Suhr Modern owners - show your guitars/specs

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cyndicate

cyndicate

Well-known member
Need some input for those who have owned multiple Suhrs. Have saved enough for a new custom build and am currently thinking of ordering a new one. I had one previously that was a Suhr Modern Carve top that was Mahogany Body/Mahogany Neck and felt that it was too dark for me. Thinking of going for a basswood/maple neck combo now. Also now want one without a floyd.. Currently thinking about doing the following specs:

Suhr Modern
Basswood Body, black back
Quilt Maple Top - Trans Charcoal Burst finish
Roasted Maple Neck
Pao Ferro Finger Board
Reverse matching headstock
Scraped Binding
Black Hardware
Gotoh 510 2-post bridge
Jumbo SS Frets
MOP dots & logo
Volume, Tone 5-way, & push pull coil split
SSV neck, SSH+ bridge

HOPING to get one that will look like this with some minor differences in specs.
image-2.jpg


Let me know your thoughts, and show me some Suhrs!
 
Sweet looking guitar.. I'd go with a 3A or 5A Roasted maple neck. More stable to weather change also. My current Modern is Aquamarine with a hardtail. Mahogony neck, mahogony body.
 

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Suhr Modern M6
Basswood Body, Black Back
Flame Maple Top - Trans Charcoal Burst Finish
Maple Neck
Maple Finger Board
Scraped Binding
Chrome Hardware
Gotoh Floyd Rose
Jumbo SS Frets
Volume, Tone 5-Way, & Push-Pull Parallel Bridge
Aldrich Neck, Aldrich Bridge

suhr.jpg
 
I've had five custom built Suhr Moderns and currently just bought one of those off-the-rack Suhr Modern Satins that I currently sent back to Suhr to have a small issue resolved. I also received a Suhr Custom Standard a little while back that I have not captured pics of yet. I had a similar experience to yours with a mahogany body/neck, maple top that I previously owned that I based off a GG sig. Out of all the Suhrs I owned, it was the "deadest" sounding (just overall duller) and also the only one that had the 10"-14" compound fingerboard radius that I will never go back too (just not for me)....beautiful guitar just the same. One of my favorite body/neck wood combos on a Suhr is an alder body/maple neck. My first Suhr was a Blue Drip Modern that had the alder body/maple neck combo. It sounded fantastic, but as I got other Suhrs with my fave Modern neck carve (.800-.850), it always bothered me a bit that the Blue Drip's neck always seemed thinner in comparison to the others I had, and it dawned on me that at the time it was built, they did not have the .800-.850 carve programmed into their CNC machine....they'd use the .820-.870 and sand it down to around the .800-.850 carve, but it wasn't exact and I could always tell, so I replaced it with a similarly spec'ed Purple Nova Suhr Modern, which I still have. Naturally, it was later programmed into it. My new Blue Drip Suhr Standard also has the alder body/maple neck combo. BTW, all of my alder bodied Suhr have always came with SSH+/SSV pickups, which I personally think are perfect for those woods.

The other two Moderns I've had built were a basswood body/maple top/maple neck and a mahogany body/curly koa top/pau ferro neck and fingerboard. The basswood Modern I owned I still regret to this day for selling. Really, I just wasn't crazy about the SSH+/SSV pickups with it...I now feel that if I would have put some Aldrich pickups in it (or some other brand of pickups), I would've been much happier with it. I just feel like I gave up on it too quickly. The curly koa top Modern I still own and pretty happy with. Even though it has a mahogany body, it sounds very different with the all-pau ferro neck and Aldrich pickups....it is the most "focused" Suhr I've ever owned. Great for leads and very tight, but maybe not as versatile as my alder bodied Suhrs. Now, the Suhr Modern "Satin" is a whole different animal to the GG-speced mahogany Modern I owned in the past, which I suppose is due to it having an African mahogany body/neck as opposed to the Honduras mahogany. It is the LIGHTEST guitar I have ever owned! I've only played it a week before sending it back to them, but everytime I'd take it out of the case, it was almost laughable....just stupid light, compared to my other Suhrs. And, while it's not as bright as my other Suhrs, it's not really dark either. You can really get some nice chucky rhythm tones out of it. I was really on the fence about purchasing it online, but they had a return policy and so I took a chance and I'm glad I did. Different from my other Suhrs, but in a good way.

As far as other options that I like on my Suhr Moderns....I really like a fairly flat, straight fingerboard radius. Two of my moderns have a 16" radius and the Satin has a 14" radius. Anywhere between 14"-16" is good for me. My fave fingerboard wood is Indian Rosewood, although Pau Ferro is nice as well. Like most, I like Jumbo SS frets. Good call on the roasted maple neck. That is the one thing I wish I would have got on my new Standard and my Purple Nova Modern...not a big deal for me though. I just know John says it does seem to make a small tonal difference. I think you have good specs on your potential build. The only thing I'm not completely convinced with for my taste, are SSH+/SSV pickups with a basswood body/maple neck Modern....maybe it'll work for you though.

