Gigged with an Atom!

[Casper]

Hi guys, I popped in to my dealer on Saturday in anticipation of trying some TAG's and noticed there weren't many. I guess the panic has started. My dealer is selling out of his stock. Well, not to be left out I picked up an Atom.
I have been a strat guy all of my career. I have also been a fat guy all of my career. I immediately liked the hang of this axe. I played a 2 hum model and then a 3 M model. Both gorgeous.
I custom ordered a Cobra S last year and kept it a few months before I realized I didn't dig the short scale or the darkness of the MM H2 setup. It sold. This was different. The 3M combo on this axe is spanky and with a nice mid bite that is quite an adjustment from my SD classic. My dealer was gracious and trusting enough to let me gig with it saturday night in a local nightclub. I again love the hang and the way it chords, but I felt like the strings (10-46) were harder to manipulate than on my classic. (don't like Elixrs either) I wasn't as fluid with this axe as I am with my classic, but that may be nervous jitters and I didn't have much of a chance top really dial it in. But my sound guy LOVES it! Said it cut right through the mix on its own. I am on the fence still and may ask for more time with it. Anybody care to chime in, especially Atom owners with Classics?!!-Shaun

[tom]

of course i'm partial to atoms, but i had the same experience with our sound guy. he said it cut through better. also the engineer on the last crowder record said the same thing. they used the atoms on most of the record.

[Casper]

Like I said earlier, the hang and initial feel is wonderful, but I wonder why the strings feel tighter and harder to bend in the upper frets? Could it be the bridge/scale length?? I think it might be the elixrs or just having a different perspective/grasp/attitude with the guitar. I wonder if a T Classic or Hollow T hangs the same? I've never owned a single cut away guitar.
this Atom has a 1 5/8 nut in (I guess) an Atom standard. My Classic is a 1 5/8 62 RB. They feel similar in girth with the Atom having a bit flatter feeling fretboard. Roy had spoken with me about the tonal diff between the Cobra S I owned and this guitar. he said the Cobra would have more bite and Atom deader. I tend to disagree. The Cobra S..was darker sounding, this guitar almost sounds like a Strat on steroids...spanky yet fuller in many areas. All in all, I think this is enough of a difference between the classic to do other things equally and some tonally and totally different. Long story short, Its hard to pull the trigger on this piece for fear I may not adjust, but scary if I don't not knowing what I might miss. Gonna meet with my tech/salesman this afternoon about it. Will let ya know.

[tom]

if the string gauge is the same, you could be feeling the fret height, strings off the body at the bridge end dif, neck shape differance or just the place it hangs on your body dif. wrist position can really effect the way things feel. for me the right hand wrist position makes it feel looser, but we're all different. in the end, it all matters and contributes to what we perceive.

[Barry]

Hi guys, I popped in to my dealer on Saturday in anticipation of trying some TAG's and noticed there weren't many. I guess the panic has started. My dealer is selling out of his stock. Well, not to be left out I picked up an Atom.
I have been a strat guy all of my career. I have also been a fat guy all of my career. I immediately liked the hang of this axe. I played a 2 hum model and then a 3 M model. Both gorgeous.
I custom ordered a Cobra S last year and kept it a few months before I realized I didn't dig the short scale or the darkness of the MM H2 setup. It sold. This was different. The 3M combo on this axe is spanky and with a nice mid bite that is quite an adjustment from my SD classic. My dealer was gracious and trusting enough to let me gig with it saturday night in a local nightclub. I again love the hang and the way it chords, but I felt like the strings (10-46) were harder to manipulate than on my classic. (don't like Elixrs either) I wasn't as fluid with this axe as I am with my classic, but that may be nervous jitters and I didn't have much of a chance top really dial it in. But my sound guy LOVES it! Said it cut right through the mix on its own. I am on the fence still and may ask for more time with it. Anybody care to chime in, especially Atom owners with Classics?!!-Shaun

I dont own an Atom but I plan to . I will agree with you about elixirs . I dont care for them . I put my usual daddarios on my new Cobra and it was a bit more limber . My local luthier told me lots of string manafacturers use different size core wire . I'm assuming the elixir core wire is a heavier guage than my Dadaario's. I bet if you play the Atom long enough you find out "what makes it tick" . I'm a new Cobra owner and after playing it a while it fits very nicely into the arsenal . I know its strengths now and which songs it contributes to in our set list . It has its own voice . I love it .

