They will all be essentally *exactly* the same. Carvin, (which I play btw) for example, uses a CNC machine to cut the bodies and necks. That doesn't always mean that you'll like the guitar better and as the price goes up, the differences get smaller and you may be looking more at different "flavors" rather than increases in quality.Īlso some of the larger companies can be more consistent than the smaller ones. in terms of materials, care in building, and quality of components. In large degree, you get what you pay for. it's their PERSONALITY.Īnd it helped me get some great guitars for so much less! I LIKE the bit of wear and tear that someone blessed these guitars with. It's AWESOME, AND a great deal! My '93 LP Standard was used for around $800. I have a used PRS McCarty I got that only cost about $1,100. On the other hand, MANY of these guitars are available at a fraction of the price in the used market. Of course you can also buy a PRS, or Gibson, or Custom Shop Strat, or Suhr, or Melancon, or Baker, or many other small builder or custom guitars around the same price as an Anderson. If you LOVED an Anderson and ended up buying a Carvin because it was lower priced. Otherwise they couldn't justify the purchase. To the people who love them, and GLADLY paid the price, I bet they certainly are worth it. very nice components and materials, and they have a great warranty policy.Īre they worth $2,500? Well. said before are correct, Anderson's are built with a lot of hands-on care. Supply and demand and so on.Īll the things Gabriel E. What about dinner at a 4 star restaurant? They are less expensive because they are factory direct. The build quality at Carvin is as good as anything I've seen. You can get one custom made to your specs for around a grand. If you like Tom Andersons, check out the Carvin Contour 66. If it was a vioin or cello, you'd be looking at $20K+. $2500 for a hand-made guitar isn't actually that bad. As long as you choose one that suits your styke, you'll never have to modify it because it's already pretty much perfect. It will stay in tune, have no dead spots on the neck, be easy to play and sound good. When you buy a high-end guitar, you're buying a guitar that basically has no flaws. Since fewer are produced, it's not as easy to spread these expenses as thinly as you could if you produced tens of thousands of guitars. Aside from the top flight materials, people are spending a lot of time making sure everything is put together properly and every detail is attended to.Īside from the high labor cost, you also have to figure in rent, utilities, insurance, taxes and all the other costs and expenses that go into manufacturing instruments like this. Clearly cares very much about the guitars his factory produces.They are hand made by skilled craftspeople. So - not the warm, happy vibe I got from the Anderson tour videos, but impresses in other ways at least. He does inspire confidence in terms of his knowledge and ability, and clear attention to detail. But I think that kind of approach can certainly work, and produce impressive results. Not the sort of person I'd want to have an argument with! But he certainly knows his stuff, and is obviously a very capable person - perhaps not inclined to compromise, or take on other people's ideas so much - he knows what he thinks and what he wants, and that's what's gonna happen. John Suhr may not seem like a very warm kind of person, and he seems kind of set in his ways. I did watch the Suhr tour videos again - and to be fair, I came away with a better impression than I did before. But yeah, not great in those tour videos. I also rate their customer service as amongst the very best in the industry. It's not their primary skill I guess, but I cut a little slack given John's online presence on forums. I'm a real Suhr fan, but I agree that the Suhr 'tour guides', be it John or another dude, don't come across in a "warm" way.