The TAG TEAm 2024
Anderson Guitarworks was born out of Tom’s garage, 40 years ago in 1984, as a pickup and guitar parts (necks and bodies) business. After making pickups, guitar bodies, and necks for other builders, we started building complete guitars and moved into a small shop in 1985. From those humble beginnings to our current state of the art facility, the process stays the same:
The process begins by choosing only the finest and most beautiful woods from select lumber mills. Ground breaking CAD technology is used to achieve the most exacting tolerances found in the guitar industry, while the fine detail woodwork and beautiful finish sanding are done by the hands of a master.
Our paint jobs are done using an ultraviolet light curing process that was pioneered here. It allows the instrument's full tonal potential to be uninhibited while setting a new level of beauty and durability for our guitars.
To best complement and allow our customers to further fine tune the sound of their Anderson guitar, we offer many models of pickups and switching configurations. All are designed and wound in our own pickup shop for optimum tone. And, taking a look inside each guitar, you could call the excellence of our internal wiring a work of art.
The final process is the coming together of all these precision parts in just the right way to enable each and every guitar to achieve its maximum playability and sound. What does this all mean? It means a guitar of unparalleled quality, and no matter which model of you choose, you are getting that same level of excellence. Our models vary only in their look, wood choice and sonic character. We offer this variety so you can choose an instrument that will bring out your personal best!
The Team
Aristotle famously said, “the whole guitar company is greater than the sum of its parts”. Okay, so maybe not the guitar company part... but regardless, that philosophy can be applied to describe the whole of Anderson Guitarworks. When the skills, experience and efforts of each employee are combined, the result is a high-performance instrument sold around the world, by a company known for quality and innovation. And anyone who has stopped by the shop can attest to the family-like atmosphere, made possible by a sum of people doing something they truly love. It’s a bit hard to explain really, so let’s take a short tour. First, we enter…
The Woodshop
...where it all starts. Working amidst the hum of bandsaws, sanders and routers is a crew that’s composed of some of our most experienced employees. And every builder in the wood shop is an accomplished guitarist too, which means they fully understand the ingredients of a great guitar. Not to mention their understanding of state of the art manufacturing techniques, many of which have been developed here. They know how to best merge high-quality materials with both hand tools and CNC machines, working within tolerances of thousandths of an inch. But the real mastery is in how the wood shop team carefully hand shapes and inspects each component, before handing them off to the…
Finish Department
…who collaborates with the wood shop in choosing the best wood options to best complement the color of your choice. Many hours are spent hand staining, and applying our groundbreaking finishes. Peaking into the spray booth you may see what looks like an astronaut suited up, and it’s not far from the truth - their work is truly out of this world. Just as important, the stainers and painters regularly experiment and dream up new creations to keep our long list of finish options fresh and vibrant. And finally, our beautiful high gloss finishes are buffed by a master with over three decades of experience, who makes sure every part shines like a gemstone before sending it over to...
Final Assembly
...where the finished parts make it to the benches of our master assemblers, a team that recognizes the time and effort already put into each guitar by the wood shop and finish department, and brings it all together. Getting the opportunity to hear each guitar come to life for the first time is an exciting part of the creative process, and our builders, all musicians themselves, enjoy sharing tips on how to increase the limits of what our guitars are capable of. There are decades of experience within the walls of the final assembly room, and it’s our team's mission to make sure that every custom guitar exceeds the expectations of our valued customers. But we certainly can’t forget about the...
Pickup Shop
...especially since the Pickup Shop is where our guitars find a voice. And of course the roots of Anderson Guitarworks actually stem from our history making custom pickups, created on some of the same vintage winders we use to this day, that only our pickups crew knows how to operate. They not only make pickups for our guitars, but also to fulfill individual pickup orders going out to a global market. And they make them for themselves too - it’s not uncommon for them to be winding pickups by day, testing them out in their own guitars by night, only to return the next day with new ideas for finding the perfect voice. And speaking of voices, the..
Office
...is alive with the voices and laughter of both our current staff, and echoes of the past as well, namely one of our beloved original Co-Owners, Laurie Berg. Today our fearless leaders and Co-Owners Tom Anderson and Markus Spohn, and the rest of the office staff at Anderson Guitarworks, are always happy to answer your calls, listen, and do whatever it takes to support the endeavor of great guitar manufacturing. This motley crew behind the monitors is ever mindful of our core values with everything we do - whether it’s Sales where your dream guitar becomes a real order, Product & Marketing where we relay the good news about new stuff coming down the pipe, or Administration where all the parts of our company come together as a holistic whole.
And then, as you make your way past the office dogs demanding treats, the phone rings... and perhaps it’s your Anderson Dealer, calling in the order for your ultimate guitar. You can almost hear the machines in the woodshop ramping up...
