So I've finally played an Anderson and a Suhr...

Destructone

Destructone

New member
So, I've recently discovered a dealer 60kms from my doorstep who sells Andersons and Suhrs... and here are my impressions from both companies:

plugged both brands on a 50w ENGL Screamer combo.

The Andersons that I've tried were Basswood Drop Tops, with maple/rosewood neck. HSS config.

The Suhrs that I tried were all Mahogany, body and neck, rosewood fretboard and maple top. Both standard and modern. HH and HSH config.

I found the andersons to be less middy than the suhrs, but the resonance and playability were the same. both guitars were harmonically rich.... it litereally jumps out of the guitar without any effort. I find that the anderson has a better neck heel and much lighter than the suhrs. maybe its because of the difference of woods selected per guitar.

Although as much I enjoyed playing the andersons, I fell in love with the suhrs. The tone was screamin'! it had a nice, thick and meaty rhythm tone and the harmonics was tight and focused. i was thinking to myself, it had to be the Aldrich pickup. the clean tone was phenomenal as well... it was nice and shimmery. shredding on the guitar was effortless and the plek job on those frets were just flawless. plus, the feel of the unfinished mahogany neck, was way superior than the maple neck of the andersons. my hand was flying through that neck. the suhrs were so resonant that at one point i actually questioned if it was a set-neck. i could play that guitar for days... and i probably had a good 30 mins with one of the suhrs in the store... i just fell in love with it.

I must say... i am in GAS land once again and Im caught with a dilemma... i may have to part with some of my les pauls. oh well! LOL.
 
Last edited:
Re: So I've finally played an Anderson and a Suhr...

When you're a serious gearhead, there comes a point when you've got to decide to sell off everything you ever thought you loved, and simply sink serious dollars into a few choice pieces.

I love highend Gibson and Fender mostly, but of all the boutique companies, there's been some UNBELIEVABLE guitars from Anderson, Suhr, and Grosh, that just blow me away. The best tele I've ever played in my life was the one by Tom Anderson that country hot rod Pete Anderson uses. Hands down, the best tele ever. And I've played some killer Suhr strats, but for my taste, I'd still choose a Fender Custom Shop strat. They know strats. And the same could probably be said for tele's, but boutique companies have really perfected the science of the guitar.

It's a tough choice, but I'll usually opt for Fender Custom Shop or Gibson Historic. They have the art of their own designs down pat. And they'll hold value WAY better than a boutique copy. That's a fact.
 
Last edited:
Re: So I've finally played an Anderson and a Suhr...

Gearjoneser said:
When you're a serious gearhead, there comes a point when you've got to decide to sell off everything you ever thought you loved, and simply sink serious dollars into a few choice pieces.

I love highend Gibson and Fender mostly, but of all the boutique companies, there's been some UNBELIEVABLE guitars from Anderson, Suhr, and Grosh, that just blow me away. The best tele I've ever played in my life was the one by Tom Anderson that country hot rod Pete Anderson uses. Hands down, the best tele ever. And I've played some killer Suhr strats, but for my taste, I'd still choose a Fender Custom Shop strat. They know strats. And the same could probably be said for tele's, but boutique companies have really perfected the science of the guitar.

It's a tough choice, but I'll usually opt for Fender Custom Shop or Gibson Historic. They have the art of their own designs down pat. And they'll hold value WAY better than a boutique copy. That's a fact.
Click to expand...

Uhhh, there are a lot of Anderson and Suhr guitars not based on Gibson/Fender designs at all
 
Re: So I've finally played an Anderson and a Suhr...

Petrovsk Mizinski said:
Uhhh, there are a lot of Anderson and Suhr guitars not based on Gibson/Fender designs at all
Click to expand...

Some of them sell, and most of them don't, unless they're a Fender copy.

Both of them are teetering on going out of business.
[edit] Suhr is doing fine.....but Anderson was forced to scale things back...last I heard.

Copying Gibson is something neither of them have done. Suhr banks it's success on making boutique Fenders, good, amps, and licensing pedals.

Tom Anderson has always towed the line between super strats and teles that can't be beat. They've done well at it, but times are tough for them. Some of the best guitars I've played are Andersons, and I hope them the best.

It's an interesting market for both of them. They bank on guys who aren't satisfied with Fenders, and Suhr is smart enough to diversify into amps, pickups, and pedals. Looking at both companies.....I love their stuff, and I think it'll be collectible over time, but Fender's power over the market is pretty hard to contend with.
 
Last edited:
Re: So I've finally played an Anderson and a Suhr...

Anderson struggling ??????
Who said that ? :eyecrazy:

He's still not able to keep up with demand and his new Bulldog is a fantastic looking guitar that everyone's scrambling to try.
 
Re: So I've finally played an Anderson and a Suhr...

Seems like both companies are thriving to me (I hope they are) but I don't know the whole story. You're more local to Suhr and Anderson than most of us so you might be aware of something.

Sure - in general money's tight these days, which would result in a struggle (at least more struggle than usual, depending on credit standing) for most any business to borrow working capital.

Never tried an Anderson, but I have a couple of his pickups - the one I have installed I like a lot. Suhr's guitars are top of the heap, I'm sure Anderson's guitars are too.
 
Re: So I've finally played an Anderson and a Suhr...

Destructone, was the store Cosmos in Richmond Hill?

I was there a couple months ago and also feel in love with Suhr guitars. Been GASS'N for one ever since. Didn't try any Tom Anderson guitars, guess i'll have to go back. Not good for the GAS.
 
