michaelomiya
12-02-2003, 09:30 PM
OK, I'm going nuts because as the second Andy-Homer behind Brian Harris, and the second Andy-Stooge after John Ou, a forum like this is so cathartic.
Do the rest of you consider Andersons as more than just an instrument? I'm telling you, its Gestalt (method of awareness, in which perceiving, feeling, and acting are distinguished from interpreting and reshuffling preexisting attitudes. Explanations and interpretations are considered less reliable than what is directly perceived and felt)!
Here's how I feel (WARNING: long passage ahead!) in a letter that was remitted to TAG last year:
March 20, 2003
Dear Tom:
I wanted to take the time to pay tribute to all at Tom Anderson Guitarworks, express my appreciation and gratitude for your fine instruments, and recognize the Tom Anderson shop for the joy that you bring to so many people.
I function in a managerial capacity for a Fortune 10 company. While there is much of the same objectiveness, camaraderie, and value-added emphasis placed on what we do, there is a palpable difference in the product, the end-user, and the perceived and actual long-term benefits from such products.
At Tom Anderson Guitarworks (“TAG”), you generate instruments utilized in public performance and professional recording sessions, as well as guitars that provide personal enjoyment for many others. The emphasis here is that it’s from your instruments that hours of music are produced, which in turn will fulfill, entertain, and heal hundreds of thousands of people. Quite a different objective than estimating earnings, analyzing deal structures and anticipated returns on investment, and managing infrastructure resources for a Fortune 10 company.
What single quality differentiates TAG from the competition? Is it your attention to detail, quality of construction, and consistency-of-build quality? Yes. Is it the harmonically-rich and full-bodied tones that are coaxed so effortlessly from these effluent instruments? Yes. Is it the results of scientific R&D conducted to comprehend and utilize the tonal differences in woods and the various combinations thereof? Yes. Is it the marriage of modern day tools, materials and manufacturing techniques, and that of old world artistry and design? Yes.
Given all of these fantastic attributes, and all of the time and labor that goes into these fantastic instruments, the most significant quality (to this player) is TAG’s ability to communicate with its clients, customers and dealers.
Guitars and music are supposed to represent a celebration of life and the things that make our lives fuller. Metaphorically speaking, ordering a guitar should also be a “celebration”. With TAG, celebrating is not the exception, it’s the rule.
From the time I pick up the phone to place a custom order, to the date that I take delivery of my “Andy”, I experience nothing but fun. It’s fun to talk w/ Brian Harris to decide whether it’s a classic, a Cobra, or a T classic, and how they differ from a sonic and playing perspective. It’s always fun to talk w/ Rachel and Roy about everything from kids to the Beatles to world politics. It’s fun (at least for me) during the course of my order to change almost all the features of the guitar, not once, but 2 –3 times! It’s fun to talk to Jessie about his experiences with “famous” musicians.
What other music company would bother to cater to the needs of the non-professional, or non-sponsored musicians? Yet, without exception, every time I call the shop, I’m treated like ______(fill-in w/ name of a famous guitar player). It’s TAG’s ability to distill all of the hype, the marketing, and the music business, down to its base component – the customer – that keeps people like me coming back for more.
I know that Roy endeavors long and hard to ensure that TAG’s dealers also exude this positive vibe. And he’s also selective in his dealers because they’re representing the product to the general population, an extension of the company, if you will. It is apparent that a lot of time went into sourcing quality and knowledgeable dealers to appropriately and accurately market these fine guitars – yet another reason to continue to purchase and play Andy’s!
Once one appreciates the people, the time, and the effort that it takes to create these masterful instruments, playing an Anderson becomes that much more pleasurable. Music is a coping mechanism for many. It represents the one safe haven that one retreats to when life, work, and the world gets too stressful. And when music is made with an instrument that is characterized by all of the care and diligence that is Tom Anderson Guitarworks, life doesn’t get much better.
There is a reason that so many professionals, both inside and outside of the music business, select Anderson guitars as their axe of choice. I believe that is a testament and a tribute to your efforts.
