Excellent video, I have had good guitars such as PRS cores and Fenders deluxe MIA. 2 weeks ago I sold PRS and decided to buy a Suhr Classic S, seafoam green, when I tried it in the store, it was exactly what you described fall in love, many people believe that the suhr is overrated, but the truth of my case is that I have never felt so in love with a guitar, like I am now.
omg ... as a proud Suhr pete thorn owner, i relate to the passion for Suhr guitars. i fell in love with a modern Suhr when i played it at a shop. The HSH needs no convincing. It sounded great it felt great ... yet (instead of buying the one i had in hands) i went ahead with ordering the pete thorn - simply because it is a very beautiful guitar and the neck-thru mahogany body and neck construction was so compelling and still is. it's fantastic - yet i'm still longing for the modern. That's how ridiculously picky we (the guitar enthusiasts) can be. In the big picture - it's a nice problem to have .... Thanks to john Suhr for making such wonderful instruments - quality never goes out of fashion.
Great video Zach. I got a used 2007 Classic S a few years ago. I was looking for that one do it all guitar. But I got suhr fever and I have 2 others now, Alt T and a JM. Not to mention 2 of their amps and 4 pedals. I want to mention the Suhr customer support. When I got my classic S I wanted to put reverse taper pots in it (I'm a lefty) looking inside the wiring looked pretty complex, I emailed Suhr, they were super helpful sent me an up to date wiring diagram, instructions etc. Contacted me later to see how I got on. That's what sold me on Suhr. Then recently I needed new power Tubes for one of my Suhr amps, The Hombre, after a couple of years of hard use, I emailed them for advice on replacements biasing etc as I couldn't get the EHX ones that it came with. They got back to me and said they had done a couple of circuit revisions since I got mine and if I wanted they will take it back for a warranty service to do the updates an replace the tubes. They covered all the shipping from the UK and back. Sorry for the long post but I just wanted to point out that this is what you get when you invest in a Suhr. A lifetime of support even if you are not the original owner.
That's awesome to hear about their customer support! I've not had to work with their customer service team but I'm happy to hear that they're just as top notch as their guitars!
I just bought my Suhr Classic S vintage yellow and I need to say that I had the same feeling than you, I expended 1 hour with this guitar at the store, it sounds great, the playability was fantastic and makes me feel that I want to play for more hours, I just realized that the guitar was made for me, but also I had to say that I tried around 8 Suhr Strats, even one legacy, and didn't like all of them, only the one that I bought, so you really need to play one to make sure that is worth it for you, I can say that the guitar choosed me hahahaha. Thanks for your video and congratulations, you content is awesome.
I have the classic pro same color as yours. Changed the bridge pickup with Bareknuckle silos, now it’s even more versatile from classic strat tones to modern heavy prog style sounds. Best of both worlds I guess. I just don’t get too chimey on neck pickups that I love from other strats.. still my best decision ever made.
@@ZachBrobstMusic yea! Perfect for me as I love playing different kind of music from soul bluesy stuff to modern prog stuff. This guitar really resonates with what I do.
I have a very similar Suhr guitar....same V60LP singles.... I find positions 2 and 4 very dark...not that strat chime/quack...maybe it's just me....amazing guitars though!
I have this guitar (in Oly White, even), and I love everything BUT the pickups. Dark and muffled-sounding compared to a Strat. If that's what you're after, great. Just know before you buy. I clicked on this video to verify mine aren't broken! LOL... Nope, yours sound that way too. Thanks for the video!
8:26 is also my case when the guitar just "clicks"! Since this is quite a new video, I really want to know your opinion on my situation. Besides having a full time job, occasionally I do session guitar jobs for a local producer in town. I currently own 2 Strats - a Fender Strat Road Worn 60s & a Squier Contemporary Strat HSS, and also a Les Paul type guitar (the guitar shop I frequently visit ordered few custom specs guitars from the factory in China & put their own brand name on it, which is a surprisingly good Les Paul compared to few Epiphones I used to own). I'm currently out hunting for a new guitar with quite a budget. Initially I was dead set on a Gibson Les Paul (Classic and above, any good ones will do just fine). Found a shop where they sell a Gibson Custom 1957 Goldtop & a Classic T 2017. My eyes were on those two until I saw the only Suhr in town that I know of - Suhr Classic S HSS in Surf Green. Now I already have 2 Strats & a Les Paul copy, I'm hard pressed on which one should I get. A Gibson Les Paul has been the guitar that I've always wanted since the first time I fell in love with guitars at the age of 12 (back in 1998). Now that I have the money, I stumbled upon a Strat type guitar that people have been raving about so much and highly appraised, I don't know which one I should go for. I'm a strat guy before, through and through but somehow recently has been playing my Les Paul copy so much that I preferred it over the two strats (honeymoon phase I know). The Suhr is the only one in town, but it's also quite hard to find a Les Paul Gibson in our place nowadays.
Glad to hear you like the video and congrats on the search for a new guitar! Those Fender road worn guitars are such a good bang for buck strat. Personally, I've never bonded with a Les Paul before (I think I've owned 4 of them and have always sold them pretty quickly) so I'd push for the Suhr. I also think Suhr is going to give you a significantly higher quality guitar. Although I know Gibson is turning their custom shop stuff around, I've not been impressed with their recent quality control. Lastly, I'd get the guitar that just "clicks" for you! Go to the shop one day where you aren't pressed for time, sit down, and just play both and see which one inspires you more. Don't worry about the brand name or what you think you "should" do. Just see which instrument you can't put down in the shop and that will translate into the right buying purchase in my opinion. Best of luck!
There’s an Olympic white with rosewood neck for $2k right next to me on marketplace. Usually I think $2k is kinda steep and not do able. For this classic S, thinking that’s a bit of a steal and I need to hop on it.
