Anderson Hollow T Classic Contoured

After wanting one for several years to play out instead of my old stuff I found a 2001 model with binding and desert sunburst finish. Looks like a custom tele with 3 pickups. I purchased it from original owner with only a few hours playing time so I feel as if I bought it new. Ash with alder cap, vintage tremolo, big frets, with Gotoh locking tuners which can be a pain until you've changed the strings a few times. I had to take the high E tuner off to remove a bit of string which had lodged itself in the works. It would be nice if they had a hole in the pole so you could use it like a Kluson if you wanted too but then it wouldn't lock, would it??

I play Americana with some R&B mixed in thru a 65 dlx reverb with a Weber speaker. Gets the James Burton-Don Rich tone AND the Hendrix sound especially when the p/u selector is in the 4 position and with the bridge p/u added. Doesn't have nail steel sound like my American Std w/a MannMade nickel bridge does but you can't expect everything.

Guitar needed a truss rod adjustment but I figure that was due to 4 years of disuse more than poor quality control. The top is perfectly bookmarked ash and the finish is flawless. Controls are smooth and quiet. I raised the action to suit my personal style.

So far so good. I expect nothing but perfection given what I've seen so far. A broken string would be hard to replace on the fly with the Gotoh tuners.

Roy at Anderson is great; very responsive to both email and phone calls. He gave me good advice on the different neck profiles and offered free support when I thought I'd gotten myself into a fix by diddling with the tremolo bridge studs. Turns out that it wasn't needed but it's good to know Anderson is there if you need them.

Been playing longer than I'd like to admit to given my level of competence, have had every kind of electric guitar, but my mantra is less is more so I bought the Anderson and have been unloading my vintage stuff to remove all the distractions. My desert island combo is the Anderson and my old deluxe reverb with the Weber speaker and mid range bypass mod and a dozen sets of 10-52s.

Just a corrective addendum to the review below: The neck and middle pickups are VA1s, not SAs. Thus they match up well not just tone-wise but level-wise as well with the bridge TV3. Also, the guitar is the version with binding.

2003 Tobacco Sunburst Hollow T Classic Contoured w/case. Nitro paint. Swamp ash top, alder body; three hollow chambers. Rosewood fingerboard, heavy frets. Stained satin '62 Roundback neck, 1 5/8" at nut. Locking tuners at headstock with Feiten intonation system. Chrome and plastic-tipped tremolo vintage-style (thinner than Anderson's regular bar). Two strap buttons at bottom to aid in resting guitar against amp without compromising stability. Pickups are SA1, SA2 and TV3 with add/bridge (to neck pickup) pull on tone knob, five way selector switch. Mint guard, chrome knobs and tuners.

Very versatile with the five-way selector switch plus add/bridge option. Tremolo adds a bit of flair for a Tele-style guitar yet would prefer thicker bar Anderson has offered on other models. TV3 bridge pickup is a very clear, yet full pickup and is well suited for rock, country, blues and jazz sounds. Hollow chambers add good resonance.

Action is low and with no buzzing. Pickups adjusted perfectly to string height. Controls are very smooth and add/bridge pull on tone knob works easily. Tuning is very stable with locking tuners at headstock plus the addition of Feiten intonation system. Finish is outstanding and satin neck aids in ease of play without getting slowed down by excess hand moisture.

Guitar matches up well to a variety of amps and musical styles. Extra strap button at bottom not only good for resting guitar against amp safely during set breaks but also good option for different strap placement. Hollow chambers and contours add to comfort when using strap. Feiten intonation system greatly adds to the ease of use when gigging. All-around durability should be very good although nitro paint is inherently thin and may need extra care.

No repair or warranty work needed as yet. Company has always responded to requests and questions and is one of many reasons this guitar is second Anderson purchased. Dealer and company work well together and are always available for help.

Prefer this guitar over all others used, including other Anderson. Great design and great build quality. Versatile and comfortable with great tone and great action...well worth the purchase price.