Tom Anderson Guitarworks
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Musical instrument manufacturing |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Founder | Tom Anderson |
| Headquarters | Newbury Park, California , United States |
| Products | Electric guitars, guitar pickups |
Number of employees | 1,200 guitars produced annually (approximate output) |
| Website | www |
Tom Anderson Guitarworks is an American privately held company specializing in the production of electric guitars and guitar pickups, with its headquarters situated in Newbury Park, California. Established in 1984 by Tom Anderson—who is widely acknowledged as a prominent entrepreneur and influential figure within the custom guitar industry—the firm manufactures around 1,200 guitars each year. It has earned a reputation for superior craftsmanship, outstanding playability, and distinctive tonal innovation. The Atom model notably appeared in Guitarist magazine's list of "50 guitars to play before you die," underscoring its significance in the market.
History
Tom Anderson launched his career in 1977 working alongside Dave Schecter, the founder of Schecter Guitar Co., until the company was sold in 1984. Following Schecter’s encouragement to pursue his own business, Anderson founded Tom Anderson Guitarworks, initially crafting pickups for Schecter Japan out of his garage. The enterprise rapidly grew to include manufacturing guitar bodies and necks, supplying renowned brands such as John Suhr (Pensa-Suhr), Roger Sadowsky, and Jim Tyler.
Up until 1987, the focus remained on producing parts before transitioning to complete guitar manufacturing after securing dealer contracts at the NAMM Show. By 1990, the company discontinued parts sales to dedicate efforts solely to finished instruments. Vertical integration progressed with the introduction of in-house painting by 1992; by 1993, nearly all components—excluding metal hardware—were produced internally.
The company’s innovative approach includes being an early adopter of CNC machining technology in 1988 to ensure production precision, a technique now widely embraced across the industry. A collaboration with Bob Taylor brought about ultra-violet curing for finishes, a method that has become standard among premium acoustic guitar makers. In 2006, the A-Wedgie neck joint was introduced, streamlining assembly by reducing screw count. Furthermore, Tom Anderson guitars have long utilized the Buzz Feiten tuning system to enhance intonation accuracy—an important competitive feature.
At the end of 2006, Anderson announced intentions to scale back operations to a one-person setup due to workload demands but subsequently reversed this decision following strong encouragement from customers and industry peers. The company continued full-scale production and moved in 2012 to a larger, modern facility nearby, facilitating ongoing growth and operational expansion.
Models
The product range is defined by seven distinct body shapes, each offering various models and customization options:[1]
- S: inspired by the Fender Stratocaster (including Classic, Icon Classic, Pro Am, and Drop Top versions)
- T: derived from the Fender Telecaster (Classic, Icon, Mongrel, Pro Am models)
- Angel: a 24-fret Superstrat style guitar (Angel, Arc Angel, Guardian Angel variants)
- Angel 7: a seven-string iteration of the Angel model (Angel 7, Angel Player 7)
- Baritom: featuring an extended 28.625” scale length designed for lower tunings from B to B (Classic, Drop Top, Pro Am variants)
- Bobcat: a single-cut design influenced by the Gibson Les Paul (Bobcat, Special, Locker)
- Cobra: equipped with a 24.75” scale length (Cobra, Cobra Special, Cobra S versions)
- Crowdster: an acoustic-electric guitar series (Crowdster Plus line)
- Raven: inspired by the Fender Jazzmaster (Raven, Raven Superbird)
Distinguished Users
- Joan Armatrading
- Clint Black
- Vivian Campbell
- Mike Campese
- David Crosby
- Christopher Cross
- David Crowder
- Keith Howland
- Michael Landau
- Jim Lill
- David Marks (musician)
- Kirk Hammett
- Keith Richards
- Neal Schon
- Bob Seger
- Nigel Tufnel
- Mike Turner (musician)
- Brad Whitford
External links
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedtag_models