« A single coil for the modern age »

Tom Anderson is one of the best boutique guitar makers out there nowadays. Out in California is making top of the line guitars for clients who demand the best. When you put so much attention and detail into a guitar you dont want to just throw in someone elses pickups. Tom Anderson makes his own pickups also. He has a line of single coils called the VA line. The VA1 is the most well known of these pickups. It is a single coil but it is not designed to sound vintage. This single coil has more of a modern tone to it which is a welcome change to all the vintage voiced single coils out on the market. People in the 60s werent putting in pickups from the 40s in their guitars why should we be trying to. The VA1 is a pretty bright pickup so it is more suited for playing in the neck position. In the neck position the brightness adds some clarity to the natural bassyness of the neck position on the guitar. With this brightness you get a clearer tone from the neck position. This pickup can also be used in the middle position. A good middle pickup is a pickup that can play well with the neck and the bridge because thats what the middle pickup is mostly used for. It can add more bite to the neck position sound for more bass to the bridge position sound. In the bridge position this brightness may be a problem because it may give your guitar a harsh tone that may sound unpleasant. These pickups work well in neutral woods like alder. These pickups will accentuate the natural tone of the wood so if you have a bright guitar the pickup will sound extra bright and so on. If you are looking for a single coil that isnt trying to sound like its 40 years old this is a good choice from a good custom guitar maker.