New pickups for my SG

[Chatnoir]

Hi folks,

Just joined and I have a question about the Manhattan vs Mississippi Queens vs Stormy Monday P90 humbuckers.  I'm planning on getting a faded brown 2017 SG T model.  I love Jazz/Blue primarily and I've been torn between these three although the Stormy Monday may not fit.  Can anyone advise?

Laura

[Dave Sloven]

Stormy Monday is a humbucker, not a P90

If you love jazz and blues a Manhattan neck with a Blue Note bridge would be a good combo.  Jazz is pretty much all on the neck pickup anyway

[AndyR]

Hi, welcome!

Yep, Manhattan and Mississippi Queen are humbucker size P90s. Stormy Mondays are humbuckers.

So size-wise, all three are the same, they'll all fit the 2017 Faded SG T.

I've had Mississippi Queens in a Faded SG. In that particular guitar they sounded a bit harsh and hollow. I've got them in a Les Paul copy (Japanese Tokai) and they sound and feel much more like P90s in there. But they are slightly more raspy than the real P90s I have in a couple of other guitars.

The Faded SG has Riff Raffs in it and is my "rock machine" now. I don't play it that often because I'm a blues, blues-rock, pop, r&b, sort of guitarist.

My main SG, a 61 re-issue, has Stormy Mondays in it. It's absolutely gorgeous. I'm playing everything on it, the rockier and poppier stuff, and the bluesier and jazzier stuff. I'm more blues than jazz myself, but it really likes the volume rolled off and almost clean jazzy-blues stuff played on it. Think Dickey Betts in the Allman Brothers, especially the sounds he gets on live at the Fillmore East.

I've not tried the Manhattans myself, but I have a feeling they'd be better for blues/jazz than the MQs.

But I personally would choose the Stormy Mondays (or get an SG routed for standard P90s).

[Dave Sloven]

get an SG routed for standard P90s

The Half Note is the regular P90 equivalent to the Manhattan.  A Blue Note/Half Note combo would be good for a P90 guitar, Stormy Mondays for a humbucker guitar.

This is the Half Note neck pickup:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdMXOOb_3DA

This is the Blue Note bridge pickup:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHJM6KgzYkg

[Chatnoir]

Well, this is something I didn't really consider as I wasn't sure if they'd fit, but the 2017 SG T will accept Stormy Monday humbuckers?

[Dave Sloven]

Which exact model are we talking about?

If it has humbuckers in it from the factory, then you need either humbuckers (e.g., Stormy Mondays) or humbucker-size P-90s (e.g., Manhattan).

If it has P-90s in it from the factory, that's a different routing and mounting and you need to use a regular P-90, either a soapbar or a dogear type depending on what's in there.

You mention the SG Faded in the Worn Brown finish.  From what I can tell of the 2017 lineup that comes with a 490R and 490T uncovered humbucker set.  You could replace that with Stormy Mondays.  Whether you go for covers or not is up to you.  Most people prefer covers on an SG, especially with the full face pickguard, as you can have some problems with uncovered pickups catching on picks etc

http://www.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/2016/USA/SG-Faded.aspx

[AndyR]

^ Yep, wot he said 

I'd just assumed that we were talking about a Faded with humbuckers (the 490R and 490T), partly because I did a quick search the other day and found the Faded 2017 T still looks like mine.

Yes, Stormy Mondays will fit.

Here's a naff pic of what a Faded SG (cherry) looks like with covered BKP humbuckers (Riff Raffs in this case).

I much prefer the covered look myself