Whoops, I did it AGAIN!!

[mdrs]

I'm the proud and happy owner of an amazing Koa HDT AND an Atom CT with a Braz fretboard;

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m114/mdrs1/Electric%20Guitars/Anderson/CIMG1522.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m114/mdrs1/Electric%20Guitars/Anderson/CIMG1524.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m114/mdrs1/Electric%20Guitars/Anderson/IMG_1535.jpg

Both of these guitars, IMO, are very unique, and really don't immitate one of the classic electric guitars.

So, I've been facinated reading many of the comments you guys have made over the past year or so that I've been lurking around here, pertaining to the Andy Classics.

I am a big fan of classic guitars, like the Strat, Tele, and Les Paul. So, I'm a "hard sell" when it comes to guitars claiming that they can do the classic Strat, or Tele, or LP, as well as the real thing. Often, IMO, they fall short in some way or another.

So, when I hear some of you guys speak so loveingly about an Andy Classic, it's caught my attention. And, of course, owning two Andys, I know the quality..................

So, I happened to be out west at a professional meeting, and had time to visit with my younger brother and his family. Doug lives in Mill Valley, near San Francisco.

I've been telling him about how great Anderson's are, that they have THE BEST necks and frets I've ever touched......and to be honest he's displayed a healthy skepticism. He probably figured that his OLDER bro is getting a bit senile!! LOL

So, we headed to a fine music shop that happens to be an Anderson Dealer. My primary goal was to expose my bro to Anderson guitars. The only thing I planned on buying was some Hearos, as we were going to see Robben Ford at The Independant that evening (yesterday).

So, I asked the salesman to pull down an Atom CT, and a Koa DT for Doug to play. And, while he's wailing away, I asked the guy to pull down the MOST TRADITIONAL Anderson Strat and Tele that he had.

Long story short, he had a LOVELY 3 tone burst Classic Strat with three single coils, and a passive volume boost mini toggle.

I EXPECT an Andy to play. But, this one surpassed my expectations. The tone, and volume playing it unplugged was impressive. It played like it knew what you wanted it to do in advance!!

The TONE is what I really was curious about. Man, this guitar did Strat Tones as well as any new Strat I've ever played. The position 2 and 4 "ducky" tones were spot on!!

Well, I really had NO intention of buying a guitar. So, I handed it off to my bro.

Doug is a child of the '80 (quite a bit younger than I), and is more of a humbucker kind of guy. However, he's been trying to find a Strat that he likes for a year or two.

He played this guitar for about 10 minutes, and then turned to me and said "I don't see how I can buy a traditional Strat after playing THIS ONE!!" However, Doug's not in the market for a new guitar until next year.

Then I noticed a pink hang tag on the guitar..........and, lets just say that the price was right!!

I should have it home with me by the end of next week. I'm really looking forward to welcoming it home!!

Here are some pics I copied off of the shop's web site;

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m114/mdrs1/Electric%20Guitars/Anderson/AndyClassic1.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m114/mdrs1/Electric%20Guitars/Anderson/AndyClassic2.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m114/mdrs1/Electric%20Guitars/Anderson/AndyClassic3.jpg

I'll post some more photos when I have the guitar home.

BTW.........here's the specs;

Body finish - 3 Color Burst
Body Wood - Alder
Neck Wood - Hard Rock Maple, Rosewood Fingerboard
Neck Finish - Satin Finish, Tinted Back
Nutwidth - 1 5/8"
Frets - Medium
Neck Backshape - 60's Vibe
Hardware - Chrome
Bridge - Vintage
Tremolo // Pickguard - Aged White
Pickups - VA5 VA5R Va5+
Pickup Switching - 5-Way, Vintage Voicing, VA Booster (and how!)
String Gauge - 010 -046

[markus]

Congrats on your new Classic!!!!
I've seen this one at Gelb just last weekend. VERY nice! I still have my eye on the Atom CT that's hanging there waiting to be picked up! :cool: Anyway, glad the Gelb crew took good care of you. They're the best!!! Congrats again!

[ConnemaraGuitar]

That's a great story, Don!

[Devnor]

Nice guitar...Congrats!

