Today is a good day!

[MikeHil]

Today is a good day.

It started off like any other day.

I was off work and was browsing the internet and once again my search started leaning towards Andersons and Mesa gear. There's an Andy / Mesa dealer about 25 miles from my house (Express Music) but didn't have any Andys in stock.

When I opened up their home page, there was a picture of Steve Morse... my all time favorite... and he's giving a clinic w/ Dave Larue in the store.

So, I shuffle off to the store just to check the place out. Perry the owner is super cool and I wind up hanging with him for a couple hours.

When I left I had a down payment on my first, non-used Anderson and a promise from Perry for a primo reserved seat at the clinic.

And tomorrow just happens to be my birthday.

I feel like I'm about to explode with joy. This is what life is all about.

[MikeHil]

OK - so I have an Andy on the way. I got lucky and the dealer had an opening for July. So, I get the new ax sooner than I had expected... Yay!

This may be a lengthy request request for advice, my apologies in advance.

Here are my questions:

1) What items should I get in advance so I'm not scrambling to get it gig ready? Strap locks obviously (can Anderson install those for me)? Does anything else come to mind?

2) I'm getting the new Fishman bridge. So, that has a foot pedal volume control as opposed to the extra knob on the guitar, right? If I understood this correctly, I love that!

3) What accessories will I need to get this feature (Fishman) working immediately... cables, etc?

4) Why are they using the Fishman system now in lieu of the LR Baggs?

5) Are there any screen shots of this new system on an Andy? Is there an extra cable jack?

6) Any caveats to beware of ahead of time regarding the new bridge or the guitar in general?

7) Can I contact Anderson directly with questions or, am I better off directing them here or to the dealer? Did get to speak to Roy briefly - man, what a nice guy

8) I'm so excited. I feel like I'm 6 years old again anticipating Christmas.

Here's a breakdown of what I expect the spec sheet to resemble.

Model - Drop Top
Body Finish - Bora Bora to Trans Blue Burst
Body Wood - Flamed Maple Top on Mahogany
Neck Wood - Hard Rock Maple, Indian Rosewood Fretboard
Neck Finish - Matching Headstock, Satin Back
Nutwidth - 1 5/8 in
Frets - Heavy
Back Shape - Smaller v
Hardware - Gold
Bridge - Fishman Powerbridge w/ Powerblend Volume Pedal
Pickguard -
Pickups - SA1R SA1 H3
Switching - B5 switching w/ Add-Bridge Push/Pull switch
Strings - .010-.046 Elixir strings
Comments - BFTS

Any tips you can provide are greatly valued and appreciated as usual.

Thanks,
Mike

[tom]

i'll chime in on the easy stuff.
if you send us the strap locks, we'll put em on. you need to get a powerblend pedal, it comes with a stereo cable. there is just one jack on the guitar. if you plug in a mono cable, you get electric only. if you plug in stereo, you get the acoustic on the ring of the cable. how will you be running the acoustic, through the house or an amp? we are using the fishman partly because of the no electronics on board, and partly because it is a great sounding /feeling/non string breaking b
ridge. they make all our bridges now, piezo or not. the bridge looks exactly like the non piezo version, it just has the added engraved "fishman" on the side of the baseplate. the newest ones are laser etched instead of stamped in, very nice looking.
you can contact us directly, but i do check the forum multiple times a day.

[MikeHil]

Thanks Tom,

I will most likely be running though a seperate amp. I'm not sure what kind yet... since that will be my next purchase.

I'm assuming you can use it into a single amp with the proper cables / adapters?

The 2 used Andersons I have were purchased from eBay. I was very lucky. For a '94 and '97, they're in mint condition.

Needless to say, I'm super excited to get an Anderson that is made to my specs.

[tom]

if you mean running the elctric and acoustic into the same amp, it's not a good idea if you are looking for real acoustic tones. would you plug a real acoustic into a recto? i think not. having said that, there are some interesting sounds to be had with a piezo into an overdriven amp, just not real acoustic sounds. you need a full range system for acoustic tones. the pedal has outs for acoustic and electric, and also has a both out. the both does buffer the electric sound, so it isn't pure.

[MikeHil]

Thanks again.

Acoustic into a recto....Hmmmm. Wouldn't that be interesting?

I have a Johnson 2x12 amp modeler and sometimes I A/B/Y with my main rig for the clean tones.

Anybody have experience with the amp modelers clean tones with a piezo?

[tom]

i have tried the piezo through a few different amps. the amps aren't so much the problem as the speakers. 12" speakers just don't reproduce the required high end. i once ran a tube head into a radian coax monitor, and it sounded very nice and warm.

[tmihm]

Originally posted by MikeHil

Anybody have experience with the amp modelers clean tones with a piezo?
I've tried my Brian Moore C90P running the piezo into my Line 6 AXS-212, and the magnetic pups into my Super Reverb. The acoustic sound is not as nice as I like to have it...when I play at church, I run the piezo side into the mixer and it sounds wonderful.

And actually - I spoke to Tom last week RE installing the Fishman into my newly acquired Andy. I'm planning on sending it there ASAP! :)