MM90s vs. axis humbuckers

[darchirnoj]

I am considering an axis with mm90s. I have played one with humbuckers that sounded pretty good. Can anyone share their opinions and experiences with the MM90s with silent circuit? I have a Gibson Melody Maker with a single dog-eared p-90 that I love; although not as loud as my humbucker equipped guitars, I actually prefer the overall sound of that p-90 pickup. Thats all the experiene I have with a p-90. I play all rock and originals. The sound I'm looking for is something similar to say Seether or Chevelle (not my fav. bands or anything, but I love the deep sounds of their guitars).
Thanks,
darchirnoj

 

[mbgreene]

I love the mm90 pickups, I've got 5 of them in my 2 EB guitars. My other is a Reverend with a Rio Grande Blues Bar P90 which is a bit more agressive but it is also a single bridge pup set up.

Other than that, since I don't have the same history or experience as some of the other players on the forum my overall comparative descriptions are somewhat lacking. I've usually found that Jimi D has often provided the best descriptions of the mm90's - so with all due respect to Jimi - I found one for you and I'll copy it in here.

Personally, I'm a huge fan of the EBMM custom MM90 pickups. I have owned a Les Paul Jem with P90s, a Godin LG SP90 equipped with Duncan P90s, a Gibson BluesHawk with the Blues 90s and a G&L ASAT with the MFD oversized single coils, and for my money the MM90s are the best of the lot. These Ernie Ball Music Man pickups are beautifully voiced: not particularly hot pickups, they fall short of the mid-pronounced grunt of the Gibson P90s, but have more growl than Gibson's Blues 90s or the Duncans that were in the Godin. Their voice is pronounced and vocal without being overly aggressive, but there's certainly some growl on tap if you need it. This guitar is like a Tele on steroids, and responds very well to Tone and Volume control changes, with the ability to mimic everything from balls-to-the-wall garage rock aggression to country twang and Ricky jangle depending on the pickup choice and control settings. It even does a lovely warm jazz tone. An added bonus is the Silent Circuit, which significantly reduces the hum without a discernible effect on the tone. I think if you liked the sound of it when you first played it you should probably trust your instincts and build one to your taste - and don't worry too much about the resale thing; these guitars are keepers!

good luck!

 

[darchirnoj]

Awesome information!

Thanks so much mbgreene, that was just what I was looking for!
-darchirnoj

 

[phatduckk]

here's a sound clip:

http://www.phatduckk.com/music/etc/MM90-P90/ASS-MM90-Bridge.mp3

Ive never listened to the bands you mentioned so I have no clue if this will help. Also, unfortunately I dont remember what kind of present I was using when i recorded it either sorry. But, hopefully this is of some help

 

[skabassist13]

The deep sounds of chevelle and seether could be contributed to their drop tunings. Im fairly sure that with each album chevelle dropped lower. Their latest album is Drop B. The one before that was C. The one before that was D. I also know the guy from Chevelle also uses a stereo Mesa/ Boogie rig. Which could very well have a lot to do with the depth of his sound. The guy from Seether probably uses Mesa/ Boogie to. I like you love the guitarist from Chevelles tone. However, I have no idea what a 90 of any sort sounds like. Hope that helped some.

 

[darchirnoj]

Thanks phatducck

As soon as I get home, I'll check out the clip (having trouble playing on work computer).
I have the Melody Maker with a gib p-90 that I love, but it does lack the volume of a humbucker. The Schecter Koa has a duncan jb in the bridge (which I'm not very happy with, perhaps too much output for me). I also have a carvin dc127 with carvin p/ups so you know how that goes. I plan to do some recordings comparing the sounds of each set.
Thanks for all the info.
-darchirnoj

 

[TwAn]

I have an Axis Super Sport with MM90's... In my opinion, I like the MM90's sound better than the Dimarzio humbuckers... They're a bit brighter (more single coil sound).

It's really a personal thing. If you're more into Gibson sound, than the Dimarzio's are your thing. I prefer a more bluesy, "vintage" tone and that's what the MM90's are perfect for!!!

My opinion....

 

[darchirnoj]

The deep sounds of chevelle and seether could be contributed to their drop tunings. Im fairly sure that with each album chevelle dropped lower. Their latest album is Drop B. The one before that was C. The one before that was D. I also know the guy from Chevelle also uses a stereo Mesa/ Boogie rig. Which could very well have a lot to do with the depth of his sound. The guy from Seether probably uses Mesa/ Boogie to. I like you love the guitarist from Chevelles tone. However, I have no idea what a 90 of any sort sounds like. Hope that helped some.

That's interesting. About half of my originals are standard E tuning with the other half being in D. Re: the mesa/boogie amps, that's something I'll have to consider when looking for "that sound".
Thanks,
-darchirnoj

 

[skabassist13]

Yep. When you drop to C, it gets real deep. And Mesa's sound sooo good and get that tone so well. If I had the money I would have one, if you play 10's you can pick up the Skinny Top Heavy Bottom strings and go down to Drop C with very little problem.

 

[darchirnoj]

Phatducck, that clip sounds fantastic! I had a question re: the p/up selector. Is it a 3 way switch? What does it do in the middle position, both pups?
Thanks,
Jon

 

[threeminutesboy]

Yep middle position is for both !

And I confirm that those pickups are fantastic ! I got both axis with humbucker and Axis SS with MM90. I really like the MM90 for that bluesy sound.