Drop Top

Piing

Axe-Master
I am craving for a Tom Anderson or a Suhr, but I am limited to what is available at the second hand market in Bangkok.

A Tom Anderson Atom for $2,400 has called my attention.

The reviews are very positive. If what they are saying is true, it would be incredible to have this guitar for a fraction of the price of a top-of-the-line Gibson Les Paul.

Anyone has experience with this guitar?

TomAndersonAtom.jpg
 
Last edited:
I don't have any experience with the Atom but I have two Andersons and they are among the best guitars made. However the Atom is a bolt-on neck so it's not going to have the same character as a Les Paul or the various copies.

From what I've read the best budget Les Paul is an ESP.
 
Are the brands the priority? Or getting a singlecut the priority?

Anderson and Suhr make amazing guitars. Agree with Cliff about the Atom likely not falling into LP tone territory given its construction.

Everyone has different taste but on a $2400 budget for a LP style guitar I would likely go for a used core PRS Tremonti. Have had two of those and they were easily my favorite LP style guitar. Not sure the price range/availability in Bangkok though.
 
Thank you for the comments. I am not specifically looking for a Les Paul or a Singlecut, but for a refined guitar with a different flavor to what I already have. I started considering a P90'ish soapbar, like the Epi 56, GoldTop, and I derived to this as I was attracted by the reviews of Tom Andersons and Suhrs
 
Last edited:
The neck joint of the Atom is interesting

"I've been thinking about a new neck attaching method for many years. The Fender-style joint, even when executed well, doesn't really hold the neck in position very well. Our joint is a compound wedge, so it requires no pressure at all to keep the neck in proper alignment. It cannot move sideways or longitudinally."

"I'd have used only one screw to hold it on, but the adjustable rod is in the middle of the neck so I used two bolts offset of the rod by about 6mm. The bolts are a size larger than the traditional wood screws used on our other guitars, and these are machine screws mating to steel threaded inserts inside the neck. There's actually more surface contact with this joint than the traditional Fender style, and with our production methods, the precision angles are easy to keep correct."

https://www.musicradar.com/reviews/guitars/tom-anderson-atom-288499
 
Based on the review it seems like it's more of a tele-style than an LP-style, although still a bit of a hybrid. They describe it as "lightweight" so that already makes it quite different from a classic LP :)
 
If you're used to Strats for all your playing life then it might take getting some used to it when playing a LP.
 
It depends on whether or not your goal is to have a Les Paul or a dual humbucker guitar. These are not the same thing. There is something quite special about a great Les Paul that very few guitars other than a real Les Paul deliver. So far, the only guitar that has nailed it for me is a PRS 594. Having said that, the one Atom I’ve played was great.
 
Lot of companies like Fralin make humbucking P-90 sized pickups, so those are options if you are anti-single coil.
 
I've finally pulled the trigger for a Schecter Solo II Custom.

It is an amazing guitar. The YouTube review of Darrell Braun "Everything a Les Paul Should Be!" is absolutely true.


A.jpg

I have bought a Suhr Thornbucker+ for the bridge an a Harmonic Design Z90 for the neck


The Tom Anderson adventure is already forgotten
 
Last edited:
The Atom reminds me a lot of the Taylor solid bodies they released a while back. They were excellent guitars, but just never caught on.
 
Going back to the Tom adventure, but on the SuperStrat realm...

Do you think that is worth to pay $3,500 for this 2009 Drop Top?

It has a couple of small dents at the headstock, and a "natural relic" at the back and sides

01.jpg
02.jpg
03.jpg
04.jpg
05.jpg
 
Last edited:
Yes, it is a lot of money. But I have been following TAs for a while, and so far that is the first interesting one I've found for this price with the 2-bolt neck and available for international shipping. Ishibashi is selling this model on Reverb for $4,446 :eek: and directly from their website for $2,819 only. Adding shipping + import duty + tax I would have to pay $3,500

I am currently vacillating between that, or a Suhr Pro Series M2 for $1,900 at the local market, which seems to be a much better value for money deal 😅
87817932_1764647073671870_2762895630509539328_n.jpg
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom