle intricate riffing or palm muting as well as humbuckers do.
http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=16058.0
this is NOT a very effective way to show what i'm talking about, but in the second half of the tune you can compare how a bridge Cold Sweat (right) and a bridge MQ (left) sound with the same vintagey rock tone.

I am more riffing on the bridge..; the question was more regarding the neck leads under distorsion (I want them singing, with no mud or messing sound under gain (apart from the my usual technical issues  :lol:)

Nevertheless I know some metal guys are happy to use P-90 but dunno for what sound exactly....

And dunno how come I didn't saw that nice clip before. I can not play with the right / left balance on my computer right now but this sounds great : playing and hearing stuff like that just make me feel good!

Do the P-90 have more outuput than a humbucher for a same DC resistance value ?

as above. no. they just sound very different. imagine a single coil (often neck SCs are coupled with high gain humbuckers) with a fatter, deeper and fuller sound. a pickup output says nothing about the perceived volume, and often a vintage style pickup can sound louder than a modern high output one due to lower compression and a wider tone range. this is much more true with clean tones. mind that in saturated sets often the neck unit is much milder than the bridge one. a neck warpig, for example, has almost twice the output of a neck Nailbomb, so it saturates earlier and sounds fatter (the latter is not a rule, of course), but there's not such a difference in perceived output.

thanks for that. I had in mind that a SM (D.C. 7.2K) or a Mule (D.C. 7.3K) could not pair well in volume with most of the modern range ala C-NB , HD or PK (all around D.C. 16K).  So I was wondering how come a MQ (D.C. 7.0K) could sit against a flamethrower Pig (D.C. 22K !!)

[Dr. Vic]

additional questions  :D

Will the MQ neck sit well in an all mahogany neck thru guitar with an ebony fretboard ?
 
what kind of humbucker could pair well in both volume and tone in the bridge (the bridge is meant mostly for 80's heavy metal riffing) ?

thanks !     

[dheim]

heavy metal in mahogany+ebony fretboard... i'd say nailbomb!

i fear that the cold sweat will accentuate the bright attack of ebony a bit too much. and nailbombs are perfect for NWOBHM stuff and such, although being gainy pickups. neck nailbomb has got an output of 8k, if i'm not wrong, so why not? i bet that the MQ complements it very well on cleans and overdriven solos (things that the neck NB does very well too)

[Dr. Vic]

thanks for the input !

I guess the MQ / NB combo is the one Matt bellamy choosed so it should be a good pairing.....

The thing is (and I forgot to mention it) the NB I tried didn't worked for me in a all mahogany guitar. Cannot say much why apart that it wasn't "the huge agressive assault" I was expecting...

Maybe it was the settings or something but anyway it didn't do the trick.

Any other thoughts for a MQ with "what on the bridge" in a all mahogany guitar ?

[Chris Rowberry]

I have a SG style guitar i built on a Baileys build your own course and i put MQ in. I made it all with mahogany and rosewood and to my ears it suits it perfectly.

[Elliot]

Remember the first Black Sabbath album is mainly a P90'd SG.  MQ's can do that sound easily.

[MisterMuncher]

Also: Carcass. Bill Steer has been using a Les Paul Junior for *ages*.

[dheim]

Also: Carcass. Bill Steer has been using a Les Paul Junior for *ages*.

this is very interesting, i didn't know it!

[nfe]

Also: Carcass. Bill Steer has been using a Les Paul Junior for *ages*.

this is very interesting, i didn't know it!

Not anymore at Carcass shows, but the first couple reunion shows and everything back in the day was with a LPJ.