Albert Lee MM90 vs Axis?

[Arci]

I am thinking about pulling the trigger on an used AL with MM90's pickups.

Can those pickups handle a healty amount of distortion as well? Maximum versatility is what I am looking for. I have been able to find only clean to lightly overdriven demos of this guitar so far.

Also, since I would have the guitar shipped to me without being able to try it first, I'd like to know how does the neck profile of the AL compare to that of my Axis (on paper, they look very similar). I LOVE the Axis' neck, and I might consider to go for a Super Sport with MM90 instead if the necks felt too different (although I'd much prefer the AL for the added versatility of the in-between sounds...and because I dig the looks of it eheh!)

Thanks to those who will take the time to answer!

 

[Norrin Radd]

The MM90s can handle a lot of dirt - but remember the silent circuit is a noise dampening device - not a noise eliminator. The more gain you throw at one, the more hum you will hear out of the amp, ALTHOUGH it IS substantially less than without the silent circuit. I've tested it many times by thinking "gee, that seems like a lot of noise", then yanking the battery and discovering that the silent circuit actually WAS working quite well!

As for the neck profiles - the are very very similar. I have had EVHs and Axii(?) and all the necks are so similar between those and the ALs that blindfolded I'd be surprised if I could tell them apart.

Good luck,


FWIW, the MM90s are fantastic pickups. Much love for them here!

 

[Roberto Rivera]

the MM90 is a different beast, great for classic rock. but not for metal distortion

 

[setenza]

I too am curious about the MM90 as I have not had a chance to play them yet..has anyone compared them to Gibson P-90s? Are they similar tone-wise? Off the top of my head I would assume not, as EBMM usually takes a different road to tone than the other famous makers, which is the reason many of us love them..

As a fan of P-90s in general I'd love to hear the comparison.

 

[Spudmurphy]

I agree with Norrin on the neck insofar as the Axis And Albert necks are very similar.

Do not expect the MM90 to behave like a humbucker and produce a lot of natural distortion.

They are single coil pickups after all - albeit with a bit more grit to them, which rolls off very well when you back off the volume.
Just be aware that they (3 mm90's) take up a lot of "space" on the front of the guitar, and may feel strange at first .

 

[Arci]

Thanks for chiming in with good advice!

I was mostly concerned about the neck shape. As for the pickups, I am not going to play death metal with them, but they seem like my best shot for going from clean, jangly sounds to convincing classic rock/hard rock and everything in between.
What I'm currently missing from my otherwise quite versatile Axis HSS is true, spanking bridge single coil sounds (read "T-style"). I've tried to split the bridge humbucker, and wire it in parallel as well, but ended up going back to stock: it just isn't there. I'm pretty confident the AL will deliver in that regard!

 

[Arci]

Oh, it's been a while, but I just wanted to mention that...the guitar is AWESOME!
P90's have all the bite I could possibly want, I haven't basically played any humbucker-equipped guitar since I got the Albert Lee. I am thinking of either installing a phat cat or similar at the bridge in the Axis, or sell it, because I don't basically play it anymore.
For my tonal preferences, the AL does it all.
Thanks again for your advice on the necks and the pickups

 

[Spudmurphy]

Great news and glad that you like it.

 

[Stratty316]

The neck shapes are similar enough to where you can play both guitars with out problems... Assuming you can get past the fact that the Axis has a very unique shape and the AL is "more traditional". The main difference is that the AL is chunky all the way thru where the axis has a thin side on the bottom. I sold my first AL years ago because I didn't put any time into bonding with the neck... My HHAL was the same way at first. I had to plug the Axis in its case and solely play the AL for a few months to ensure I really gave it a chance... Now I actually prefer the HHAL to the AXIS... Enough so that... No, I'd miss them.

And the MM90's are great pickups! Big, fat and can give you some good distorted tones... But not a humbucker.