MQ or Manhattan..for a 335 /jack white sound

[tomm]

Hi everybody,
i'm thinking about getting an holowbody guitar..i want a gibson 335,but because i'm a starving studend i thought that i can buy an epiphone dot or a sheraton II and change what i can. So, i'm looking for a resonate twangy,but not airy,clean sound and a raw crunchy tone for dirty ( i use a fuzz 99% of the time so i want a pick up that work well with it)Can the Mississipi queen or the Manhattan give me this type of sound?
cheers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Am5J_cid7w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3MJru1tfZQ

[Fourth Feline]

Hiya Tomm,

I would say the M.Qs ( with subtle adjustments to pickup height to get the best balance between the two sonic examples you cited )  would be good for those sounds.

I had mine in a 335 copy, and whilst I don't play those styles of music, I feel that could have covered those two tones you posted quite easily.  Set the M.Qs  closer to the strings for a thicker, fatter 'chewy' sound - and a bit further away for twang, bite and snap - ( see also the other very recent M.Q thread for our supporting comments and such ).

The Manhattan is a no-no for your needs, as it is wonderfully, open and airy ( detailed , yet rich and warm Jazz Chord melody heaven basically ). As I once remarked on a thread some while ago , M.Qs give you detail and clarity on the edge of the notes, whereas the Manhattans give you warm articulation on the spaces / details in between.

  My vote , therefore would be for M.Qs .  :)

[5F6-A]

Interesting combo that you are after.... the manhattan is clearly a Jazzy sounding pickup but then again Les Paul & Seth Lover thought of the Les Paul design to be a country / jazz guitar and NOT a rock and roll monster. :)

[tomm]

thanks guys..so is a M.Q the right choice?i'm only afraid about that maybe the m.q is  too round and warm  for that "snap and twang"sound,but maybe i'm wrong

[Fourth Feline]

Hello again Tomm,

having given further consideration to that last question, perhaps you might be better to consider the fitting of a pair of crisp Riff-Raffs ;  as they would be closer to the 'historically accurate' sound of an early 335 - and you can always ( as Larry Carlton does a lot ) - play on the bridge pickup with the tone control on the guitar turned far down, to replicate 'fatter' sounds.  You will therefore also have the benefits of a fully hum-bucking pickup at higher gain settings as well of course .   However, I still like the M.Q idea - as a P90 / P91 / P92 type pickup does sound wonderfully unique.   As always , if in doubt, consult Tim at B.K.P .of course.  :)

[Ratrod]

Based on clips and description, I'd say Riff raffs too.

[tomm]

Really? I know that jack white uses  single coil under the humbuckers cover,and the tone of the early 335 sounds very open like a sort of resonate telecaster,isn.t it?and i'm afraid about  the fuzz-humbucker combination( dont' want a muffled compressed sound)

[James137]

I have MQ's in my es137 and they are very versatile pickups. The bridge pup does Jack White perfectly (his Airline guitar as in this vid which has humbucker sized single coils) with a big muff you'd be right there

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03YUgHAshSo

Not the only trick to these pups though. As said they are awsome versatile pickups.

[HTH AMPS]

just fyi, Tonequest did a great article on Airline guitars (like Jack White uses in that youtube video you posted)...  http://www.eastwoodguitars.com/pdfs/TQRFeb06.pdf

To be honest, I think the fact you're using a different guitar to Jack White will dictate a slightly different approach in choosing the right pickup.  When you add fuzz into the equation as your main effect, its got to be single coil pickups imo, so MQ would be my choice - humbuckers just fart out with fuzz (imo).

Good luck with a 335 and a fuzz box too - thats a recipe for howling, uncontrollable feedback if I ever heard one, it'll be a tough ride to keep under control  :D

[tomm]

yeah..but i hope that an orange amp plus an hollow guitar and a fuzz box do the trick...maybe i need a noise suppressor :lol:

[James137]

You should be alright really. It's not asif your playing a full hollow body guitar. Don't know about the orange amp but ive got a Laney vc 15 and that works pretty well for the jack white tone. Im sure that with a fuzz pedal and a whammy it would be spot on the same.

[Spiteface]

Yeah, I have an Epiphone Dot with Riff Raffs, and it just sounds fine through my Tiny Terror with a Big Muff.