Anyways, here are my past and present Suhr Moderns:

Present:

Purple Nova




Curly Koa




Past:

Light Bengal Burst




Fireburst




Blue Drip


 
These are mine. The flame is Mahogany body/neck with a Pau board and the thicker neck profile. DSH/DSV pickups. The blue drip is alder/maple with Indian Rosewood and the thinner neck profile. DSH+/DSV pickups. Both have Jumbo SS and 16" radius. I love these guitars.

bluedrip.jpg


bengal.jpg


IMG_1949.JPG


IMG_1388.JPG


IMG_1965.JPG


IMG_1384.JPG


This one is no longer with me. I just didn't want the Floyd anymore so I sold it and got the Blue Drip. I do miss it though. Same specs as the blue drip except for the floyd and neck radius. I could never take good pictures of this guitar. It was just gorgeous in person and sounded great.

suhr_cherry_bengal_3.JPG


suhr_cherry_2.JPG
 
Greg Riley":2vwhgvvo said:
Sweet looking guitar.. I'd go with a 3A or 5A Roasted maple neck. More stable to weather change also. My current Modern is Aquamarine with a hardtail. Mahogony neck, mahogony body.

Is there any big difference between the roasted maple and the 3A/5A? Does the 3A and 5A just mean there is more birds eye figuring? Also what happened to the Vulcanized necks? I don't see those as a spec anymore, has it been replaced by the Roasted Maple?


lame guitarist":2vwhgvvo said:
This is one of my Suhr's, kinda similar but has the maple and Floyd, mines has the Aldrich humbuckers as well.

Nice! How do you like the Aldrich's in there? Have you tried any other pickup configuration in the Suhr?

Code001":2vwhgvvo said:
Suhr Modern M6
Basswood Body, Black Back
Flame Maple Top - Trans Charcoal Burst Finish
Maple Neck
Maple Finger Board
Scraped Binding
Chrome Hardware
Gotoh Floyd Rose
Jumbo SS Frets
Volume, Tone 5-Way, & Push-Pull Parallel Bridge
Aldrich Neck, Aldrich Bridge

Sweet that is pretty much what I am looking for, I might have to look into the Suhr Pro series M guitars since they are a fraction of the price. Where did you buy yours from? It looks like average price of these is ~$2,500 new. May be a better option than the ~$3500-$4000 price tag of a custom. Have you compared this to a custom modern? Is there any difference in quality between these and the customs? I'm assuming no and the difference is just that you are stuck with the preset options.

Tone Zone":2vwhgvvo said:
I've had five custom built Suhr Moderns and currently just bought one of those off-the-rack Suhr Modern Satins that I currently sent back to Suhr to have a small issue resolved. I also received a Suhr Custom Standard a little while back that I have not captured pics of yet. I had a similar experience to yours with a mahogany body/neck, maple top that I previously owned that I based off a GG sig. Out of all the Suhrs I owned, it was the "deadest" sounding (just overall duller) and also the only one that had the 10"-14" compound fingerboard radius that I will never go back too (just not for me)....beautiful guitar just the same. One of my favorite body/neck wood combos on a Suhr is an alder body/maple neck. My first Suhr was a Blue Drip Modern that had the alder body/maple neck combo. It sounded fantastic, but as I got other Suhrs with my fave Modern neck carve (.800-.850), it always bothered me a bit that the Blue Drip's neck always seemed thinner in comparison to the others I had, and it dawned on me that at the time it was built, they did not have the .800-.850 carve programmed into their CNC machine....they'd use the .820-.870 and sand it down to around the .800-.850 carve, but it wasn't exact and I could always tell, so I replaced it with a similarly spec'ed Purple Nova Suhr Modern, which I still have. Naturally, it was later programmed into it. My new Blue Drip Suhr Standard also has the alder body/maple neck combo. BTW, all of my alder bodied Suhr have always came with SSH+/SSV pickups, which I personally think are perfect for those woods.

