Tom Anderson Pickups

[rupe]

Every Anderson I've owned has ended up with an H2+ in the bridge; very tough to beat.

Anything hotter just ends up sounding too dark and compressed; really changes the whole character of the guitar, for me.

I am not a pickup expert, as in understanding the why of the compression. But, can you just dial back the volume on your guitar? I have an X2N in an old SG. That pup is not one to sweeten up at all. The SD does sweeten up a bit dialed back. Those two pups are very old 1982 vintage. I hear the pups from 30 years ago are a little better grade CU.

General rule of thumb: the hotter a pickup, the more its overall voicing tends to lean toward the midrange with softened highs and less tight lows. Dialing back the guitar's volume may help a bit, but it won't really restore frequencies that aren't there to begin with. Your example of the X2N is a perfect one to illustrate what I mean...it really sounds best either wide open or split...doesn't roll back effectively in my experience. It also has smooth highs and woolly lows for the most part and poor dynamics when compared to "cooler" models.

That said, there are certain pickups that don't seem to adhere to the "general rules" so you need to do a bit of diligence before choosing. And even beyond that, the exact same pickup can take on a completely different personality dependent on the particular guitar that its in along with the rest of the player's rig.

 

[killertone]

I have an H3 in my Drop Top 7 and it sounds awesome. Not really super hot either, Thick, tight, and clear with just the right amount of treble. I dig it. The H1 in the neck is also killer. Very open and vowel like. Vintage-ish tone with more output.

 

[Heritage Softail]

I have an H3 in my Drop Top 7 and it sounds awesome. Not really super hot either, Thick, tight, and clear with just the right amount of treble. I dig it. The H1 in the neck is also killer. Very open and vowel like. Vintage-ish tone with more output.

They are not real expensive either. May try them in an LP. H1 neck H2 bridge may be just right.

 

[gibson5413]

I have an H3 in my Drop Top 7 and it sounds awesome. Not really super hot either, Thick, tight, and clear with just the right amount of treble. I dig it. The H1 in the neck is also killer. Very open and vowel like. Vintage-ish tone with more output.

I have this exact combo in my Bulldog and really like it. The H3 is powerful but not as firey as I thought it might be. I have an H3+ in my Drop Top and it breathes fire. I am impressed with the H3. I have an H2+ in one of my Classics as well. Nice to have several different flavors. The H2+ is an amazing pickup. Can't go wrong with any of these.

Here is a clip from one of my buddies who uses the HN3+ in this clip. Sounds great to me!

 

[killertone]

I have an H3 in my Drop Top 7 and it sounds awesome. Not really super hot either, Thick, tight, and clear with just the right amount of treble. I dig it. The H1 in the neck is also killer. Very open and vowel like. Vintage-ish tone with more output.

I have this exact combo in my Bulldog and really like it. The H3 is powerful but not as firey as I thought it might be. I have an H3+ in my Drop Top and it breathes fire. I am impressed with the H3. I have an H2+ in one of my Classics as well. Nice to have several different flavors. The H2+ is an amazing pickup. Can't go wrong with any of these.

Here is a clip from one of my buddies who uses the HN3+ in this clip. Sounds great to me!

That is a really cool tune!

 

[2tallmusic]

I have put now a H3 in my latest project Guitar. Love it but I am still not sure whether the H2+ would have been the better choice. The H3 is already very thick and compressed and is splitted still a hot candidate.

BTW, worth reading in that context: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=78198 (I still wonder which one made it)

 

[Cflat96]

None of the Andersons I've tried have mids very similar to a JB. JB's mids are thick, but very spiky. The Andersons are very smooth and balanced in comparison. All the Andersons I've tried are more filled out, and wider sounding. They have a certain HiFi quality to them. They are usually a love/hate thing.

The closest to the JB's mids, I guess would be the HN3. The H2+ is wide and filled out, yet still articulate. The highs are strong, but not overbearing or fizzy. Nice mix of classic and modern. The HN3 has less of the highs, and more high mids. It will sound less fizzy, tighter bottom, more lower mids, and a bit bigger than a JB. It won't quite "sing" the same way a JB does, because the JB has this weird "movement" to it. The HN3, H2+, H3, and H3+ will have a stiffer feel.

 

[rupe]

None of the Andersons I've tried have mids very similar to a JB. JB's mids are thick, but very spiky. The Andersons are very smooth and balanced in comparison. All the Andersons I've tried are more filled out, and wider sounding. They have a certain HiFi quality to them. They are usually a love/hate thing.

The closest to the JB's mids, I guess would be the HN3. The H2+ is wide and filled out, yet still articulate. The highs are strong, but not overbearing or fizzy. Nice mix of classic and modern. The HN3 has less of the highs, and more high mids. It will sound less fizzy, tighter bottom, more lower mids, and a bit bigger than a JB. It won't quite "sing" the same way a JB does, because the JB has this weird "movement" to it. The HN3, H2+, H3, and H3+ will have a stiffer feel.

That's a pretty damn good assessment based on my experience

 

[Mr. Willy]

These are gibson5413's videos (can't believe you didn't post 'em Gibby ). BTW, that first video is the one I sent to Dan Gower letting him know why I chose the Cali Mod.

H3+

H2+