Anderson Hollow Classic

2006 Anderson hollow classic, Ash body, Maple neck, African rosewood fingerboard, vintage style vibrato bar, locking tuners, 22 stainless steel frets, Buzz Feiten tuning system, 5 way switching, mini toggle to split bridge, push pull tone to activate bridge from 5 way position 1 or 2.

Passive electronics. Pickups are M series...they are a humbucker (about the size of a P-90) but they sound like a really fat single coil.

All Anderson guitars come with a custom fitted case, and you send in for a strap and T shirt.

The M pickups sound like single coils in most ways...are dead quiet and responsive. They are absolutely amazing. Only thing that is weak is the split tone of the bridge (an M2) kinda harsh but it REALLY cuts. I dont really bother splitting the bridge much so that doesnt bother me. The M's are dead quiet.

The guitar rings VERY loudly when played unplugged, lots of midrange. Plugged in the instrument has a great strat like bite but more low end and a really great high end. It can handle cleans todirty sounds very nicely.

Anderson is renouned for only sending out guitars that are pretty much 100% set up. This one was no exception, it came with 10-46 strings and I use 9-46 so I had to make a change there. pickup height was bang on, intonation was perfect and there are no finish flaws of any sort.

Anderson only releases one or 2 guitars a day....amazing finish work shouldnt shock anyone.

It stays in tune, sounds great and IS solid. From the first time you pick an Anderson up you kow that the piece is solid.

I have had it for nearly a year and the guitar has never let me down.

I have called a couple times (I own 3 Andersons) and have talked to Roy and Tom.

Cust support is amazing....when the owner answers the phone you know you have good support

I have 3, have one more on the way and dont use any other guitars anymore.

Andersons do it for me. Ifyou can find and afford one go for it.

My Hollow Classic is serial number 04-10-96P. It is Swamp Ash on Swamp Ash, in Transluscent Blonde. It has an ebony fretboard with heavy frets, and the TA "'62 Roundback" neck profile. It has a matching headstock with TA's locking tuners. Vintage tremolo, SA1, SA1R and SA2 pickups, with 5 way switching and push/pull tone pot which adds the bridge pickup. One tone and one volume pot. Now, the original guitar was shipped with an H2+ humbucker in the bridge position. However, the prior owner sent it back to TA and had the SA2 installed along with another mini switch which is for single coil/hum split on the pickups. So, you can run the pickups as true single coil, or as hum cancelling. The hardware is chrome, the pickguard is black pearloid. In short, a "vintage style" Strat body but with the added versatility in pickup selection. Oh, and this guitar shipped with Buzz Feiten Tuning System, which TA started using in April of 1996 on all guitars, so this was one of the first. I bought this guitar used, and it came with 3 extra pickguards, in black and white pearloid, for S-S-S and S-S-H, and two tremolo arms, with black and white knobs.

Comes with the standard TA G&G hardshell case. Considering the additional tonal options of the single/hum switch adn the push/pull, together with locking tuners, this version of the 'strat" has way more features than the standard Strat design, so it gets a 10.

I play this guitar through a Mesa Boogie Road King head, and a pair of Avatar 2x12 cabinets, loaded with Celestions. My main guitar is a 1999 TA Hollow T Classic, which also is reviewed here at HC. I have had 4 other Andersons over the years. In my 30 years of playing I have never owned a Strat style guitar. I have never thought of myself as a strat guy. Mostly I have had dual hum guitars, until I got the TA's a few years back.

