Tom Anderson Pro AM

The Tom Anderson Pro Am is one of the original super strats to ever be made. These guitars were prevalent during the 80s shred and session guitar era. They're semi-custom guitars that come with tons and tons of options. The one dominant feature about this guitar is that it doesn't have a figured top like the others. It's your choice of alder, mahogany, swamp ash or basswood. To describe all the options would take forever, so it's best to just check Tom's website to see what you can get with this guitar.

UTILIZATION

Along with Suhr and Tyler, Tom Anderson creates some of the finest guitars in the entire world. 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

The Pro Am sounds more like your typical superstrat. While it's a more typical sound today, it wasn't back then. My favorite combination of woods would be either a mahogany body with a maple neck and fretboard or an alder body with a maple neck and fretboard. Basswood works nicely for warmer tones, and it's especially great for leads. Swamp Ash delivers an awesome, huge sounding guitar, but it's not for everyone because of the high end. The best part about these guitars are Tom Anderson's pickups. They're some of the most clear pickups out there, and they split amazingly well.

OVERALL OPINION

While the Pro Am is a bit dated today, it's still one amazing guitar. They're not quite as popular as the Drop Tops that he now offers, but they're still up there in terms of quality and sound. The biggest issue with these guitars is that the resale value is a touch iffy, so if you're looking for one of these, I actually recommend buying used as you'll get the best value for your dollar.