Anderson HN3+

May be the hotest passive pickup sound available !!!
Well response pickup, great sound with distortion.

I put it replaced bridge pick up on JS100. I also replaced the neck position with H1+. I used to put EMG 85/81 into this guitar. It was such a waste of EMG. Tom Anderson pair are much more better match with
this guitar than EMG.

It made my JS100 from a waste to the great !!! JS100 body itself has a netural trebly tone (that's maybe why it did not go well with EMG) with Tom Anderson, it made this guitar has a wonderful sound. You get well control on your sound. It run this guitar with Marshall JCM 900.
It is a big WOW! even my wife says now finally you can play a piece of music ^_^

If someday my wife mad at me and destroy this pickup or maybe someone who had heard I played a song with this pickup stole it. I will buy a new pickup without the second thought, but I might get any other guitar rather than JS100. I will order another set of H1+ and H3+, and put them on my old Ibanez RG770. I think the basswood body will make this pickup sound great too.

Super hot passive dual humbucker
Not sure about the impedance (Bill Lawrence says this number usually doesn't mean much anyway), but this thing spits fire.

I installed this in the bridge position in my '04 Gibson SG Special. I replaced a Duncan Super Distortion pickup. I also have a Tom Anderson H1+ in the neck position. I changed to this pickup because of the sound (see below).

When I bought my SG, the Duncan Super Distortion pickup had been installed in the bridge by the previous owner. It was a thin and wimpy pickup, and I have posted a review on it if you'd like to read it.

I got this pickup when I was playing in a metal band. The other guitarist in my band had one of them in his Hamer Explorer, and it didn't take 10 seconds of playing it to notice how solid this pickup is. After one practice with my new SG with its Duncan, I was ready to replace it with the HN3+.

Now that I have this pickup, my SG has come alive! The pickup is very clear and articulate. Every string in every chord comes through in its own right. Pinch harmonics scream out of it. The lows are thick and heavy. My SG simply has balls now. Huge ones. I should also mention that it performed wonders on the Explorer that I mentioned above.

I play the SG through a Marshall JCM2000 DSL 100 w/ a Park 4x12 cab. I use the a DigiTech Bad Monkey for overdrive (don't judge this pedal on its brand name!).

With my setup I can achieve anything from roaring metal to crunchy classic rock to dirty blues. The pickup sounds good when the volume is rolled off (you have to roll this loud thing back quite a bit before it gets quiet, though).

I won't say that this is the last brand I will try, but it probably is the last pickup I will install in my SG. At least it will be until I grow up and quit playing all of this high gain crap and go back to my roots.

I have intentions of buying an old Les Paul one day, and I may put the Rio Grande BBQ and Texas humbuckers in it. I've played one with this setup, and it has incredible tone.

I should also point out for the price, this pickup should been even more tempting.

As far as what I like to play right now, this pickup is all I need.

Pickup features: Humbucking/Passive
Impedence or other specs: Don't know but would like to find out

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez Artist
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Ibanez Super 80s
Other pickups on guitar: Tom Anderson H1+
Artists using this pickup: God knows
You musical style(s): Everything from Bach to Jazz to Van Halen and everything in between
Reason for pickup change: I love Tom Anderson Pickups! I really liked the Super80s that were the original pickup for this guitar...but I love Anderson pickups more...so...after much painful deliberation...I decided to take the plunge and switch out the Super 80s...for the Anderson pickups...I have to say I am very glad I switched to Anderson...these pickups are a dimension apart from the original Super 80s that came with the guitar

