Anderson Pickup Issue

[Donnie B.]

Just picked up a used Pro Am with the H1 and H3 humbuckers in it. I LOVE the guitar but am not bonding with the pickups. They sound much too Hi-Fi if you know what I mean. Not enough harmonic overtones.

Anyone been down this road? And what did you replace them with? I put a Dimarzio Air Norton/Breed combo in another super strat and they worked out real well.

Suggestions???

[pipedwho]

HF1 & HF2 (or HC1/HC2)

The HF series (HC are the covered versions) are the Anderson pickups for people that like vintage overtones and are less 'hifi' sounding, while still giving a very open sound that doesn't sound too constricted.

If you prefer the 'AM radio' style sound with less sparkle and not so much in the overtone department (and maybe a little more mid emphasis), then the HO series is quite good too.

IMO, the HF/HC series are perfect classic style pickups. If all you're doing is rocking out with the gain pegged, then the H2+/H3 are awesome. Pure metal shines on the HN series.

[Donnie B.]

The HF series are the Anderson pickups for people that like vintage overtones and are less 'hifi' sounding, while still giving a very open sound that doesn't sound too constricted.



Thanks for the suggestions!

[tom]

i noticed from your comments elsewhere that you're most unhappy with the high gain tone. those are really hot pickups, so running them into a small amp with lots of gain is going to be pretty restricted sounding. they work great if you've got a high gain amp with lots of headroom. anything weaker is going to do better in your application.

[Donnie B.]

i noticed from your comments elsewhere that you're most unhappy with the high gain tone. those are really hot pickups, so running them into a small amp with lots of gain is going to be pretty restricted sounding. they work great if you've got a high gain amp with lots of headroom. anything weaker is going to do better in your application.

Yes, I am using a 1 x 10" combo at pretty low volumes. What would you suggest as replacements???

Thanks.

[tom]

when you're splitting, it's always a question of balance. if the humbucking tone gets too weak the split sounds get way worse. if you want the best of both worlds, the HF1 and HF2 would be my choice. i use the 2 in the bridge of an even darker guitar than yours, and i get plenty of edge and definition out of it even in high gain situations. if you're more concerned about a vintage humbucker tone i'd use the HF1+ in the bridge.

[Donnie B.]

Thank you Tom for your time on this. I am much more concerned about the full on bucker tones.