| userName | text |
| Dr._Ellwood |
Welcome Tom!! We are honored to have you with us and thank you for your time. Stand by for one second Tom, I have some announcements for the membership that we use during interviews. Stand by everybody ……….. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
I guess we can get rolling now guys, first just a little reminder of how we will proceed to keep this interview moving along with as much efficiency as possible. When you check into the chat, make one post saying “ I have a question for Tom” …I will log your name and make a list based on the order in which you logged in with your “ I have a question for Tom” post. If after your question is answered, you have another question or follow up on your original question I will log that and come back to you. Please remember Tom will be doing allot of typing and trying to go quickly, give him time to respond and this will go very well.
I have some questions from members who cannot be here, so I will ask a few questions for them so we can have the answers as part of our transcript today: I will start with these question….. Ok here comes the first one Tom…. |
| soggybomb |
I have a question |
| Dr._Ellwood |
Tom, how did you start out in music....did you start out by learning guitar? Do you have any formal music training? |
| tom |
played badmitten racket when i was 5. got my first electric when i was 8. took lessons when i was 8 for a couple years and sort of learned to read. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
2. How, when, and in what capacity did you start out in the business side of the music industry? |
| tom |
made a living playing for 4 years or so after high school. did repairs in stores while that was going on. met dave schecter around that time and went to work with him when disco happened. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
3. Do you currently play out or have a band? |
| tom |
no band. i have 3 grown kids and between family and work i don't have lots of free time. i play every other weekend at church where we have a smoking band. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
. Many consider your guitars to be as fine as any electric guitar made today. And yet you seem to have keep your company pretty intimate. What is your personal business philosophy? |
| tom |
make sure you love what you do and there will be enough money. i love what i do and realize that i'm not a business man. therefore we need to keep it small and controlable. i would hate to spend my days managing people. there are 16 of us at the shop and we do about 800 guits a year. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
. What's the story on the availability of the coveted Brazilian rosewood these days? |
| tom |
i need to append that last one. there's nothing wrong with managing people, it's just not my gift. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
STAND BY....Craig.. |
| tom |
as far as i can see there is no legal brazilian coming into the country. it is still being sold, but not legally. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
What's new at Anderson Guitar? |
| tom |
we've been delivering the carve tops for a couple months, and are working on a bunch of new pickups, both for the ct's and other stuff. sometimes you stumble on a new concept and your mind goes wild with how you can apply it. pretty fun. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
What kinds of CNC milling machines are you using and what design database are you using Tom? |
| Dr._Ellwood |
STAND BY SOGGY..... |
| mdrs |
I have a question |
| Dr._Ellwood |
MDRS your on the list.. |
| tom |
we have the first fadal vertical mill that was sold to a woodwroker. we got it in 1988. we've been visitied by many guit co's checking it out. i started with mastercam when it was dos, and still use a fairly old version of it. i also mess with rhino for surfacing, but still have lots to learn in it. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
GO SOGGY!!!! |
| soggybomb |
What originally inspired you to build guitars? Did you see a niche that needed to be filled, or compensate for a lack of quality in the guitar industry, or some other reason? |
