cobrahead1030
Well-known member
I'm actually a couple of weeks behind on this. I've been busy at work, and on a bit of a buying/selling spree as of late.
A little over a year ago, I got a pretty good local deal on a Suhr Classic S with a humbucker. I'd always been impressed with their quality, but didn't really have the means to own one until recently. Since then, it's been the guitar I grab most often when I'm in standard tuning. It just plays like a dream, and gives me whatever sound I'm wanting from it so effortlessly.
I came across a maple neck SSS model with nearly identical specs and made the seller a trade + cash offer which he agreed to. I've always wanted a white Strat with a maple board and hoped the V63 pickups would be a different tone than the ML standard singles in my other one. There's actually a huge difference; the V63 is definitely sweeter, kind of darker in the lows & mids but still has a sparkly top end. The ML standards do a more aggressive hifi thing in comparison, they also love that 80's chorus drenched clean sound. I wouldn't really say the v63's are more "vintage" sounding but definitely have a response with lower gain sounds that makes me want to play in that register more than I normally would. They also need quite a bit more gain to get dirty compared to the ML standards or even most Strat pickups I've played, even though they're not very low output spec-wise.
I also noticed the neck seems to feel the slightest bit chunkier, even though it's identical to my HSS on paper. The neck profile is their even C medium .840-.920 just like my red one, the action is also a little higher on the white one which seems to fit that guitar better so I'll likely leave it there. I wasn't sure it made sense to have two guitars so alike, but they sound & feel so different, their main similarities are the headstock and the flawless workmanship. I'm really blown away just a much as I was with my first guitar from them, I'm kind of afraid to admit I'm becoming a bit of a Suhr fanboy....
Shortly after getting settled in with the new guitar, I was online one afternoon browsing the newly arrived used gear on Dave's Guitar Shops website (great for my gear collection, bad for my wallet) and came across a Suhr Bella head for a no brainer price. The shipping wasn't cheap, but it still came out well below the going used rate and these amps have been on my radar for a few years now, so I went for it.
I've never really had a dedicated 'clean' amp before, only high gain channel switchers which would occasionally get me a passable clean sound. I ended up with a deluxe reverb reissue a few years ago, and have enjoyed that more than I thought I would. This is a clean tone that's just on another level, like driving a stolen super car in comparison to my fender (I'm playing it through a 4x12 so maybe that adds a little something) The sound is just huge and beautiful, no matter what guitar I throw in front of it. Controls are simple as can be, a little reverb in the loop and it just sings something heavenly. In 22w mode you can get up on the volume knob and start getting a little grit, which sounds glorious in the room, but has been difficult for me to record with initially.
The boost works nicely, especially with single coils. It takes pedals like a champ, particularly if you like using a fuzz face with the guitar volume rolled back. I find myself wanting to play louder than my wife wants to listen to, but man it's just inspiring.
I'll get something recorded soon, here's a few pics in the meantime. On a completely unrelated note, I also snagged a Mayones Duvell Elite 7 and Heritage 535 recently which will get their own respective threads in due time (I know I'm living up the 40 something year old stereotype of wanting to play boomer rock just as much as metal)
A little over a year ago, I got a pretty good local deal on a Suhr Classic S with a humbucker. I'd always been impressed with their quality, but didn't really have the means to own one until recently. Since then, it's been the guitar I grab most often when I'm in standard tuning. It just plays like a dream, and gives me whatever sound I'm wanting from it so effortlessly.
I came across a maple neck SSS model with nearly identical specs and made the seller a trade + cash offer which he agreed to. I've always wanted a white Strat with a maple board and hoped the V63 pickups would be a different tone than the ML standard singles in my other one. There's actually a huge difference; the V63 is definitely sweeter, kind of darker in the lows & mids but still has a sparkly top end. The ML standards do a more aggressive hifi thing in comparison, they also love that 80's chorus drenched clean sound. I wouldn't really say the v63's are more "vintage" sounding but definitely have a response with lower gain sounds that makes me want to play in that register more than I normally would. They also need quite a bit more gain to get dirty compared to the ML standards or even most Strat pickups I've played, even though they're not very low output spec-wise.
I also noticed the neck seems to feel the slightest bit chunkier, even though it's identical to my HSS on paper. The neck profile is their even C medium .840-.920 just like my red one, the action is also a little higher on the white one which seems to fit that guitar better so I'll likely leave it there. I wasn't sure it made sense to have two guitars so alike, but they sound & feel so different, their main similarities are the headstock and the flawless workmanship. I'm really blown away just a much as I was with my first guitar from them, I'm kind of afraid to admit I'm becoming a bit of a Suhr fanboy....
Shortly after getting settled in with the new guitar, I was online one afternoon browsing the newly arrived used gear on Dave's Guitar Shops website (great for my gear collection, bad for my wallet) and came across a Suhr Bella head for a no brainer price. The shipping wasn't cheap, but it still came out well below the going used rate and these amps have been on my radar for a few years now, so I went for it.
I've never really had a dedicated 'clean' amp before, only high gain channel switchers which would occasionally get me a passable clean sound. I ended up with a deluxe reverb reissue a few years ago, and have enjoyed that more than I thought I would. This is a clean tone that's just on another level, like driving a stolen super car in comparison to my fender (I'm playing it through a 4x12 so maybe that adds a little something) The sound is just huge and beautiful, no matter what guitar I throw in front of it. Controls are simple as can be, a little reverb in the loop and it just sings something heavenly. In 22w mode you can get up on the volume knob and start getting a little grit, which sounds glorious in the room, but has been difficult for me to record with initially.
The boost works nicely, especially with single coils. It takes pedals like a champ, particularly if you like using a fuzz face with the guitar volume rolled back. I find myself wanting to play louder than my wife wants to listen to, but man it's just inspiring.
I'll get something recorded soon, here's a few pics in the meantime. On a completely unrelated note, I also snagged a Mayones Duvell Elite 7 and Heritage 535 recently which will get their own respective threads in due time (I know I'm living up the 40 something year old stereotype of wanting to play boomer rock just as much as metal)
