Necks

[lumco]

Tom,,question for you..I spoke to 3 people at a guitar show on saturday. They were admiring TA's at a booth..2-bolt wedgie neck was the discussion. Said they won't buy because of. Why? and raises the question will you ever do the 4 bolt with plate again? or is that in the past.? myself it doesn't really matter unless your going for the classic, traditional look.

[dannopelli]

Not to jump ahead of Tom. Those guys you were talking with are crazy. But unless a person HAS TO HAVE the four bolt for the "look", there is NO REASON to not go two. I have both and they are both wonderful.

[kevin h]

you might want to check out the tom anderson guitarworks dvd by pro media.

there is a section in the dvd where tom explains the wedgie design in good detail. after watching it i'm convinced that it is a smart design.

[chriswhite]

here is what I know about Tom, if its not the best he can do then he wont do it. He has a history of making improvements and not looking back. If the Wedgie neck wasnt better for the guitar than the 4-bolt then all Andersons would still be 4-bolt.

[lumco]

Not trying to start a fight. Just interesting comments, likes and dislikes from guitar playing folks. Some people pickup a $3k Custom Shop Tele and the next person grabs a Nash Relic....to each their own..

[chriswhite]

Not trying to start a fight.
I dont think anyone here thought you were... just rest assured that if its an Anderson you've got nothing to worry about.

[harritone]

Agreed that the 2 bolt is a thicker and "improved" sounding guitar, it really is... I wouldn't call it better than the 4 bolt... I would call it going in a different direction...to me...it is more than just 'looks' that are different going on here...it does feel different around the cut-away area......I don't know if this an "illusion" or not, but the palm of my fretting hand has more room for movement at the neck joint...it feels as if the thickness of the 4 bolt at the joint(i.e. - the total thickness of the neck to the neck pocket to the neck plate) is thicker than the 2 bolt. It was awkward for me getting used to not having a neckplate on my newest 2 bolt and that "block" foundation at the joint my left hand palm was used to. After a while, I got used to it all the way around, and I like as much, if not more in some ways, as my older 4 bolters...I mean...its an Anderson!.....Definately an open-minded move...I'm happy...:cool:
Not to jump ahead of Tom. Those guys you were talking with are crazy. But unless a person HAS TO HAVE the four bolt for the "look", there is NO REASON to not go two. I have both and they are both wonderful.

[dannopelli]

Not trying to start a fight. Just interesting comments, likes and dislikes from guitar playing folks. Some people pickup a $3k Custom Shop Tele and the next person grabs a Nash Relic....to each their own..

Not a shot at you dude. Just my opinion. Sorry if it came off that way.

There are just some guys who focus a bit much on "tradition." Maybe the guys you talked to are that way, maybe not. I have lots of Fenders, Gibsons, PRS. But I play my Andersons 95 % of the time.

Anderson is not the only manufacturer to find a better way. Look at the Taylor acoustic NT Neck with its fingerjoint headstock and bolt on design. And some guys just won't play Buzz Feinten.

So like you said, "to each their own!"

[lumco]

Enjoyed all your comments. Interesting I think as each builder of old designs have moved on to new improvements. Myself I have the older style of Anderson's and my only Fender Tele stays in its case. Some country guys are tradition minded, look at Marty Stuart, Kenny Vaughn and a host of others play those old Tele's, Fender amps etc and some other players Brad Paisley, Pete Anderson, Rod Janzen can't wait to get new gear from new builders and they sound just as good.

[Jack Gretz]

Toms 2 bolt wedgy neck joint maybe the most improved and ingenious guitar building move to be done in decades. People who make comments about 4 bolt versus this 2 bolt design, should take there new car back to the dealer and insist that they get a car with drum brakes on it and no power steering.
All anyone has to do is take a good look at the design and they should realize how specacular of a move and design this really is. This is NOT anyone taking a short cut or doing something in guitar design just to get people to talk, this is a fully functioning and exceptional design in neck joint technology.

[harritone]

I cant afford a new car!......:D .....a forum is all about opinions....all good..... The 2-bolt in decades? mmmm...Ever played a Stevenson guitar?.....by the way, you stole my word 'move'..LOL.....NO one said that it was NOT a great design...

[lumco]

Yes, noone said it wasn't a good design..just wasn't for them. Like mentioned, forums are for opinions and the expressions of them. 2 is as good as 4. I don't agree with the ( best in decades) design comment..all is well that ends well. Can't believe a small thing as a neck joint can stir the passion like it does.

[Pietro]

There are always going to be uber-traditionalists, too. nothing wrong with that.

I have a buddy who goes further than that... He's almost exclusively a tele and strat player, nearly all his instruments are custom shop.

If he's looking at a tele and it has 22 frets instead of 21, he'll discount it purely based on that.

Such folk are not "made for" Andersons. I believe he's never even asked to play mine!

[tom]

if you want all the traditional stuff there are plenty of people making that stuff, either fender or the plethora of clones...if i had a plethora of clones, how many would that be?... i digress.
bolting 2 flat pieces of wood together and expecting them to stay where you put them is folly. we used to make wonderfully tight neck pockets but all it take is a slight whack sideways and the strings are hanging off the neck. i know some of you love to give the neck a crack to set it right, and in a weird way i do miss doing that in front of customers and watching their eyes bug out. but having the neck always be in the right place is pretty nice.
all the feel better stuff is a great bonus, the transition are from the 11th fret to heel is gone. the body is carved and rounded nicely, but if you gotta feel or see the plate then the four bolt is for you. and that's ok with me.
i'm with jack, my cars have disc breaks and power steering and i'm not going back. i do have fond memories of my 57 chevy wagon and 65 corvette but i wouldn't want to have to drive them every day.

[dannopelli]

...if i had a plethora of clones, how many would that be?...

I believe a cornucopia of copies? :D

Nicely put Tom!

[harritone]

Can anyone follow that?....not me:cool: .....Like I said in my previous posts...I am happy with both......The 2 bolt IS way less of a pain to adjust and (zero worries on wood movement), set-up, the higher frets are more easily accessable, etc...and it sounds fatter...The 4 is what we've all been accustomed to for so long, thats the "comfort box" here... and change for the better is good...like I said...the 2 is "welcome to the 21st century"...I would not have dropped $2700 if I wasnt loving it.....

[tom]

my heart aches for you bro. but i don't see a problem here on the board. there's plenty to make everybody happy. these are guitars, plenty reasons to be happy about which ever flavor we like best.