| tom |
it's more like a hobby gone wild. i wanted what i couldn't buy, so i made it. still the same today. i'm always making myself a new guitar. when i started there was not the mass of small builders you see today, it was pretty much fender and gibson. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
ONE FOLLOW UP SOGGY..STAND BY |
| Dr._Ellwood |
GO SOGGY: IF U HAVE ONE |
| soggybomb |
what do you see the future of the guitar industy as being? |
| Craig |
I have a question. |
| ChatBot |
/login Big_Burly |
| Dr._Ellwood |
STAND BY I WILL REPOST THE QUESTION ASKING PROCEDURE FOR CHECK INS: |
| Dr._Ellwood |
When you check into the chat, make one post saying “ I have a question for Tom” …I will log your name and make a list based on the order in which you logged in with your “ I have a question for Tom” post. If after your question is answered, you have another question or follow up on your original question I will log that and come back to you. Please remember Tom will be doing allot of typing and trying to go quickly, give him time to respond and this will go very well. |
| tom |
the future? that's tough. we seem to be burying the world in guitars made in the latest cheap labor country. the cheap ones keep getting better, which is great for the beginner. since the cosmetics are getting so good on the cheap ones i think it's harder for the newcomer to know what to buy. we're small enough that i can't really think too hard about where the others are going, we just try to make better guitars today than we made yesterday. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
ok go MDRS .. BIG BURLEY I HAVE U LOGGED IN STAND BY |
| mdrs |
Tom, what did you do for Dave Schecter? Is that when you started making pick ups? |
| Dr._Ellwood |
CRAIG - STAND BY |
| ChatBot |
/login elvin |
| Dr._Ellwood |
ELVIN U ARE LOGGED IN - STAND BY |
| tom |
that was 1977, dave a couple others started a parts company wanting to sell bodies, necks and other hot rod parts for fenders. dave was making pickups himself and together we set up the wood and metal shops. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
ANY FOLLOW UP MDRS?: |
| mdrs |
Do you make all of your own PU's at Anderson? |
| tom |
yes. we make all the wood, all the pickups(except the piezo in the crowdster), most of the plastic parts. we buy most of the meatl parts or have them made elsewhere. having had the metal shop at schecter, i didn't really want to go there. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
CRAIG--- GO! |
| Craig |
What was the first instrument you built? |
| mdrs |
I have another question |
| Dr._Ellwood |
LET ME BREAK FOR A MONMENT AND CHECK BIG BURLY AND ELVIN ..TO SEE IF THEY HAVE QUESTIONS: IF NO WE WILL CONTINUE |
| Dr._Ellwood |
OH GO MDRS |
| soggybomb |
i have a 2nd question |
| Dr._Ellwood |
SOGGY LOGGWS |
| tom |
i had a fender jag, so i stole the neck and made a body out of a three ton piece of oak, it's all i could find big enough. it had a p90 in the neck position and two jag pickups turned into a humbucker in the bridge. it was awefull and got sacrificed in the fireplace that christmas. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
ELVIN OR BIG BURLEY ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME?????? |
| elvin |
no |
| Big_Burly |
What guitars have been your biggest inspiration, besides what you have made yourself? |
| mdrs |
I'm ready when you are, Lee |
| Dr._Ellwood |
OK STAND BY MDRS AFTER BIG BURLEY |
| tom |
i grew up playing les pauls and an old tele, and liked things about both. i have an acoustic by jim olson, and it inspires me every time i pick it up. it just breathes beautiful tones. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
SOGGY YOUR ADDITIONAL QUESTION FOR TOM: |
| soggybomb |
i think doc is first |
| Dr._Ellwood |
GO MDRS FOR YOUR ADDITIONAL QUESTION FOR TOM: |
| mdrs |
I really like your two bolt neck to body joint design. Did you come up with that? And, I notice that other companies are "borrowing" your idea?? |
| ChatBot |
/logout elvin |
| ChatBot |
/login elvin |
| ChatBot |
/login Zephyr |
| tom |