Re: So I've finally played an Anderson and a Suhr...

Suhr and Anderson are doing fine. If anything, like every business in this economy, they may be streamlining production to be more efficient. The artists that rely on their guitars as tools of the trade will always buy them.
 
Re: So I've finally played an Anderson and a Suhr...

From what I hear Suhr can't keep up with demand. Don't know about Anderson though...
 
Re: So I've finally played an Anderson and a Suhr...

yeah, isnt Suhr going to release a production run??
Id love to play one of the regular ones to see if its that much better.. I honestly dont find top end Fenders to be that extraordinary..
 
Re: So I've finally played an Anderson and a Suhr...

Gearjoneser said:
When you're a serious gearhead, there comes a point when you've got to decide to sell off everything you ever thought you loved, and simply sink serious dollars into a few choice pieces.

I love highend Gibson and Fender mostly, but of all the boutique companies, there's been some UNBELIEVABLE guitars from Anderson, Suhr, and Grosh, that just blow me away. The best tele I've ever played in my life was the one by Tom Anderson that country hot rod Pete Anderson uses. Hands down, the best tele ever. And I've played some killer Suhr strats, but for my taste, I'd still choose a Fender Custom Shop strat. They know strats. And the same could probably be said for tele's, but boutique companies have really perfected the science of the guitar.

It's a tough choice, but I'll usually opt for Fender Custom Shop or Gibson Historic. They have the art of their own designs down pat. And they'll hold value WAY better than a boutique copy. That's a fact.
Click to expand...

well, i have 3 les pauls that i can pick and choose from, probably the one i don't play the most - my antique sunburst lp classic. its in MINT condition and i will probably get a good trade off of it. i agree what u said first about selling off everything to get something, however there are some pieces in my collection that i will probably never ever part with--- my PRS CU22 and SC250.

actually, i have tried some of their relic fender strats that cost a couple thousand bucks more than the TA's and the Suhrs... and I must say that TO ME... it didn't live up to the expectation. It was like, "REALLY?":dot: <--with that same round face... lol

However, I have played Gibby USA's over Custom Shop Gibbys. NO COMPARISON... the Cust shop wins all the way... but it's still a Gibson = Hit and miss. i find that for some reason, Gibson can't get their frets and finish right. also, their pickups sound horrible. I guess that's where Mr. Paul Reed Smith comes in...

but in fairness, i've played some pretty unsatisfactory PRS over the years... and probably one Tom Anderson that didn't really leave an impression on me.
 
Last edited:
Re: So I've finally played an Anderson and a Suhr...

andrew11 said:
Destructone, was the store Cosmos in Richmond Hill?

I was there a couple months ago and also feel in love with Suhr guitars. Been GASS'N for one ever since. Didn't try any Tom Anderson guitars, guess i'll have to go back. Not good for the GAS.
Click to expand...

Yep thats the one. i was surprised how big the store was... it looked like a mini-mall. i was very impressed.
 
Re: So I've finally played an Anderson and a Suhr...

Destructone said:
Yep thats the one. i was surprised how big the store was... it looked like a mini-mall. i was very impressed.
Click to expand...

Yeah, cosmo music is a decent store . . . I haven't been there in a while. I should go in and check out these guitars that you're raving about.
 
Re: So I've finally played an Anderson and a Suhr...

Gearjoneser said:
[edit] Suhr is doing fine.....but Anderson was forced to scale things back...last I heard.
Click to expand...

That was a choice by Tom Anderson a few years ago to get closer to the guitars. When I took a tour of his shop in December, it sure didn't look like he was struggling. It looked more like he had every build slot full for the near future...
 
Re: So I've finally played an Anderson and a Suhr...

BloodRose said:
yeah, isnt Suhr going to release a production run??
Id love to play one of the regular ones to see if its that much better.. I honestly dont find top end Fenders to be that extraordinary..
Click to expand...

The Pro series has been out for a couple of years now, they are their "US Production" models. The Rasmus line is their new import line and should be in stores very soon.
 
Re: So I've finally played an Anderson and a Suhr...

devastone said:
The Pro series has been out for a couple of years now, they are their "US Production" models. The Rasmus line is their new import line and should be in stores very soon.
Click to expand...

actually, they had a Pro Series in stock that I have tried... can't really say it's as good as their custom ones. The sales guy even commented on how my playing was "night and day" with the custom line vs. the pro series.
 
Re: So I've finally played an Anderson and a Suhr...

devastone said:
The Pro series has been out for a couple of years now, they are their "US Production" models. The Rasmus line is their new import line and should be in stores very soon.
Click to expand...

yeah, thats the one I was talking about. curious to see how they will stack up..
 
Re: So I've finally played an Anderson and a Suhr...

AND THE BOTTOM LINE IS... I finally got one!:naughty:


Specs:


SUHR

Standard - Mahogany/Flame-maple top, scraped binding

Mahogany/Indian Rosewood neck, natural satin

Even C Slim neck shape

Match-figured headstock, Sperzel locking tuners

Gotoh 1055 bridge, recessed

Plek'd Medium Stainless steel frets, Buzz Feiten

DSV neck humbucker

V60 middle single-coil

DSH+ bridge humbucker

Aged Cherry Burst and Cherry back finish

All AMAZING



I will post pictures on the weekend if im not too busy (playing it).

now, back to playing...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top