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Hatsubai « A lower output H1 »
Published on 05/18/11 at 14:30Tom Anderson is a renowned guitar lutheir out in California, and he’s also a pickup manufacturer. The H1- was a pickup made for those looking for a more classic sounding pickup, especially when it comes to output. The H1- has extra tall coils, oversized pole pieces to work in any spacing guitar and four conductor wiring.
The Tom Anderson H1- is definitely a lower output pickup compared to some of his other pickups he offers. While it can potentially be used in the bridge position, I find it sounds best in the neck and paired with a hotter bridge pickup like the H2 or H2+. The coolest feature about this pickup is that it is built with super tall coils. That means the split coil tones on this sound absolutely glorious. They’re the most authentic sounding split coil tones out of any other pickup I’ve ever tried. On top of that, it’s super clear sounding.
The H1- seems to have a fairly linear sounding EQ curve. The bass is on the more vintage side, so while it’s fat, it’s also a touch loose. Super tight bass doesn’t work great in the neck, I’ve found. It makes lead lines a bit harsher sounding. The midrange on this is super sweet sounding. It’s not too much, and it’s not too little. It excels at getting that vowely oldschool PAF sound while having some really neat modern sounding overtones going on. The treble seems to be just perfect, too. It’s super clear, yet it’s never overly harsh sounding.
To me, I find this pickup to be a bit lacking in power compared to the H1 or the H1+. I’m more of a rock and metal guitarist, however. If you’re someone who plays stuff more geared towards the classic side of rock and jazz, this is probably the pickup you want to use. The best part about this would be the split coil tones as they sound so authentic that it’s almost scary.
The Tom Anderson H1- is definitely a lower output pickup compared to some of his other pickups he offers. While it can potentially be used in the bridge position, I find it sounds best in the neck and paired with a hotter bridge pickup like the H2 or H2+. The coolest feature about this pickup is that it is built with super tall coils. That means the split coil tones on this sound absolutely glorious. They’re the most authentic sounding split coil tones out of any other pickup I’ve ever tried. On top of that, it’s super clear sounding.
The H1- seems to have a fairly linear sounding EQ curve. The bass is on the more vintage side, so while it’s fat, it’s also a touch loose. Super tight bass doesn’t work great in the neck, I’ve found. It makes lead lines a bit harsher sounding. The midrange on this is super sweet sounding. It’s not too much, and it’s not too little. It excels at getting that vowely oldschool PAF sound while having some really neat modern sounding overtones going on. The treble seems to be just perfect, too. It’s super clear, yet it’s never overly harsh sounding.
To me, I find this pickup to be a bit lacking in power compared to the H1 or the H1+. I’m more of a rock and metal guitarist, however. If you’re someone who plays stuff more geared towards the classic side of rock and jazz, this is probably the pickup you want to use. The best part about this would be the split coil tones as they sound so authentic that it’s almost scary.