it percolated in my head for several years. i wanted a joint that would not move when it was not supposed to move, but still had to be removable. the tapered wedge seemed to solve that. it was a bit tough to get it dialed in because it's very important that all three surfaces have good contact for it to work. breedlove came to us and wanted to licence it, but that sounded like a lot of book keeping and i didn't want to be responsible for how anyone else executed it so i just said go for it. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
OK NOW SOGGY: |
| soggybomb |
what kinds of amps do you use to test your guitars? what kinds of playing styles are represented amongst test players/employees? |
| Dr._Ellwood |
ZEPHER I HAVE U LOGGED - STAND BY |
| Dr._Ellwood |
ELVIN IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR TOM YOU CAN BE NEXT...THEN ZEPHER RIGHT AFTER.... |
| tom |
i've got a bunch or amps now. i'll just list in no particular order. 56 bassman,65 vibroverb,/13 jrt 9/15, fulton webb 17 watter, egnater mod 50, samamp vac25, bogner duende. had a dumble but sold it a few years ago. between me and the guys we probably cover most musical tastes. most are lod enough to have grown up with classic rock so it's common to hear all the guys everyone names. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
ELVIN DO U HAVE A QUESTION FOR TOM??? |
| soggybomb |
follow up? |
| Dr._Ellwood |
STAND BY SOGGY.. ONE SECOND |
| Dr._Ellwood |
NO RESPONCE FROM ELVIN: ... SOGGY FOLLOW UP NOW... |
| soggybomb |
have you ever contemplated building boutique amps to compliment your guitars, much like guitar builder John Suhr? |
| mdrs |
question for tom |
| Dr._Ellwood |
MDRS LOGGED: |
| tom |
no, i don't know about amps. guitars keep me busy and i kind of like not knowing the tech side of them so i can just enjoy and appreciate what comes out of them. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
MDRS YOUR QUESTION FOR TOM PLEASE: |
| mdrs |
Tom, do you do the final set ups on ALL of your guitars yourself? And, would you mind if I borrowed your '56 Bassman? 8o |
| soggybomb |
thanks |
| soggybomb |
bye guys |
| soggybomb |
appreciate it |
| Dr._Ellwood |
THANKS SOGGY GOOD QUESTIONS!! |
| Dr._Ellwood |
MDRS: QUESTION |
| Greg_B. |
You don't have one of those, Don??!!?!? :D |
| ChatBot |
/logout Rampdog Timeout |
| ChatBot |
/login Rampdog |
| tom |
the guys that assemble the guitars do a full setup then the guitars sit over the weekend. then the following week they go back and retweek whet they built the week before. than i get to play them all. |
| mdrs |
Tom, do you do the final set ups on ALL of your guitars yourself? And, would you mind if I borrowed your '56 Bassman? 8o |
| mdrs |
And, the bassman??? LOL |
| tom |
what would you want with that old thing? |
| mdrs |
That's one Fender combo I don't have....... |
| mdrs |
Old is good!! |
| tom |
it's cool, but several years ago the speakers were done and tearing so i had them reconed by the guy who does it right. never been the same. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
PLEASE STAND BY GUYS AND LET ME CHECK NEW CHECKINS FOR QUESTIONS: IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR TOM PLEASE SAY SO NOW! |
| Greg_B. |
I have a question |
| mdrs |
I have a question |
| Dr._Ellwood |
GREG ...GO... |
| Dr._Ellwood |
MDRS LOGGED: |
| Zephyr |
I have a question |
| Dr._Ellwood |
ZEPHER LOGGED ..STAND BY THANKS... |
| Greg_B. |
From a players & builders stand point, what do you feel is the most important thing in a guitar? |
| tom |
another comment about setups. the guys do such a great job that i seldom have to mess with them much. they just play through pignoses, so i do the final sound checking too. pu height and such. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
ZEPHER FOR YOUR FIRST QUESTION TODAY.... THEN FOLLOWED BY MDRS FOLLOW UP: |
| Dr._Ellwood |
GO ZEPHER PLEASE NOW |
| Zephyr |
What would be a good match for a neck backing for an ebony fretboard? |
| tom |