[picnic]

Congrats! Kind of like my first encounter with a TA. On vacation in Florida, stopped in at MAE in Lauderdale area. Tried a bunch of Fenders. Nothing special. Saw a TA Classic pulled it off the wall and first strum was love. WoW!
Five TA's later, the lovefest continues.

Enjoy it. Nice group you have there.

[dannopelli]

Oh that is a nice trio dude! Great story.

Those VA5's are SOOOO nice! Got them in one of mine. I have six CS Strats that really never come out of the case anymore becase of my two Classics.

The grain on that Classic is SWEET!

[mdrs]

Congrats on your new Classic!!!!
I've seen this one at Gelb just last weekend. VERY nice! I still have my eye on the Atom CT that's hanging there waiting to be picked up! :cool: Anyway, glad the Gelb crew took good care of you. They're the best!!! Congrats again!

Markus..........that is a sweet CT, hanging there at Gelb!!! We checked it out throughly for you.............:D

The Gelb guys were top notch. They knew all of the details of the electronics on all the Andys...........and, as we all know, the electronics vary greatly on different Andy models. They were very helpful.

They reminded me of a certain good friend who runs an amazing store not too far from me, here in N.E. PA.............:D

[mdrs]

Oh that is a nice trio dude! Great story.

Those VA5's are SOOOO nice! Got them in one of mine. I have six CS Strats that really never come out of the case anymore becase of my two Classics.

The grain on that Classic is SWEET!

I totally understand why the CS Strats are dormant...........

I really didn't want to spring for a guitar. But, as soon as I played this one, I thought...........well, I could always sell my other "new" Strats after I get this one..........

[markus]

Markus..........that is a sweet CT, hanging there at Gelb!!! We checked it out throughly for you.............:D

The Gelb guys were top notch. They knew all of the details of the electronics on all the Andys...........and, as we all know, the electronics vary greatly on different Andy models. They were very helpful.

They reminded me of a certain good friend who runs an amazing store not too far from me, here in N.E. PA.............:D

Yes, the Gelb crew is unbelievable! I'm really glad to hear you enjoyed your time in the store as much as I always do! Gelb is truly the best music store in the entire San Francisco Bay Area and the way they treat their customers is something I have never seen before. I know these guys very well and they're family to me and my wife. Great, great people!

And yes, that Atom CT is absolutely beautiful. I have already spent many hours playing it. :D The only thing I'm not sure about is if I can get used to the shorter scale. I'm so used to the 25 1/5 inch scale on my Classics that I really struggle when switching to a 24 3/4 scale guitar on stage... obviously a limitation of my skills. :(

But... nothing too much to worry about. The next Anderson is already starting to take shape in my head, so if not the Atom CT then another Classic! :D :D

[markus]

Yes, the Gelb crew is unbelievable! I'm really glad to hear you enjoyed your time in the store as much as I always do! Gelb is truly the best music store in the entire San Francisco Bay Area and the way they treat their customers is something I have never seen before. I know these guys very well and they're family to me and my wife. Great, great people!

And yes, that Atom CT is absolutely beautiful. I have already spent many hours playing it. :D The only thing I'm not sure about is if I can get used to the shorter scale. I'm so used to the 25 1/5 inch scale on my Classics that I really struggle when switching to a 24 3/4 scale guitar on stage... obviously a limitation of my skills. :(

But... nothing too much to worry about. The next Anderson is already starting to take shape in my head, so if not the Atom CT then another Classic! :D :D

Also, that Atom CT @ Gelb was GOTW back in August of last year:
http://www.andersonguitars.com/cfPages/displayGOW.cfm?status=archive&theWeek=34&theYear=2008

[mdrs]

I appreciate your comments about the guys at Gelb. My brother has had a similiar experience with them.

Now, about that CT...........it is a beaut!! I bet that if you put 11's on it, the string tension would be similiar to your longer scale guitars......:D

[mdrs]

My Classic isn't here yet.................:(

Well, to be fair, I asked them to hold off and ship it Monday, so it won't sit around all weekend in a truck somewhere.

