Suhr Guitars Classic

This guitar is your basic Strat configuration: alder body in olympic white, maple neck w/rosewood fingerboard 10-14" compound radius neck, 6100 frets, vintage standard neck, sperzel locking tuners, and three V60-LP single coil pickups. There is something else that makes John's strats special: he uses a super switch instead of the standard pickup selector. On top of allowing you to make custom wiring jobs, this switch is set up to give you the bottom tone pot 100% dedicated to the bridge pickup on position 5, and the middle tone pot to positions 1,2,3 & 4. This is very cool, because normally the bridge pickup by itself is too bright. So you can really tame it very effectively with this configuration, without having to reset the tone once you go back to the 4 position (middle/bridge). I added a DPDT mini switch that also allows me to get the series connection of the brige/middle and neck/middle, effectively making a mid-boost without any batteries, and without losing my 5 basic strat tones. The guitar is very well built as well. The fret job is awesome, the neck pocket has a perfect fit, and the electronics and shielding are very well executed. It is a superb value for the money. A Fender Custom shop of this quality would set you back $5k for this quality. I have to other Suhr?s with slightly different configurations, and they are all super well built and sound great. I would give it a 10 if it had more stuff to it, but I really did not want a guitar full of gitzmos, I wanted a classic strat!

The combination of roswood fingerboard and Alder gives me a very, very balanced sound. I love the snap of the alder body, that mellows up a bit the high end with the rosewood fingerboard. It is a great combination that gives snap with smoothness to the tone. And those V60-LP pickups are superb. They have a FAT tone, very vintage sounding, a bit more gutsy than a standard Fender pickup. The guitar has the typical single coil hum, but it is definetly quieter than other single coil guitars I've had. It is well wired and shielded, which makes it a quiet intrument. I added the mini-switch, giving me those two extra fat neck and bridge sounds. It is very cool, because the tone retains its charachter, but it is an 80% noise cancelling sound, and it there is a noticeable boost in volume and mid range tone. Very cool because it does not require electronics, batteries or crap, and it still has my classic 5 sounds at the flick of a switch.

I believe this is one of the things that sets John Suhr's guitars head and shoulders over a lot of stuff out there: the finish, fret dressing, setup, electronics, neck pocket, etc. It is superb execution on the build quality and attention to detail. I think it is essentially the quality of a master built custom shop guitar at a far more reasonable price (about 50% less). However they are not inexpensive. I just feel that it is worth what you pay for it.

I think only time will tell, but the guitar is very well built, better so than many other boutique guitars and big brand custom shop ones. It odes feel very solid and well assembled.

I have found that John is very accessible and replies to emails quickly, with full information. Now how cool is that the owner cares enough to answer his own email? I can also see very good communication between the dealers and him. I think that this guy really cares about what he sells, and wants to maintain a certain high standard for quality and it shows.

I have been playing on and off for gees... 25 years? I have seen quite a bit of instruments and owned a whole bunch. These guitars are all keepers, and they are made to play. They look really sharp, but these guitars all scream to be played. They have a lot of mojo. The combination of woods, pickups and craftsmanship just set it apart from the crowd. I owned several Fender Custom shop guitars, and I have sold them ALL to get Suhrs. That is how much I like them. I would definetly buy another one if something happened to it. As a matter if fact,I have another one coming in in the next few days. Great instrument and value for money.

This is about as standard a strat style guitar as you can get:
- 3 tone burst
- 3 single coils
- alder body
- custom neck wood (mahogany) and head stock (maple)
etc.

The options available on this guitar are extensive, I wanted the classic strat and that's what I got. The thing is that I've been through this process ordering a Private Stock guitar at PRS that was literally 6 times as expensive and they didn't get the details right.
With Suhr, the attention to details is extraordinary.

This guitar sounds like the strat I imagined in my head for years. I've had a bunch of strats over the last 25 years and none of them has ever quite matched my expectations. That is a lot of buying and selling to get to something that is readily available now from Suhr.

- piano like detail
- bright but not strident
- incredible tonal range

This is the first guitar I've had, strat or otherwise, that I use the tone controls to any real extent. Using combinations of tone settings you can go from twang to violin-like singing tone just changing the pickup selection.

