Question Albert Lee Rosewood MM90?

[Icedlatte]

Hey everyone, I've seen a few videos online of the Albert Lee SSS and the Albert Lee with MM90 pickups but I haven't really seen or heard any samples of the mahogany body with rosewood neck AL MM90. Does anyone have any audio samples or clips of their tones or does anyone own both to compare the standard production MM90 vs the rosewood neck MM90 version?

 

[beej]

The Mahog/RW combo is for the HH Albert Lees. The MM90s are only available with the Ash bodies.

There may be a few MM90s with an Ash body / RW neck though, as that was available as a limited edition a while back.

 

[Roubster]

I believe those were a special run for Guitar Center and it was mahogany body rosewood neck MM90. I played one a while back...fun guitar. Very fat sounding and the MM90s sounded great...very crisp and resonant. Never played a standard AL with ash and maple neck, so have no direct tonal comparison I can write about.

 

[Icedlatte]

Yep, they exist. They were a limited run for GC as Roubster mentioned, so you guys didn't get them in Canada. Here is one:
Guitar Center: Platinum : Music Man Albert Lee MM90 Rosewood Neck Gold Top
Mahogany Body, Rosewood neck, MM90 available in Gold, White or Black only.
Thanks for the tone report Roubster, I want some nice bite to the tone.

 

[beej]

Gorgeous. But that link says they have an ash body, not mahog though.

 

[Benji Peterson]

I have one. I've always understood the GC limited run to be mahogany bodies. I'd be surprised if they were anything else.

 

[Icedlatte]

Beej, with all due respect, the description in the link also says maple neck but its clearly full rosewood. These were not part of the bfr rosewood neck option they were a special order for Guitar Center and they are African Mahogany with East Indian Rosewood neck.

I really just wanted to know if anyone had any comparison of the different MM90 models regardless of what they are made of, they have some differences, and was interested in hearing what they were like.

 

[Icedlatte]

Hey Ben, how do you like yours?

 

[Benji Peterson]

Well, Music Man makes the best guitars on the planet so that's a good start. This guitar gets a great 'strat' sound in cleans and a wonderful dirt tone as well. Very rock. It's kind of schizophrenic like that. Not too long ago I got a USA Strat in trade for some studio work. I hate strats. They feel terrible to me but I love the sound. I thought it'd be good to have one on hand in case I needed it for laying tracks or something. Well late one night I stayed up and A/B'd the strat with my MM90 Al and concluded the strat had no place in my stable. The MM90 delivered all the jangly-ness of the strat but felt SOOOO much better. At one point I looked down and realized that I'd stopped A/B'ing altogether and had been noodling the MM90 for the better part of half an hour! Well that was all the convincing I needed. I sold the strat for $800 and reinvested that money in another Music Man. The Al's have a wonderful neck especially when solid rosewood. I've got the vintage trem floating and it is so incredibly smooth. I can't say enough good things about it. It is a wonderful instrument and a joy to play.
Lately I've been revisiting Def Leppard's Hysteria album and the MM90 is so fun to put some chorus and delay to over a sparkly clean amp setting for all those arpeggiated picking parts found throughout that album. It's pure bliss.
I've often thought about saving to buy the BFR Al in a pink burst but one thing I love about the MM90 Al is how perfectly the big, rectangular pickups look against the lines of the Al. I know it's nitpicking but aesthetically the MM90 Al is a home run in my eyes whereas the SSS Al looks a little "off". Just my opinion, of course. Don't hate!

 

[Icedlatte]

Thanks for the tone report. I've heard the MM90's have a nice chime but I was wondering if you had that "dirt","bite" for classic rock so now I'll have to really check one out. Can't really deny how comfy they are to play either so that's a big time plus. I do like the tone from the regular single coils in the AL too. Not exactly a classic strat but they sure do sound sweet.