MattC
Member
Just curious...has anyone swapped out their MM90 pickups? I love the tone, but like most guitarists I'm always curious as to what others have done to their axes, and what the result was.......
- Thread starter MattC
- Start date
I tried it and it didn't work. Rio Grandes are too thick.
Stock gibbies might work if you can desolder the lead from the bottom of the case.
Basically you need to find a pickup that has stock gibby thickness, and has the lead coming out of the bottom left corner as looking at it installed from the top. Here's a pic -
http://www.bigdayphoto.com/guitar/inside2.htm
Gibby P-90's do have the lead coming out of that section, but they lay the lead over to the center and solder it on, and they solder it on pretty good!
If I get a 2nd MM-90 AL to play with I may have Jason Lollar custom wind me a set.
tv
Stock gibbies might work if you can desolder the lead from the bottom of the case.
Basically you need to find a pickup that has stock gibby thickness, and has the lead coming out of the bottom left corner as looking at it installed from the top. Here's a pic -
http://www.bigdayphoto.com/guitar/inside2.htm
Gibby P-90's do have the lead coming out of that section, but they lay the lead over to the center and solder it on, and they solder it on pretty good!
If I get a 2nd MM-90 AL to play with I may have Jason Lollar custom wind me a set.
tv
Since the Axis doesn't have a pickguard, I'm sure it has the same issues as the MM90s must fit nice and snuggley in the body cavities to look neat and clean...
Honestly, I've had a lot of P-90 and other soapbar pickups on a variety of guitars over the years, and I love the restrained, musical output of the MM90s, so I haven't even considered changing them out... I don't think a hotter pickup would work as well on a non-mahogany, bolt neck guitar anyway - Strat build should tend toward Strat tones, as it were... Granted, I could be wrong; maybe Gibson P-90s would sound godlike in an Axis or AL, but I'm pretty happy with mine the way they are...
Honestly, I've had a lot of P-90 and other soapbar pickups on a variety of guitars over the years, and I love the restrained, musical output of the MM90s, so I haven't even considered changing them out... I don't think a hotter pickup would work as well on a non-mahogany, bolt neck guitar anyway - Strat build should tend toward Strat tones, as it were... Granted, I could be wrong; maybe Gibson P-90s would sound godlike in an Axis or AL, but I'm pretty happy with mine the way they are...
MattC
Member
"Snuggely"......is that an official luthier term?
Seriously, thanks for the feedback. I've never had/ played any other guitars with soapbar pickups, and was curious as to how the MM90's compared to a Gibson P-90, Rio Grandes, Frahlin, etc.
So far I've become a real fan of that pickup.....lots of definition and articulation, even with quite a bit of gain, with a nice "bite" than I can't get out of my Dimarzio Evolution equipped Ibanez. Seems like the perfect "middle ground" between a Strat type single coil, and a humbucker.
My poor Ibanez hasn't seen much playing time since the Axis arrived!
Seriously, thanks for the feedback. I've never had/ played any other guitars with soapbar pickups, and was curious as to how the MM90's compared to a Gibson P-90, Rio Grandes, Frahlin, etc.
So far I've become a real fan of that pickup.....lots of definition and articulation, even with quite a bit of gain, with a nice "bite" than I can't get out of my Dimarzio Evolution equipped Ibanez. Seems like the perfect "middle ground" between a Strat type single coil, and a humbucker.
My poor Ibanez hasn't seen much playing time since the Axis arrived!