When I got the guitar it didn't play or sound like I expected it to. Apparently, having been assembled and set-up in the California desert made it susceptible to the damp east coast climate.

The folks at Alpha Music (H.L.(sales), Walter (tech)) set the guitar up beautifully at my request. What a difference! Bends sustain sweetly and sing into light feedback with high gain. This guitar is so responsive and pleasant to play that I've been using it for hours a day. Just a hint for anyonw who has heard these guitars vary in tone and playability, check the set-up!

Finally, this is the most perfect instrument in terms of fit and finish I have ever seen or played. For reference, I own 2 private stock PRSs.

Built like a tank!

Although I ordered through a dealer, John Suhr called me at home to talk about his plans for the guitar and what kind of playing and sound I was interested in.

John makes the impossible look easy. He is an incredible inspiration to mere mortals like me. He is a great guitar player, builder for the likes of Mark Knoffler and Scott Henderson, highly regarded amp designer and builder, Fender Master builder and very successful Luthier.

His atention to detail and thorough understanding of the electric guitar make his instruments worthy of the virtuosos who chose them.

I've been playing for 30 years I've played strats 6 nights a week for years, this one is the best I've owned.

I would be interested in what John's humbucker equiped guitars can do.

This is a swamp ash, one piece maple neck model. The neck
is super comfy, its a "60's Vintage Slim." Very awesome satin finish. The frets are the BEST I have ever seen,felt,or played on.
They are #6105 stainless steel. Sperzel locking tuners; no tuning
problems.Incredible guitar folks. Beautiful lake placid blue. The
TONE of this thing is the best Ive ever heard in a guitar. It has two
single coil V60 low peak single coils and an incredible humbucker,the JST DSV. (double screw vintage)These pickups
are just righteous,they come from John Suhr's shop I think.
Look at his website,lots of info.

Ok...I cant imagine where to begin.This thing is so resonant you
can play it and you feel like you are playing an acoustic.Now
plugging it in is like jumping on a musical racehorse. Notes
sustain forever. The sound can go any way you want. Piano and
bell like tones just come out with ease. This has a 5-way switch
and a tone control for the neck/middle pickups as well as a tone
for the bridge. The clean tones can be bluesy,jazzy,classical,
whatever you want to play. Same applies to the distortion. I can
use the neck for the awesome bluesy or Hendrix type sounds.
The other combinations are staggering.Like Eric Johnson?
This thing will deliver those tones ,PERIOD. Put on the bridge
position and you have a stradivarius or a crunch machine.

The action is PERFECT. There is a compound radius,11-14 inch. That allows for ultimate comfort and optimal bending
capabilities. The neck wood is a plain grain maple. Awesome
looks,feel and sound. The bridge was perfectly intonated.
There is a contoured cut where the neck bolts to the body. More
comfortable. Oh,this neck fits in the pocket perfect. Never seen
so good of a fit. The bridge is all stainless steel with a steel block . Awesome looks! Awesome looks!!

This thing was OBVIOUSLY built to be played. The finish is
perfect. It seems to be verythin and hard. Not a cellulose finish;
much better.HARD and BEAUTIFUL. What a combination. Everything is great,the strap buttons are a bit bigger than normal
too.

To be sure,this has been the most pleasing experience I've ever
had with a company. John Suhr is very nice,very professional.
Answered my questions with patience. The best advice I could
give someone is to really read the information on his website.
Just a ton of useful information.

Wonderful. Far exceeded my expectations.Wow. I bought this
guitar "blind" without ever playing it. Would I buy it again? Lets
just say that I will definitely be looking to get ANOTHER one.
Tremendously great stuff here folks. I cant say enough good things about this guitar.This is a 10 for sure all the way.

2000, strat type body, 22 frets, 5 way,tone,vol. ,2pc alder, no top, map neck, rosewood, suhr vint style trem, even c, hvy frets. passive suhr singles, locking tuners. you can get almost anything you want I've heard.

Pretty nice thru a bogner, a little noisey, thinnish sounding, tinny , Ice pick in the ears until you play with tone and amp, nice quack in combo positions, with tweaking I can get some nice sounds out of it. may have to change pick ups, unless the wood is just to thin sounding. nice attack, average sustain, strings buzz. To be fair, the action is low, but not extremely low, so maybe buzz is something that one must live with. bzzzzz Bzzzzz feiten system is great- The ratings on suhrs in here seem a little inflated, nice guitar, but not necessarily something sent down from the heavens.

action medium low, set up fine, havent examined it 100% but looks good, space between the pickguard and the body at one point between 2 screws ( a small thing, but this is not acceptable for this caliber of guitar) , will follow up upon further inspection.

