Electric Guitar Advice

[neon41]

hey everyone ....I am looking to purchase my first Tom Anderson Electric and only my second electric guitar ever!!! I am primarily an acoustic player but have started to want to play some electric. I was wondering if anybody had some advice on what model and woods that would be a good fit for me. I do most of my playing in church so that would be the type of enviroment I would be playing it.

[andersonguy]

Hi Neon,
Welcome to the board.
What a great position to be in.
Guess I'll chime in first:
Obviously the Crowdster comes to mind, however I would think something wonderfull and full sounding like a Cobra loaded with M's would provide you with a great variety of sounds, of course with the fishman bridge to get you some great acoustic sounds as well.
Whatever model you choose, I know you will be thrilled
at how great your new guitar will feel, play and sound:)

Good luck

AG

[killerburst]

Welcome to the forum! Here's my 2 cents:

Untold millions of dollars are wasted each year by guitar players in search of the "right" guitar for them. Many guitar players will spend years and $$$ buying (and selling) guitars that just aren't quite up to snuff. A fortunate few find their way "here", never to look back. The fact that you have only owned one previous electric guitar puts you way ahead of the pack.

My advice: Pick any used Anderson at random, and it will be the best guitar you've played (barring abuse or neglect). You can't miss. After spending some time with your instrument (and hanging out here) you'll start understanding the relationship between its individual components and the sound of the guitar. Once you get settled in and absorb all that TAG has to offer, you can start to spec the guitar that will suit your needs.

The alternative is to let perfect strangers guess at what would be a good fit for you. Having never met you, and never having seen a guitar played in church, any suggestion on specific features or materials would be a complete shot in the dark (speaking only for myself). An educated guess is still a guess. Nothing beats experience.

[sonsop]

If you're primarily and acoustic picker the natural evolution to an electric would be a Hollow - T. Ash or Alder - I prefer Alder. Oh, so sweet.

If you prefer shorter necks and a big sound then keep it hollow and make it a Cobra. Maple cap / Mahogany back. Oh, so sweet.

Good luck!

[sonsop]

Actually, The New Anderson Model is what you WANT/NEED.

[slowburn]

do you have some insight as to what that new model is? besides what's already been discussed...

[tom]

no more new news. i can say that for me, it does cover all bases really well. i also have come from the cobra camp though. for me at our church, i have to cover lots of ground with one guitar, so you might want to look at something that does a lot, either some with single coils and a humbucker or mini humbuckings. there is wisdom in what killerburst says, in that you do ned to dig in and see what works for you to really know. if you have particular needs, let us know and we'll try to narrow down the search.

[neon41]

well thanks for all your help so far guys.....I definitely want an electric with some flexibility as far as playing goes. I won't be doing any hard hard rockin out but I want it to be able to pack some bunch and a little rythmn if I need it to. Does that help?

[neon41]

Also I really don't have an Anderson dealer in my area to where I can sit down and play one which makes things kinda tricky. I have just heard so many good things about them and I am in the process of getting a Crowdster and have played those so I figured the TA electrics are probably good as well.

[tmihm]

Quite honestly...mine is the only TAG I've ever played...and like the other guys said....I don't see a way you could go wrong with any of the models. My Hollow T is phenomenal....I'd recommend that one highly. Mine has three pups and the Fishman bridge...and the sound CANNOT be beat.

Even through the sucky amp I use at church :)

[Roy (maybe)]

Hello Neon 41,

To determine the best Anderson for you we need to ask you a few questions.

1. When you say you are an acoustic player what does that mean? Does it mean that you are primarily playing rhythm now and take very few leads?

2. When you play lead, if you do (and if you don’t that is cool too), do you want thick, singing single note stuff or a clean and more undistorted?

3. Do you want to get that giant strumming thing going on an electric guitar or do you still want some of that high-end chime sneaking through on the top end as well?

4. Do you want to be able to get thick, slightly crushing and overdriven rhythm or primarily clean?

5. Have you played traditional single coil electric guitars before and are their tones thick enough for what you are after?

6. In what sonic directions would you like to be to grow as a player?

Happy Playing and Figuring Out Your New Anderson,
Roy (maybe)

[Roy (maybe)]

Hello Neon 41,

One more question:

1. What type of acoustic guitar are you playing now or has the Crowdster taken over for your live application?

2. How do you enjoy the neck size on it?

Happy Playing and Figuring Out Your New Anderson,
Roy (maybe)

[Roy (maybe)]

Say, that was two questions, wasn’t it?

Happy Playing and Figuring Out Your New Anderson,
Roy (maybe)

[jimmieb]

Hi Neon,

Welcome! It's great to have a simple direct question that provokes such interesting replies. My 2cents? Listen to Roy and Tom and really think hard over the questions. They are really great and I can see where Roy going with them. They are both very sharp I can assure you they really want you to find the guitar that is 'you' and will work hard with you to that end.
For me I am taking a long time on my jouney for the guitar that is me. Meaning I'm still looking. Often my search was thwarted by my own fault. Many times I didn't settle with learning a certain guitars vibe and really study it. I would judge the tone to quickly and throw out all that guitar had to offer because of the things I disliked. Meaning, I would poo poo a strat because the tone was to thin, but not see the great bass they have or how great the neck was or how a single coil pickup can have a great variation in the dynamic. It also takes a long time because it took me a long time to understand how many variation there are to guitar tone, I am now just begining to scratch the surface. So be patient... Answer the questions and work with Roy and other ask lots of questions to many folks. Buy the guitar that comes closest to your ideal then study it like you would the tunes you play on it. Then in a year or so of study you will know what your second Anderson will be.
For me I like to be able to cover lots of ground tonally speaking. So I use the Fender like tone I can get out of a Alder Drop Top. (which by the way goes much further than Fender). I love the Les Paul like tones I get out of a Cobra, which goes also much futher. These catagories are very general but the real fun is finding out all the nuance a single guitar can bring. Of course we haven't even talked about amps or pedals! It's a big world, I love the journey almost as much as the discovery.

Jimmie B

[jimmieb]

Originally posted by Roy (maybe)
Hello Neon 41,

To determine the best Anderson for you we need to ask you a few questions.

1. When you say you are an acoustic player what does that mean? Does it mean that you are primarily playing rhythm now and take very few leads?

2. When you play lead, if you do (and if you don’t that is cool too), do you want thick, singing single note stuff or a clean and more undistorted?

3. Do you want to get that giant strumming thing going on an electric guitar or do you still want some of that high-end chime sneaking through on the top end as well?

4. Do you want to be able to get thick, slightly crushing and overdriven rhythm or primarily clean?

5. Have you played traditional single coil electric guitars before and are their tones thick enough for what you are after?

6. In what sonic directions would you like to be to grow as a player?

Happy Playing and Figuring Out Your New Anderson,
Roy (maybe)

What if your answer to all the questions is yes? Should I wait for the "Beast"? Nice try to find out more about it?

Jimmie B

[dannopelli]

Originally posted by neon41
Also I really don't have an Anderson dealer in my area to where I can sit down and play one which makes things kinda tricky. I have just heard so many good things about them and I am in the process of getting a Crowdster and have played those so I figured the TA electrics are probably good as well.

Where in FL are you? I lived in South FL for many years. MAE in Davie was a pretty good shop with a nice collection. I am sure you can't be more than an hour drive to sshop that sells Andys. have you checked out the Dealer Page on the Anderson website?

BTW I have three. Unless I am doing traditional jazz standard stuff I really don't use much of anything else. You will be happy.