Tom Anderson H3+ questions

[duncan]

How are these pickups?

 

Do they come with covers?

 

What other pickup could you compare it to?

 

I heard one when I was hanging out with monoXstereo at the Mesa/Boogie store last week, and I was blown away...

[suparsonic]

What sort of tone are you after? I run a H3 in my Tom Anderson, I did have an H2 in there it was realy nice on open chords but it was a little too open for legato lead lines. The H3 has a nice smooth tone and is almost bordering on too hot for my taste. I'd like to try the H2+ as a good all rounder.

[GodlykeHQ]

I had one in my LP.

 

Great pickup. Compared to the H2+, it had gobs more bass, and was more honky in the mids. The H2+ splits better, whereas the H3+ doesn't sound too great split. My guitar has a very thick bottom end, so the pickup didn't jive well with my guitar. The H3+ has a ridiculous output, the hottest passive I've ever tried (only experienced with Gibson pickups, SD, and PRS). I liked how it boosted the hell out of amps set to low gain, particularly a rectoverb combo. The pickup in my guitar through that amp sounded fantastic. The output of the pickup just interacted really well with the stiffer feeling of that amp.

 

Of course it's all subjective. So the best objective description I can give is:

LOTS of Output

Lots of Bass

Very strong midrange, somewhat lower-mid voice.

Woody and organic as a forest (just kidding...)

[duncan]

I'm looking for something beefy, articulate and "woody" I guess. Something that doesn't put out a harsh high end, but doesn't muffle it either....Right now, in my SG, I have a PRS Dragon II, and while I think it's sweet as hell, I kind of wish it had more....just more.

[GodlykeHQ]

The H3+ will definitely be beefier. From what I remember of my Dragon II, the H3+ will definitely have more bass and a thicker midrange. The PRS is pretty articulate already, so I'm not sure how much the Anderson will bring to the table in that department. But it will definitely thicken it up. I don't remember either of them being very harsh at all, but that's more subjective.

[espdna]

H3+ = SMOOOOOOOTH. Very hot too, but if there was one word to describe this pickup, it'd be smooth.

 

Best lead tone i've ever had in a bridge pickup.

[Dave L]

I have the H3+ in a basswood Droptop, and like all the others said it

[HELSTRUME]

I would still like to try an HN3 myself.

[tetaJ]

don't go with the h3+

i have been playing the h3 for more than 14 years and i want to change it to a h2+ since even when love the h3, it is too hot sometimes.

[suparsonic]

don't go with the h3+ i have been playing the h3 for more than 14 years and i want to change it to a h2+ since even when love the h3, it is too hot sometimes.

Same as me! Tom has suggested the HF1 or HF2 as an option also.

[rockstrongo]

I had one in my 78 silverburst Les Paul Custom, and I just replaced it with a Bare Knuckle Warpig.

 

 

The H3+, like most Anderson pickups, is very hi-fi sounding. It has a {censored}load of low end, but a very even sound. You can hear everything in chord work. Some people are turned off by them because the highs are very present, but in a strong way, not a piercing way. They can take some getting used to......Mesa amps sound {censored}ing incredible with them, which was the reason I bought them in the first place (I used to have a Tremoverb combo). I loved how they smoothed out the sound of that amp, and brought out the frequencies that I wasn't hearing before.

 

 

 

I think I'm going to take the Warpig out and put the H3+ back in, actually. With the H1+ in the neck, I've never had a better tone for hard rock. The H1+ sounds {censored}ING AWESOME coil tapped too.

[HELSTRUME]

I had one in my 78 silverburst Les Paul Custom, and I just replaced it with a Bare Knuckle Warpig. The H3+, like most Anderson pickups, is very hi-fi sounding. It has a {censored}load of low end, but a very even sound. You can hear everything in chord work. Some people are turned off by them because the highs are very present, but in a strong way, not a piercing way. They can take some getting used to......Mesa amps sound {censored}ing incredible with them, which was the reason I bought them in the first place (I used to have a Tremoverb combo). I loved how they smoothed out the sound of that amp, and brought out the frequencies that I wasn't hearing before. I think I'm going to take the Warpig out and put the H3+ back in, actually. With the H1+ in the neck, I've never had a better tone for hard rock. The H1+ sounds {censored}ING AWESOME coil tapped too.

How much lowend? Like Super distortion/tonezone levels?

[duncan]

I was thinking of tossing an H3+ into my SG, which if I'm going to play clean, I'll likely switch to the neck, just because I prefer that kind of clean tone.

 

I just know that monoXstereo made my heart flutter when he played that pickup at the Mesa store.

[rockstrongo]

 

How much lowend? Like Super distortion/tonezone levels?