My main guitar, the TA Hollow T, was custom designed for me by TA and built to my desires. It has been an extension of me for nearly 5 years, and the guitar I always used on stage. Until now!! This Hollow Classic is unbelievable. The variety of tones and sounds, from clean to high gain, and the quality of its tone are simply jaw dropping. It gets all the cool strat tones, slinky, spanky, etc... But is also sounds rich and complex and powerful in overdrive and distortion. the neck pickup is warm and can cop jazz tones. For three band rehearsals i have yet to pick up my Les Paul style or my 335 style or my Hollow T. This guitar does it all. It must be the combination of the hollow chambers and the Ash. It is bright, but not brittle. Rich and warm but not muddy. Singing and complex all at once. I am most impressed with how this guitar can get thick rich power chords and meaty overdriven rhythm sounds, like a solid body Les Paul. Unlike many Strats that just don't have the depth and "thickness", this one pulls it off. It is hard to believe it's got 3 single coil type pickups. Every member of my band has commented on how good the guitar sounds. While my other guitars sound good through the Road King, the Hollow Classic seems to bond with it and just SING. Like I said, i have owned several TA's, including two Drop Tops a Hollow Cobra and two different Hollow T's. I thought I knew what Anderson was capable of. This guitar leaves me speechless. it is superb.

I bought this guitar used, so I don't know how it came from the factory. However, the finish and construction, like every other TA I have owned and seen is first rate. The string height was perfect, low without buzzing, neck was properly adjusted. I found the intonation to be a bit off on a couple of string, but that was easily adjusted. The tremolo arm and springs work fine and it comes back to tune just fine. The transluscent blonde finish on the Ash wood is very cool. You can see the dark grain lines but it still looks like a deep off white. If you read all the reviews of TA guitars, it is pretty universal that they build the best guitar, of the highest quality, consistently. This one is no exception.

This guitar is built rock solid, to be played and used. There are no cheap parts and everything is solid, down to the two strap buttons on the body side, to balance the guitar. You could gig without a backup, but I always have a variety of guitars on stage.

I have been given a tour of the TA factory. I have worked with Roy to design a custom ordered guitar. They live for customer service. They are the best!

I have been playing for 30 years. I have played Mesa Boogie amps for 20 years, currently with a Road King. My other current guitars include a TA Hollow T Classic, a Schecter PT Custom, a Washburn HB-35, a Taylor K20-c and a Wingert Model F-VC. All of these have been reviewed by me here on HC. I also have owned Baker, McInturff, other TA's, PRS, Hamer, vintage '59 Epiphone, Les Pauls, Ibanezes. I have reviewd the Baker and McInturff here on HC.

This guitar has become my main guitar, replacing another TA that I custom designed and which has been my main ax for 5 years. The Hollow Classic is the ultimate iteration of the strat concept, taking it to a higher level of quality, tone and craftsmanship. If it were lost, I would replace it instantly.

Tom numbers his guitars with the date they were made, so my date of manufacture/serial # is 09-03-99N. The "N" means it was finished in the afternoon of 9/3/99. How's that for being exact.....and that same perfection shows in all aspects of this guitar. It resembles a Strat........3 single coil pickups made by Anderson as well, a push pull tone knob that adds the neck pickup to whatever switch combo you are using. The bridge is a Fishman, which gives a king of acoustic sound for even more tone possibilites. Passive electronics. Body is Swamp Ash top and Swamp Ash back with 3 hollow tone chambers give the instrument a beautiful sound when it is not plugged in. Finish is a flawless translucent white. Go to Tom Anderson's web site and you can put in the serial#/born-on date and see all features of this guitar. Tuners are Gotoh, and they are easy to use when re-stringing. Neck radius ic conical 10-13. No "fretting out" problems here. Comes with a custom hard case.

The sound is awesome I believe. I play blues and rock and it suits my needs just fine. I play through a Super Reverb and/or a Fender 1962 Deluxe. I A/B them with the Deluxe set "dirty" and the Super set "cleaner". I can get a whole bunch of different tones with the avalible combinations you can adjust the guitar to produce. It is very quiet.

It is set up perfectly. You can talk to Tom himself and Roy.......both absolutely fine people, and they will advise the setup to suit your requests. Everything was adjusted perfectly and did not need me to touch it.

Been using it more than my other guitars and no problems. It is very well built and I do not expect any problems. I always have a backup, but that will be a Tom Anderson guitar too! Strap buttons are solid as a rock. Two are on the bottom of the guitar.

