HISTORY

History

Tom Anderson began his career in the guitar business in 1977 at Schecter Guitars. From 1977 until 1984 Tom was head of research and development at Schecter. Towards the end of Tom's career at Schecter, the atmosphere began to change. Finance people outside of the guitar community began to take control. In the meantime, Tom was asked to travel overseas to work with the Japanese end of Schecter. As Tom states, "This left a bad taste in my mouth". One day in 1984, Tom decided to leave Schecter Guitars. Dave Schecter, who remains friends with Tom, suggested that Tom form his own business. With support from his family, Tom described the start-up of his business as a "Leap of faith". With renewed desire, Tom began building his business, which was originally, going to be called, "Anderson & Sons". During the daylight hours Tom was setting up shop to begin his love for supplying many guitar manufacturers with original equipment parts, OEM for short. At night, during the first year of the new company, Tom was busy making ends meet by building 300 Strat replacement pickups a month.

Although content building the best replacement parts with some of the most exacting tolerances, Tom built a few guitars that bore the "Tom Anderson Guitarworks" logo for a local Los Angeles music store. Lab Sound began to pitch these fine guitars around the LA area. Soon, Tom Anderson Guitarworks became known for building great guitars. Two years later, in 1986, the very first Pro Am débuted at the NAMM show.

Unlike many of the other guitar manufacturers, Tom builds less than 900 guitars a year. Last year, Anderson Guitarworks produced a total of 829 guitars. This allows the factory to maintain the strictest quality in today's custom guitar market. From the top of the line Cobra to a Classic, every guitar receives equal attention. No detail is overlooked. For every guitar built, there are 14 craftsmen who come in contact with each guitar.

Tom chose two traditional body styles because, as he says, "The two shapes are what guitar players want to buy". Although the guitar market was leading towards vintage influences, Tom says that his most popular models are those with maple tops.

Every Anderson guitar is assembled with strict guidelines that Tom has perfected over the years. This perfect factory set-up is a combination of art and science. Every item from pick-up height to the string height is taken into consideration. Once the guitar is completely assembled, it will sit for a week so that it can acclimatise properly. The following week, the guitar is rechecked and then Tom will put the guitar through a series of playing tests. Once the instrument passes Toms approval, Tom will then etch the "born-on-date" on the neckplate. Your dream guitar is then ready to ship to you. No wonder Tom Anderson's guitars are regarded by many as the best in the business.