Can't predict how sturdy and durable, but I would expect it to be solid, it's a high end guitar, seems like it would last.

friendy, but the company is apparently so under staffed or swamped that the completion time needs to be muliplied by 4 to get close. Waiting is fine, but they should be honest about delivery dates at the outset. That said, it's a pretty nice instrument, so check them out, and don't hold your breath.

playing for 14 years, have owned fenders, grosh, anderson, prs, gibson,taylor etc.. If I were to get another suhr, I would look at what is at a store, play it and buy one if I find a good one, just like you do with any other guitar. Generally happy with the guitar except for the thin sound, but my expectations were inflated due to the hype and over-the-top, unrealistic ratings. Most high end luthiers are in the same balpark quality-wise, they all make good ones, average ones, and not so great ones.

2001 Suhr Classic
21 heavy frets
1 vol, 2 tones with a push pull pot to put the bridge on in any position (this is a killer option!!)
3 VT 60's (rockin pick ups)
Feather Weight Alder body with Brazilian Rosewood Fretboard
Metalic Tiel (looks like Lake placid Blue)
Fishman steel Tremolo
Kluson stagered tuners
Mother of Pear Pickgaurd

OH MY GOD!!! I played a bunch of suhrs and they were all different. This one is a jem with amazing tone. YOU CAN NOT TOUCH THIS SOUND!! John Surh is the man! The tone options range from Classic strat to twangy Tele to jazzy hollow body. Just play with the controls, they really do something on this guitar. I would not change a thing it was perfect out of the case.

Excellent, great atention to detail and flawless paint. Playablity is perfect. Fret job is the best I have ever seen.

Everything is top of the line...a lifetime investment

Its like the guy lives next door. Very available and willing to help

This has to be one of the finest instruments ever made. Tone Tone Tone and more tone. If you can't find it here in a Strat or Tele it does not exist. The optional Electronics upgrade is a MUST HAVE. This adds sooooooo much to the sound its not even explainable. This guitar and a BF super reverb and look out. A match made in heaven. Worth every cent I paid!

Strat style Alder body, even contour C-Medium size maple neck with Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard, 22 6105 frets, Sperzel locking tuners, 5-way slider, volume-tone-tone knobs with pull knob for outside combo, two V60's and one JST Bucker for the S-S-H pickup configuration, faded vintage burst. Custom vintage style bridge with the Buzz Feiten tuning system. All the features you could ever want from a modern-vintage guitar.

I play blues, fusion, rock, alternative and everything in between. The Suhr Classic goes to an Ernie Ball Volume pedal then to a rack containing a Fulltone FullDrive 2, Fulltone Ultimate Octave, Fulltone ChoralFlange, and a Voodoo Lab MicroVibe. My Dr. Z MAZ18 Jr. pumps out the tone! I also have a Tom Anderson Classic, which I demoted to back-up. I play gigs and do studio work.

This baby sings! I performed an exhaustive 4-month bench test of all the guitars I wanted to own next. It came down to Anderson, Grosh, and Suhr, but it didn't take me long to decide on a Suhr. It has all the vibe of a classic with very exacting tolerances in both fit and design unseen in any Fender (vintage or new, custom or mass produced). Suhr designed a strat body larger than those of his competitors, which accounts for the massive tone this thing generates. I love thick necks, but this one doesn't feel slow or sluggish like many big neck guitars I've tried. I can perform silky fast fusion runs and big bend antics all on the same neck!

Let's talk electronics. The two single coil V60s and JST Bucker humbucker speak volumes. The 1, 2 and 3 positions create my favorite strat sounds. Punchy, sparkly, smooth and shimmery all come to mind when using the different V60 positions. Never harsh, never mush. Now, go to position 5 (all JST Bucker) and stomp on your favorite overdrive, fuzz, or distortion pedal... what a "screamer"! Oh the sustain, drive, and blessed tone!! Never got such a rewarding response from my fuzz and overdrive pedals before! And that's not to say the V60s lack response, all the pickups are awesome!