[michaelomiya]

I dont own an Atom but I plan to . I will agree with you about elixirs . I dont care for them . I put my usual daddarios on my new Cobra and it was a bit more limber . My local luthier told me lots of string manafacturers use different size core wire . I'm assuming the elixir core wire is a heavier guage than my Dadaario's. I bet if you play the Atom long enough you find out "what makes it tick" . I'm a new Cobra owner and after playing it a while it fits very nicely into the arsenal . I know its strengths now and which songs it contributes to in our set list . It has its own voice . I love it .

Barry and Casper, I don't have an Atom, but I do have a Cobra. Definitely relate to the mahogany, mid-range PUNCHY tone that really sings out in a band context. But I'm on the other side when it comes to Elixirs. After being away from them for about a year, I restrung the Cobra with 'em and it really felt slinky (in a good way!;)). In addition to the slinky, easy play, the snap added a tad overtone to a really middy guitar. I love it. YMMV.

[Roy (maybe)]

Hi Casper,

It’s Roy—maybe. You must have got this one from Richmond Music I am guessing because they are the only store that stocks a 1 ⅝-inch nut-width Atom.

Congratulations!

It seems to me that you are experiencing what I call “new adaptation anxiety.” It has happened to me all my life too when I buy something expensive and it is different, I really want to make sure it is right for me—not sure I can adapt—anxiety. But what I have always found is that if the vision of the maker is pure, (and this one surely is) within a few weeks I catch the vibe and fall in love and then have 1 more best friend. It has been this way for with my 2 expensive bikes—so I know just how you feel—and it should be this way for you an Atom—as long as you do not long for a humbucker in the bridge position.

As you are, I am a Classic player through and through but am able and very willing to play an Atom at the drop of a hat because it gives me something else that my Classic cannot offer. Together with the Classic and the Atom I feel I can rule the musical earth. It is very gratifying. As you adapt, all the little things like string type, etc, will give way to the music and the song you are immersed in and the next thing you know…beautiful and meaningful music flows without examination.

With 3 Ms on an Atom it should have some luster to its sound although I still hold that if you could have your Cobra S and Atom side by side with all the same electronics the Cobra S would have a bite and the Atom more of a thud—still with the Anderson Extended Bandwidth however—resonates like you dropped a Steinway grand—and ringing in tune.

Either way I hope this helps and you find the Anderson of your dreams—quickly.

Thanks for being an Anderson Player!

[Casper]

Roy, you nailed me. Yes, It is anxiety. My dealer has been more than gracious letting me gig and hang on to this piece for 4 days now, hell, my tech even restrung it with my brand and let me have it again last night. Much better, I must say. They want an answer today..but I just want to keep hanging on to it for one more day!:o
Here's my thoughts.
Its a new shape, new feel, new look for me after playing Anderson strats since 1992. I'm scared for the amount of money/trades I've spent trying to find a sibling for my trusty Classic (that I bought off the rack..on line in '99)
I have only custom ordered 2 out of the 14 or so I have registered at TAG. I have traded some very nice TA's in search of the perfect second for me.
I'm scared because of the frenzy of the unknown at TAG has created over the last 2 weeks, might make me miss a great guitar if I don't pull this trigger.
I'm also scared for the brand new rig I am assembling as we speak.
But the plus side of all this, is the challenge and discovery of a new instrument..it helps greatly that the neck on the Atom is similar to my Classic.
I'm supposed to have my final answer for my dealer this afternoon or turn the guitar back in...(and watch it magically disappear). Stay tuned.
P.S. Roy thank you so much for the counseling & keeping me company on the drive to my gig the other night and for your advice over these many years. When you buy an Anderson, you buy the company...I hope you know how much a small-time gunslinger like me appreciates the service. -Shaun

[Roy (maybe)]

Hi Shaun,

I should have known it was you.

It is extremely rare to find a short-scale guitar with 1 ⅝-inch nut width so that makes this one extremely valuable to you if you prefer that nut width. This Atom will fill the void for you if you want something that is completely different than your Classic but has the same sleek, fast and smooth playability. With its M1 M1 M2 pickup layout you will get bigger single coil sounds than your Classic. If you want to venture into weak humbucker territory, an M3 at the bridge position will get you very close—so you have that option too if needed.

Have fun making one of the biggest decisions of your musical-gear career.

