anderson H3 review

[ex-250]

ok so i ordered one of these last thursday or so for my ltd viper-300, was lookin for a down-ish tone, etc. so i got it today, installed all good and everything. then i plug in and try it out. holy sh!t does this thing dominate! probably the best pickup ive ever used. its got a really powerful and tight low end, and the mids are awesome. not excessively..uh..scratchy (?) in the mids. and great clarity. highs are really nice too. its like perfect all across the eq for whati wanted. its ballsy as hell too. and great harmonics. even more pronounced squeels than my DD. in E, im not really sure of a band whose tone to compare it to. kinda like old Metallica if they didnt scoop. but in Db it was pure down. i jammed to NOLA and that was it, dead on NOLA tone. II is a little more bass-heavy, but its the NOLA tone exactly. which is kinda confusing cause pepper (keenan, from down) used the anderson on II but not NOLA haha. sounds great for sabbath too. oh and for such a hot pickup, its got pretty nice cleans too. kinda jangly sounding. and not distorted. i reccomend one of these to anybody wanting a real thick metal tone.

 

[ex-250]

Re: anderson H3 review

oh and i also reccomend guitar heaven (www.gtrheaven.com), really fast delivery. i ordered it late last thursday night and it got here around 4 today.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: anderson H3 review

glad you liked it bro. have you tried it split?

 

[ex-250]

Re: anderson H3 review

nah. i dont really have much use for that, but i could give it a try. i have a push/pull pot in my guitar with the invader in it from the previous owner....so i dont really need it in there haha

 

[Seraphial]

Re: anderson H3 review

I've been thinking about and H3/H1 combo for my set neck for A Perfect Circle type tones. Thanks for the review!

 

[Dirtyking]

Re: anderson H3 review

ok so i ordered one of these last thursday or so for my ltd viper-300, was lookin for a down-ish tone, etc. so i got it today, installed all good and everything. then i plug in and try it out. holy sh!t does this thing dominate! probably the best pickup ive ever used. its got a really powerful and tight low end, and the mids are awesome. not excessively..uh..scratchy (?) in the mids. and great clarity. highs are really nice too. its like perfect all across the eq for whati wanted. its ballsy as hell too. and great harmonics. even more pronounced squeels than my DD. in E, im not really sure of a band whose tone to compare it to. kinda like old Metallica if they didnt scoop. but in Db it was pure down. i jammed to NOLA and that was it, dead on NOLA tone. II is a little more bass-heavy, but its the NOLA tone exactly. which is kinda confusing cause pepper (keenan, from down) used the anderson on II but not NOLA haha. sounds great for sabbath too. oh and for such a hot pickup, its got pretty nice cleans too. kinda jangly sounding. and not distorted. i reccomend one of these to anybody wanting a real thick metal tone.

Now you've gone and done it, I must have one. Whats the output of that pup? Around 16k or ? Does it sound compressed at all or open. And you say the Harmonics are better than the Distortion!!!

I wonder how that pup compares to the Custom?

 

[papersoul]

Re: anderson H3 review

I have also considered Anderson pickups, but mostly the H2+ because I think it has less output than the H3 and an Alnico V magnet. I believe the H3 has a ceramic bar. You might also love the Rio Grande BBQ if you like the H3. Dark, heavy, and thick.

Notice any difference with the wider pole pieces?

 

[italic zero]

Re: anderson H3 review

Ah, yes. I've been on the verge of buying an H2+ and a phat cat neck for my DC LP for a long time. Along with a tele antiquity set. Soon, my precious, soon.

 

[ex-250]

Re: anderson H3 review

Now you've gone and done it, I must have one. Whats the output of that pup? Around 16k or ? Does it sound compressed at all or open. And you say the Harmonics are better than the Distortion!!!

I wonder how that pup compares to the Custom?

it doesnt list the output on the site, but im guessing somewhere around 16k. i just went back and forth between the anderson and the distortion, and the harmonics are probably about the same, but they sound a little fuller with the anderson just cause the fuller tone of the pickup in general. and it isnt really compressed sounding. more....natural (?)

I have also considered Anderson pickups, but mostly the H2+ because I think it has less output than the H3 and an Alnico V magnet. I believe the H3 has a ceramic bar. You might also love the Rio Grande BBQ if you like the H3. Dark, heavy, and thick.

Notice any difference with the wider pole pieces?

i actually was considering the BBQ before i got the anderson. and what kinda differences do you mean with the pole peices? i mean theyre obviously wider just by looking at it. you could put one of these in a trem guitar no problem. speaking of visual differences, theres two more things thatre different from an average pickup- the poles are flat, like slugs. ive never seen that before. what would the different in sound be there? and the bobbins have an EMG-like matte black texture that i really like too.

 

[papersoul]

Re: anderson H3 review

ex-250,

Had you considered the H2+ prior to the H3? Talk with Tom Anderson before the purchase? He was helping me decide when I was thinking about Andersons.

You should still try the BBQ when you have a chance to grab a used one. It might be your holy grail!

Their website specifies that they resolved a lot of string drop out by using a different pole spacing than standard and by using larger pole pieces. Notice how the poles are larger?

I find it interesting that they are designed so you can't adjust the pole pieces.

 

[ex-250]

Re: anderson H3 review

nah i didnt talk to tom, and i didnt consider the H2+. i knew pepper keenan used the H3 and his was the tone i was going for, so i wanted the H3. im more of a high output ceramic mag kinda guy anyway though.

and i still have one more guitar thats stock, so im comtemplating EMGs or BBQ/Texas

and yeah, i was talking about the larger the flatter poles in my post right before yours. i never really adjust the pole peices on pickups anyway though, so its ok with me.