most important? everything. it all works together. for me personally, feel is as important as sound, maybe more. if a guitar doesn't feel good, i don't care how great it sounds, i won't play it. but it all has to work together. we do lots of advising on the phone. lots of people have wanted to put their favorite part of lots of different guitars together to make one totally awesome perfect guitar. in many cases that makes a guitar that does nothing well. i can't say it enough, the parts all have to work together. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
YOU HAVE ON FOLLOW UP ZEPHER ...DO U NEED IT?? |
| Zephyr |
Sorry, i should have specified, I meant in terms of wood type |
| tom |
i'm the wrong guy to ask about ebony. we don't offer it at all. for me on the guitars i build, it has a hardness and brittleness that i can't get rid of. |
| Zephyr |
thanks |
| Dr._Ellwood |
DONE ZEP |
| Dr._Ellwood |
THANKS.. OK MDRS ...YOUR FOLLOW UP QUESTION FOR TOM |
| mdrs |
So, with all the guitar makers out there, how is it that you make the best necks and frets in the industry?? I've played many, and you're feel the best. Also, why Elixir strings? |
| mdrs |
should read "yours" |
| ChatBot |
/logout Big_Burly |
| ChatBot |
/login Big_Burly |
| tom |
well maybe we're the best for you. fortunately or unfortunately, we're not all the same and what's the greatest for me may not be the greatest fo someone else. the magic happens when we find what suits us. then the mechanics fall away and music gets made. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
STAND BY..... ANY MORE QUESTIONS FOR TOM ???? |
| mdrs |
Yes |
| Dr._Ellwood |
GO MDRS: |
| Zephyr |
i got one last question |
| Dr._Ellwood |
LOGGED ZEP..STAND BY |
| mdrs |
Do you only use stainless steel frets, and how about Elixir strings? |
| tom |
elixer's sound great, but what i love most is how they sound the same for a very long time. i'm not super fond of normal strings that first 20 minutes, but then they only stay that broken in way for a very short time and then sound terrible, like rubber bands. elixirs stay consistant for me. only stainless frets for me. they feel like they're buttered, last seemingly forever, never get green and sticky, and what's not to like? |
| Dr._Ellwood |
GO ZEPHER .... NOW.. |
| Zephyr |
Do you feel that capacitors in the guitar can make a big tonal difference? |
| tom |
cap value certainly makes a big dif in how the control functions. we use a smaller value than most, .01 mf, because it leaves in more middle. i can't even remember what type we use only that it's one of the higher end ones that do not change value when handled. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
DOC, I WILL LET YOU TIE THE RIBBONS ON THIS INTERVIEW WITH TOM AND TOM GREAT JOB!!!! WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR DOING THIS AND HOPE WE CAN GET YOU BACK AT SOME FUTURE DATE: WE WILL OPEN THIS UP TO NORMAL CHAT WITH TOM WITHOUT MODERATOR DIRECTION AFTER MDRS AND TOM MAKE CLOSING STATEMENTS: .. |
| Greg_B. |
Before this party breaks up, I'd like to thank you for your time, Tom. Have a good evening. |
| mdrs |
Tom, I'd like to thank you for spending some time with us. Visit us often. And, can we visit you when we're in LA??? |
| ChatBot |
/login Millo |
| Millo |
yo |
| Dr._Ellwood |
STAND BY MILLO ..TOM IS STILL HERE... |
| mdrs |
Hi MIllo. We're just wrapping up |
| tom |
closing statement? wow. this has been fun. i do check in here from time to time and am on our forum daily. we love talking guitar, and you're welcome to visit anytime. it's nice to know someones coming so we can make sure we make time for you. we're about an hout north of la proper. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
STAND BY TOM FOR ONE MORE POSSIABLY ... |
| Big_Burly |
Thanks so much for giving us your time. |
| ChatBot |
/logout Big_Burly |
| Dr._Ellwood |
MILLO DID U HAVE A QUESTION FOR TOM? |
| mdrs |
O.K., Tom. One of these days, I hope to have a chance to visit, and properly meet you. I've posted links to the Anderson forum, and will continue to invite our members to visit you there too. |
| Millo |
Yes, do you feel stainless steel frets give out different timbres than regular nickel/copper? |
| Dr._Ellwood |
AND THERE WILL BE A FULL TRANSCRIPTION LINK YOUR GUYS CAN READ IF THEY LIKE; |
| tom |
it's a good group of guys over there, and they are very civilized. |
| mdrs |