[Barry]

Barry and Casper, I don't have an Atom, but I do have a Cobra. Definitely relate to the mahogany, mid-range PUNCHY tone that really sings out in a band context. But I'm on the other side when it comes to Elixirs. After being away from them for about a year, I restrung the Cobra with 'em and it really felt slinky (in a good way!;)). In addition to the slinky, easy play, the snap added a tad overtone to a really middy guitar. I love it. YMMV.
Glad you are digging the Elixirs . For my taste they made my cobra a bit too stiff and stubby feeling . Got to have an Atom at some point . Im going to the NAMM show so maybe i'll get a chance to get acquainted with one !

[entraind]

Hey Shaun,

Another small time gunslinger here with some Atom vs. Classic experience to share...

I was exclusively a Classic player from 1999-2005 and before that I played Strats. I went through 3 Classics before I finally got the necks, electronics etc dialed in to where they were perfect. I *knew* that I would never love another after I got my third Classic, and for three years we were happy together. Then came Atom...

I ordered one pretty soon after they came out figuring I'd use it for a couple of tunes in our set that wanted that Les Paul-ish rockin vibe...

When I first got the Atom it felt funny to me and I was worried that I'd never bond with it. I played them both for about a month and was still preferring the Classic. Then I took the Atom, a small practice amp and a loop pedal on a trip and played it for a couple of hours a day. My hands and ears and heart started to acclimate to the guitar and I found myself falling in love with it...

I was getting the tones that I loved from my neck position VA1 on the classic from the M1 in the Atom neck position. The M1 in the middle was spanky, the rear humbucker split was amazingly like the rear p/u on a Strat. And then there was the rear Humbucker....This was an unbelievable tone for me--very touch sensitive and roaring when nessesary for both rhythm and lead. The fact that I could get all that Strat-ness and then have this roaring, snarling humbucker sound out of one guitar was a revelation to me....I was sold.

Then came home and played it with the band. Bandmates, audience members, soundguys and bartenders ( :) ) commented on how awesome my tone was and how well it cut through the mix. Even though alot of the stuff I was doing on the neck pickup sounded very similar to my Classic neck p/u it cut through more and I had to work less to do more, if that makes sense...


So, in closing, I would say buy it, unless you want humbucking sounds, in which case see if Roy has a spot for you and order one with a 'bucker in it--truly an amazing sound.

The only sounds I can't get the Atom to do well are positions 2 and 4 on a strat, the Ms aren't quite as convincing there to my ears. But I rarely use those positions, I usually do neck combined with rear humbucker split when I want a combined p/u sound and that sound on the Atom is awesome...

I hope this helps, let us know what you decide to do.

Happy Playing,
Peter

[Barry]

Hey Shaun,

Another small time gunslinger here with some Atom vs. Classic experience to share...

I was exclusively a Classic player from 1999-2005 and before that I played Strats. I went through 3 Classics before I finally got the necks, electronics etc dialed in to where they were perfect. I *knew* that I would never love another after I got my third Classic, and for three years we were happy together. Then came Atom...

I ordered one pretty soon after they came out figuring I'd use it for a couple of tunes in our set that wanted that Les Paul-ish rockin vibe...

When I first got the Atom it felt funny to me and I was worried that I'd never bond with it. I played them both for about a month and was still preferring the Classic. Then I took the Atom, a small practice amp and a loop pedal on a trip and played it for a couple of hours a day. My hands and ears and heart started to acclimate to the guitar and I found myself falling in love with it...

I was getting the tones that I loved from my neck position VA1 on the classic from the M1 in the Atom neck position. The M1 in the middle was spanky, the rear humbucker split was amazingly like the rear p/u on a Strat. And then there was the rear Humbucker....This was an unbelievable tone for me--very touch sensitive and roaring when nessesary for both rhythm and lead. The fact that I could get all that Strat-ness and then have this roaring, snarling humbucker sound out of one guitar was a revelation to me....I was sold.

Then came home and played it with the band. Bandmates, audience members, soundguys and bartenders ( :) ) commented on how awesome my tone was and how well it cut through the mix. Even though alot of the stuff I was doing on the neck pickup sounded very similar to my Classic neck p/u it cut through more and I had to work less to do more, if that makes sense...


So, in closing, I would say buy it, unless you want humbucking sounds, in which case see if Roy has a spot for you and order one with a 'bucker in it--truly an amazing sound.

