John Suhr guitars: what do you think of them?

[BluesGuyJ]

I've never played one nor have I been in a store that seels them. Matts Music is not too far from me and they are a huge Suhr dealer. Has anyone hear owned one/tried one out? Worth the money? I am interested in the Modern models. The next axe I am looking at having built or purchased basically follows the specs of a Suhr Modern.

[jeremy]

Re: John Suhr guitars: what do you think of them?

very expensive, well made guitars.

[Ayrton]

Re: John Suhr guitars: what do you think of them?

Worth every penny...

[Coma]

Re: John Suhr guitars: what do you think of them?

From worth I've heard, they're quite well spoken off. Are they all handmade?

Never actually tried one, would love too if I got a chance. Can't say that I'm crazy bout the headstock though.

[Dr.K]

Re: John Suhr guitars: what do you think of them?

Can't say that I'm crazy bout the headstock though.

Put a bag over it. Do you think a single bag'll do it, or is it a double bagger?

Seriously, exellent guitars.

[Lazarus1140]

Re: John Suhr guitars: what do you think of them?

I'd buy one in a heartbeat if my financial condition gave me permission.



.........and ..... I like the headstock.

[Bludave]

Re: John Suhr guitars: what do you think of them?

I've played a few of them as well as the earlier Pensa Sur. Rudy Pensa now makes his but basically he is doing assembly of bodies and necks and uses all high end hardware. The Surs are handmade & they play like a dream.

[UberMetalDood]

Re: John Suhr guitars: what do you think of them?

They don't always look that fancy. Many of them look like plain strats, but that's where many of the similarities end. I hold Fender in high regards because they make awesome quality guitars, even the Mexican made stuff is pretty decent. The custom shop guitars aren't necessarily on another level though. Many times it's not the wood or anything special except some different color options and pickups.

Suhrs contrast well with the Charvel custom shop stuff. Visually the production models seem the same but when you pick up and play a custom shop charvel that looks identical to the production model, you know immediately that it's a different guitar.

I am in awe of Suhr guitars. They aren't like fancy PRS guitars that you buy to collect or trade off. They are the kind of guitars you order and never sell because you will play the hell out of them.

The pickups are incredible. One option that I love about Suhr is that you can get stainless steel frets... among other things you can't get without paying as much or more in the Fender custom shop.

When I first played one, I could picture John Suhr as a perfectionist there in his shop personally scrutinizing every guitar that gets built. It's almost like they play every single fret over and over to make sure it's perfectly intonated and sustains.

I think they're well worth the price, especially since a lot of PRS snobs and the like buy them and sell them off fairly affordable. I have seen some Suhr strats go for $1300 and look perfectly new.

That's what I think anyway. The only reason I haven't gotten on yet is because the perfect deal hasn't come along at the right time. I'm waiting on an HSS in white with rosewood fretboard and stainless steel frets to show up on Ebay cheap. Then I'll snag it.

[sosomething]

Re: John Suhr guitars: what do you think of them?

I like mine a whole lot.

It's a Pro Series S1 (Standard), not a modern, and truthfully it's the only Suhr I've ever played so my sample size isn't really very scientific... but it's a great guitar. I thought Music Man guitars had the best necks in the world until I got this thing.

obligatory poorly-taken cellphone pic:

[BluesGuyJ]

Re: John Suhr guitars: what do you think of them?

what's the deal with the Pro series versus normal USA series??

[MetalManiac]

Re: John Suhr guitars: what do you think of them?

yeah..I think youre paying quite a bit extra for the perfect fit and finish of a Suhr. Together with quality woods , thats what determines great tone.
I'd stack up many of my Warmoth / USACG and Fender parstcaster guitars agaisnt the Shurs, especially with Duncans, and if you really get some assembly experience, you can really get really close at less cost, and have some exotic or personal touches also..but these Shurs are professionally hand fitted and as such, I'd say they would top pretty much any piecemeal assembly I've done, but as mentioned , your gonna pay for it.Not that its bad.

[sosomething]

Re: John Suhr guitars: what do you think of them?

what's the deal with the Pro series versus normal USA series??

Well, for starters, the Pro Series are 100% made in the US. They're made by the same people on the same equipment with the same materials as the custom 1-off stuff.

The only difference is that they're configured as "standard models," meaning you don't get to pick a bunch of crazy options.

John Suhr has said that the only reason they can offer the Pro Series at < $2,000 is because they make like 5 or 6 at a time (instead of one at a time), and that saves a lot of time = money, which they pass on to the consumer.

Suhr does have an import line called Rasmus which is made in China, but I don't know much about them except that I see them selling on Ebay for about a grand new. They look nice, but I think they all have Floyds on them.

[Ayrton]

Re: John Suhr guitars: what do you think of them?

what's the deal with the Pro series versus normal USA series??

The only difference is you can choose your options vs standard production.

Quality is 100% the same.

[Ascension]

Re: John Suhr guitars: what do you think of them?

Very nice and on par with the USA Washburns I have from when Grover Jackson was running that shop.
I have looked HARD at a couple of Suhr's and will likely own one as time goes on.
The current best new production Bolt on IMO.

[UberMetalDood]

Re: John Suhr guitars: what do you think of them?

yeah..I think youre paying quite a bit extra for the perfect fit and finish of a Suhr. Together with quality woods , thats what determines great tone.
I'd stack up many of my Warmoth / USACG and Fender parstcaster guitars agaisnt the Shurs, especially with Duncans, and if you really get some assembly experience, you can really get really close at less cost, and have some exotic or personal touches also..but these Shurs are professionally hand fitted and as such, I'd say they would top pretty much any piecemeal assembly I've done, but as mentioned , your gonna pay for it.Not that its bad.

I don't know about that. I've priced out a lot of Warmoth strats and even with the body or neck on sale, the total cost is as much as the Suhrs and Fender custom shop. By the time you piece everything together with pickups, parts, etc... it costs just as much. Not only that you have to assemble all of it yourself, and you still don't know if everything is going to be 100% perfect together.

On the other hand you can spend a pretty penny on one of those Suhrs and know that you're going to get perfection every time. I also consider the resale value to because, let's be honest, it takes a few guitars sometimes to find the right one.

I'm not contending that your Warmoth isn't as good. It just seems like you have to have some experience putting those guitars together. Also the Warmoth stuff seems to be a lot more production quality and you never know what you're going to get because without those parts put together in a guitar how can you know the wood will sound good?

I once ordered a Carvin guitar and requested that they really try to find a nice sounding piece of wood for my custom order. He was very confident, even cocky, that they always select the right wood. I insisted that they strum it and stuff to make sure. When I got it, the wood was harsh, brittle, and sounded a bit dead. They got it right the second time, but man it took months.

How can an average Joe go and part out a guitar with all the stuff he wants and save money?