Anderson 7VS1
(7-String passive single coil)
Submitted at: 14:19, 4/15/2001
Product Info
Pickup features: Passive Single Coil for 7 string guitars
Impedence or other specs: no clue
Price Paid: US $56
Purchased from: Warmouth Guitar Website in April 2001
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez Universe UV777BK
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: DiMarzio Blaze II Single Coil (Stock)
Other pickups on guitar: Blaze II Humbuckers in Neck and Bridge (Stock)
Artists using this pickup: Nobody I know (besides me)
You musical style(s): R & B, Funk, Rock (all styles), Pop, Ballads, Jazz
Reason for pickup change: The Blaze II (and stock Ibanez Single Coils in general) don't cut it for what I do. I almost feel like the middle pickup is an afterthought on Ibanez Guitars. I love everything else about them.
The volume dropoff between the 5 and 4 positions (and 1 and 2 position, respectively) was too steep and the pickup didn't have that punchy 'Stratty' sound I wanted.
I had a 6 string Ibanez RG-550 with a Texas Special Strat Pickup in the middle position which worked great.
I realized quickly that my options for a 7 string single coil were either A:use what's in there or B: order a Seymour Duncan 7 string single which needs to be specially ordered and built and costs an arm and a leg.
I was going to buy a PAF-7 and hope to get a better clean sound through that (I'd had good results with the PAF-Pro in that same RG-550.
Then one day, I stumbled on somebody else's review of this same pickup on this website. I followed it to Warmouth's website and found the pickup. Ken Warmouth was able to provide me with exact specs so I e-mailed Tom Anderson himself. He got back to me and told me the pickup was wound like a Strat Pickup, but a little hotter.
Between his answer, the Tom Anderson name (which is synonymous with quality), and the 'right' price, I decided to go for it.
Sound
Perceived output level: Definitely better than the Blaze II - Hotter and more punchy
Tone: Balanced, with a great Stratty sound. Combines nicely wtih the Blaze II Hums.
Sonic evaluation: I play in a self-contained band - I carry two keyboards, two guitars and a full PA with a Sub to every gig. I have a 14 Space Rack with a pop-up mixer on top. Carrying a guitar amp was just one more thing that I didn't want to deal with, so i play thru a half-rack space Zoom 9030 direct into the board. It's a great alternative to carrying an amp - I admit an amp would sound better, but it's an extra piece to carry and it wouldn't mix as easily in my rig.
I use the same presets for this guitar and my Ibanez JEM77BFP, which is loaded with a PAF-Pro neck, a Dimarzio Virtual 2 single and an Evolution Bridge. The sounds are not identical, but all the settings are comparable enough that I don't need an extra set of presets.
The minute I put the pickup in I knew it was smokin'.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Pick up works great for me in the Middle for crystal clean sounds and "chicka-chicka" sounds too.
Overall Rating
Comments: I would absolutely buy it again if anything happened to it. I'm a pro guitar player - been playing about 10 years and Keyboards for my whole life.
I knew I hated the Blaze II Single and just about anything would have sounded better in there and at $56, it was worth the rish. I was very happy that the pickup was way better than the Blaze and not just an aqequate replacement.
WIRING NOTE: Ibanez wires their Middle Singles with the Ground to the Switch and the hot to the Volume pot. You MUST wire this pickup opposite, with the hot to the swtich and the ground to the pot. i wired it wrong before I wired it right and YUCK!
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value
Submitted by: Kenny <kennydoe@hotmail.com>
Submitted at: 9:38, 11/5/99
Product Info
Pickup features: Passive single-coil for seven-string
Impedence or other specs: 4.88 kohm, ceramic magnet, 1/4" polepieces
Price Paid: US $56 ea
Purchased from: Warmoth
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: ho'made - swamp ash body, cocobolo top, maple neck, 28 5/8" scale, hardtail...
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: N/A
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: me!
You musical style(s): idiosyncratic jazz with lots of dissonance
Reason for pickup change: N/A (newly built instrument)
Sound
Perceived output level: slightly more than vintage single-coils
Tone: Bright with a very tight, controlled, but still present bass
Sonic evaluation: I'm using these in a homemade monstrosity of rather unstratlike construction, so I can't tell whether these pickups really resemble a vintage Strat. I'm running into a solid-state Marshall, and have two volume controls and no tone control. The sound is very clear, but without harsh or icepicky treble. The lower register is rather
piano-like: tight bass, complex mids, pleasant treble. Extremely
dissonant things, however, can get a bit muddy unless I turn the
neck volume down somewhat. The higher notes sound almost more
like a Tele than a Strat, but that could be the longer scale or the
cocobolo top, not necessarily the pickups. I have no middle pickup,
so I can't tell how they'd quack. I also don't have any six-string
Anderson pickups to make a direct comparison, but it seems to me that
the low end is clearer and less "round" than a typical Strat - but,
again, could just be my guitar.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: good for anything that needs a Fenderish clean tone
Overall Rating
Comments: Very nice - a proper seven-string pickup with good low-register
clarity, not just a longer version of a six-string pickup. Though
seven-string components are popping up left and right (thanks to Korn,
I suppose), they all seem to be geared at metalheads (no thanks to
Korn, I suppose). This is certainly different. Maybe not *perfect*,
but does an excellent job of balancing Fenderish tonality with the
clarity needed on any seven-string or baritone.
This guitar seems to benefit from being reinforced with a bass much
more than my humbucker-equipped Fury baritone. Keep that in mind if
considering a seven-string as a substitute for a guitar and a bass
at the same time.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 9
Submitted by: Peter Klima