Think of all the great strat tones you love, and the Suhr Classic will make them a reality when coupled with a great amp. I know nothing is perfect, but to my ears, it is!

Suhr had very exacting tolerances, which enables the sound from the guitar to resonate from the head all the way down to the tail piece. The paint job looks like the waters of Pugent Sound at sunset, smooth as glass. Solid and true, everything about the way the people at Suhr put this baby together says "I care"!

This instrument will be handed down from generation to generation, it's built to last many life-times.

I never gig without a back-up... let's face it, strings do break from time to time.

I hear John Suhr lives for great customer service. The people at Atlanta Music Brokers were just awesome in helping me get this guitar. Ask for Tim Nicols or Jon Whitley, they'll take care of you! www.atlantamusicbrokers.com

I've been playing for 22 years, and have went through Charvels, Gibsons and Fenders. I have a Zion Custom Maple and an Anderson Classic... the Suhr Classic blows them all away in terms tone, playability and overall vibe. I would definately get another regardless if this one got stolen or not!

Made in California early 2001. Standard strat-type controls and pick up configuration with JST V60's. Ash body, maple neck with african rosewood fretboard, 60's C vintage medium neck, Sperzel tuners, 1005 trem bridge with solid saddles. Heavy frets. Strat style body in a very sexy fiesta red. Pretty much standard strat style hardware setup(my favorite). I will give this category a "10" not because it has a lot of bells and whistles (stoopid switches and knobs) but what it does have is perfect.

Suits my bastardized blues rock funk style to a "T" (or "S"). I play through a VHT Pitbull and Dr. Z Maz 38 mostly and sometimes through grungy old smaller Blackfaces. The sound is perfect. Very straty with a tad less high end shrillness. Hard to describe, round, full and rich with excellent balance. The 2 and 4 cluck positions are to die for. I am basically a strat lover (have two Custom Shops that I love dearly) with an occasional foray into LP, Explorer and tele territory. This is the sound. Gorgeous strat tone, chimey yet full. And the sustain is stupendous, bolt-on's aren't supposed to sustain like this. It sustains forever. WOW!

Perfect, all I can say, perfect. String height, PUP height, everthing. I am afraid to alter even the slightest thing because if I could express how I like my guitars set up this would be it. The african rosewood neck feels so good as does the lightly varnished maple neck. The tolerances on the assembly are gnat's butt close. Astounding. The fiesta red finish is perfect. The whole guitar exudes such a sexy tactile perfection. Suhr has captured my feel. Cool.

This thing is a rock. With these manufacturing (crafting) standards my sons or grandsons will be fighting over this when I've departed. The only reason you would need a backup is if someone stole it.

Haven't dealt with them yet but I do intend to call John Suhr just to express my appreciation of his work. All craftsmen need that don't they?

I traded another Suhr back in on this one (just not my style of guitar, neck too thin) and Eddie Berman was a Prince. If there was a review category for salesmen Eddie would be "10's" all over. I've playing since dirt was rock (pro, semi-pro and just at home depending on phase of life) and I have owned or played just about everything out there and in the past ten years have gravitated to Strats. This Suhr is a notch above, don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my Custom Shop strats and they are excellent faithful recreations of '50's and '60's classics but this Suhr goes them one better. No buzzes, no fret noise, better tuning, and slightly better workmanship which is saying alot since these CS strats are near perfect. This guitar is the one. I realize I sound like a gushing teenager here but this Suhr is really something.

Purchased online from Alpha Music in Virginia. Made December 2000, 22 fret, alder classic. Has a 56 big "V" neck, maple with african rosewood fingerboard. Sperzel locking tuners, 6105 tall frets, and 3 V60LP single coils. Bottom line, everything anyone would want in a classic looking, playing, and sounding strat. Came with a G&G hardshell case.

