Tom Anderson goes solo

[Mick]

For some who are interested in the buisness or own one of his guitars.
I wonder what makes him do so instead of putting someone in the chief chair??
Maybe BP has some insights he can share.



http://andersonforum.com/board/showthread.php?t=3514

 

[robelinda2]

wow that is really good reading, thanks for that link!!!! Going solo is pretty interesting, the new guitars are going to be quite rare, and with a LONG waiting period!

 

[augustyn]

terry mc inturff did nearly the same. i think guitars business aint easy.
but EB MM is on the right way IMO. if they only couldt bring up EU business....

 

[CudBucket]

Well, he's made it clear that he misses being involved in the build process. So, he wants to get back to that. More power to him.

Dave

 

[francric]

For some who are interested in the buisness or own one of his guitars.
I wonder what makes him do so instead of putting someone in the chief chair??
Maybe BP has some insights he can share.

Well, he's made it clear that he misses being involved in the build process. So, he wants to get back to that. More power to him.

Dave

I agree he should put someone in place to help and he can concentrate on the building side...........sucks for the workers

 

[Bungo]

I can well understand that. The higher you go and the bigger you get, the more time you seem to have to spend with the lawyers, the accountants and the balance sheet.

In fact I would be interested to know if BP has made any special efforts to hold onto enough time to stay connected to the 'fun' side of his business, or does he too have to spend too much time on the 'business' side of the business?

 

[GuitarHack]

terry mc inturff did nearly the same. i think guitars business aint easy.
but EB MM is on the right way IMO. if they only couldt bring up EU business....

I got some good advice a few years from a boutique guitar builder:

"If you want to make a small fortune building guitars, start with a large fortune."

That said, Terry McInturff hails from these parts, his shop used to be two miles from my house, and I'd run into him occasionally. Besides being an extremely nice and friendly person, it is clear he loves what he's doing, and it is his passion. I also heard him interviewed on NPR, too...money considerations aside, I bet fewer than 1% of us really get to turn our passion into a business.

We have another local guy making a go of it, Ryan Gadow of Gadow Guitars. I always thought his models had a very MusicMan vibe about them, especially the Axis-reminscent body shape and the unfinished necks. I'm not slamming Ryan at all, he makes very nice stuff, and none of it can be considered a real knock off of anything, they are very individual instruments, and show real creativity and an understanding of what a guitar is to a real guitar player. I think he's settled into the functionality over flash thing, so it has an EBMM feel to me.

 

[Big Poppa]

Wow....Where do I start?

First off Tom Anderson is a class act. He has been at the forefront of technological innovation from the frist ot use of the Fadal CNC machine to the first guy to get UV cure to work with a thin build. These are just two of what comes to mind. He has always been gracious with his time and knowledge and expertise to his competitors. Most importanly he has brought the world first class instruments with passion and grace.


Tom and I have another thing besides guitar building in common....we both had the same guitar teacher, my father. Many of you don't know that my dad had one of the greatest guitar stores ever and he personally taught thousands of players.

I spoke with Tom this morning after reading this and we didnt really go into specifics, (you really dont have to...we've both been in these trenches all of our lives and know the secret handshake and where the bodies are buried) and if we did it would be innappropriate for me to give any specifc insights into Tom's decision.

Generally speaking making anything in the USA is a bitch. Trying to make something great in California is a bitch squared. Just as one little example, last year our health insurance went up 17.5% and this year 19.3%. Nothing is going down except for the all important middle class and their ability to purchase anything other than essentials.

Do I still have fun? Yes. It's kind of my nature. A magazine here just did a little profile on me and I told them that I do the creative part for free and that I charge big money for talking to lawyers, accountants, and government agencies. Sometimes it just doesnt pay enough.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

BP, I still applaud you for not knocking out guitars in China, like everyone else does.

I was receintly dissapointed to find out that Celestion are making the bulk of their speakers in China! I thought they were British through and through.

I wish Tom all the best. I have never owned one of his guitars, but admired many.

 

[Colin]

I've never played toms guitars, but I have always admired his work from a distance. I now respect him even more.

 

[Big Poppa]

Dont blame celestion...people vote with their dollars and they would die if they didnt address he competition and join them overseas.........

 

[Music Man]

Dont blame celestion...people vote with their dollars and they would die if they didnt address he competition and join them overseas.........

Peavey was the same. Most of their stuff was made here in the US, but in order to stay price competitive they had to make stuff overseas. They did something they said that they woud NEVER do. Go to the catalogs. Hey I guess you gotta do what you gotta do.