The only sounds I can't get the Atom to do well are positions 2 and 4 on a strat, the Ms aren't quite as convincing there to my ears. But I rarely use those positions, I usually do neck combined with rear humbucker split when I want a combined p/u sound and that sound on the Atom is awesome...

I hope this helps, let us know what you decide to do.

Happy Playing,
Peter
In an earlier reply to this thread i was referring to the same thing . You have to give it time to see "what makes it tick" . Sounds like after Peter played it a while a light came on . I cant imagine an Atom not being a killer guitar . Having said that i have'nt actually played one . I hope to at NAMM.

[michaelomiya]

Glad you are digging the Elixirs . For my taste they made my cobra a bit too stiff and stubby feeling . Got to have an Atom at some point . Im going to the NAMM show so maybe i'll get a chance to get acquainted with one !

Barry, sometimes I think that it's just me that digs the elixirs. I've got packs of these strings (from NAMM, and from other TAG players:rolleyes: ;)). Let's hook at the NAMM 07 TAG booth for a shot of all of the geeked-up TAG players!
mike.

[Barry]

Barry, sometimes I think that it's just me that digs the elixirs. I've got packs of these strings (from NAMM, and from other TAG players:rolleyes: ;)). Let's hook at the NAMM 07 TAG booth for a shot of all of the geeked-up TAG players!
mike.
Sounds good . Ill contact you a few days prior

[Casper]

I bought it yesterday.:D

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I just couldn't resist;) Glad you guys like Elixrs, they just aren't me. The fresh set of D'dads pushed me over the edge. Peter, I can relate exactly and I trust I will have the same experience. It is a happy time and yet a nervous time as well. Pics coming soon, YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE THE TOP ON THIS AXE.!!!

[entraind]

Casper, you won't regret it. I don't know if your Classic had the new neck joint on it but that in and of itself is a quantum leap forward in guitar technology as well. Enjoy!

Yes, we definitely need Pics!

[Barry]

I bought it yesterday.:D

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I just couldn't resist;) Glad you guys like Elixrs, they just aren't me. The fresh set of D'dads pushed me over the edge. Peter, I can relate exactly and I trust I will have the same experience. It is a happy time and yet a nervous time as well. Pics coming soon, YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE THE TOP ON THIS AXE.!!!
Thats exactly what i did with my Cobra . Daddarios made the difference for me .

[michaelomiya]

I bought it yesterday.:D

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I just couldn't resist;) Glad you guys like Elixrs, they just aren't me. The fresh set of D'dads pushed me over the edge. Peter, I can relate exactly and I trust I will have the same experience. It is a happy time and yet a nervous time as well. Pics coming soon, YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE THE TOP ON THIS AXE.!!!

great move and congrats! PICS please!!!:p :D

[Casper]

I hope to take pics this weekend (If I can put it down long enough), will post some next week. Thanks for all who helped:D I hope the forum doesn't change when all this comes down..

Shaun

[mbrown3]

Interesting, I love the Elixers and the D'Adds sound/feel like cheap tinny sweatshop strings to me. (Not saying this to start an argument...;) Just interesting, the wide variety of opinions!). Either way, glad you found what works for you. Dig the new axe!

[Casper]

Arguement? "Cheap Sweatshop Strings?" ;)
I can only say that when I gigged with the Atom, the strings felt rough, brittle and stiff. Thank God my tech changed to my reg 10-46 D'ads. Funny, the next day, another guy bought a different Andy and said the same thing, same situation. Dealers and Luthiers love Elixr's because the dealers know a guitar may sit on the wall a year or more and they last..imo, that's all they do.
honestly, SIT makes every bit as good as string as anybody and they are cheaper, D'ads are easier and sound better than most I have tried.
But hey, thats why they make Vanilla and Chocolate right:p
Shaun

[mbrown3]

You got it! But at least we should take a stand for those poor sweatshop kids...;)

See, isn't the internet a great place to propagate rumors and misinformation? What a wonderful age of technology in which we live!

[GuitarNorton]

Way back when the Elixers came out I remeber getting a sample pack in the mail, think with maybe Guitar Player mag. I honestly can't remeber if I liked or didn't like them. For the last couple of years I have been useing the Snake Oil strings. Last longer, feel better, and sound better. Very impressed with them.

[mbrown3]

Yeah, I really liked the Snake Oils too, tone wise, but they didn't last nearly as long as the Elixers. I've settled down with strings, find that once I made a decision and stuck with it (Elixer nanos, FWIW), it was easier to focus on other aspects of the tone.