.........but, still..................it ain't here yet!! :cool:

[mdrs]

.......it's STILL not here!! :(

So, I bought it Wed. April 8th. I suggested that they ship it the following Monday, April 13, feeling that if they shipped it on Thursday April 9th, that the guitar would then sit in a truck over the weekend. I thought that even though it was going from California to eastern Pennsylvania, that if they shipped it Monday April 13th, it SURELY would get here by today (Friday April 17th), right???

WRONG!! Apparently it won't arrive until Monday April 20th!!! I sure would have expected it to arrive in five days (it's going UPS ground). Maybe they are economizing at UPS due to the sluggish economy???

Nothing as excrutiating as waiting for an Anderson!!! :D

[Suriel Zayas]

from west coast to east coast 8 solid days in-transit.:eek:

[dannopelli]

OH BOY!!! TIME FOR ME TO DO ONE OF MY HOW TO SHIP LESSONS!!!!

HERE GOES!!!!

Actually UPS DECREASED transit times all over the US. Thousands of zips are one day sooner. UPS is actually equal to or better than USPS and FDX for ground time in transit to every zip in the US. For overnight air, Fedex has a bit better 10:30 penetration, but not in any major markets.

OK, so there exists a perceived lag in west to east coast transit because of the confusion about transit days, what they are, and when they start.

TRANSIT DAYS are BUSINESS DAYS. A lot of folks get confused by this.

One thing you can do with both FDX and UPS is go to their website and calculate time in transit. Just remember UPS is guaranteed. And they incent management to some degree for on time performance. They do not want to refund the shipping, so they try not to screw up days in transit. They tend to run 98.5% on time.

I'll explain via your real world example.

I think you live up near State College? Well just to be safe I checked State College, Philadelphia, and NYC. I figured Philly and NYC, being a few hundred miles further East would make the test accurate.

From Gelb, which is 94063, to State College, 16801 is five TRANSIT days. So a guitar shipped on Monday gets delivered Monday + five business days. The pickup day is NOT the first transit day. The next day is. One day time in transit is next day. Two days is two days from today, etc. So the math is ALWAYS today + the transit days.

Weekends DO NOT count as transit days. Oh and for the test, Philly and NYC were five days also. In fact, from Central PA via UPS to NYC is one day, First Class mail, which UPS was originally modeled after, is two.

So in general, Suriel is correct. A guitar shipped from a large part of the west coast going east is going to take EIGHT days, because of the weekend. Interestingly, a guitar shipped UPS from Newbury Park, CA to NYC is four days time in transit.

Now lets address the whole "sit in a truck thing" that a lot of folks freak about.

First, lets address any FIVE DAY transit shipment. Again we will use the Gelb to State College example:

Your guitar gets picked up by a UPS driver. Depending upon the shipper it may be anything from a small delivery van to a 45" trailer. I imagine Gelb is picked up by the former.

It will go to the UPS sortation facility in Oakland California, where it will ride along a bunch of conveyors and sorters and eventually get loaded into a trailer destined for either Harrisburg or New Stanton, PA. That trailer will get loaded on a train and the choo choo will move it to the rail yard in one of those two cities. It will then transit to the UPS facility where it will get unloaded on the night sort and put into a trailer going to the State College UPS facility AM Preload operation. It will ride around a few more conveyors there, and put on a truck for delivery.

In ALL those instances it was riding around in trucks. So whether it sits in a truck or rides, it is all the same. In fact, five day transit packages are actually the ONLY ones that really almost always spend the least time "sitting around" in a truck!

The point is COAST TO COAST for at least six of the eight days it will be in a truck, either moving or not.

Also, every day thousands of guitars are moving through the various networks. They tend to get shipped the day of final manufacture. Trust me, the shippers are not sitting on freight to avoid weekends in the truck. I can understand some vintage Tele or something that you might want to limit days in extreme heat or cold. But that would likely fly anyway. You spend $50K on a guitar you should invest $250 to get it to you ASAP!

But if you do want to avoid that extra time not moving, then remember a four day shipment needs to be shipped by Monday to get delivered Friday. Three days needs to be shipped by Tuesday. ETC.

Again the UPS and FDX web sites are the best.

And for the record I would tend to use one of those two for US ground shipments. Although USPS has come quite a long way, their tracking system is really low on detail and is not updated real time.