Call them and Roy or Tom will come to the phone right now. I had no problems......I just wanted to ask a question and they took all the time I needed. Super people.

Love the guitar. I will order another one ASAP.

All you could want from a strat, including all the things fender doesn't come close to. Coil tap for the stacked single-coil pickups, even though I always use the tapped setting (much more "vintage" strat tone). An add bridge switch, just a few more tones for the adventurous. And most importantly - quality! Everything is done with care, true craftsmanship.

I play rootsy rock & blues with some wandering into Zeppelin-esque hard rock, country and funk/r&b. This thing does it all. I did replace the bridge s/c with a rio grande bbq-bucker to get a thicker lead tone, but now I find myself wanting to switch back. The hollow ash body is featherweight and so beautifully resonant that sometimes it's almost a shame to plug it in. It makes the traditional single-coil sound a bit rounder and warmer, but without sacrificing that glassy sparkle. Tonal nirvana.

The folks an Anderson are fanatically attentive to every little detail.

Never a single problem.

There's only about 5 guys at Anderson, and from Tom himself to Roy, to whoever I've gotten on the phone they've always been patient, friendly and helpful. How many guitar companies are there where you get to talk to the folks who made your guitar when you call. I live in LA and once they even let me come out the their workshop to address a question about neck shape. WOW

I've been playing for 15 years. This guitar through my Marshall JMP head, with maybe a touch of slap-back, can keep me pickin' all day long. If it were lost or stolen I'd probably just jump off a bridge, just kidding...but I'd call Anderson and order the exact same thing.

Mfd. 4/97; Swamp Ash top & back; Maple/Madagascar Rosewood board with heavy frets; Anderson Standard profile neck .050 oversized; 1-11/16 nut; Anderson Vintage trem; SA1R/SA1/H2 pickups with B5 switching (mini toggle switches between single coil or hum-canceling for all except bridge position, which is always humbucking); Buzz Feiten tuning system. I ordered this guitar based on my concept of the ideal all-around "Super Strat" after buying and modifying several other guitars.

I play a wide variety of music (generally cover material) through an all-tube Mesa/Marshall rack setup. My goal (with my whole rig) was to have great versatility without compromising the essential Strat tones. This guitar excels in this regard- I expected to be giving up the true single coil bridge pickup sound, but the H2 bridge humbucker is terrific. It has plenty of bite, a rich midrange, and balanced top and bottom- not "fat", not "thin", not too hot. The other eight pickup combinations are a perfect combination of "modern" single-coil sounds in the hum-canceling modes, and slightly hot, snappy, clucky Strat tones. The third position is wired as a combination of the neck and bridge pickups, and does either a pseudo Tele or a twangy L.P. "in-between" thing, depending on the mini-toggle position. 9 sounds, no waiting! And every sound is usable, unlike my experience with other "do-it-all" guitars.

Anybody who reads the Guitar Forum here has seen posts about the build quality of Tom Anderson guitars. They are easily among the best made electric guitars available, and this one is no exception.

I expect that this guitar will last basically forever, under normal use. It was purchased to be my main gigging guitar, not a "collector" instrument. The only thing worth noting here is that the hollow Swamp Ash body is quite thin and soft, so don't use one of these to hammer nails in.

Tom Anderson Guitarworks is a model of how customer service should be handled. They are all courteous and informative, and THEY LOVE GUITARS! It's always nice to get customer support from somebody who shares your interests. Lifetime warranty.

I'm sure you can conclude my happiness with this guitar. I WILL buy other T.A. guitars. Some tips for prospective purchasers: Order a catalog and familiarize yourself with the line. There are many neck profile, nut width, fret, and fingerboard options. Make sure you play a variety of these guitars, and ASK for the specifics of the particular guitars you play. Don't settle for what's on the wall if it's not PERFECT FOR YOU because they can build one for you that is! Anderson offers so many pickup options that the same thing applies here. Play as many as you can, but by all means, call Roy at Anderson and ask for recommendations for the specific guitar you're interested in ordering.