The MCP 2nd degree is great. It’s one of my favorite low-med output pickups. It cleans up nicely and does great under gain. It has good aggression and bite without being too raspy or harsh. It can handle Tool stuff great with a few caveats.
It packs more punch than you’d expect, but there is a chance it may not satisfy that medium output level you're going for. IME, pickups in this output range are rather susceptible to either feeling spot on or undergained depending on the particular guitar.
It's also a very open sounding pickup with a hefty low end and stringiness to its character. It really has a killer character, but again depending on your guitar and/or rig there may be better choices for Tool.
Honestly, for Tool stuff I would lean towards the Garuda in the MCP lineup. It’s his take on the JB. It has that upper mid thing going on still, but it's less harsh, has slightly more lows that hold together better, and is juicier under the fingers while still tracking great. I have both the 2nd Degree and Garuda, and in most scenarios and rigs I find the Garuda more in line with Tool-esque tones both in terms of voicing and output. The Garuda sits in that medium to med-high output range; however, it's much cleaner sounding than either the JB or Distortion.
Hope that helps.
