If I own a Strat is the Albert Lee MM90 redundant?

[jonahstepro]

I own a strat that I like, but have had my eye on an Albert Lee MM90 for a while. Will owning both cover to much of the same ground (should I look at something like the Reflex instead)?

I mostly play at church and an occasional cover band and play out of a Mesa Transatlantic with a celestion blue

 

[threeminutesboy]

if you own a strat and got the Albert Lee MM90 you will sell the strat and then you will get a double humbucker guitar like the reflex

joke aside, I think you need to try them to make your own opinion. I love my Albert MM90 and I don't think I could go back for strat, sound and comfort, yes despite of the "weird" shape of the Albert, Music Man succeeded in being even more comfortable than a strat.

The reflex/25th is a fantastic guitar too. I'm now in the process of selling my EVH and Axis SS cause I don't play them anymore. I have tried the Luke III (HH) fantastic guitar too but I tend to go back to basics and stay away from funky electronics (boost in Luke III)

good luck with your quest!

 

[CHill]

I had an American Dlx But now have a JP6 and a silhouette. I'd buy a AL MM90 sight unseen given the quality of EBMM.

 

[Sweat]

As much as saying it will make me a hypocrite, it'll be redundant. In fact, even an HH setup (Reflex, Axis, Albert Lee, Luke III) will be somewhat redundant because you get single coil tone with the split coils on a 5 way switch.

If you are looking for a second guitar, then threeminuteboy is right on the money suggesting an HH guitar. If you just need/want one guitar, then sell the Strat and join the EBMM family

Have to disagree with your statement, a MM-90 Al is nothing like a strat, now if he was asking about an SSS Al then OK that is similar to a degree.

A MM-90 has much more crunch and different tones than strat single coils, they are beefier sounding, closer to a humbucker than a single coil. Mine is extremly crunchy and distorts well

 

[xjbebop]

Have to disagree with your statement, a MM-90 Al is nothing like a strat, now if he was asking about an SSS Al then OK that is similar to a degree.

A MM-90 has much more crunch and different tones than strat single coils, they are beefier sounding, closer to a humbucker than a single coil. Mine is extremly crunchy and distorts well

This is the correct answer.
The mm90 has a very different voicing. I have 1 each AL type (mm90, SSS and HH) and the mm90 has become my go-to...fwiw....

 

[canuck6string]

I may have misinterpreted the OP's question. Obviously there are tonal differences, but you can still cover the same music genres with either guitar.

 

[Norrin Radd]

Have to disagree with your statement, a MM-90 Al is nothing like a strat, now if he was asking about an SSS Al then OK that is similar to a degree.

A MM-90 has much more crunch and different tones than strat single coils, they are beefier sounding, closer to a humbucker than a single coil. Mine is extremly crunchy and distorts well

Gonna have to give a big thumbs up to this post. I've had all three kinds of AL configs and they are all very different from each other. The MM90s have become my go to as well. It's even tough to classify them as single coils. Technically, they are, but totally they are definitely way more beefy yet not so much that they infringe on HB territory. I guess it's hard to really explain well. If you can, play one!

 

[tvyellowdogear]

i have a Nash s-57 strat with pretty beefy lollars and just very recently picked up my mm90. Similar yes, but nowhere near redundant.

The mm90 feels like a sporty little thing to pick up and play and lays right in btw the nash and something with buckers. chimey beef with the sweetest neck i have ever wrapped my hand around.

 

[straycat113]

Keith is right on the money with that post. Though a P-90 is a single coil it uses steel pole pieces that touch two bar magnets underneath the pickup and has a much larger magnetic output and has much more midrange and output then a Fender single coil. A Strats single coil uses magnets as pole pieces, so you have six individual magnets which gives off more of the Fender top end Strat tone. The way Keith described the difference is spot on!

 

[jonahstepro]

i have a Nash s-57 strat with pretty beefy lollars and just very recently picked up my mm90. Similar yes, but nowhere near redundant.

The mm90 feels like a sporty little thing to pick up and play and lays right in btw the nash and something with buckers. chimey beef with the sweetest neck i have ever wrapped my hand around.

This sounds pretty much right up my ally, I love my strat, but would love to get it a bit more rockin, and I hate the bridge pickup so I am all for if the AL bridge is sweet.

I think I will go with an Albert Lee MM90 and with the money I get when I eventually sell my strat pickup a Reflex too!

 

[tvyellowdogear]

This sounds pretty much right up my ally, I love my strat, but would love to get it a bit more rockin, and I hate the bridge pickup so I am all for if the AL bridge is sweet.

I think I will go with an Albert Lee MM90 and with the money I get when I eventually sell my strat pickup a Reflex too!

Sure, I guess I'm still on my mm90 honeymoon. Still, i haven't picked up the nash and can't see that I will in the near future.

With the extra beef and an immaterial reduction in articulation, I think my mm90 will have a lot of music played through/with her.

I've made a BIG rainbow connection with my mm90. It certainly sounds like you'd dig one too.