I'll attest to that. Our forum and yours have the same approach. |
| mdrs |
good guys only. No bad actors allowed. |
| mdrs |
Life is too short........ |
| Dr._Ellwood |
THEY SURE ARE TOM! IM SORRY TOM DID YOU SEE MILLOS QUESTION ...LAST ONE |
| tom |
the simple answer is maybe. we've refretted many guitars with stainless, and if there's a difference, i'd say the top end is sweeter. but i would challenge anyone to a blind listening test. |
| Millo |
cool thanks! |
| Millo |
sorry to arrive late, got tied up in other things, ekpt think 5 pm, CENTRAL TIME not EST!!! |
| Dr._Ellwood |
OK GUYS ....OPEN FORUM WITH TOM NOW FOR AS LONG AS HE CAN STAY ON ...THANKS TOM!!! |
| mdrs |
Once again, thank you so much Tom. Feel free to hang, if you wish. |
| Craig |
Thanks again Tom. As Lee said, I will leave this chat room open for open chat at this point. |
| Millo |
Tom, have you heard anyone commenting on your pickups as replacements on LP's and PRS? |
| Dr._Ellwood |
Tom have you ever seen CATIA design database work or be used? CATIA V5 |
| tom |
pickups seem to be the flavor of the day thing so i try not to get to caught up in it. i've heard from many that liked out pickups in those guitars. is there a particular application? |
| tom |
have not seen catia. i'm using mc ver 6 which is ancient, but does all i need. |
| Millo |
I guess you could call it the "anything" application... deifnitely sometimes extended chords w/ alterations while overdriven. |
| Millo |
Basically humbuckers that can "split well"... |
| Millo |
On guitar design, do you guys ever go crazy measuring vibrations through the guitar's body, what "frequencies" they are tuned to? Necks? |
| tom |
i will say we split better than anybody, can i say that? people say they think our humbucker have great definition, and i'd agree with that. because our construction is unusual, they do split wonderfully. especially the mid to hotter ones. |
| Millo |
re: pickups... very cool ! |
| Millo |
do you use Alnico 5 for all? Alnico 2? ...anything else? |
| mdrs |
I'll support what Tom says. The bridge buckers in my HDT and in my Atom CT both rip with the best of them. But, the articulation of each note you are playing is outstanding. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
I have a aluminum body Start Tom, and it is a amazing sounding guitar, have you ever experimented with non wood body materials? |
| tom |
we're a listening bunch. i know test equipment could help us "know" what we're hearing, but we'd still have to decide whether we liked it or not. if i had endless time and money i'd buy some cool test equipment, but you can also learn a lot buy doing and playing. i've played over 13,000 qanderson guitars now, and you get to understand quite a bit with that much practice. |
| Millo |
Re: that much practice... you bet! cool! |
| tom |
we use alnico 2, 5 ceramic 5 and neodymium. played with synth fingerboards along time ago but have stayed with wood sonce. ther's tons of cool stuff out there, you just have to be willing to spend the time to fully investigate what it will do. |
| Millo |
What magnet goes in the HC1 A's? |
| mdrs |
Very nice!! |
| tom |
gotta be careful about liking things because they're made with the "right" materials. again, everything matters. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
oh i was going to ask but forgot. do you have any famous artist signature models?? |
| Millo |
I'll take your advice to heart |
| tom |
we don't do signature models. most artists just end up ordering something we already do. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
Ahhh ok, thanks I didn't know if you got into that... |
| mdrs |
Also, Tom does make many "made to order" axes. So, you can call him, and he'll make what you want, pretty much. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
will you take a CAD design from me for hte body shape and contours and mill the body from my design |
| Millo |
When did you start making chambered bodies? What drew you to it? |
| tom |
i feel like artists need to be able to play whatever they want to play at any given time. most do even when they're endorsing some particular product. seems like cheating. we just hope that they'll like us enough to keep using they're guitar. |