I have always been a strat man, have owned several including a mid 80's standard (Junk), a late 80's 57RI, and custom hacked thing I built out of spare parts. I only have the RI now, along with a PRS Custom. Playing through a mesa heartbreaker, and a handful of fulltone stuff. I was looking for a killer strat sound without all of the drawbacks of the real thing, mainly poor craftsmanship. I was tired of pulling every strat off the wall at the dealer only to find that each had odd problems and quirks. The 1 out of 10 thing didn't work for me. I took a shot on the Suhr having never played one, which I would typically would never do, but i'm glad I did. The eternal search is over. If you are looking for the utimate strat sound, this is the holy grail. Has everything the 57RI has and tons more. This thing is in a completely different league. Know anyone who wants a 57RI? The V60LP's have the perfect vintage vibe, without sounding dead or weak. The acoustics are unbelievable, can you say belltone. The sound jumps out of this thing, very resonant with tons of sustain. Tone out the wazzoo. Best sounding and playing guitar I've ever seen, hands down.

Setup with a medium action (.010-.046) out of the case. Took me a day to get used to but I'm glad I didnt lower it. Plays easier than my PRS with extremely low action. Wish I had it set up for .11's, plays so easy it feels like i'm playin 8's. I must say, the thing about this guitar is the neck. If you are a fan of "V" necks, you have to play one of these. Perfection. Straight as an arrow, no buzz, perfect fret height and dressing. Craftsmanship, finish, playability all A+++++.

Hasn't been on a gig yet, don't foresee any problems. Seems solid as a rock. Another bonus, huge strap buttons, a definite plus. No backup needed.

Had some questions for John about the differences between the standard V60PU and the V60LP. The LP has more of a vintage vibe, not as bright, with tons of character. He responded quickly with answers to my questions. Seems like a nice guy who definitely knows his stuff, takes pride in his craft, and is willing to help.

Been playing for 16 years. Never bought a guitar without hours of playing and debating. Had been reading reviews on Suhr for a while and decided to take a shot. Grabbed this from Alpha Music after seeing a picture on their web site (great group of guys). If you cant play one, I wouldn't be nervous about buying one sight unseeen, you will not be dissapointed.
As close to the perfect playing/sounding/looking guitar you will ever find.

I would just like to add that the Suhr Classic I reviewed below was purchased through Eddie Berman at Indoor Storm. I included that info in my initial review, but, for some reason, it didn't register. Perhaps I typed in too many characters.

At any rate, Eddie is the absolute best, and Indoor Storm carries killer gear. Be sure to check 'em out at www.indoorstorm.com

Year 2000 Suhr Classic. Lightweight Alder body finished in beautiful Teal Green Metallic. 11" - 14" compound radius Maple neck with Bois de Rois fingerboard, even C medium large (custom, .850 - .940). 6105 tall/narrow frets. 1.687" nut width. 1088 bridge with machined steel inertia block. 3 JST V60's single coil pickups, with bassplate on the bridge pu. Volume, tone, blend controls. 5-way switch. Input jack located on the side. Sperzel locking tuners. Buzz Feiten Tuning System.

John Suhr offers many, many options and can build the guitar that will be perfect for you. Go to www.suhrguitars.com for details.

Imagine the best-sounding Strat you've ever heard. That is the tone of this guitar.

The lighweight Alder body is very loud and resonant. The guitar just rings and rings.

John's V60's single coil pickups are my favorites, and I even like them better than the Fralin Blues Specials I have in another guitar. They seem more detailed and full-sounding.

Materials, construction, hardware, etc. are unsurpassed. The custom neck fits my hand perfectly. Everything is top-of-the-line.

John's finishes have to be among the best in the business. And the satin-finished neck has just the right amount of tinting.

Aesthetically everything works together beautifully on this guitar.

Excellent factory set-up.

Very solid. Strat syle guitars are indestructible, aren't they? I hope so!

Although this is a new one, I own two other Suhr guitars and I have never had the slightest problem with them.

John is friendly, patient and very knowledegable. He's accessible and most generous with his time and talent.

As I stated above, I own three Suhr guitars; this Classic, as well as an Alder Standard with 3 single coil pickups, and a basswood/maple Standard with a hum/sing/hum pickup configuration.

There are many fine builders, but I really believe John Suhr is the best of the best. His guitars are flawless, and yet there's nothing clinical or sterile about them. John's guitars are very toneful.

If you want to go the vintage route, John can do that to perfection. He can also do modern. On this particular guitar, I wanted the sound and feel of a killer Strat along with some more modern features, such as a compound radius neck, Buzz Feiten Tuning System, etc. John delivered this and them some!

Bottom line: John Suhr consistently builds wonderful guitars.