[markus]

Jee Dan, are you the President of UPS??? :eek:
Very helpful info though. And man, am I glad that I live in Cali. :D Newbury Park to Gelb Music is only 2 transit days... I think.

[mdrs]

That was excellent, Dan. Great review.

I've shipped and recieved quite a lot of "stuff" (including some nice old Teles!! :) ), and you are right on with your info.

I always ship top shelf vintage overnight. "Mid level" stuff, I'll ship second or third day. I've had the impression that overnight, second, or even third day UPS boxes have significantly fewer "dings" in them, compared to ground. So, I tend to avoid ground.

The only thing I didn't know was that CA to me (I'm actually about 40 min due north of Allentown.........right off the NE Extension, Mahoning Valley exit # 74, about half way between Allentown, and Wilkes Barre) would be a week from the shipping date. I was under the false impression (evidently!!) that it would ship Monday, and arrive Friday. Evidently the fellas at Gelb thought so too, as we discussed the rationalle of holding it to ship after the weekend at length. If I'd known it would be a week from ship to delivery, I'd have had them ship it that Wednesday, and have had it this past Wednesday.

Live and learn. Thanks for that explaination.

To take my mind off of the wait, I've brought every Strat I own upstairs, so that I can play them all this weekend. That way when I get the Andy Classic, I'll be able to tell how much BETTER it is than them.......:D

[dannopelli]

Jee Dan, are you the President of UPS??? :eek:
Very helpful info though. And man, am I glad that I live in Cali. :D Newbury Park to Gelb Music is only 2 transit days... I think.

I was pretty far along at UPS. But I did some network design things there and other places, and after a while you get to know the location of most if not all the facilities and what the transit links are.

Yes LA Basin to SF is two days.

[dannopelli]

That was excellent, Dan. Great review.

I've shipped and recieved quite a lot of "stuff" (including some nice old Teles!! :) ), and you are right on with your info.

I always ship top shelf vintage overnight. "Mid level" stuff, I'll ship second or third day. I've had the impression that overnight, second, or even third day UPS boxes have significantly fewer "dings" in them, compared to ground. So, I tend to avoid ground.

The only thing I didn't know was that CA to me (I'm actually about 40 min due north of Allentown.........right off the NE Extension, Mahoning Valley exit # 74, about half way between Allentown, and Wilkes Barre) would be a week from the shipping date. I was under the false impression (evidently!!) that it would ship Monday, and arrive Friday. Evidently the fellas at Gelb thought so too, as we discussed the rationalle of holding it to ship after the weekend at length. If I'd known it would be a week from ship to delivery, I'd have had them ship it that Wednesday, and have had it this past Wednesday.

Live and learn. Thanks for that explaination.

To take my mind off of the wait, I've brought every Strat I own upstairs, so that I can play them all this weekend. That way when I get the Andy Classic, I'll be able to tell how much BETTER it is than them.......:D

A lot of folks think that the clock starts the day it ships. But logically think about it: One day transit is next day. Two days is two days after today. So five days is five days after today. Since the weekends do not count, five days mathematically always incurs a weekend.

Again, the best thing to do is check the UPS and FDX web sites. DHL no longer ships domestic packages. USPS does, but again, their tracking system really leaves a lot to be desired. I kind if want to know where my stuff is.

Oh and by the way, International shipping is a WHOLE NEW NIGHTMARE!

[mdrs]

It's in my hometown's UPS depot!! Been there since 6am this morning. So close, yet SO FAR............

I recently obtained a really cool old AC-15 (in fawn!!), and had it shipped UPS from Leeds, England. I think it sat in some shipping dock for about a week before it actually headed westward. That led to some nervous toughts of "is this a hoax"!! Once it was actually on it's way, the shipping was fast and uneventful.

[dannopelli]

Why don't you call the 800 PICKUPS number and go pick it up Monday? Ground delivery could come as late as 7:00PM. You can pick it up after 9:30AM or so.

[mdrs]

I'll be hard at work Monday, so pick up isn't an option. But, UPS hits my office right around 11am weekdays. We recieve and send lots of stuff. So, I'll just have to keep my GAS in check, and go with the flow..........

