Our guitars are what put us on the map for those seeking the highest quality possible instruments. From picking out the choicest woods, to countless hours of detailed programming on state-of-the-art in-house CNC machines, to hand-sanding, painting and buffing by highly-skilled and experienced craftsmen, to using other high-tech machines like the Plek, laser-engravers and computerized pickup winders, to assembly and set-up work by master builders, to the final QC check and play-test by John himself, we control every minute detail of how every guitar is built. No guitar leaves our factory until John feels that he loves it. Every guitar has to sound great, play like butter, and look stunning for John to give the final okay to ship.


   We constantly strive to further improve the quality of our guitars. Some people may ask, "How do you improve on perfection?" But we beg to differ. Whether it's how we mix the paint we use, picking out the electronic components in a wiring assembly, the fret wires we pick out, or getting the necessary equipment to improve consistency and help our craftsmen and builders to perform at their very best, our motto is that we can always build it better today than we did yesterday. It is this spirit of passionate and relentless pursuit of continuous improvement that you feel, hear and see in every one of our guitars. No detail is too small for us to overlook. Every guitar must meet our lofty standards or it just doesn't ship. Many years of experience and practical knowledge go into every Suhr guitar. The following are some of our thoughts on the features and options offered on our instruments.

• Custom Antique Guitars - Due to continued requests from customers seeking that old worn-in feel and look in our Custom Classic and Classic T guitars, Suhr Guitars is now offering a very limited number of our new Antique Series Classics and Classic T's direct to consumers straight from the factory. The new Antique Series is collaboration between Suhr Guitars and J Black, the ex-Fender Custom Shop master builder who came up with the aging process concept. J Black will spray the thin nitro-cellulose lacquer finish on the guitars’ bodies and necks and apply his proprietary aging process to give it that Antique look and feel.
• Classic - This is the standard vintage shape that many of us grew up with and has the addition of a contoured heel where the neck bolts on for easy access to all the frets. The input jack is located on the side instead of the face to get out of the way from the trem arm but we also offer the face jack as an option for those that want the vintage look. It features a blade cut tummy cut and even contours. It is also the shape used on the "Scott Henderson Model".
• Modern - A completely new shape designed by John Suhr, the Modern shape has a unique asymmetrical body that balances superbly with the extended 24-fret neck. Fast, sleek and sexy looking, the Modern shape will feel right at home to players who were weaned on the popular and innovative shapes that came into vogue in the 80's. The neck heel has been completely redesigned for easy access but a lot of attention also went into maximum transfer of string vibrational energy between the body and the neck, producing a big, balanced and acoustically brilliant tone.
• Standard – The shape we are best known for, the body is very slightly down sized and has a sharper radius on the edges. It also features a contoured heel and side input jack. It is a sleek take off of the Classic design. The horns are slightly longer proportionally to the rest of the body but not pointy whatsoever for that modern yet classy look.
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• Classic T – Digitized from an original '52, we offer this with a 3 saddle compensated Tele-style bridge or any of our other bridges like the Hardtail or 1055 trem. We also offer this with a hard vintage edge and no body cuts or arm, tummy, heel cuts for the ultimate in comfort. This model can be ordered with the rear rout or traditional pickguard and control plate. Double bound is also an option.

After many years of experience we're convinced that nothing sounds better than a vintage-style single truss rod. If the neck is made correctly there is no need for a "two-way rod". We guarantee the necks for the lifetime of the original owner. We offer plain-grain hard rock Maple as well as the finest quality Birdseye Maple and museum grade Birdseye. The plain-grain is usually the most stable (at least in our opinion) although Birdseye sure does look good. Our Birdseye is also eastern hard rock and comes from the same source as our plain-grain. Our 1 piece plain-grain Maple necks are one piece with a Pau Ferro skunk stripe and headstock plug.

Our standard fingerboard Radius is 10-14" compound for the ultimate in clean bending with playability. Optional radiuses are 16", 9"-12" compound and 7.25 - 8.5" compound (upcharge due to extra sanding required on the round vintage radius). The truss rod is accessed from the pickguard end of the neck with a special 1/8" Allen wrench without removing the neck. Our Plek Pro machine levels frets to a tolerance of .01mm (0.0004"). All our frets and fingerboards are dressed with the neck under tension and the frets are re-crowned and polished for smooth bending. The corners of the fingerboard are broken in for a comfortable feel. Our current models are 25.5" fret scale using the Buzz Feiten Tuning System. Other scale lengths will be coming in the not-too-distant future.

• Even C Slim – This is a very friendly even taper slim C shape. The thickness runs .800" at the first fret to .880" at the 13th fret. It is our most popular shape and John's personal favorite.
• Even C Extra Slim – This is a fairly new shape that we introduced in late-2005 for those seeking a very fast and the slimmest shape possible without having a negative impact on tone or stability. It tapers from .770" to .850".
• Even C RB – This is the shape that Reb Beach specified for his custom guitars that tapers from .800" to .850".
• Even C Medium – Another popular shape, this shape is the same as the even C slim but fatter, from .840" to .920".
• Even C Fat – For those who like a chunky yet comfortable neck shape, this shape is the ticket: .880" to .960".
• Even C Huge - This shape is for players who like their necks big - really big! Measuring a full 1.000" thick at both the 1st fret and the 13th with an even taper, this shape with the extra mass provides a big bold and punch tone to the guitar.
• 60's C Vintage Standard – This is another very popular shape that feels classic that starts out thin but tapers fatter as you go up the neck. It starts out at 810" at the first fret to a chunky .930" at the 13th fret.
• 60's C Vintage Medium – This is the same as the 60's C Vintage Standard but slightly fatter - .830" to .950".
• 50's Round – A new shape introduced in January of 2006, this shape replicates the fat round shape of the late-50's. It starts out from .860" and tapers to .980" – big but comfy.
• 56 Soft Medium V – This is a popular shape for the player who wants that 50's vintage feel but don't like the feel of the hard V. Taper is .840" to .920".
• 56 Big V – To us, this and the Medium V are the only comfortable V neck shapes - big from .880" to .980", it rolls in at the fingerboard and is a soft V that tapers to almost no V. Recommended for V neck fans.
• D Shape – A D-shaped neck that has a more shoulder or meat on the edge of the neck, it is flatter on the backshape. It is also featured on our Scott Henderson Model. It is slim with a taper of .800" to.880".
• Modern Elliptical - A new shape for the 24-fret Modern, this shape can be viewed as a half of an ellipse. It is a fast and sleek shape yet has enough girth for you to really grab onto when you want to dig in for wild string bends or playing chords. The Modern Elliptical shape is available in two thicknesses: .780" to .830" and .820" to .870".

   * Custom neck shapes are available and we can digitize any neck shape but upcharges may apply.