Pierre
Stratologist
This NGD will be a lot shorter than my other posts on here, for one very simple reason: what you see is what you get.
This is a Suhr Modern Custom. It has virtually none of the specs I would have gone for if I had to spec one brand new, but it cost less than $2k, so what the heck.
SPECS!
* Basswood body w/ Maple cap
* The least inspiring Maple neck w/ Rosewood fingerboard I've ever seen. Seriously (more on that later)
* Stainless steel frets
* Suhr locking tuners (which are damn close to Schallers? My favorites, so all good)
* A weirdly attractive SPARKLY finish (more on that later)
* A ****ty Hipshot hardtail bridge (more on that later)
* Suhr Aldrich set
Tl;dr and list are done, onto the Prose...
This thing is AMAZING.
I was speechless when I first played it. I just didn't get it. Sure, I bought it: but I'd never played a Suhr before, I just wanted to give it a **** with a barebones instrument and see from there (plus this is a Custom, not a Pro, for lower than the price of a pro in the first place).
The build is flawless to the point of being boring. The timber is bland as hell. The bridge is the crappiest Hipshot one, not the new comfy one.
And yet this thing SLAYS.
The finish is ugly as hell... or completely gorgeous. It depends on the mood, or angle, or astrological sign, who the hell knows. It's also applied PERFECTLY. It's full of flakes, perfectly applied. Just amazing quality right there.
Also, sparkly. Very sparkly.
The neck wood is unbelievably boring. Given that this costs over $3k new, I'd consider this unforgivable. It's just cosmetic, but still... For the price I paid, so long as it proves stable in the long term, I'm ok with it.
The fingerboard is equally no-fuss. It's there. It's a board. Frets and fingers go on it. Done deal.
Frets are ok. My favored size. There are definite toolmarks around the 12th frets which ruin bends at my most-played position. I did get it second hand, so I'm giving Suhr the benefit of the doubt here. If indeed those got out of the factory, it is disappointing. But it's second hand, so again, whatever. Since the frets are stainless, it'll be a pain getting rid of those grooves.
Pickups are the Aldrich set, with a 3-way toggle switch and a volume knob. C'est tout.
I may add a coil-split later. Wiring is top-notch. Electronics cavity is shielded.
Acoustically she's loud and mostly balanced, tipping ever-so-slightly to the treble side of things maybe.
Plugged-in, she's a fire-breathing monster of the highest quality. This thing sounds INSANELY GOOD. Powerful, but super clear. Punchy, but pleasant. I just couldn't believe it. Incredible.
Strings are low, there is no buzz, and plays just perfectly well to my taste. Only thing I had to do when getting it is re-set the saddle radius. I didn't even bother changing strings.
Overall she never ceases to make me grin ear-to-ear when I play it. Insane guitar. Not perfect, but the only two things I don't like about it are either a) specs-related and hence not the fault of the guitar and b) possibly due to it being second-hand. Ok, MAYBE I'd prefer if Suhr used the latest Hipshots, those that glorified bent-metal plate. I find the latest one much more comfortable. But it's not like this one cuts into my palm or anything, so all good.
So voila. Like my Vader, another case of 'what the hell, I'll try it' which ends in a 'daaaaamn' reaction. Great, great guitar. Great tones. Great playability.
Oh. One day she will look AMAZING under stagelights...
This is a Suhr Modern Custom. It has virtually none of the specs I would have gone for if I had to spec one brand new, but it cost less than $2k, so what the heck.
SPECS!
* Basswood body w/ Maple cap
* The least inspiring Maple neck w/ Rosewood fingerboard I've ever seen. Seriously (more on that later)
* Stainless steel frets
* Suhr locking tuners (which are damn close to Schallers? My favorites, so all good)
* A weirdly attractive SPARKLY finish (more on that later)
* A ****ty Hipshot hardtail bridge (more on that later)
* Suhr Aldrich set
Tl;dr and list are done, onto the Prose...
This thing is AMAZING.
I was speechless when I first played it. I just didn't get it. Sure, I bought it: but I'd never played a Suhr before, I just wanted to give it a **** with a barebones instrument and see from there (plus this is a Custom, not a Pro, for lower than the price of a pro in the first place).
The build is flawless to the point of being boring. The timber is bland as hell. The bridge is the crappiest Hipshot one, not the new comfy one.
And yet this thing SLAYS.
The finish is ugly as hell... or completely gorgeous. It depends on the mood, or angle, or astrological sign, who the hell knows. It's also applied PERFECTLY. It's full of flakes, perfectly applied. Just amazing quality right there.
Also, sparkly. Very sparkly.
The neck wood is unbelievably boring. Given that this costs over $3k new, I'd consider this unforgivable. It's just cosmetic, but still... For the price I paid, so long as it proves stable in the long term, I'm ok with it.
The fingerboard is equally no-fuss. It's there. It's a board. Frets and fingers go on it. Done deal.
Frets are ok. My favored size. There are definite toolmarks around the 12th frets which ruin bends at my most-played position. I did get it second hand, so I'm giving Suhr the benefit of the doubt here. If indeed those got out of the factory, it is disappointing. But it's second hand, so again, whatever. Since the frets are stainless, it'll be a pain getting rid of those grooves.
Pickups are the Aldrich set, with a 3-way toggle switch and a volume knob. C'est tout.
I may add a coil-split later. Wiring is top-notch. Electronics cavity is shielded.
Acoustically she's loud and mostly balanced, tipping ever-so-slightly to the treble side of things maybe.
Plugged-in, she's a fire-breathing monster of the highest quality. This thing sounds INSANELY GOOD. Powerful, but super clear. Punchy, but pleasant. I just couldn't believe it. Incredible.
Strings are low, there is no buzz, and plays just perfectly well to my taste. Only thing I had to do when getting it is re-set the saddle radius. I didn't even bother changing strings.
Overall she never ceases to make me grin ear-to-ear when I play it. Insane guitar. Not perfect, but the only two things I don't like about it are either a) specs-related and hence not the fault of the guitar and b) possibly due to it being second-hand. Ok, MAYBE I'd prefer if Suhr used the latest Hipshots, those that glorified bent-metal plate. I find the latest one much more comfortable. But it's not like this one cuts into my palm or anything, so all good.
So voila. Like my Vader, another case of 'what the hell, I'll try it' which ends in a 'daaaaamn' reaction. Great, great guitar. Great tones. Great playability.
Oh. One day she will look AMAZING under stagelights...
