Tim Pierce's Top 5 Guitars by Tom Anderson
In this video, legendary session guitarist Tim Pierce presents 5 of his favorite Tom Anderson guitars!
Anderson's Drop Top in a totally rad, bound, Blue Wipeout finish on a lightweight basswood body.
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Catch a few (sound) waves with this Wipeout Blue Drop-Top from Tom Anderson! Just as the finish transitions from sunlight surf to pelagic blue, this guitar gives you high-end sparkle, midrange punch, and low-end girth thanks to the HSH pickup configuration on basswood body. The HC1 neck pickup is sweet and clear, while the HC3 bridge pickup gives you hot output with a vintage flavor. Nestled between these is an SC2 hum-canceling single coil for hot and spanky tones. This overall setup gives you a sound that’s perfect for high-gain shredding as well as clean picking. And what better to give you ease of play than a Rosewood board on a Caramel Maple neck? Cowabunga!
Before the introduction of the magnificent Drop Top in 1990, the number of "S" style guitars that had a maple top that was “dropped” to create a comfortable forearm contour were exactly zero.
As a result of this design, we've chosen a body top thickness of 3/16 of an inch, which actually enhances and enrichens the sonic character of the instrument. The result is a guitar that not only plays effortlessly, is extremely comfortable, and sounds amazing but is so darn good looking that if you don't dress well it just may upstage you.
Today, along with your choice of flame or quilted maple, walnut or koa top, Drop Top now offers four choices of body backing tone wood to bring the sonic character you desire from your "S" to bear on the bandstand:
Alder back: our most popular backing wood, its lower-mid fullness and upper-mid bump give a familiar “S” timbre that supports the lower-end
fullness of single coil pickups and humbuckers alike while its upper-mid penetration makes sure other instruments are unable to step into your spot on stage.
Mahogany back: focused and aggressive mids bring humbuckers roaring to life and offer an overall powerful experience-, a very popular choice.
Swamp Ash back: Deep low-lows and softly sparkling highs with an open, scooped middle make for a breathtakingly musical presentation of subtle nuances. And the added bonus is that the maple top actually presents this quintessential Swamp Ash tone.
Basswood back: You can never go wrong with this wood if it is done the way it should be done, and believe me, we do it the way it should be done. The sound of an 80's vibe humbucker is defined by this body wood, soft (not hard), full flowing focused mids make everything this wood touches bloom with rich, lush, even-balanced midrange tonality.
As we have said for over 28 years (and that's longer than Leo Fender was at Fender), “We are a small American Company dedicated to creating the world's finest feeling, playing and sounding electric guitar—period!”
Also, we love it when our guitars look good—
and they certainly do that—but, without sacrificing any playability or sonic depth. That's one of the keys: no frills or trendy gismos before tone and flawless function.
Everything has to flow with excellence and grace—all working in “concert” for the whole, bringing forth the best playing experience imaginable.
With great honor and reverence to traditions of the past, we want your new Anderson Guitar to be your best guitar, by far—no comparison.
How it's done:
We can maximize all of these desirable attributes by not making giant hordes of guitars but by making a smaller number and taking the time to do it all just right.
Each and every guitar is a special individual to us because we are making each and every guitar for a very special individual—you.
With this process, all details of every guitar gets the attention it, and you, deserve—from start to finish—no exceptions—whether you're Keith Richards or you're not Keith Richards—it's all good.
Everyone is equally important.
Isn't that the way it should be?
Just a few of the many Anderson assets include:
Necks: carved to your specifications (one of our 14+ available neck shapes) and then allowed to acclimate to the environment in their new form for a month (at least, no rushing here either) before the precision fingerboard radius is finalized and your choice of Anderson stainless steel frets installed.
The result is a neck of unparalleled stability and playability.
Stainless Steel frets:
Each body and neck are specifically made for one another and then precisely “fit” together.
A–Wedgie neck joint is vastly superior, sonically as well as structurally.
(You will have to smash the body to bits to move this neck out of position—certainly not recommended—although we did have one whose girlfriend tried this out in the streets of New York. Even though the body was in two pieces, the neck and body were still in perfect alignment. Really makes you love getting A–Wedgie—the Anderson kind, of course. And because A–Wedgie is a revolutionary bolt–on design, parts could be replaced and the guitar ended up as good as new.)
Finishes:
Paint is meticulously applied—a proprietary ultraviolet light process that always yields an ultra thin and breathable finish so the instrument's resonance is never impaired but always imparted.
Hardware is hand selected and many parts are Anderson–modified and assembled to insure superior function in every way. There are no compromises here either. Want some for instances:
Our vintage tremolo bridge is assembled in-house from four different, specially selected components for superior function, tone and feel.All Bigsby bridges are modified and play wonderfully in tune. You can jump on this like a diving board.Each and every Floyd Rose bridge is individually radius-calibrated to perfectly match neck radius.Tuner buttons are specifically selected to give a vintage look while underneath is a high level tuning machine.
Anderson Advantage: Twin Rear Strap Buttons ensure your guitar will not topple over during a quick break in your playing action, while equally comfortable to strap on with greater adjustment.
The process is such a fun one here at Anderson Guitarworks:
We spend countless hours listening, testing, and playing our instruments and our pickups (we really do this, and we like it…a lot).
The process begins with the creation of the most precise and comfortable bodies and necks possible. We accomplish this by choosing only the finest and most beautiful woods from select lumber mills. Our design and manufacturing process utilizes the best of both old and new world craftsmanship. Ground breaking computer-aided technology is used to achieve the most exacting tolerances found in the guitar industry, while the fine-detail woodwork and beautiful finish-sanding are done by the hands of a master.
Model: Drop Top
Weight: 6.95 lbs
Serial Number: 04-21-19P
Body Wood: Basswood
Top Wood: Flame Maple
Finishing Options:
Body Finish: Blue Wipeout with Binding
Neck Wood: Caramel Maple
Fretboard Wood: Rosewood
Scale Length: 25 1/2"
Headstock Finish: Satin Natural
Neck Back Finish: Satin Natural
Neck Back Shape: Even-Taper
Nut Width: 1 11/16"
Frets: 22
Fret Wire: Low-Rise
Bridge: Vintage Tremolo
Tuners: Locking Tuners
Hardware Color: Chrome
Neck Pickup: HC1
Middle Pickup: SC2
Bridge Pickup: HC3
Pickguard: NA
Switching: 5-way Blade: 3 = M, N+B with Splitter Switching
Switch Tip: White
String Gauge: .010 - .046 Elixir Strings
Case: Hardshell
In this video, legendary session guitarist Tim Pierce presents 5 of his favorite Tom Anderson guitars!