Product: Anderson VA1R
Price Paid: US $45
Submitted
07/20/2002
at
10:41pm
by
'Vid Sutton
Email: vid<at>speedfx dot net
Features
:
Pickup features: Passive single coil reverse wound middle position
Impedence or other specs: meters in high 6's
Instrument
:
Model of guitar or bass: Fender Strat MIM
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: Stock mex beater
Other pickups on guitar: Jackson S-100 neck (love it, too), Duncan Custom (flat ) bridge (okay, but not my favorite).
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): blues and TWANG!
Reason for pickup change: Unimpressed with stock mex Strat pickups
Sound
:
No Opinion
Perceived output level: It's in the vintage range, or slightly louder. No big volume change. However the change in the TONE is INCREDIBLE!
Tone: Clean and clear, kinda springy, very balanced, absolutely perfect. Find one and BUY IT!
Sonic evaluation: This pickup is installed on my sunburst MIM Strat. I like feel of the guitar, great for gigs, recording and practice sessions, but the factory electronics were the weak spot. I gutted the guitar, replaced all pots (still 250k), wiring, pickups, 5 way switch and output jack with various USA made components. This made a huge difference in performance, needless to say. The guitar sounds great in studio or live. I play it primarily through a Line6 Flextone Duo (100w 2x10's), also sometimes a small Marshall 30w combo and a vintage blackface Fender Vibro Champ.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play beer soaked, diesel fried dixie twang, blues and indie (leaning toward vintage garage band sound)
Overall Rating
:
10
Comments: This is a pickup most guitarists will absoluetly adore. I picked mine up (new in box) on Ebay. Wow, I'm SO glad I did. It does everything a vintage reissue pickup is supposed to do and more... sounds clear, glassy, springy, and wails so nicely when you drive it. It's not brittle or thin, it's certainly not muddy... solo notes are crisp, smooth and clear, chords are like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I would really love to try a guitar with these Andersons in all positions. The VA1R would most likely make an incredible Tele neck pickup too, I'm dying to drop one in my Tele. I would certainly try to replace this pickup if anything bad happened to it, when I got done CRYING! Great for music where you need the tone of the GUITAR to come singing through. Probably not a good choice for very high gain situations (read that: contemporary commercial radio rock and metal), but 100% fabulous for tone between sparkling clean and pleasantly crunchy.
