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Hatsubai « Higher output H3 »
Published on 05/18/11 at 14:35The H3+ is a pickup that was made by Tom Anderson out of California. He’s a well known luthier and builds some of the best guitars out there. On top of that, he builds some killer pickups. The H3+ is a humbucker built with extra tall coils, oversized pole pieces to fit any spacing guitar and four conductor wiring standard.
The H3+ is one fire breathing dragon. It’s an awesome pickup for heavy metal as it has tons and tons of output. It is strictly a bridge pickup given its output, and I find it mates best with either the H1+ or the H2 in the neck. Using single coils in the neck with this isn’t really recommend due to its output, but if you don’t mind the volume drop, it could work out for you. The coolest part is that this pickup cleans up and splits scary well. It has some great single coil tones that really need to be heard to be believed.
The H3+ is a step up above the H3. It’s more compressed, has tighter bass, has a bit more of a scooped midrange and seems to sound thicker than the H3. The bass is tight enough for those looking to do crazy triplets like Meshuggah, but it isn’t overly sterile sounding like certain other pickups. The midrange seems to be pushed back to maintain some clarity. However, that doesn’t mean it’s overly scooped as it still has tons of mids. The treble is nice and crisp without being too harsh, too.
One complaint people have about this pickup is that it’s more compressed than the other pickups he offers. I find that, while it’s more compressed, it still is not super compressed like an active pickup may be. It’s still very organic sounding and blooms nicely on every note. It also stays super clear unlike certain other pickup manufacturers out there. If you find the H3 to be too little, check out the H3+.
The H3+ is one fire breathing dragon. It’s an awesome pickup for heavy metal as it has tons and tons of output. It is strictly a bridge pickup given its output, and I find it mates best with either the H1+ or the H2 in the neck. Using single coils in the neck with this isn’t really recommend due to its output, but if you don’t mind the volume drop, it could work out for you. The coolest part is that this pickup cleans up and splits scary well. It has some great single coil tones that really need to be heard to be believed.
The H3+ is a step up above the H3. It’s more compressed, has tighter bass, has a bit more of a scooped midrange and seems to sound thicker than the H3. The bass is tight enough for those looking to do crazy triplets like Meshuggah, but it isn’t overly sterile sounding like certain other pickups. The midrange seems to be pushed back to maintain some clarity. However, that doesn’t mean it’s overly scooped as it still has tons of mids. The treble is nice and crisp without being too harsh, too.
One complaint people have about this pickup is that it’s more compressed than the other pickups he offers. I find that, while it’s more compressed, it still is not super compressed like an active pickup may be. It’s still very organic sounding and blooms nicely on every note. It also stays super clear unlike certain other pickup manufacturers out there. If you find the H3 to be too little, check out the H3+.