Hatsubai « Anderson's take on the strat »
Published on 05/14/11 at 16:36Tom Anderson is mostly known for his superstrat guitars such as the Pro Am, Drop Tops, etc. However, this guitar takes a bit of a departure and delivers a more classic sounding guitar. These guitars are semi-custom, so there are tons of different options you can choose from. Check out Tom's website to see what he offers.
UTILIZATION
Tom Anderson guitars are absolutely glorious to play. The fretwork on these things is just impeccable. The necks come with tons of options that all feel wonderful, too. Tom Anderson is using a unique 2 bolt wedge joint that actually is more stable than nearly any other neck joint out there on the market. The wedge that he makes means it doesn't shift like most other necks do. The coolest feature is actually the Switcheroo system which really opens up tons of possibilities in terms of tone.
SOUNDS
While the guitar can sound different depending on how you order it, I find these to be a bit of a more "hifi" kind of strat than most other strats out there. They're extremely clear sounding, and you can really hear every note. However, these don't sound quite the same as a normal Fender Stratocaster, which can be a good or bad thing, depending. The pickguard also adds some cool overtones to it that you don't get with normal solid body guitars due to its chambering and the way the pickups receive the vibrations.
OVERALL OPINION
While I'm not as thrilled about this guitar as the other models that Tom Anderson offers, it's still one hell of a guitar. They're put together extremely well, and they all sound great. These tend to be a bit easier on the used market than the other superstrat models that Tom Anderson offers, and I think that's because they're a little cheaper to begin with. If you're looking for a custom strat style guitar, check out one of these.
UTILIZATION
Tom Anderson guitars are absolutely glorious to play. The fretwork on these things is just impeccable. The necks come with tons of options that all feel wonderful, too. Tom Anderson is using a unique 2 bolt wedge joint that actually is more stable than nearly any other neck joint out there on the market. The wedge that he makes means it doesn't shift like most other necks do. The coolest feature is actually the Switcheroo system which really opens up tons of possibilities in terms of tone.
SOUNDS
While the guitar can sound different depending on how you order it, I find these to be a bit of a more "hifi" kind of strat than most other strats out there. They're extremely clear sounding, and you can really hear every note. However, these don't sound quite the same as a normal Fender Stratocaster, which can be a good or bad thing, depending. The pickguard also adds some cool overtones to it that you don't get with normal solid body guitars due to its chambering and the way the pickups receive the vibrations.
OVERALL OPINION
While I'm not as thrilled about this guitar as the other models that Tom Anderson offers, it's still one hell of a guitar. They're put together extremely well, and they all sound great. These tend to be a bit easier on the used market than the other superstrat models that Tom Anderson offers, and I think that's because they're a little cheaper to begin with. If you're looking for a custom strat style guitar, check out one of these.