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entraind
06-03-2006, 12:10 PM
Hello everyone,

I just found this place recently and it is great to see all the Anderson fanatics in one place :)

I got my first Anderson, a Classic (4/19/00) in 2000 and it was truly love at first play...I found myself never playing my other guitars (Strat and LP) and wanting to order one exactly to my specs, so I ordered a Classic (5/12/01) and fell further in love. I play a ton and was developing a case of tendonitis in my left wrist. Enter my third Classic (4/15/02) with a -.20 neck and voila, no more tendonitis. That's right, Andersons can heal the sick :) I've always been chiefly a strat guy and after 2000 I never played a note on stage or in the studio on an electric that wasn't on one of my classics. I had a LP and the sustain was fun but it never felt like me....

Enter Atom. When the Atom was unleashed on the world last year I had a feeling that it was going to be a guitar that I would love. My GAS pains told me to order immediately, my prudent side said wait until Gelb gets one in and play it and see what you think. Guess who won :)

So I ordered one sight unseen, got it, sent it back to have the neck made smaller to match 4/15/02's neck and finally 9/17/05 was born. I will do a full review in the Cobra pit but as I told Roy after playing it a few weeks, it's like driving a 50's Mustang your whole life and all of a sudeen finding yourself in a Ferrari. The classics have been cased for the last 7 months and Atom has taken over everything. Simply put, this is an unbelievable guitar!

A final word about dealing with Roy, Tom, Rachael and everyone at TAG. I have *never* dealt with any business ever that has had customer service half as good as these guys. I hesitate to even call it customer service because at this point it's friendship. I'm very picky and high maintenence, installing custom swiching systems, getting reduced sized necks, and these guys have always been incredibly understanding and helpful about everything. There is clearly unparalleled technical knowledge at TAG but there is also a lot of love and spiritual awareness at every step along the way with these guitars and you can feel that when you play them. I think that's what separates TAG's from the other boutique guitars I've played and that has come through in all of my dealings with them--they care...

A final final word about Gelb Music, the shop I bought them from-- awesome folks. Keith at Gelb owns somewhere in the neighborhood of 6-7 Andy's so when you are ordering a TAG there you've got a *very* knowledgeable guy helping you out. But more than that he and all the guys there actually care that you are happy with what you are getting. Music stores with class are so rare as to be non-existent but Gelb fits that bill. OK enough for now, I'll write up some specific musical stuff about the Atom in the Cobra Pit in a day or two.

Peace,
Peter

dannopelli
06-03-2006, 08:40 PM
Tying to catch up to some of us eh! Four already! Cool.

Congrats!

Danno

sean
06-04-2006, 09:00 PM
Welcome aboard Entraind.
My Hollow Atom is due in July.It will be my third TAG.
I too suffered from tendonitis years ago,20 years to be exact.It was Yngwie's fault.I was 19 and totally into his playing.I had to cut down my playing time and raise my guitar higher so my wrist was not so strained.
I'm on the opposite end of the neck size spectrum though.My Atom will have a 62 Cobra roundback + .030 oversized.So.it will be .880 at the 1st fret and .990 at the 12th.Heck,my 1990 HTC has a .030 oversized large 50's V(.930-1.00),it is huge.I have thought about having is reshaped to the normal specs of .900-.970 and a refret.Let me know how the neck reshaping of your Atom's neck turns out.
Sean

entraind
06-04-2006, 11:54 PM
Yep, My first Andy was an 1 11/16th's neck and then I got the 1 5/8ths neck which helped alot. When I got my -.20 I was still playing 2-4 hrs a day, but the tendonitis vanished, I was also becoming more conscious of using good wrist angles, but no guitar has ever felt as right in my hands as that one. I have really small hands so the smaller necks enable me to play differently and much more comfortably than I do on a normal sized neck.

I ordered my Atom with -.20 also but when it arrived I realized that this was -.20 Atom Standard which was different from the Classic neck, which I didn't realize having only played Classics for so long...

So I sent it back and had them match it to my Classic neck (Roy's idea) which they were *very* cool about and did a great job of; the only difference now is the taper is a little steeper making the neck feel a little wider past the 9th fret than my classic. I'm getting used to it after 7 months but I might investigate having one made with less taper in the future, if it's possible to do that with the new neck joint. But, oh the sounds on this guitar! Monsterous, especially at volume with a band....

marsodude
06-05-2006, 06:20 AM
Welcome entraind!

I bought my Crowdster Plus from GELB. They were great to deal with and of course, the Plus is a PLUS!

entraind
06-06-2006, 12:26 PM
Thanks for the welcome Marsodude, I've had major GAS for a Crowdster ever since they came out, and now the plus is just making things worse, I'll probably succumb eventually :)

marsodude
06-06-2006, 07:02 PM
Dude, I can tell you that I actually considered getting the Crowdster without the Plus! He probably does not realize it but Tom talked me out of it. I thought I was going save big bucks when he pointed out to me that it should not be that much more.

Man I sure am glad I got the Plus!

I know that I can't bend the strings like on an Atom or Classic. I know I don't have the option of a neck pickup. And yeah, the neck ain't exactly the same.

But just that incredible action over those awesome stainless steel frets and hearing the Baggs coming thru a good PA and with a simple increase of electric volume on the guitar when you begin to hear warm sustain and then breakup from your tube amp....WHOA!

entraind
06-08-2006, 05:59 AM
Yep, I'm really looking forward to playing one the next time Gelb gets one in!