 

 

 

 

Much more, and a little different-feeling, and a bit tighter. The attack is very immediate with that pickup, too.

[GodlykeHQ]

I was thinking of tossing an H3+ into my SG, which if I'm going to play clean, I'll likely switch to the neck, just because I prefer that kind of clean tone. I just know that monoXstereo made my heart flutter when he played that pickup at the Mesa store.

 

No joke, the H1- is one of the greatest neck pickups I've ever tried. Lot's of clarity, warms up with the tone control, and sounds like a strat when you split it. Anderson pickups clean up very well too.

 

Call Tom Anderson and ask for Roy. He was intensely helpful when I talked to him about pickups. I told him I was putting it in a Les Paul, and he wasn't any less helpful than he would've been had it been an Anderson guitar. He suggested against an H3+ for a Les Paul, but I went for it anyway because I was a big Billy Howerdel (A Perfect Circle) fanboy. I've since switched to an H2+, but give him a call and he'll help you out.

[HELSTRUME]

Much more, and a little different-feeling, and a bit tighter. The attack is very immediate with that pickup, too.

Thats a lot lol. Tom keeps saying I should try the HN3, so I guess its the one for me.

[rockstrongo]

Thats a lot lol. Tom keeps saying I should try the HN3, so I guess its the one for me.

 

 

 

That's a great one, too.

 

 

 

 

Like a lot of people here, I've owned a ton of guitars and tried shit loads of different pickup configurations over the years. That Les Paul has had those pickups for almost 10 years now (8, I think), the longest that any have stayed in any guitar that I've owned. Some people hate 'em, but there's no denying that they're unique. That Les Paul sounds like nothing else that I've ever heard, and the H3+ is a major part of that.

 

 

 

Now, I have to figure out which guitar to throw the Warpig into.

[HELSTRUME]

That's a great one, too. Like a lot of people here, I've owned a ton of guitars and tried shit loads of different pickup configurations over the years. That Les Paul has had those pickups for almost 10 years now (8, I think), the longest that any have stayed in any guitar that I've owned. Some people hate 'em, but there's no denying that they're unique. That Les Paul sounds like nothing else that I've ever heard, and the H3+ is a major part of that. Now, I have to figure out which guitar to throw the Warpig into.

Whats the EQ like on the HN3? Tom said it was overall bright with good treble and high mids. Its also suppose to have lower bass.

[GodlykeHQ]

 

Whats the EQ like on the HN3? Tom said it was overall bright with good treble and high mids. Its also suppose to have lower bass.

 

 

It's a lot more focused sounding than the H Series. The HN is a bit "tighter" as in it doesn't have the extended lows and highs of the H series, but it's still got that HiFi sound. I'm NOT saying the H series is loose in anyway, it just had a more broad frequency range (lots more bass), whereas the HN has a high mid peak and less bass. I can't remember if the guitar I tried had the HN3 or HN3+, but they shouldn't be WILDLY different, enough for me to make a generalization though.

[HELSTRUME]

It's a lot more focused sounding than the H Series. The HN is a bit "tighter" as in it doesn't have the extended lows and highs of the H series, but it's still got that HiFi sound. I'm NOT saying the H series is loose in anyway, it just had a more broad frequency range (lots more bass), whereas the HN has a high mid peak and less bass. I can't remember if the guitar I tried had the HN3 or HN3+, but they shouldn't be WILDLY different, enough for me to make a generalization though.

Thats cool. I'm not a fan of really bassy pups.

[GodlykeHQ]

 

Thats cool. I'm not a fan of really bassy pups.

 

 

They're thick yes, but not overly muddy or bassy to my ears. It's difficult to describe how they pull off their dynamic, but Anderson makes fantastic sounding and unique pickups.

[HELSTRUME]

They're thick yes, but not overly muddy or bassy to my ears. It's difficult to describe how they pull off their dynamic, but Anderson makes fantastic sounding and unique pickups.

It would be going in an Alder Strat. I want something thick, but bright sounding.

[duncan]

I think I might have to get myself an H3 soon lol

 

I want as thick, smooth, and articulate as possible... It would be in a mahogany guitar. Should I get the + or no?

[schecterc1lh]

i really like mine a lot. Much better than my SD JB that i had, but it seems to make my low E (well, actually its a C because im in drop C) sound very dull i guess is the word. It sounds like it has no gain, and sort of flubby in the low end, but nothing big. I am looking into some BK pickups now, but so far this has been the best i have used.

[duncan]

 

I think I might have to get myself an H3 soon lol I want as thick, smooth, and articulate as possible... It would be in a mahogany guitar. Should I get the + or no?

 

 

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