 

[Dirtyking]

Re: anderson H3 review

The description of the H3 sounds perfect. I play thru a Randall Tube head that is very bass heavy like a boogie. I always seem to need more mids with mid clarity while retaining a tight bottom. This pup sounds like a good choice. I'll be getting another SG this september so I'll be trying one out soon.

BTW, does anybody know of a duncan pup similar to the Anderson H3. The Distortion or Custom or maybe even the Invader?

 

[Dirtyking]

Re: anderson H3 review

Their website specifies that they resolved a lot of string drop out by using a different pole spacing than standard and by using larger pole pieces. Notice how the poles are larger?

I find it interesting that they are designed so you can't adjust the pole pieces.

This is a problem I'm having with the Demon in my Gothic SG. I put a fixed bridge spaced pup in there and noticed the bridge is spaced wider than my other SG X. And I've been getting alot of string drop out on the high strings. SUX :smack: So I think I'm gonna replace it with a Custom thats trem spaced instead.

 

[papersoul]

Re: anderson H3 review

nah i didnt talk to tom, and i didnt consider the H2+. i knew pepper keenan used the H3 and his was the tone i was going for, so i wanted the H3. im more of a high output ceramic mag kinda guy anyway though.

and i still have one more guitar thats stock, so im comtemplating EMGs or BBQ/Texas

and yeah, i was talking about the larger the flatter poles in my post right before yours. i never really adjust the pole peices on pickups anyway though, so its ok with me.

That's cool, I would say check out the Rio set as they are very fat and thick! They have a very up front take charge tone, rich with harmonics and as powerful as I could want. Believe me, I like some heavy music.

Do you have a link to the Down site? I couldn't find it.

I have heard the H3 as well as the BBQ described as dull and lifeless but we all perceive things differently. I find the BBQ thick, dark, rich, with tons of musical character. I am assuming this is how you find the H3?

 

[ex-250]

Re: anderson H3 review

The description of the H3 sounds perfect. I play thru a Randall Tube head that is very bass heavy like a boogie. I always seem to need more mids with mid clarity while retaining a tight bottom. This pup sounds like a good choice. I'll be getting another SG this september so I'll be trying one out soon.

yeah my XXX has a good amount of bass too. but its also really middy. i definately think youll like the anderson from what youve said now and before and stuff.

This is a problem I'm having with the Demon in my Gothic SG. I put a fixed bridge spaced pup in there and noticed the bridge is spaced wider than my other SG X. And I've been getting alot of string drop out on the high strings. SUX :smack: So I think I'm gonna replace it with a Custom thats trem spaced instead.

the poles on the anderson are about as wide as my invader, so it would be fine for your sg

That's cool, I would say check out the Rio set as they are very fat and thick! They have a very up front take charge tone, rich with harmonics and as powerful as I could want. Believe me, I like some heavy music.

Do you have a link to the Down site? I couldn't find it.

I have heard the H3 as well as the BBQ described as dull and lifeless but we all perceive things differently. I find the BBQ thick, dark, rich, with tons of musical character. I am assuming this is how you find the H3?

yeah, id describe the H3 about the same. i dunno if id say dark though, i think thick and rich (and full of character) are better. its certainly not real bright, but saying dark makes me think off excessive low end. and this is just perfect.

www.down-nola.com

 

[papersoul]

Re: anderson H3 review

ex-250,

What other pickups have you tried? I may have to try the H2+ which I think is the model below the H3 since I prefer Alnico V magnets. Do you know if this is an Alnico V pickup? I can't remember the last time I corresponded with Tom Anderson.

Hey, thanks for the Down link. Are they playing ESP Vipers? I love the look of those guitars but always had a problem getting into how they felt.

 

[Dirtyking]

Re: anderson H3 review

Pepper plays Vipers now, but Kirk still plays Gibson SG's and V's. And Pepper did play a Strat when I saw Down at the House of Blues for 2 songs.

I'm also an alnico V fan too. If there's an alnico V version of the H3 (Kinda like the C5 is to the Custom) I'd be hard pressed not to try it.

I just need more guitars man :32:

 

[papersoul]

Re: anderson H3 review

Pepper plays Vipers now, but Kirk still plays Gibson SG's and V's. And Pepper did play a Strat when I saw Down at the House of Blues for 2 songs.

I'm also an alnico V fan too. If there's an alnico V version of the H3 (Kinda like the C5 is to the Custom) I'd be hard pressed not to try it.

I just need more guitars man :32:

That would most likely be the H2+ but with less bass and mids than the H3.

 

[ex-250]

Re: anderson H3 review

ex-250,

What other pickups have you tried? I may have to try the H2+ which I think is the model below the H3 since I prefer Alnico V magnets. Do you know if this is an Alnico V pickup? I can't remember the last time I corresponded with Tom Anderson.

Hey, thanks for the Down link. Are they playing ESP Vipers? I love the look of those guitars but always had a problem getting into how they felt.

the H3 is the first anderson ive tried. i have no idea what magnets are in what pickups of theirs, it doesnt say on the site.

and yeah pepper plays mostly esp vipers lately, and a strat sometimes on the last tour like dirtyking said. kirk used a lp custom a little on that tour too, but mostly his goth sg

 

[motorhead]

Re: anderson H3 review

OK BBQ lovers ... some of you must have had a Geniune Texas in the neck at one point ... how is that split?