Perceived output level: Pretty Damn Hot! But not shrill, not even in the least, The HN3+ punches like Tyson and kicks like a horse!
Tone: Middy, balanced, creamy and round
Sonic evaluation: I play my guitar through a Mesa Boogie DC-5 and sometimes through my little Peavey Bandit...I use a Lexicon signal processor and that's about it...I am more than satisfied with the HN3+...it is a great pickup that most people would love to have in their guitar...I put this one in my 1977 Ibanez Artist and it sounds incredible! I was worried that this pickup might be too powerful...but its not...it is a very articulate pickup with serious moosesize balls...that -like all Anderson pickups- seems to breathe as u play it...it also has very rich harmonics and is a pickup that is very sensitive to pick intensity...I installed coil splitters on the HN3+ and the H1+...the two mix very nicely!!! I have many guitars and have tried many pickups...the HN3+ is not as poweful as EMG's 85...it seems to be in the range of the Seymour Duncan Invader in terms of power...however I prefer it to the Invader and the EMG 85...it is a warmer pickup than either of those two! And its sound is more complex! Basically, I was trying to make my Ibanez ARtist as good or better than any Les Paul I've ever played...I believe I have achieved my goal and it wouldn't have been possible without the Tom Anderson Pickups...I love the H1+ in the neck...its a wonderful big warm sound...and when I switch to the HN3+...there is no doubt that we are dealing with a first-rate bridge pickup...worthy of ANY Les Paul! It is my hope that more people buy and install this pickup and then write about it on Harmony-Central...there hasn't been a review for this pickup since 2003! I think the more that people try this pickup...the more people will realize what they've been missing!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is definitely a bridge pickup

Comments: I would definitely buy this pickup again...I have a number of guitars it would sound great in...I'm going to buy the HN3 and install it in one of my RGs to see what difference there is between the HN3 and the HN3+. I already own the H3 which is a trully awesome pickup as well. I also own the H1 and the H1+...Basically...if the pickup is made by Tom Anderson its a first rate pickup! The man doesn't make mediocre products! I have never played a Tom Anderson guitar that was less than stellar in terms of sound, feel and looks. Same goes for the pickups: I have never installed a Tom Anderson that didn't bring a smile to my face when I first heard how it sounds and responds to my playing...to be honest...I'm a little surprised that Tom Anderson pickups aren't THE leading seller...I have many DiMarzios and Seymour Duncans and even a few EMGs...they are all nice...but the Tom Andersons are just a little nicer and the price is always reasonable...I like the HN3+ a lot more than the Seymour Duncan JB BTW...which is shrill in comparison...so I guess what I'm saying is: try Tom Anderson pickups! They are exceptional pickups...You won't be sorry! Feel free to email me if u have questions

Pickup features: Humbucker (passive)
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Faded V and Fender Sub-Sonic Strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar: stock on Sub-Sonic, Rio Grande Bastard P90 on Flying V
Artists using this pickup: me (the worship of silence)
You musical style(s): stoner rock, doom metal, 70's riff-rock,
Reason for pickup change: I'm a gear whore...I change everything I own constantly :)

Perceived output level: Pretty damn hot...I don't get caught up in impedance numbers and that sort of thing but this pickups will hit your amp hard
Tone: This is a mid-range driving pickup but it does sound different in different guitars...read below.
Sonic evaluation: In my Flying V the sound was very mid-range and driving...super cutting through mixes and with tons of harmonics. I really liked the sound there but decided to try it in my Fender Sub-Sonic which is a 27" scale baritone. I actually tune all of my main guitars to baritone tunings (BEADF#b with D'Addario 14-68's or LaBella 14-70's). In my Sub-Sonic it sounds a bit more balanced but the mid's sound even better but a bit more fitting. I put a Gibson Tony Iommi which was in my Sub-Sonic which was little bland sounding there into my Flying V and it sounds much better there. I'm not sure if it was the scale difference or the differences in the neck (bolt on vs. set) but I'm happy with the switch. I'm not saying the HN3+ wouldn't sound great in Gibson style guitars, I very much liked the sound in there too. Amp wise I'm using a Roccaforte built amp with partridge transformers and 6xJJE34L's housed in an old Sound City head and chasis...great sounding amp and I like to play it very, very loud. Cab wise I'm using a Marshall 1960a that is now loaded with Weber Michigans and monster cable. I also have a Voodoo Amps modded Sovtek MIG100H which also sounds great and a Matamp Black with matching 2x15 on the way. I also run my amps into a pair of Weber/Monster cable loaded Sunn 212LH cabs (very cool old cabs). I use a number of boutique fuzzes and overdrives but I like amp distoriton and use the overdrives and fuzzes to accent my tone over the top of the amp. The HN3+ seemed to like my Nine Volt Nirvana Dino Fuzz more than my Tonebone Classic but both could be tweeked for excellent tones.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I wouldn't use this if you wanted a clean bridge pickup tone...it's meant for driving your amp hard. This could do some classic rock tones very well too, especially on vintage style amps.

