Anderson VA

Submitted at: 12:30, 4/28/2003

Product Info

Pickup features: Vintage Strat single coil set
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $60
Purchased from: MARS (going out of business sale)

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Squire Affinity Srat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): rock, alternative, indie
Reason for pickup change: Found a full set of brand new Anderson VA (VA2, VA1-R, VA1) for $60 total! I knew nothing about Anderson at the time but bought them based on how big the discount was.

Sound

Perceived output level: Average to slightly hot.
Tone: Very balanced, very musical, proto-typical Strat.
Sonic evaluation: I use this guitar with a vintage '65 Deluxe, a tweaked Marshall DSL201, Laney VC30, BF Champ. The Andersons sound great thru everything, the tone is articulate yet harmonic. Of course they're noisy, as vintage single coil's are expected to be.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Classic Strat tones from a Squire, this guitar sounds better than alot of Custom Shop jobs.

Overall Rating

Comments: I've been playing for 30yrs and own a pile of great guitars. I recently bought a Squire from a teenager that needed some $. I've never been a Strat kinda guy, but heard the Squire makes a decent gig guitar if you do some good pickups and tuners. After putting in the Anderson VA set, I can tell you it's true, the Squire is more than gigable.

If you're into price/performance more than name appeal, a Squire, a set of Gotoh tuners, and a set of Anderson VA's will put you in Strat heaven. It would have been worth it even paying street prices for the VA's, they transformed an entry level guitar into something a gigging pro will actually use. The VA's are definitely a cut above the typical retail brand aftermarket pickup.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value