Thank you again for all your hard work.
Warm Regards,
Michael Omiya
Do the rest of you consider Andersons as more than just an instrument? I'm telling you, its Gestalt (method of awareness, in which perceiving, feeling, and acting are distinguished from interpreting and reshuffling preexisting attitudes. Explanations and interpretations are considered less reliable than what is directly perceived and felt)!
Here's how I feel (WARNING: long passage ahead!) in a letter that was remitted to TAG last year:
March 20, 2003
Dear Tom:
I wanted to take the time to pay tribute to all at Tom Anderson Guitarworks, express my appreciation and gratitude for your fine instruments, and recognize the Tom Anderson shop for the joy that you bring to so many people.
I function in a managerial capacity for a Fortune 10 company. While there is much of the same objectiveness, camaraderie, and value-added emphasis placed on what we do, there is a palpable difference in the product, the end-user, and the perceived and actual long-term benefits from such products.
At Tom Anderson Guitarworks (“TAG”), you generate instruments utilized in public performance and professional recording sessions, as well as guitars that provide personal enjoyment for many others. The emphasis here is that it’s from your instruments that hours of music are produced, which in turn will fulfill, entertain, and heal hundreds of thousands of people. Quite a different objective than estimating earnings, analyzing deal structures and anticipated returns on investment, and managing infrastructure resources for a Fortune 10 company.
What single quality differentiates TAG from the competition? Is it your attention to detail, quality of construction, and consistency-of-build quality? Yes. Is it the harmonically-rich and full-bodied tones that are coaxed so effortlessly from these effluent instruments? Yes. Is it the results of scientific R&D conducted to comprehend and utilize the tonal differences in woods and the various combinations thereof? Yes. Is it the marriage of modern day tools, materials and manufacturing techniques, and that of old world artistry and design? Yes.
Given all of these fantastic attributes, and all of the time and labor that goes into these fantastic instruments, the most significant quality (to this player) is TAG’s ability to communicate with its clients, customers and dealers.
Guitars and music are supposed to represent a celebration of life and the things that make our lives fuller. Metaphorically speaking, ordering a guitar should also be a “celebration”. With TAG, celebrating is not the exception, it’s the rule.
From the time I pick up the phone to place a custom order, to the date that I take delivery of my “Andy”, I experience nothing but fun. It’s fun to talk w/ Brian Harris to decide whether it’s a classic, a Cobra, or a T classic, and how they differ from a sonic and playing perspective. It’s always fun to talk w/ Rachel and Roy about everything from kids to the Beatles to world politics. It’s fun (at least for me) during the course of my order to change almost all the features of the guitar, not once, but 2 –3 times! It’s fun to talk to Jessie about his experiences with “famous” musicians.
What other music company would bother to cater to the needs of the non-professional, or non-sponsored musicians? Yet, without exception, every time I call the shop, I’m treated like ______(fill-in w/ name of a famous guitar player). It’s TAG’s ability to distill all of the hype, the marketing, and the music business, down to its base component – the customer – that keeps people like me coming back for more.
I know that Roy endeavors long and hard to ensure that TAG’s dealers also exude this positive vibe. And he’s also selective in his dealers because they’re representing the product to the general population, an extension of the company, if you will. It is apparent that a lot of time went into sourcing quality and knowledgeable dealers to appropriately and accurately market these fine guitars – yet another reason to continue to purchase and play Andy’s!
Once one appreciates the people, the time, and the effort that it takes to create these masterful instruments, playing an Anderson becomes that much more pleasurable. Music is a coping mechanism for many. It represents the one safe haven that one retreats to when life, work, and the world gets too stressful. And when music is made with an instrument that is characterized by all of the care and diligence that is Tom Anderson Guitarworks, life doesn’t get much better.
There is a reason that so many professionals, both inside and outside of the music business, select Anderson guitars as their axe of choice. I believe that is a testament and a tribute to your efforts.
Thank you again for all your hard work.
Warm Regards,
Michael Omiya