Comments: In my Gibson I'd give it an 8-9 in my Sub-Sonic it's an amazing 10! I'm a firm believer that "god is in the mid-range"...it's the heart of a gutiar players tone and this pickup understands that. For Strat guys that really want some driving, hard rock and metal tones without sounding sterile and lifeless this is a great way to go.

Pickup features: HB, passive
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Squier Stratocaster Body, Stewart-MacDonald Neck
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock cheapy fender squier HB
Other pickups on guitar: two single coil stock fender squier pickups
Artists using this pickup: don't know
You musical style(s): varied, but mostly harder edge rock
Reason for pickup change: stock pick-ups are usually cheesy--mine were--especially on a squier.

Perceived output level: Very hi output level and way, way better tonal range/response compared with the stock pickup
Tone: I find the tone somewhat middy, but overall, "balanced" is a better description because the stock pickup sounded so thin by comparison -- as I've heard it described, this pickup sounds, "creamy smooth."
Sonic evaluation: I play through mostly a relatively stock Marshall 50 watt head (from 1975--Groove Tubes added -no other mods) and a Marshall 1960A cabinet, but also use a Roland JC-120 on occasion. This pickup definitely is better through the Marshall than the Roland -- just different elements altogether. I also use an Ibanez muti-fx units, an occasional Rat distortion pedal and a Dunlop Cry Baby wah. For recording I have a number of processors with different set-ups, but for live or practice, I use the Marshall and/or Roland (I sometimes use both with a A/B,A+B switch, depending on the show/style required).

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play a variety of styles--mostly harder edged melodic rock

Comments: I would definitely buy another of these pickups (or just about any other Tom Anderson pickup). Been playing too many years to tell (20+). Have too much gear (so my wife says) -- but other main guitar item is a black Hamer Sunburst Archtop re-fitted with EMGs (81 in the bridge and 85 in the neck) and a PA-2 pre-amp booster (w/toggle) -- overkill with the pre-amp!??. Anyway, the Anderson sounds quite good in comparion to the EMGs. The Anderson is smoother in its response and notes hold their body extremely well through decay. Of course, the EMGs are, to me, a bit harsher--espsecially the 81, but probably by design. They sound great as well, just different, and they can sound good clean if rolled off some. I absolutely love this Tom Anderson pickup. If anyone thinks most fender, gibson, etc. stock pickups are okay, think again. It's like putting a new, beefed-up engine in your car when you change pickups, performance will definitely increase in almost all cases; and while "good tone" is often a matter of opinion, only a novice would not recognize the great difference a fine pickup can make to the sound of a guitar. After neck and body wood, nothing effects tone more. It's the fastest, surest, and many times, cheapest, way to improve overall sound. I don't understand why people don't look first at replacing pickups before buying new fx units, amps, etc. Oh well... You can't go wrong with this Anderson pickup--don't let the fear of "too high an output" worry you -- this pickup thrills with its robust but smooth response--it sounds absolutely incredible! I've heard and played just about all types of guitars, fx units, pickups, amps, etc. and Im think, at least for passive, Tom Anderson pickups give great sound quality at a reasonable price. Bardens, Dimarzio, Bartolini, Duncan, Lawrence, EMG, Gibson, Fender, etc., etc. Tom Anderson is as good as the best (and can be more affordable) and better than most. Of course, after a certain level of tonal improvement over stock or weak pickups, it's a matter of opinion as to which of these higher quality pickups sound "best." It's like asking, "Which is better, a Porsche or a Ferrari?" It all depends on the individual driving (playing) it.