Awesome video and a great guitar! I totally agree with you, when I picked one up in the local store, it was the first time I immediately felt connected. I mean we are trained in fooling our brain that the guitar we read about and dreamed about for month DOES feel good, but honestly most guitars do not immediately. My Tweetie (classic S HSS, vintage yellow) did :) still kind of shocking, I avoided S-Styles for over a decade because everybody‘s got one… foolish. Glad that Tweetie changed my mind ❤
Great guitar, it has a different tone from Fender Strats. I still prefer the tone of Fender. I wish fender's build quality could be as good as Suhrs and comes with ss frets!
Great video and tones, man. As a P&W guitarist looking for a bridge humbucker for a Strat, do you prefer the SSV to the Crema/Grinder for HSS setup? I've seen your vids about those two and they sound great as well, but I'm leaning SSV. Also, how does the SSV's volume balance with the single coils? Thanks!
Hey dude! I honestly go back and forth on the two so often. I think the SSV is incredible and sounds really good but can feel a bit "untamed" at times. However, whenever I play in a live mix I love the pushed mid range that helps me cut through the mix a bit more and it has more "bite" than the Grinder or Crema. However, the Grinder is probably the most similar to the SSV and feels more controlled in its high end than the SSV. The Crema is an entirely different pickup/beast and is more scooped in its presence and EQ. I've owned an HSS strat with Triple Shots and a Crema and it was truly amazing and gave a really articulate and chimey clean tone. I think all of the pickups balance well with single coils as well so it's largely just what you prefer in terms of tone and playing styles!
IDK, if you can say it doesn’t sound traditional. Most of the pickups specs where taking from Landau vintage guitars. From what John has said they’re dead on. The fact is no two vintage strats sound the same. One may be super hot & the other may be super tame. Which one is the vintage sound? I guess it all boils down to the player experience with vintage instruments.
Great review and great guitar. I noticed that your pickups are very closed to the pickguard. Can you tell me please precision height of your neck and middle pickup?Cheers!
Its OK at cleaning up. Honestly, the SSV humbucker isn't my all time favorite humbucker. At times it feels a bit unwieldy but other times its a really killer bridge pickup.
Hey Marco! I think they're similar pickups and both sound amazing. However, the Lambertones are a bit "chimier" and "cleaner" whereas the V60LPs feel more balanced across the entire frequency range and the high end is really gentle and sweet. I'd say I probably prefer the Suhr pickups over the Lambertones
Hey Mel! Honestly, great question. I'd think the covered SSV is slightly (almost barely noticeably) pulled back in the high end. Other than that, the SSV pickups are very bright and dynamic so I don't think the cover affects the tone too drastically!
Thanks. After a couple JM’s, I’m back to Classic S again, and blessed with three! One 2019 Antique SSS with V63’s, an Antique with ML’s and uncovered Thornbucker, and a Lake Placid “Classic Pro” HSS currently with V70’s and a covered Thornbucker. However, I have acquired a bunch of Suhr PU’s over the years and thinking of replacing the LPB HSS with either V63’s, V60LP’s, ML’s or leave V70’s in SS and go with bridge as Covered SSV, TB, TB+ or Asatobucker, or go uncovered SSV or TB. Such problems😂 Any suggestions? I only play P&W into Kemper or HX Stomp. Thanks, Mel
@@melbindas3819 Wow that's a lot of Suhrs! I think the V70s would pair nicely with the SSV because they are a bit hotter. Personally, I may even swap the bridge pickup out of this one and put in a Lambertones Grinder because it's a bit more compressed and controlled which I think fits the 60's profile just a tad better.
In my opinion these play significantly better than a custom shop Fender. Similarly, you also get a neck that has been plek'd, Suhr pickups and a noiseless strat system which (again, in my opinion) is far better than Fenders noiseless strat pickups
Hey Romanukas! I'd say the Alt T covers more ground. You get the 5 way switch which gives you the 2//4 position sound of a strat but also have those huge humbucker tones!
@@ZachBrobstMusic sounds right. I have also Fender Strat with Triple Shots. Only if Alt T would have tremolo, I’ve seen custom ones with different bridge.
Hello Zach! Checking in a few months later… Still loving the Suhr HSS? Still liking the V60LP’s and SSV or change out any pickups? I recently picked up a Paulownia HSS with V63’s and DSV and thinking I may want a different “livelier/Strat friendly” bridge. Still a SSV guy? Thanks!
Hey Mel! Still lovin' the HSS setup. I still have the original pickups and have thought about putting a Lambertone's Grinder in the bridge position because at times the SSV can feel a tad bit "untamed" but overall it's a great sounding pickup!
@@melbindas3819 I think the SSV is perfect for that! It does have a nice pushed mid presence but nothing that feels too much for me, rather, it gives some nice "oomph" to solos or chords in the bridge position
Curious, can you tell any difference between the uncovered SSV in your Classic S to the covered in your JM? ( and covered TB in your Alt T?… and the Lambertone?)
@@melbindas3819 If there is a difference it's granular at best. I think the covered helps ever so slightly dim some of the high end but I normally just prefer the look of a covered bucker than uncovered and would take the aesthetic over the slight (if any) tonal differences!
I would like to share my experience with the Classic HSS. When performing at high volume, it sounds very, very good. At low volume, my HSS is a bit too muffled and I miss the fine highs of a Stratocaster. Can this be due to the suhr ssci? Can you disconnect the system? I also find them a bit heavy at around 3.8kg.
I'd contact Suhr customer service. They can help you if you want to disconnect the SSCII. It is not likely to be the source of the lack of highs though. I would guess you'd prefer the V60 or V63 pickups since they have more highs than the V60LP.