| Dr._Ellwood |
I would give you the cutter path too |
| mdrs |
Dr. Ellwood doesn't have an Anderson dealer nearby. So, he's gonna visit me, and I'll take him to meet Jack Gretz, right Lee??? |
| Dr._Ellwood |
in IGES for your controllers |
| mdrs |
:) |
| Dr._Ellwood |
right |
| tom |
no we wouldn't do a one off shape. we have to be really mindful of our time to get as much done as we do, and one offs are very time and thought consumming |
| Dr._Ellwood |
oh ok I can understand that for sure Tom! |
| tom |
made my first chambered guitar in '84. weight was the first consideration then discovered what it did for tone. |
| mdrs |
Were others doing chambered bodies back then? |
| tom |
just the thinline fenders that i know of. |
| Millo |
Cool! What do you think are the tonal characteristics gained from those designs on your particular models/designs? |
| Millo |
I meant: "What do you think are the tonal characteristics gained from chambering on your particular models/designs?" doh! |
| tom |
this is for our guitars, i can't speak for others. in a hollow guitar, the middle is scooped a bit and you get more harmonic content. most people would pick a hollow guitar if they were playing by themself in their room. they're pretty sounding. solid guitars have a more focussed middle and a harder attack, making them cut through a band better. |
| mdrs |
Tom, did you ever entertain making acoustics? |
| Millo |
"harder attack"?... as in more immediate response? |
| ChatBot |
/login Caevan_O'Shite |
| tom |
not really, it's another one of those places where i just want to enjoy them and not think about why. |
| tom |
yes, more immediate, with more fundamental tone, less harmonic stuff around the note. some would say the hollow ones have a slightly compressed attack. |
| Caevan_O'Shite |
Hey, better late than never- I hope! Anyone ask Mr. Anderson about the stellar fretwork on their guitars? |
| Millo |
sorry if you've answered this question before: what guitars did you enjoy playing the most before you started making yours? Do you have a personal favorite from your models? ...You know, the whole "taste" thing, "bonding" w/ an instrument? |
| tom |
fretwork has always been one of the things i obsess about. it's a procees that has evolved over the years. |
| tom |
i played les pauls most buy everyone said i sounded best playing my tele. |
| tom |
i've been playing our carve top for the past few months in several different versions and it's pretty darn fun. |
| Millo |
Isn't that a funny thing? How sometimes other people think we sound best w/ guitars that are not our faves? |
| Millo |
Re: your carve top. Judging by Don's reviews of the Atom CT it seems it'd be an axe I'd enjoy. |
| mdrs |
Do you still have that "old" tele? What year was it? |
| Dr._Ellwood |
Well I can see I'm going to have to pick up a Anderson pretty soon |
| tom |
the paul was easier to play and get big sounds out of. that was before high gain amps and my only effect was the cable that connected me to the amp. the tele was a lot more work to play. |
| Caevan_O'Shite |
Oh, you ARE still there! (See my dial-up remorse above.)
I've loved the feel of the fretwork on the handful of your guitars that I've encountered; particularly the renowned rounded "hot dog ends" of the frets along the edges of the fretboard, next best thing to (and maybe even better than) well executed binding there...
What can you say about the way that is achieved? |
| mdrs |
And, I will say that the CT feels pretty much the same as playing a Les Paul. The tone on mine is like a slightly cleaner, clearer LP |
| tom |
the tele was a '50 nocaster, and it's long gone. |
| tom |
fret ends? |
| Caevan_O'Shite |
Yhup- fret-ends, nice ones! Smooooth feeling... |
| tom |
after leveling and crowning, we razor blade the round over into the wood. then do the hot dog treatment using a crowning file and triangle file. |
| Caevan_O'Shite |
Not to mention the smooooth, polished, even slick feeling fret-crowns; niiiiiiice! B) |
| tom |
that's it, i'm outta here. seriously, my grandson just got carried in the front door and as much as i like you guys, he rules. |