 

[Rachmaninoff]

As much as saying it will make me a hypocrite, it'll be redundant.

I'm a fan of the superb Music Man craftmanship, but I must agree.

Since it's an MM forum, you're likely to read opinions favoring MM guitars, but in this case the most sane advice would be to choose another model. The Albert Lee is basically a modified strat, and it's primarily (but not exclusively) intended to sound close to a strat, so if you have a strat and you like it, just skip the Albert Lee.

 

[jzeijen]

I'm a fan of the superb Music Man craftmanship, but I must agree.

Since it's an MM forum, you're likely to read opinions favoring MM guitars, but in this case the most sane advice would be to choose another model. The Albert Lee is basically a modified strat, and it's primarily (but not exclusively) intended to sound close to a strat, so if you have a strat and you like it, just skip the Albert Lee.

May be true for an AL SSS, but I have to agree with the other guys here about the AL MM90. Very different sounds from a strat.

 

[Norrin Radd]

I'm a fan of the superb Music Man craftmanship, but I must agree.

Since it's an MM forum, you're likely to read opinions favoring MM guitars, but in this case the most sane advice would be to choose another model. The Albert Lee is basically a modified strat, and it's primarily (but not exclusively) intended to sound close to a strat, so if you have a strat and you like it, just skip the Albert Lee.

Um, not with MM90s. Look, as someone who owns both, I assure you the sonic differences are very noticeable. No one can hear them both and mistake one for the other. They are VERY different sounding animals.

And I'm not just saying that because we are on the music man forum. Most of the people who post here are pretty open and honest about what music man guitars are and what they are not. If you don't believe me, go back and do a search on Albert Lee and stratocaster and notice the number of times that members of this forum have told those who want a Strat sounding MM to actually just go buy a strat!

It's easy to accuse the members here of being biased, but my experience has been that they are more honest than simple fanboys.

 

[KevinUK]

if you own a strat and got the Albert Lee MM90 you will sell the strat and then you will get a double humbucker guitar like the reflex

joke aside, I think you need to try them to make your own opinion. I love my Albert MM90 and I don't think I could go back for strat, sound and comfort, yes despite of the "weird" shape of the Albert, Music Man succeeded in being even more comfortable than a strat.

The reflex/25th is a fantastic guitar too. I'm now in the process of selling my EVH and Axis SS cause I don't play them anymore. I have tried the Luke III (HH) fantastic guitar too but I tend to go back to basics and stay away from funky electronics (boost in Luke III)

good luck with your quest!

Wise words indeed, the Albert wins hands down, and the reflex/25th is simply the best ever in terms of flexible guitars.

 

[nopicknick]

I am biased of course, but having owned a ton of strats as well as all offerings of AL's, my opinion is there is enough tonal difference to own both. MM90's bridge the gap between SSS configuration and humbuckers perfectly. Also, given the fact that an AL has a vibe all it's own, I could not recommend one more......regardless of what you already play!

 

[banjoplayer]

Can´t answer your question regarding the MM90 but want to contribute to the comparison Strat/AL SSS.
I´m owning - amongst others - a Fender Strat and an AL SSS. They are quite different. The AL sounds much more filigree and has less bottom end.
And remember: Once asked "which is the closest EBMM to a Tele" BP himself (can´t remember in which post) answered: The AL. So don´t forget the AL has also similarities to a Tele, but it is never as rough as a Tele could be. It´s somewhere in between it all and is also a thing of it´s own.
I am keeping my Strat because the AL (SSS) isn´t redundant at all and I assume the MM90 won´t be neither. But as said, I don´t own this particular one.

 

[canuck6string]

jonah, are you looking to replace your Strat, augment your live sound, G.A.S.sing for a new guitar?

 

[kimonostereo]

Can´t answer your question regarding the MM90 but want to contribute to the comparison Strat/AL SSS.
I´m owning - amongst others - a Fender Strat and an AL SSS. They are quite different. The AL sounds much more filigree and has less bottom end.
And remember: Once asked "which is the closest EBMM to a Tele" BP himself (can´t remember in which post) answered: The AL. So don´t forget the AL has also similarities to a Tele, but it is never as rough as a Tele could be. It´s somewhere in between it all and is also a thing of it´s own.
I am keeping my Strat because the AL (SSS) isn´t redundant at all and I assume the MM90 won´t be neither. But as said, I don´t own this particular one.

Totally agree. The AL SSS sounds very different from any Strat I have owned. I think the headstock having 4/2 vs. 6 in-line and the smaller body size plays a big part in making the AL SSS a very different sounding instrument.

 

[Stratty316]

I have 2 standard Axis guitars... There is enough tonal difference between those guitars to make me believe that an Al and a Strat would work very well together. Also remember that different guitars will also take on personalities of their own. I play very differently on the 2 Axis guitars because of the subtle differences in tone and the way each feels. Why do you think the greats all have more than 1 guitar? What you should be asking is if we think your Strat will get much playing time once you make the switch.

For the record, I'm not a great but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.