The other two Moderns I've had built were a basswood body/maple top/maple neck and a mahogany body/curly koa top/pau ferro neck and fingerboard. The basswood Modern I owned I still regret to this day for selling. Really, I just wasn't crazy about the SSH+/SSV pickups with it...I now feel that if I would have put some Aldrich pickups in it (or some other brand of pickups), I would've been much happier with it. I just feel like I gave up on it too quickly. The curly koa top Modern I still own and pretty happy with. Even though it has a mahogany body, it sounds very different with the all-pau ferro neck and Aldrich pickups....it is the most "focused" Suhr I've ever owned. Great for leads and very tight, but maybe not as versatile as my alder bodied Suhrs. Now, the Suhr Modern "Satin" is a whole different animal to the GG-speced mahogany Modern I owned in the past, which I suppose is due to it having an African mahogany body/neck as opposed to the Honduras mahogany. It is the LIGHTEST guitar I have ever owned! I've only played it a week before sending it back to them, but everytime I'd take it out of the case, it was almost laughable....just stupid light, compared to my other Suhrs. And, while it's not as bright as my other Suhrs, it's not really dark either. You can really get some nice chucky rhythm tones out of it. I was really on the fence about purchasing it online, but they had a return policy and so I took a chance and I'm glad I did. Different from my other Suhrs, but in a good way.

As far as other options that I like on my Suhr Moderns....I really like a fairly flat, straight fingerboard radius. Two of my moderns have a 16" radius and the Satin has a 14" radius. Anywhere between 14"-16" is good for me. My fave fingerboard wood is Indian Rosewood, although Pau Ferro is nice as well. Like most, I like Jumbo SS frets. Good call on the roasted maple neck. That is the one thing I wish I would have got on my new Standard and my Purple Nova Modern...not a big deal for me though. I just know John says it does seem to make a small tonal difference. I think you have good specs on your potential build. The only thing I'm not completely convinced with for my taste, are SSH+/SSV pickups with a basswood body/maple neck Modern....maybe it'll work for you though.

Anyways, here are my past and present Suhr Moderns:

Those are some really nice moderns, that Koa one looks amazing. I also appreciate the thorough response. Just a few questions, it seems that for basswood/maple top moderns most tend to prefer the Aldrich set versus the SSV/SSH+. Have you had a chance to compare the two pickup sets in a basswood modern?

Is there any reason you prefer the Alder over the Basswood? I'm leaning more towards the basswood at the moment because all of my current guitars are either Alder or Mahogany. I remember trying out a basswood modern previously (forgot what pickups were in it) and it just had way more clarity than the one I previously owned (mahogany body/neck).

In regards to the radius, is the 10-14 the standard option? How would you compare the 14 or 16? Are these overall just flatter, would you say it's comparable to a EBMM Petrucci neck? Seems there are so many more different options now than previously.

dfrattaroli":2vwhgvvo said:
These are mine. The flame is Mahogany body/neck with a Pau board and the thicker neck profile. DSH/DSV pickups. The blue drip is alder/maple with Indian Rosewood and the thinner neck profile. DSH+/DSV pickups. Both have Jumbo SS and 16" radius. I love these guitars.

This one is no longer with me. I just didn't want the Floyd anymore so I sold it and got the Blue Drip. I do miss it though. Same specs as the blue drip except for the floyd and neck radius. I could never take good pictures of this guitar. It was just gorgeous in person and sounded great.

Those drips look really nice. I think if I was to get one in a drip finish it would most likely be the rootbeer. How do you like the DSH/DSV pickups? I have never tried those before, what would you say they sound closest to in terms of similarity?
 
cyndicate":3dir9i5v said:
Sweet that is pretty much what I am looking for, I might have to look into the Suhr Pro series M guitars since they are a fraction of the price. Where did you buy yours from? It looks like average price of these is ~$2,500 new. May be a better option than the ~$3500-$4000 price tag of a custom. Have you compared this to a custom modern? Is there any difference in quality between these and the customs? I'm assuming no and the difference is just that you are stuck with the preset options.

I bought it from Humbucker Music. Great guys. From the custom ones I played over in Japan, it felt basically the same, but I'm far from an expert. According to what I've read on forums, they should be the same quality. The main difference is the significant lack of customizable options. I obviously did the pickup swap and used their own Andy Wood wiring diagram to add the push/pull parallel switch. It's one of the most versatile guitars I have.
 
Here are mine:

Suhr Modern 7 String w "Museum Quality" Roasted Birdseye Maple Neck:

every_41.jpg


Suhr Henderson:

every_50.jpg


I've had other Suhrs, but these are the ones I kept... Here are the others I've owned and sold/traded:

every_3.jpg

every_7.jpg

every_26.jpg


Not sure it really helps with your quest though... :)

Steve
 
drewiv":wcqry2z5 said:
Here are mine:

So cool! I know somne don't dig anything "80s wanker looking", but these are killer to me...

Steve
 
I like the aldrich's. they are pretty meaty and fit my needs. I have a suhr guthrie modern, the bengal burst one. I like it apart from the pickups. They bring out the honkiness of the mahogony but not in a good way (just my personal taste) and they seem a bit shrill. Thought of changing them but still contemplating what to change them to. It is a lovely instrument to play though.
 
