Torn between Mississippi Queen and Stockholm neck for alder/maple tele.

[Perks]

Hi! Long time fan/lurker, but now I could use some help.

I'm about to purchase one of the new LTD telecasters (alder body, maple neck/fretboard) which has a humbucker in the neck slot. The thing is I really f'in like singlecoils/p90s in the neck for blues/rock. But I want the option to put a humbucker there too. And it looks cool as hell.

What I'm trying to do is to put together a versatile set of pickups for this guitar so that it can cover a lot of ground that my HH Ibanez doesn't necessarily do so well.

In the neck it's a toss up between the Mississippi Queen and the Stockholm at this point.

I play a lot of metal, and would like for it to be able to cover that ground too if need be. But mostly for blues/hard rock.

So I would like some opinions/advice, pros/cons in the toss-up between those two pickups.

And maybe you know a tele bridge pup that would pair well with either of the two?

Thanks in advance! :)

[Kiichi]

Hi and welcome!

For what you describe I would deffo go with the MQ over the SH. The SH is an entirely different thing, lot of low end and such, great growl. Got a SH bridge Supermassive neck combo in a LP type and I love it for metal and modern hard rock. While it still clearly a P90 it is also distincly modern in voicing and with a big low end. The diagramm on the website really describes the SH bridge nicely in terms of EQ. Good thing is that since it is a P90 it does not sound dull or really dark or something as you always have enough overtones and attack, but it is very big and growly.

The MQ is a lot more classic. Suprisingly high output, but it has that classic P90 feel with a bit extra, making it pretty great for hard rock and up to metal. Put a booster in front of it and I see no problem with metal. It is however most at home in the Blues Rock and Rock arena.

If you would want a little extra bottom end since you will put it in a tele and also want a bit modern voicing but not go as far as the SH you can ask for a Supermassive in HB casing too. If asked nicely they will ususally do that. The SM is similar to a SH but less bottom end, less hot and less agressive.

I would make it between the SM and the MQ, but in my mind you would be very happy with the MQ, glorious little things and not only in Matt Belamys (Muse) hands!

[Perks]

Thank you, that's a great answer!

I'll have to put the SM in the equation as well i see :)

How do you feel that they perform in regards to actually using a boost/gain. A little hum, lots of hum?

[Mr. Air]

I would say MQ as well. It has a super sweet tone that's very hard to beat and it performs great under gain as well. I don't find it noisy at all even with a lot of gain and a booster.

As for the bridge I think you should be looking at the following: BG flat 52 - often described as the way a tele should sound, but I'm not sure if the MQ would overpower it. BG flat 50 - Delivers more power than the BG flat 50 and is often the choice for people that want a tele tone at home in rock/hard rock/alternative/punk. The Boss - Is supposed to be really versatile and delivers some tele muscle for a more beefy tone.

[Perks]

That sounds really promising!

I'm guessing you meant the '50 delivers more power than the '52 :)
But WOW, I really enjoyed the sound of the Flat '50. I hadn't looked up much of the tele pickups beforehand. But it sounds really good from what I can hear. It will probably also fulfill the role it is supposed to since it seems to have quite a bit of balls, but without being too hot. And it looks like it would balance quite well with the MQ or SM too(?).

I also have to give props to the great reception and helpful spirit coming from this forum!

[Kiichi]

Thank you, that's a great answer!

I'll have to put the SM in the equation as well i see :)

How do you feel that they perform in regards to actually using a boost/gain. A little hum, lots of hum?

Hum whise they are suprisingly low on it. I was actually rather stunned when I first tried em out. Of course there still is some and gain does attenuate it, but it is less then expected. Goes back to quality of the things I guess.

I certainly donīt find myself stoping thinking "man these are P90s, they hum" or the likes when I use them on a Orange TT with gain between 1-2, a Klone OD active and a comp on.
Really what brings it out most is the MXR supercomp, without it they feel as noisy as my HBs. Mind you I have not directly put them side by side in that regard, lets put it down as I really just donīt notice it in regular use, so that is a good value =)

[Telerocker]

A Flat 50 and an MQ would be a good combo. The MQ will probably overpower the BG52.

[Perks]

I've been looking at the Piledriver also recently. How do you think it would pair with the MQ as opposed to the Flat '50?

I enjoy the cool middle sound of a tele, but I always like som balls to my bridge pickup. As far as I know the Piledriver has huge balls, but also has a lot of tele character.

[Telerocker]

The Piledriver sounds contemporay from what I heard in clips, but the Flat '50 can rock out equally.

[Mr_RD]

I'll do that 'wade in' thing.

The BK P90's are amazingly versatile. I recently put a Stockholm P90 in the bridge of my guitar and it's probably the best thing I've ever done to a guitar. I play a lot of heavy rock/metal and the P90 handles it really well (worth mentioning thats it's got a serious bass kick but not in a bad way). However, it also cleans up to get those snappy and glassy single coil tones when you want them. The fact that it's a single coil design it's great for driving the front end of an amp to break up. I would personally see about getting a SM in a HB housing. I think you'd prefer it's extra output for the rock/metal stuff. Just bare in mind that the SM will have a lot more mids and bass to it compared to the MQ.

As for the bridge pickup I'd actually suggest a Dimarzio Chopper T. It's a great tele bridge pickup. Versatile and has a great character. Richie Kotzen uses one in his signature tele.

But that's just me and my weird preferences. Your best bet is to try out these pickups for yourself and find which one(s) work for you.

Hope you find the pickups for you!

RD

[Telerocker]

Did you listen to the BKP-metalclips of both the Flat 50 en Piledriver?

[Mr_RD]

Having just listened to it, that flat 50 is a beast.

[Perks]

I did listen to both and I can't decide which sounds better to me. However the Piledriver might be a bit too high output for my taste. And a bit compressed too? Giving the flat '50 more dynamic range and versatility.

If I do decide on a BK in the bridge, I will probably end up with the F'50. The MQ seems like such a nice pickup for anything. I rarely use the neck when playing metal anyway so I reckon that will be a good fit!

[Telerocker]

If you have a (modern) highgainamp you don't need anything hotter then these. Otherwise a booster will help.
Personally I favour low- to mediumoutput pickups in combination with highgainamps.