I still have one question about dynamics though ; how does the dynamic of a P90 compare to the dynamic of a humbucker? Is it more responsive to touch? That is what i would tend to think without trying .. What are your ideas about that?
I think i will go for the MQ, try them in the ibanez, and put the classic 57 in the warmoth tele i'm planning to do later this year. and maybe switch them to try.
The whole question of what constitute "Dynamics " is a hard one to answer objectively. I do however appreciate how crucial that issue is to someone who enjoys playing this particular style of music - and of course the same might well apply to the affectionados of Peter Green / Larry Carlton / B.B.King type Blues playing.
To attempt any answer on this potentially complex topic , I think it best to focus on what it means for YOU choosing pickups for a 335, with 90% clean and 10 % 'driven' requirements. Permit me to make my reply a series of statements about my own observations on 'Dynamics' in my own playing and how B.K.P pickup usage fits into that :
1) Any of the pickups you are pondering will give great seperation between notes - and permit picking action to dictate subtle changes in volume, note -to-note. A comment that has often come up about certain lower output B.K.P - has been that a 'new' user might initially think them less powerful than a rather compressed sounding 'stock' pickup. With Vintage B.K.P .you have to
WORK the volume out of them with picking pressure - that is to say -that they will scream if you attack the strings, but sing if you dont. I have read comments on here, that fellow band members have percieved a relatively low output B.K.P as being louder than stock pickups, just because they heard a Dynamic difference between the note volumes - and sense of space between them.
2) I once left some sound clips in the 'Player's' section on this forum, to compare AII Stormies, AIV stormies ( both in the AF75 ) - and a few more ( recorded rather Lo-Fi ) to show the Manhattans in the VS575.
In this context, AS A SOLO PLAYER - dynamics are /where for me, defined as me being able to ( hopefully ) create suspense and emotional content, by revealing the scr@pe of string against fret during vibrato -
and string noise/ harmonics, when moving along the strings - or punctuating an idea. Had I been back in a six piece Soul / R'n'Roll band, these nuances would have been lost in the bigger mix.
3) By way of contrast, Had I owned the M.Qs for that same project, the audience would have been given a clear contrast between loud and soft, as the M.Qs would have been clean and assertive enough to establish a clear sonic presence AND therefore would have cut through the mix, without being coarse.
4) The Stormy Mondays would probably have sounded sweet for a Blues solo, ( where people where listening closely ) but with the whole band going full tilt , the audience would probably have heard the general sweetness and 'retro' qualities, but would have been less able to hear them stand out - compared to the M.Qs.
5) All of the above is specualtion on my part, as my B.K.P. era came ( sadly ) after the Band / gigging years.
The Manhattans ( I feel ) need listening closely to, in order to fully appreciate what little gems they are - Stormy Mondays are probably the next step of mellow - but - adaptable , but If I went out there again as a Band Player, the increased 'poke' of either my Mules in the Les paul ( for Rockier Blues ) - or M.Qs for a wider Jazz / Soul / Blues R'n'B remit , where clean, sweet , dynamic but
'take no prisoners' clean would be the order of the day.
Conclusion :
If " Dynamic" for you means
subtleties apparent in Solo, Duo, Trio playing e.t.c ( i.e. fret noise during vibrato, fine detail between the notes then Stormies or Manhattans are probably a good bet .
If "Dynamic" means predominantly Loud-to- soft , (depending on pick attack ) - and even the audience at the back can tell the difference, the M.Qs might be the appropriate tool.
Both of the above statements will change according to your own rig / guitar / room conditions of course, BUT I PERSONALLY have become a P90 fan , as that pickup family seem to give me many variations on the theme of clean articulation ; be it the subtle/ open / Jazz focus one gets from the AIII magnet in Manhattans, or the 'Firm' AIV M.Q. neck - through to the 'Sizzlin' AV magneted M.Q. bridge.
" One man's floor is another man's ceiling " ... :)
