Tom Anderson Guitarworks Raven Classic Guitar, Distressed Shell Pink
Player's Perspective
Music Store Live is proud to be an official Tom Anderson Guitarworks dealer. These are up there with the best of the best in the bolt-on guitar field. They're a shop favorite and for good reason. With this one, we chose their relic level 2 for a look that is worn in, but not abused.
Offset guitars are as popular these days as they've ever been, it seems. And we've got the one to rule them all. It is truly no exaggeration to say that every Anderson guitar that has come through our shop has been jaw-droppingly beautiful and amazing to play. They've quickly grown to become a shop favorite and we're pretty much all of the belief that "Tom Anderson can do no wrong." This Raven Classic only solidifies this unyielding faith and confidence in Tom Anderson. The guitar is made for the workhorse musician that needs something masterfully crafted, extremely versatile, and yet simple to use.
The PQ1 and PQ3 pickups pump out a wonderfully vintage-inspired P90 sound, but without any hum and with a bit more punch and oomph behind it! The pickups are dead quiet when solo'd but without compromising any of the authentic characteristic that they're going for. It's got more oomph than a traditional single-coil, but also is more open and vocal-like than a humbucker. The highs are shimmery and crystal clear while the bass is tight, punchy, and articulate. I'd say that they are ever so slightly overwound compared to a tried and true vintage P90. They can handle distortion and saturation or be played through a clean channel and they'll sound great in either application. You'll also be making best friends with your studio or front of house engineers by sending them only the musical sounds you want and none of the noise you don't through your signal chain.
If you need to thin your sound out a little bit so it slices through the mix with a bit more of a single-coil characteristic to it, there are 2 mini-toggles that will cut the output of each pickup. This essentially allows you to go from meaty, full, rich, and thick tones to bright, spanky, twangy, and cutting. It was important to add versatility to this instrument when we were designing it with Anderson, but we also wanted all of the sounds it provides to be useful and musical. This configuration definitely achieves that.
In keeping with the old-school vibe of the guitar, we went with a neck that has a vintage feel to it as well. It's nice and thin down by the nut but does gain a bit of girth to it as you go up the fretboard. It feels amazing whether you're gripping the neck down low to play chords or trying to rip single-note lead lines up high. The '62 Pete neck profile is Anderson's most popular vintage-based neck shape.
This is a true player's instrument. Ready for the studio or the stage, this could very well be your new Excalibur and be the only guitar you need to unsheath to slay your next gig or session.
Manufacturer's Description
The Raven Classic
The offset styled guitar that was designed from the outset to play, exquisitely well.
Your most profound offset style guitar dreams have become a reality. Now you can step on stage with the avant garde look of an offset and have the Anderson assurance that you are strapped into a unique instrument that will perform peerlessly in your hands.
- Balanced, lightweight and stable, a joy to strap on and play all night long.
- Not over-sized or undersized but a body of just right proportions. it immediately feels like your old, best friend, that is full of brand new excitement and experiences.
- A solid foundation supports unparalleled tone and resonance, where every sonic nuance rings out with alacrity.
As usual, our reliable intonation and tuning stability makes Raven a joy to play with any and every style of music. No worries, just plug and play with wild abandon.
The Neck
60’s Vibe: The defining character of the 60’s Vibe neck is an increase in depth as your hand moves from 1st to 12 fret. With an early 60’s style taper, it is considered a medium-depth neck at the first few frets and becomes a substantial neck when you grab a handful in the upper regions of the fretboard.
The Pickups
The clean look of a traditional Soapbar-style pickup and the clean sound of no 60-cycle hum (when you are touching the strings, of course). The “Q” stands for quiet!
What do Soapbar-style pickups sound like? The longstanding benefit of a Soapbar-style pickup is that they produce a sound that lives between the weaker F-type, single coil and the fat focus of a humbucker, giving you a sound nothing else can quite achieve. So, think of the wide bandwidth that a single coil pickup delivers—low, lows and stringy, musical highs. Now tame those highs ever so slightly so there is no “shattering glass” timbre, just clear string clarity. Add big, booming lows and give it enough midrange girth to not be wimpy in any situation—but not so much that it is mid-only like a traditional humbucker. Not weak but not overly hot—big enough to be dirty when pushed through your favorite amp and pristine when backed off—without 60-cycle hum! How cool is that? You have the much-loved Soapbar tone at your fingertips.
What’s the big deal? This coveted iconic musical “P” tone has not ever been achievable in a hum-canceling version—UNTIL NOW! Thanks to the Anderson PQ R&D department—real players jamming away until all hours of the night to bring P-performance under your control.
Technically Speaking? How about precision polepiece alignment—means string and polepiece engage in maximum communication. Also, the height adjustment screws have been moved slightly outward for easier and intricate angling and height adjustment.
PQ 1: Vintage level Soapbar for neck application, wonderful, rich and full, but not too bloated—and with no hum.
PQ 3: With tradition still intact, the PQ3 gives more oomph per pick attack, for an elevated level of performance. Rippin’ made easy— and quiet.
Specifications
Body
- Model: Raven Classic
- Color: Shell Pink (In-Distress Level 2)
- Body Wood: Alder
- Pickguard: Tortoiseshell
Neck
- Construction: Bolt-On
- Fretboard: Indian Rosewood
- Fretboard Radius: 12" to 14" Compound
- Neck Wood: Maple
- Scale Length: 24.75"
- Nut: 1 11/16" w/ Buzz Feiten Tuning System
- Neck Profile: '62 Pete - .815" at the first fret to .940" at the 12th fret
- Headstock: Matching Shell Pink
Electronics
- Pickups: PQ1 (neck) and PQ3 (bridge)
- Controls: Volume, Tone
- Pickup Selector: 3-Way Toggle Switch
- Mini-Toggles: 2x Cut Switches (one for each pickup)
Hardware
- Tuners: Locking
- Bridge: Vintage Tremolo
- Color: Aged Nickel
Miscellaneous
- Case: Deluxe Black Hardshell
- Serial #: 07-02-21A
- Instrument Weight: 7.3 lbs.
Overall Condition
Music Store Live is proud to be an authorized dealer for Anderson Guitarworks. This Raven Classic is 100% brand new and is being sold with a full manufacturer's warranty. Photos are of the exact guitar you'll receive.
Our in-house guitar tech will inspect, test, set up, and clean all of our instruments on site prior to shipping. All of our instruments are guaranteed to be fully functional upon arrival.