Re: tom anderson pups
I love his tone also and I think I get pretty close with the Rio Grande BBQ in my Les Paul. I was using the JB in other guitars but I missed a fat bass even in a big mahogany guitar so I have been using the BBQ for a while. Very 3-D and full, punchy and fat. I like it better than my C-5 or JB at this point. But, I think the C-5 or Custom will do better in one of my darker guitars.
I think once you move into the boutique pickup makers and the Duncan Custom shop, wou'll see a difference in the pickups, but for the average person I think we can find our tone in the production Duncans, Dimarzios, and Rios, etc. Different strokes for different folks.