I recently took receipt of my newest spec'ed Anderson (I know it isn't a Suhr). It does match your body and neck requirements: basswood body with a (chocolate) maple neck and Floyd in the bridge. Love the sound combination and is brighter than my Bulldog (mahogany body and neck). Still manages to sound warm without too much high end snap. Great to have variety! Personally, I have always liked basswood.

Obligatory pictures:





 
I think you are right on. Get the 3a Roasted maple neck and board. .800-.850 Its the best Suhr I have played and I have owned several including a 2011 LE.
 
cyndicate":nljey3ck said:
Those drips look really nice. I think if I was to get one in a drip finish it would most likely be the rootbeer. How do you like the DSH/DSV pickups? I have never tried those before, what would you say they sound closest to in terms of similarity?

They're not as hot as the Aldrich but hotter than a vintage pickup. So for me, they're great with a high-gain amp because you still get so much clarity. They sound great with my Mark IV. But since they're not an uber hot pickup, through my Quick Rod, you can get VH type crunch. They really sounded great through the lead channel of the Lone Star I had. It was a surprisingly good lead tone. I should NOT have sold that amp. And I'm talking specifically about the DSH+ through that amp.
 
sah5150":mougjhue said:
drewiv":mougjhue said:
Here are mine:

So cool! I know somne don't dig anything "80s wanker looking", but these are killer to me...

Steve

Thanks, I like the "wankery" myself. ;)

Here's a little more specifics about the pictured. They're very similar, all with a .780-.830 Modern Elliptical neck and recessed Gotoh Floyd. All but one has the 16"R. From left to right wood combinations are:

Alder Body/Maple Neck/Ebony Board (Aldrich pups)
Swamp Ash Body/Maple Neck/Maple Board (Aldrich pups)
Basswood Body/Maple Neck/Indian Rosewood Board (DSV/DSH pups)
Alder Body/Maple Neck/Maple Board (Aldrich pups) 10"-14" R
 
I went with the Maple Top and Basswood body, and a Roasted Maple Neck and board. Aesthetically I love ebony boards but I had no other guitars with maple so I stuck with it. I also have a Goofy Govan Set neck (my wife calls him Goofy Govan) and loved the pickups, but on this one I decided to lose the middle single coil and go with two humbuckers. Stainless Steel jumbos and a blower switch, of course... The Gotoh 510 big steel block tremolo with a tremol-no is a must.

This guitar has more punch on the high E string above the 12th fret than anything I've ever played.

I messed around a bit - rewired it to be Neck Series - Neck tapped - inner coils - Bridge tapped - Bridge Series. Blower switch routes the Bridge Series to the output.
I tried Series/Parallel switching, but damn, these Suhr pickups sound so good split.
I later bought a spare Gotoh 510TS and loaded it up with a Ghost Acousti-phonic (piezo) system. The Tone is now the acousti-phonic volume (push/pull for bass shift) and I stuck with the one output jack. A normal TS guitar lead will get you the magnetics (no preamp buffer) and a TRS Y cable will split the magnetic and piezo outs to two cables.

I'd love to build another one with an Alder body - painted white with gold hardware - 17" radius ebony board and roasted maple bolt on neck. Basically a Suhr version of the Ibanez Jem7VWH without the monkey grip and cheap hardware...
And a Seven string...
And another Basswood/Maple/roasted neck/Ebony board...
it never ends!
 

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GG Signature model (no changes from the standard spec):

IMG_0503.jpg


IMG_0505.jpg
 
What does anyone know about "Black Limba" wood.. There is a setneck Modern at Matt's Music thats Limba..
 
Code001":2dy26fa7 said:
cyndicate":2dy26fa7 said:
Sweet that is pretty much what I am looking for, I might have to look into the Suhr Pro series M guitars since they are a fraction of the price. Where did you buy yours from? It looks like average price of these is ~$2,500 new. May be a better option than the ~$3500-$4000 price tag of a custom. Have you compared this to a custom modern? Is there any difference in quality between these and the customs? I'm assuming no and the difference is just that you are stuck with the preset options.

I bought it from Humbucker Music. Great guys. From the custom ones I played over in Japan, it felt basically the same, but I'm far from an expert. According to what I've read on forums, they should be the same quality. The main difference is the significant lack of customizable options. I obviously did the pickup swap and used their own Andy Wood wiring diagram to add the push/pull parallel switch. It's one of the most versatile guitars I have.

Humbucker Music in north Ga is a place to go. Stock of amazing guitars and amps. Coolest staff. A legit glass enclosed loud jamming room.
 
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