I have a bud who works at the local UPS depot. He runs the customer service desk. Next time I see him, I'll have to inquire about weekend pickups!! :eek: ;) :D

[mdrs]

The Eagle has landed!! :D

UPS hit my office at 10:55am......right on time. I didn't get to it until about 5pm, as it was a crazy busy day.

First, it was well packed in the original Anderson box with the foam end pieces. The box arrived unscathed. The hardshell case and the Classic were in great shape!!

What can I say about this guitar? It's all Anderson!! GREAT neck and frets, plays like a Ferrarri. The VA5, VA5R, and VA5+ pu's sound classic Strat. Great duck tones at 2 and 4. The volume boost is a cool feature, and the push pull to add the bridge snuck up on me........I didn't realize it was so equiped!!

The ergonomics on the body are, well, the best around! This guitar fits my body prefectly. It's light, and acoustically VERY RESONANT.

My wife is NOT guitarded, like me. She usually doesn't notice anything about my guitars. But, when I took it out of the case, she said "that looks like one you already have." She was referring to a lovely '62 Strat I have that is similiarly "dressed" (3 color burst, rosewood board). This is a CLASSIC looking guitar..........really elegant, and handsome.

As my younger brother told me when I decided to buy this, after he'd played it......."This guitar spoils you. After playing it, it'd be hard to buy a Fender Strat."

Here are a couple of pics;

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m114/mdrs1/Electric%20Guitars/Anderson/CIMG2939.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m114/mdrs1/Electric%20Guitars/Anderson/CIMG2941.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m114/mdrs1/Electric%20Guitars/Anderson/CIMG2945.jpg

I'll have to break out the other two Andys, and take some group photos.........:cool:

[markus]

Congrats again, Don! Great looking guitar!!!
Glad also it made it in one piece from the West to the East coast!

Cheers,
Markus

[dannopelli]

There is something so genuine about a straight up Classic. VERY NICE

Congrats Don!

(When can I come by and play through some of those amps of yours?)

[mdrs]

There is something so genuine about a straight up Classic. VERY NICE

Congrats Don!

(When can I come by and play through some of those amps of yours?)

That would be fun!! Maybe after spring gobbler season, which ends May 25th

The Classic is such a dignified looking guitar.......I have other Strats, and they are all good ones. But, I am sure glad I bought this one.......nothing plays like an Anderson.

[mdrs]

This guitar is a KILLER!!!

Man, am I enjoying it!! Playing a "Strat" has never been so fulfilling!!

More later..................:D

[ConnemaraGuitar]

Er, Don, what is "Gobbler Season?" Is that some sort of medical term I've never heard before? The closest I come is Seasonal Affective Disorder. Are they related?

The guitar is awesome, and I'm glad you're enjoying it so much!

[mdrs]

Er, Don, what is "Gobbler Season?" Is that some sort of medical term I've never heard before? The closest I come is Seasonal Affective Disorder. Are they related?

The guitar is awesome, and I'm glad you're enjoying it so much!


LMAO!!! :D

It's spring turkey hunting season......hence "spring gobbler season", as you can only take a male of the species.

The Classic has been a real boon to my sonic arsenal. This thing has Strat tone that's in the ball park with the finest Strats I've played, including '50's and early '60's Strats. And, being an Andy, of course it plays way better. It makes it so much easier to do the Strat thing.........it's really an inspiring guitar.

Believe it or not, the guy that does my furnace and AC work here at my home, played bass for Greg Howe back in the '80's. Vern toured with Howe, and played on two of his albums. Vern has also done live sound for lots of pro acts. So, Vern's been around, and he knows good tone.

This past Friday, I'm playing my Classic thru my Dr. Z Remedy into a Dr. Z 1x12 loaded with a Celestion Gold with the back of the cab open. I didn't realize that Vern had arrived to do some upkeep on the AC, and he comes flying up the stairs and says "Man, what are you playing, THAT SOUNDS AWESOME!!" Vern told me that that guitar thru the Dr. Z rig had tone that was about as good as any he'd ever heard!!

I can guarantee that it WASN'T MY PLAYING!!! I think that Vern's comments are a tribute to how good this guitar really is.