This month we've come across a superstar that's also very much in fashion; it has all the ingredients to succeed in the complicated world of Strats®. There's little left to add to what has been written about Stratocaster®-style guitars; it's been more than 50 years since the first Fender® saw the light of day. And it goes without saying how many famous and not-so-famous guitarists have used it. But of course, over time, some spectacular guitars in this "style" have emerged, some of them Fenders® and some not. That's the case with our next guest, which has snuck in among all our gear and grabbed our attention. Let's go over a bit of history and see what, or rather who, Suhr is. Behind the brand is its owner, John Suhr, who started about 35 years ago working in a shop in New Jersey, where he was associated with Rudy Pensa. At the time, the client list ranged from Mark Knopfler to Eric Clapton, as well as Lou Reed and Red Beach. That's why back then all his guitars were known as "Pensa-Suhrs." Later, Suhr went to work directly at the Fender® Custom Shop, and that's when his relationship with Michael Landau and Scott Henderson began.
Later he reopened his company and has kept it going to this day, producing more and more guitars. Always with a "handmade" approach, that is, everything made by hand in the most traditional way possible.
The whole catalog we have to choose from at Suhr is quite extensive; if you like Strats®, they come in every possible option: three single-coils, two humbuckers, with a Floyd, etc., and if you like Telecasters®, exactly the same, etc.
Today we'll focus on a Classic Fiesta Red, which gives us a completely retro look. This guitar belongs to a range that really should be taken into account, since it isn't in the middle of the table; in other words, it's part of the top tier. So let's start taking it apart and see what it's made of and how.
Construction
When you see it, you think you're looking at just another Strat® like the ones you've seen over the years, but when you get closer and see all the details of the guitar, you realize that what has fallen into your hands is more than a workhorse guitar.
We can start with the body. The wood used is alder, a sure bet we'll never go wrong with. In this case, if we compare the body with a Fender® Strat® Standard, we see that the Suhr® is larger. It's not a really substantial difference, but it's something you notice within a minute of picking it up. The example I have in my hands is loaded with three Suhr FL (Fletcher-Landau) single-coil pickups, in exactly the same layout as a Strat® Standard. It also gives us a three-position switch, with which we can select the neck pickup, neck plus middle pickup, middle pickup, middle plus bridge pickup, and bridge pickup. Of course, when we combine a pickup with the middle one, it's done in parallel and not in series; otherwise the result would be a somewhat open humbucker. Rounding out the guitar's circuitry are three pots, specifically one volume and two tone controls. The output jack is a Strat® Standard type, positioned at the same height as the pots. The bridge, in the most retro style, is anchored to the body with six screws, which makes the transmission of vibration more consistent. The tremolo arm fits into the hardware thanks to the pressure exerted by rubber bushings inside the bridge itself; it's one of the few things in which the guitar departs, technically speaking, from an original Strat®. The arm on the latter is usually screwed in. Over time this causes some play to appear, which I personally need when using the arm, because of a habit I've acquired over the years. With the Suhr® we're assured we'll never have that play in the arm.
On any guitar, the neck is crucial. This Suhr Classic has to live up to its reputation and, therefore, the neck we have in our hands is no less impressive than the guitar. It's made of maple with a fairly dark rosewood fingerboard, which already shows its high quality. Access to the truss rod isn't at the headstock but from the body, like the old Strats®, which gives an even more retro feel. The headstock has a pointed shape with the brand printed on it, and the tuners are completely vintage. One of the really amazing things is the frets. They let you do endless bends; we can say they're big enough to play comfortably, but not so big that you're constantly going out of tune. The feel of the neck is again incredible, since it isn't the typical lacquered finish your hand keeps sticking to, but nor is it a completely bare neck in raw wood, which would suffer every change in weather and humidity. Its size isn't at either extreme; in other words, it's not a very thin Ibanez®-style neck, nor is it considerably fat like a Les Paul®'s; we can say it's somewhere in between, but above all it's comfortable, since its radius is almost flat and that makes the guitar really easy to play.
The bridge is held to the body by three springs, which of course can be added to for even more tension on both the bridge and the strings themselves. The guitar's setup is meticulous; everything is calibrated. We should mention that it comes strung with a 10-46 set, which I find the most appropriate gauge for a Strat®, since 9s are a bit slack, and 11s are great for some occasions but aren't the best option in every context.
To sum up the makeup of the guitar, we'd say that at first glance it's a Strat®, but when you start looking at the details you realize it's quite a bit more than that. The body is somewhat bigger than we're used to with the originals, the neck is much more comfortable and the frets are something you'd want on every guitar you own.
Sound
If up to this point the guitar hadn't gone entirely unnoticed, since it was closely tied to its predecessor, it's when you plug it in that you realize where all the charm lies. The first impression you get when you plug it in is simply that it sounds like Mark Knopfler; in other words, if you pick it up it's impossible not to play "Sultans of Swing." It's a guitar that sounds like a Strat®. On the neck pickup it sounds full-bodied but with the highs peeking through; in the in-between position (neck-middle), one of my favorite positions, it sounds totally like Stevie Ray; for beautiful cleans with body, or if you want to play a solo with a crunch tone that's punchy and has the guitar's full body, this is your position. The middle position, which isn't one I use much, strikes me as one of the few (on this type of guitar) I can use without any problem. If you really want a completely funky sound, with all the attack so your sixteenth notes come through crystal clear when you play, this is without a doubt your position.
The next position (middle-bridge) is the "quacky" sound, pure Texas blues. Possibly one of the most versatile positions for me, whether you want to sound thin and completely clean, or like the intro of Stevie Ray's "Pride and Joy."
In the last position we have the brightest setting, with all the highs up top. For the most aggressive sounds, it may be one of the best options.
If we go a bit deeper into the sound when playing the Suhr, we have to say that one of the things that catches your attention is how easy it is to get that "grrrr" sound when you hit the strings hard, since the springs holding the bridge vibrate and give you that resonance, a very Jeff Beck sound. Of course, the guitar is great for those endless bends with infinite sustain and a vibrato at the end to hold it. If there's one thing to keep in mind, it's the amplifier you're going to pair it with; the only danger is getting too thin a sound with a guitar like this, since the pickups give you a large amount of harmonics, whatever position you choose. But bear in mind that if you plug it into an amplifier that gives you a strong harmonic response but not much body, you can end up with too thin a sound, and that can keep you from blending with the rest of the band.
The guitar is great plugged into a Fender Bassman® or a Marshall®, with a Tube Screamer or the like, or a boost, and of course it's completely versatile; you have nothing to worry about if what you need is to cover a standard pop/rock/funk/blues sound. For anything heavier than rock it will fall short, because of its three single-coil pickups and its very nature as a Strat®.
Conclusion
I like to close the article with a conclusion to leave us with a short summary of what the guitar is, so that when we see it face to face we know more or less what to expect. In this case we've been describing what would be the moral of the guitar itself, but keep in mind that if what you want is a Strat® once and for all, the Suhr is an option to consider. Mind you, bear in mind that since it's so handcrafted, each guitar will sound really different, so you should try one guitar after another carefully, even if they're the same model. On the other hand, you have to be careful with the excess of harmonics and what you pair it with. And finally, you have to consider the price of the instrument, since it's quite a substantial investment. If your approach meets all these requirements, don't hesitate: try every Suhr® you can, because you're sure to find one that's the Strat® of your dreams.
