Help with pick-up choice (only guitar I own...)

[King of fife]

Hi,

I was after some help choosing a set of pick-ups for my guitar. It is a '05 Les Paul standard with the original bustbucker 3's (I think, maybe the pros?).

I'm currently torn between Mississippi Queen's or a set of humbuckers (which ones I don't know though). My issue is this is probably the only electric I'll own. I have sold off several since I stopped gigging and don't intend to do any more gigs, or at least will only do very few gigs from now on.
I'm a big fan of the sound of P90's but I'm drawn towards a set of humbuckers with coil-splitting because of the range of tones it will give me.
I play a wide range of styles from soul, classic rock and Americana to 80's - early 90's rock/metal (Guns and Roses/Black album era Metallica for example) and I'd like something that can cover the range pretty well (I understand I'm unlikely to get everything I want from a single guitar!)
I'd be happy to sacrifice the hard rock/metal tones to ensure  i got something that could cover the clean, blues and classic rock tones (think Kossoff, Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, even Stevie Ray Vaughan?!)

What do people suggest? I think the humbuckers are the more sensible option. What pickups do you think would suit me best?

[darkbluemurder]

I am sure most of the folks would recommend a set of Mules for the tones you have mentioned.

Cheers Stephan

[Telerocker]

I am sure most of the folks would recommend a set of Mules for the tones you have mentioned.

Cheers Stephan

+1, they are way more versatile then they seem. You can pull some good soul and funk-tones in the middleposition. Besides that Mules have incredible depth, articulation, balance and vocal qualities.

[Kiichi]

Yeah, the Mules are real workhorse pickups. They should be able to deliver the classic tones you need and go into metal terretory too (Tim himself uses them to play Ozzy stuff).
Maybe also like a Mule neck and Abraxas bridge (the axbraxas is somewhat of a hotter mule), which would allow you more into the heavier area while onyl sacrificing a tad of old school on the bridge.

One could of course also combine a Mule with a MQ, which should work voicing whise, but I dunno about the output.

[Mr. Air]

I'm with the rest of the band here. Mules sound ideal for you especially since you're willing to go more classic than modern tonewise. A set of Abraxas would work well too. It will give you a hotter but still vintage voiced bridge and I think the Mule and the Abraxas necks pups are quite similar voiced. No matter which choise you make I'll suggest you get your hands on a set of Seymour Duncan triple shot mounting rings which will let you have the option of humbucker, coil split and parallel. They're just great if you want a really versatile humbucker equipped guitar.

I got the triple shots on my LP clone with Emeralds in and gigged it a month ago or so. We played quite a few tunes that would normaly call for a strat, but in the middle position with the parallel option engaged on both pickups the LP made quite an impression (at least on me). Great tone with hints of strat/single coils.

[Alex]

I would recommend the Black Dog, because I know - and love it. It works amazingly well with heavy tones in my experience, so if the heavy bands you mentioned are what you play more often, I'd go with that.

[King of fife]

Thanks guys, I was a bit surprised no-one suggested stormy Mondays. I don't play much heavy stuff so maybe they would suit? Getting the clean tones right is a priority. Do the mules and stormy Mondays sound good with coil splitting? I think the black dogs will be too hot Alex.

Also, what covers would people suggest? The guitar is the classic cherry sunburst so polished nickel seem the obvious choice, I'm open to suggestions though. Also, does anyone have the etched covers? If so do you think they look good?

d no-one thinking I should go for the P90s?

thanks for the help!

[Kiichi]

As I said there is the combination option when it comes to P90s. You love P90s and want versatility from a HB? Get a MQ neck and either a Mule or Abraxas (maybe better output wise) bridge. Use two push pull potis, one to split the bridge and one to switch between paralel and series wiring in the middle position. That with a 3 way switch should cover a lot of ground. That would give you 7 great rock positions and minimum 5 that are also great for cleans (depending on how you like the bridge alone for cleans).

And rest assured that every PU in the vintage range produces great cleans. All different flavours of course. The cleans on my mule for one are just the most classic HB cleans you can think of, just great.

Split whise I do a split with the mule neck, but not alone but with an Irish Tour middle (my wiring is neck / split neck + middle / middle / split bridge + middle / bridge) and that position is a favorite of mine, especially for cleanes. So I have no doubts that you would like the mule splits too.


Cover whise I am one who likes the idea of getting brushed nickel and watch em age fast. That just appeals to me a lot.

[Telerocker]

I don't think the BD is too hot, it's different voiced with emphasis on the mids. The VHII is more hot-PAF.
Anyway, Mules are perfect for cleans, but do the classic rock-thing very well too. The Stormies are a tad brighter. 

[Mr. Air]

The MQ is a great set of pickups and they would defenitely give you what you want, but I think you'll be able to cover more ground with a set of humbuckers that you can split and wire for parallel. As for covers I would say brushed nickel like Kiichi. They just look the bomb.

[King of fife]

Thanks for the help guys.

I've had the sound clips for all the vintage and vintage hot pickups queued up in Clementine all morning and have come down to three sets, the queens, the mules and the Mondays. I love the clean neck sound of the queens and Mondays, and the bridge of the mules sounds best. I worry I'll lose that bright bridge tone if I go all P90s.

suppose I should point out that my set up is very simple. Guitar, boss pedal tuner,EH holy grail into a blues junior with the reverb disconnected. The only things ever likely to change are the addition of a crybaby every now and then and maybe a different amp, but still a simple fairly low watt one channel affair.

it's looking like maybe the queen in the neck and the mule in the bridge will be the way to go. Brushed nickel do look great, particularly with the gold screws. I do love that Monday neck clean tone though...

[Telerocker]

Mule-bridge + SM-neck = a good combo too.
Btw, I have a Blues Junior III for rehearsels and it sounds fine with my Mules-loaded all mahogany Saint Blues. But you get really a mature sound when you play the BJ trough a 2x12 cab.

[lamp]

SM neck, Mule bridge...buy a second guitar for the P90s...win-win :D

[King of fife]

Thanks Telerocker, I was hoping no-one would suggest that! I think I'd be happier with the Queen overall, I like it's clean tone and I prefer it's overdriven tone to the Monday. I love my Blues Junior, I've played several boutique, low watt amps and none of them have really made me want to make the switch.

Lamp, it's been considered but I don't play my electric much (my acoustic is too nice to be left alone!) and I only ever bought other guitars because I was gigging. I'd like to keep it to one. I have, however, always wanted an LP Jr either in white with black scratch plate and gold hardware or as a goldtop, either with a single P90, humbucker sized for the LP 'Custom' Jr, soapbar for the LP 'Goldtop' Jr. I've even spoken to Gordon Smith about making them, just never followed through on it...

[Kiichi]

One thing to really point out about brushed nickel is that they age fast. While something like a chrome cover will look more or less the same for several years, the brushed nickel will most likely look several years old after just one (in that nice played way), which to me is part of the appeal, but you need to know that this will happen when you buy them.