 

[Smellybum]

There was even a post from Marshall posted on the largest UK retailers website - which was suddenly pulled... I'm glad to say.... but yes money makes the world go round...

I word for the 2nd Largest IT player on the planet and even selling our hardware at 45% loss we cannot compete with some products from the far east....

Makes me appreciate fine craftsmanship, but also makes me appreciate value for money.... and I'm Scottish it's harder to get money out of us than any other breed!

We invented copper wire you know..... post your answers from all non scottish people as to why!

 

[kevin]

"Bitch Squared" LOL!!

 

[jeffrey]

"Bitch Squared" LOL!!

Bitch²

 

[candyredsilo]

Thank you BP

BP,
You're the coolest! I appreciate how much you continually show respect for other builders.
It's sad that Tom is down sizing, but he's not retiring, that's the good news!
I'm lucky enough to say that I have the best of both worlds...an EBMM and a Tom Anderson.
Thanks for being a class act BP.
Bill

 

[Mick]

Wo



Generally speaking making anything in the USA is a bitch. Trying to make something great in California is a bitch squared. Just as one little example, last year our health insurance went up 17.5% and this year 19.3%. Nothing is going down except for the all important middle class and their ability to purchase anything other than essentials.



Well we are going trough that in germany too and the people all want high class products for cheap money. Keep your citizens in fear that they will get poor in the future and you can lead them in every direction.
My 2cts

P.S.: And the problem is too that they buy a good car before they buy good food.

 

[candid_x]

I wanted to get my facts straight before saying anything here about Eminence Speaker products still being manufactured in the US. I’ve been greatly impressed with their products in recent years. I sent an email to them late last night, and early this morning I received this from them.

One of my favorite books on business is an oldie called “In search of excellence”, by Tom Peters and Robert H Waterman Jr. One of the most prized virtues of an excellent company, according to this study, is that the company head stays in touch with their customers. Well, BP certainly does that in spades! This quick response to me from Eminence also demonstrates that they too are a class act.

I present it for those who may be interested.

Greetings Bruce,

We indeed have a factory in China BUT currently all of it's output is being used for cabinet assembly in Asia (Vietnam, China, etc...) This company is named Eminence Dong Guan.

In our domestic catalog we have some pieces that are manufactured for us overseas.

APT tweeters - Europe
ASD1001 compression driver - China
Horns and accessories - Europe and Asia

We do import some components from all over the world but rest assured all cone drivers you see in our catalog and on the web are made here in Kentucky!

Peace and blessings,

Tom James
Product Design
Eminence Speaker LLC
------------------------------------------------------------------

And btw, their prices are impressively low in comparrison to their competitor's Chinese imports.
__________________________________________

And just received this follow up from their SM:

Hello Bruce,

Thank you for the great comments. Yes, guitar speakers are 100% US made and will always be 100% US made. We have 180 families to support at Eminence USA and we do not take that lightly. We will grow Eminence DG, but not at the cost of our US factory.

What is you mailing address as I would like to send you a tee shirt or something. You are our kind of guy! I also need to know your shirt size.

Regards,
Gary Morrison
Sales Manager

 

[Big Poppa]

THe peter principle guy

You know staying in touch is fine but it cant stop the wave of economic pressure. I dont want to have anyone think that I'm whining here but the simple fact is that business is harder than it was five years ago and will no doubt be harder five years from now.
You all make a choice to support the tools we make and I greatly appreciate it. I'm relatively certain that given our level of production and our backlog of ideas that we are pretty safe for awhile.

One of my biggest gripes in our industry is the lack of applied innovation. Most companies keep repackaging and re outsourcing the same product. The lack of forward motion creates a consumer base that is so unused to new ideas and change that they reject most atttempts. If I wasnt stubborn and didnt have Slinky's we would have never been able to make it. Count the number of electric guitar companies that started up twenty years ago and are still growing. There aren't many. THere now is one less.

 

[candid_x]

Hi BP,

Um, actually, The Peter Principle was formulated by Dr. Laurence J. Peter in his 1968 book of the same name. Predating “Excellence” by about 15 years.

That’s interesting what you say about inovation. Old habits die hard, and unfortunately perpetuate into the new generation of guitar consumers. Mass consumers think with their ego instead their heads, unfortunely. Well, we’re all behind you, and hopefully the word continues going out, what your company and guitar products are all about. You obviously have a deep love for your people, and dealing with lawyers and accountants can’t be much fun. It’s gets lonely at the top.

With respect,
Bruce