the Suhr is going to be more like a silhouette special than an axis, but I have played a bunch of Suhrs at a local shop and a buddy has one as well, honestly, the MM will have a better neck - and a better bridge design - both will sound good and will be top quality and stay in tune BUT the MM will cost you half of the Suhr will -
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robelinda2
Well-known member
surely there is no better neck than a EBMM. nothing comes even close! What a pleasure to play on!
+ infinity
robelinda2
Well-known member
The cost of some of those guitars is insane, especially for strat copies.
7,8, 9 thousand dollars?? NUTS!
I like people looking at me funny when i'm playing an AL. Their ears are happy though even if their eyes arent.
7,8, 9 thousand dollars?? NUTS!
I like people looking at me funny when i'm playing an AL. Their ears are happy though even if their eyes arent.
Colin
Well-known member
That is so true, now that Ed Roman is out of the business...
Lance Romance
Well-known member
I really like my Musicmans. I own a Silo Special totally rodded-out, an Albert Lee Ltd. that is just amazing, and owned an Axis SS that was also amazing but went in exchange for one of those "never again will I find this " guitars. That said, my old friend/bandmate "faracaster" lent me his Suhr S-type for about a month, so I had a chance to do some serious head-to-head comparisons. I'll try to distill a months worth of impressions into a quick summary for you.
Pete's Suhr Classic: Built as a '56-style with everything chosen for Tone, not looks. Quartersawn Big Vee maple neck, swampash body, Gotoh 1088 vintage bridge, vintage staggered tuners, 3 X V60 Low Peak pickups and the Backplate Silent Single Coil system. Pickups are really close to the Wagner SRs I have in my Silo (which I feel are the best early-60's sounding pickups out there; you just can't get them anymore). The Silent Singlecoil system is just magic; does everything you want in noise reducxtion without messing with the Tone of the pickups. Build quality is flawless, and I'm not using that term lightly. I played his guitar for about a half-hour with all four neckbolts removed (don't try this at home kids, I'm a trained professional).
Compare/Contrast (all just my humble opinion): Suhr has a better pickup system, and a slight edge in build quality. It's a far more resonant guitar, as someone who really knew what they were doing picked the woods. The Silo has a better trem system and tuners, and the justly-famous neck. The Suhr is a better choice for a player who is really experienced with which elements of a guitar make the difference for THEM. Very few people know how to spec a custom guitar, but the guys at Suhr are extremely good as this. The Musicman offers limited options, but the important ones.
Now the big kicker: The Suhr is A LOT more expensive. This is not an apples-to-apples comparison. Musicmans are priced so working players can afford them. The Suhr is for the player who has gone the rounds with off-the-rack guitars and have decided only a custom will do, and most importantly, know exactly what they want. John and company will tell you flat-out if you've made some poor wood or component choices, so you're pretty much guaranteed a superb axe. Hard to knock their collective luthiery experience.
I could have bought Pete's for a really good price, but couldn't find enough of a difference to justify it over my Silo. If I had more special needs, or just wanted something other than the slim EBMM neck, the Suhr would have been a no-brainer. One day I WILL own a Suhr, but it will be a full-custom carved Standard done exactly the way I want, and it will cost a lot. It will be worth it. In the meantime, it's amazing how close I get with my Musicmans.-Eric
Pete's Suhr Classic: Built as a '56-style with everything chosen for Tone, not looks. Quartersawn Big Vee maple neck, swampash body, Gotoh 1088 vintage bridge, vintage staggered tuners, 3 X V60 Low Peak pickups and the Backplate Silent Single Coil system. Pickups are really close to the Wagner SRs I have in my Silo (which I feel are the best early-60's sounding pickups out there; you just can't get them anymore). The Silent Singlecoil system is just magic; does everything you want in noise reducxtion without messing with the Tone of the pickups. Build quality is flawless, and I'm not using that term lightly. I played his guitar for about a half-hour with all four neckbolts removed (don't try this at home kids, I'm a trained professional).
Compare/Contrast (all just my humble opinion): Suhr has a better pickup system, and a slight edge in build quality. It's a far more resonant guitar, as someone who really knew what they were doing picked the woods. The Silo has a better trem system and tuners, and the justly-famous neck. The Suhr is a better choice for a player who is really experienced with which elements of a guitar make the difference for THEM. Very few people know how to spec a custom guitar, but the guys at Suhr are extremely good as this. The Musicman offers limited options, but the important ones.
Now the big kicker: The Suhr is A LOT more expensive. This is not an apples-to-apples comparison. Musicmans are priced so working players can afford them. The Suhr is for the player who has gone the rounds with off-the-rack guitars and have decided only a custom will do, and most importantly, know exactly what they want. John and company will tell you flat-out if you've made some poor wood or component choices, so you're pretty much guaranteed a superb axe. Hard to knock their collective luthiery experience.
I could have bought Pete's for a really good price, but couldn't find enough of a difference to justify it over my Silo. If I had more special needs, or just wanted something other than the slim EBMM neck, the Suhr would have been a no-brainer. One day I WILL own a Suhr, but it will be a full-custom carved Standard done exactly the way I want, and it will cost a lot. It will be worth it. In the meantime, it's amazing how close I get with my Musicmans.-Eric
Big Poppa
Well-known member
Eric I challenge your build quality statement. and I also thinik that our silent circuit is superior. To imply that Suhr has superior experience in making guitars is also not true.
