Opinions on maple/alder HDT

[Bard]

Hello folks,
Guess I should start by briefly introducing myself. I'm a school teacher from Norway, 30 years of age and a hobby guitarist. I currently own a few PRS's and (more importantly around here) a brilliant '97 Anderson Hollow T Classic Contoured. It's just an amazing guitar; light, resonant and with a very lively tone.

Well, to the point: I'm thinking about buying a Hollow Drop Top from the UK. It's new old stock, serial no. 12-13-02N, maple top on hollow alder. Could someone please explain what to expect sonically from this particular combination of woods? I know maple is fairly bright sounding, but will the guitar still sound alder-ish..? :) In general, will alder/maple sound brighter than alder/ash, for instance?

My Hollow T is alder/alder, and to my ears it sounds very well balanced, with all the highs I need. I really love the sound of alder, but this HDT looks absolutely stunning with its maple top in my favourite Anderson stain, and the neck specs are spot on as well. If someone could only please tell me the maple doesn't take away too much warmth, we may have a winner.

Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Bard

[jimmieb]

Bard,

I included this guitars specs from the Andie web site.

Price - $3,330.00

Model - Hollow Drop Top
Body Finish - Deep Tobacco Fade with Binding
Body Wood - Flame Maple on Alder
Neck Wood - Hard Rock Maple, Madagascar Rosewood Fretboard
Neck Finish - Matching Headstock, Satin Back
Nutwidth - 1 5/8 in
Frets - Heavy
Back Shape - .030 inch oversized
Hardware - Chrome
Bridge - Vintage Tremolo
Pickguard -
Pickups - SA1R SA1 H2+
Switching - Switcheroo, Vintage Voicing
Strings - .009-.042 Elixir strings
Comments -

You are definately going to get that Alder-ish tone plus a lot more. If you are happy with your T Classic's overall tone, this guitar is just going to add a lot more tonal combinations to what you already like about the guitar you have now. The maple top is going to add more fundamental to the overall tone. Here's a quote from the Anderson Gallery, "The very foundation of its true nature is established with an alder backed body which never forgets to remind that it pulls heavily from strong traditional roots, adding low-mid thunder" and "Along with its eye-popping quilted maple top, its hollow alder back supports capable, full-bodied lower-mid frequencies and expressive upper-mid clarity that is characteristic of alder. The maple top oversees all and grants a bit of fundamental authority for dynamic projection from stage. Chords are negotiated from behind a maple neck with an East Indian rosewood fingerboard and highlighted by the sleek and fast T/A Standard backshape. It makes you feel as though no complex musical passage is out of your reach." I also believe the alder/ash combo is going to have a brighter overall feel.

Jimmie B

PS Check out the Anderson Web site, there is so much information.

Here's the Anderson take on the Alder/Ash question;

Would you be surprised if we said that this combination sort of produces the sonic characteristics of both Ash and Alder? What it really has is the tighter bottom and fuller low mids of alder without losing some of those beautiful sparkling highs inherent in ash. Of course the weight is very light but the color selection is a bit more limited, than the ash/ash combination, only because the backing wood can look darker than the top wood with lighter transparent shades.

[Bard]

Thank you for your elaborate reply, Jimmie. There sure is a lot to learn from the Anderson Gallery. Alder flavor with a little added fundamental, that sounds really nice!

[jimmieb]

Thank you for your elaborate reply, Jimmie. There sure is a lot to learn from the Anderson Gallery. Alder flavor with a little added fundamental, that sounds really nice!

Hey Bard,

Your welcome! Roy at Anderson deserves the credit. I think Roy writes most of the descriptions of the tonal variations with Anderson guitars, and also the weekly install of "Guitar of the Week". His knowledge and ablity to put that to words is amazing. Plus, he is a very nice guy. He worth getting to know and if you have more questions I'm sure he would be open to fielding them on the phone or on this forum. He and Tom are very acessible here as I'm sure you will see as you hang out with us longer. Hope that guitar is what your looking for and is a great fit for you.

Jimmie B

[Bard]

I've now read all there is about the alder/maple combination from the guitar gallery, and I must say; if Roy was writing about food, he'd make me very hungry! :eek: Now I want them all! He certainly has a way with guitar descriptions; very passionate.

I joined this forum in March, and have been lurking for longer than that, and I have indeed noticed that Tom and others from the factory are regulars here. It's a privelege to be able to "meet yer maker" in such a friendly, informal environment, and really confirms the commitment and customer care I associate TAG with.

I'm very close to pulling the trigger on the HDT, but have decided to take a few days just to let my head cool off a bit. With UK prices it's certainly no bargain, but again, it seems to be quite perfect for me. We'll see...