Our Favorite Formula - Tom Anderson Angel

Some guitars we sell because they're excellent. This one we sell because it's personal.

This Tom Anderson Angel in Natural Purple is closely modeled after my own main Angel — the guitar I reach for more than any other. Flame maple over basswood, with an all-maple neck, is one of my favorite tonewood combinations in existence, and getting to offer a guitar built this close to my own spec is exactly the kind of thing we hoped to be doing when we opened our doors.

A Painter's Palette for Tone

I call this wood combination a painter's palette for tone, and I mean that literally. The basswood body gives you a beautifully balanced, neutral canvas — even response across every frequency, nothing exaggerated, nothing missing. Onto that canvas, the flame maple top adds articulation, clarity, and a shimmering visual dimension that makes this particular finish so striking. It's a guitar that doesn't push you toward one sound; it hands you the full spectrum and lets you paint whatever the song calls for. Rock, country, jazz, ambient textures, high-gain riffing — this Angel can handle anything thrown at it and delivers in spades.Seen through a transparent purple tint with a matching back, the flame figure catches the light and shifts with every angle, like a living thing — part guitar, part celestial phenomenon. It's the kind of finish that photographs differently every time you pick it up.At a featherweight 6 lbs. 14 oz., it practically floats under the strap, making it as effortless to wear as it is to play across the full 25.5" Fender scale length.

Built by One of the Most Respected Names in Custom Guitars

Tom Anderson Guitarworks has been building instruments in Newbury Park, California since 1984, evolving from a garage pickup and parts operation into one of the most respected names in the custom guitar market. The shop builds roughly 1,200 instruments a year and has earned its reputation the hard way — through consistently high build quality, exceptional playability, and pickup designs that push tone in genuinely useful directions. Every detail on this Angel reflects that standard.

Pickup Architecture Without Compromise

This Angel's electronics cover the full tonal spectrum with no weak link in the chain. Anderson's H1- humbucker at the neck delivers warm, full-bodied leads and rhythm tones with just enough output to stay musical without ever getting muddy. The VA7 single coil in the middle brings that glassy, articulate clarity that only a well-wound single coil can produce. At the bridge, the H2+ provides the focused punch and harmonic complexity you need for everything from clean picking to high-gain riffing.The 5-way switching opens up a full range of tonal combinations, including position 3's middle or pull to tone knob for Neck and Bridge with master coil-splitting switch. Gives the play a vast selection of articulate tone that ranges from humbucker punch to single-coil sparkle. Black hardware keep the whole aesthetic sharp and cohesive.A Baby Floyd tremolo handles vibrato duties with real stability and precision, locking tuners keep everything in tune through aggressive playing, and Lumenlay side dots mean you'll never lose your place on a dark stage — anywhere in the universe.

Full Specifications

Model: Angel Body Wood: Flame maple over basswood Body Finish: Natural Purple, matching back Neck Wood: Caramel maple Headstock/Neck Back Finish: Satin natural Neck Shape: Even taper Nut Width: 1 11/16" Inlay: Offset dots with Lumenlay side dots Scale Length: 25.5" Radius: 12–14" compound Frets: Jumbo stainless steel Bridge: Baby Floyd Tuners: Locking Hardware Color: Black Neck Pickup: H1- Middle Pickup: VA7 (black cover) Bridge Pickup: H2+ Switching: 5-way, position 3 blends middle and bridge with splitter Pickup Rings/Switch Tip: Black String Gauge: .010–.046 Weight: 6 lbs. 14 oz. Case: Anderson deluxe gig bag

Want One Built Just for You?

We specialize in Tom Anderson guitars, and this Angel is a great example of why: when you know a builder's catalog this well, you can put together combinations — like this one — that feel personal rather than off-the-shelf. If this Natural Purple Angel isn't quite your exact vision, that's the point of working with Anderson in the first place. Head to our custom order form on the website to spec out your own Anderson from the ground up — body wood, finish, pickups, neck profile, hardware, all of it — and we'll help you build the guitar that's closely modeled after whatever your own "main guitar" should be.