THe only way you could compare us straight up is if we made strat copies.
John Suhr is a very opinionated guy. John Suhr has said some things that are really stupid regarding a dispute I am in and he has never heard the other side. His "Strats " are fine guitars lets leave it at that.
THe only way you could compare us straight up is if we made strat copies.
John Suhr is a very opinionated guy. John Suhr has said some things that are really stupid regarding a dispute I am in and he has never heard the other side. His "Strats " are fine guitars lets leave it at that.
kompressaur
Well-known member
when i think of Suhr I think of the early nineties and Mark Knopfler toting them around.according to a couple of well known guitar publications it turns out the Pensa_suhrs you and i could buy then were made elsewhere and only assmbled/set up in house.and they were like 3K in english pounds 15 years back.thats maybe not how they make them now but if they're costing 2 and 3 times that nowadays they still seem way overpriced imho.
they may be great guitars but talk about silly money!
KOmp
they may be great guitars but talk about silly money!
KOmp
Big Poppa
Well-known member
Lance I keep thinking about how you test a gjuitar by playing it with the neck screws out...I want you to test drive a car with the lug nuts of.
tommyindelaware
Well-known member
i gotta go here whenever i hear someone infer that someone makes a better guitar than ebmm. i'm down to like 9 or so these days. but there are a couple that i wouldn't trade for ANY other guitar. i got my first one back in 79 or so.
i've never played a strat ...or a suhr that sounds or plays better than my featherweight albert. if i did....i would own one. i've owned and played many a strat in my time. (& my albert isn't even my main guitar.)
i also feel that ebmm's quality control and designs are second to nobody. i been playin for 40+ years....& repairing and building for 30+ years.
i've never played a strat ...or a suhr that sounds or plays better than my featherweight albert. if i did....i would own one. i've owned and played many a strat in my time. (& my albert isn't even my main guitar.)
i also feel that ebmm's quality control and designs are second to nobody. i been playin for 40+ years....& repairing and building for 30+ years.
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Big Poppa
Well-known member
Thanks TOmmy but I really feel that it isnt a competition. Its choices.
gerry d
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BP, I agree with you about the build quality, EBMM's are as good as it gets IMO..
I have played or owned a lot of the high end boutique stuff out there and I really do believe that EBMM is at the very top of the game, Suhr guitars are indeed wonderful strat copies... but thats it... I see EBMM is a more foward thinking company and much more innovative, EBMM guitars are priced much better for the working musician compared to Suhr's, Tyler's.. etc... I don't dislike these brands, I just truely believe EBMM to be much better instruments.
I have played or owned a lot of the high end boutique stuff out there and I really do believe that EBMM is at the very top of the game, Suhr guitars are indeed wonderful strat copies... but thats it... I see EBMM is a more foward thinking company and much more innovative, EBMM guitars are priced much better for the working musician compared to Suhr's, Tyler's.. etc... I don't dislike these brands, I just truely believe EBMM to be much better instruments.
tommyindelaware
Well-known member
robelinda2
Well-known member
Testify!!! Go the AL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
beej
Moderator
Wow, this is a strange thread. shuai725 buys a Suhr and then asks us what it's like? Like the thread about the left-handed British Axis ... I hope shaui played the Suhr first to see if he'd like it ... spending a LOT of money on a guitar you're not sold on is a risky gamble.
I'm glad there are a lot of other quality instrument makers out there. I'm sure the guys at Suhr do a fine job- a lot of people swear by those instruments and they do play well.
But to me, you just can't beat MM. I've played a lot of other high-end stuff and while great, I just never bonded with it. There's a lot of love in these MM guitars- not just the incredible build quality and feel, but the passion and dedication of all the employees and family that throw themselves into the instruments. As Poppa says, it's good to have choices. And I continually choose MM.
My name is Jason ... and I'm a MMFFL (Music-Man-Fan-For-Life).
I'm glad there are a lot of other quality instrument makers out there. I'm sure the guys at Suhr do a fine job- a lot of people swear by those instruments and they do play well.
But to me, you just can't beat MM. I've played a lot of other high-end stuff and while great, I just never bonded with it. There's a lot of love in these MM guitars- not just the incredible build quality and feel, but the passion and dedication of all the employees and family that throw themselves into the instruments. As Poppa says, it's good to have choices. And I continually choose MM.
My name is Jason ... and I'm a MMFFL (Music-Man-Fan-For-Life).
The way I see it, we are actually at a wealth of really great guitar manufacturers in terms of quality. What's special about EBMM is that they combine great quality with lots of choices, a great distribution network, extremely competitive pricing, and really good customer service. And while I fantasize about EBMM making other styles of guitar (LP special, Jazzmaster, Jaguar, ES-335 or Casino just to begin), the truth of the matter is that it's much better for EBMM to focus on what they already do well, and to never sacrifice anything for larger production numbers.
What I love about EBMM's guitars is that they are all essentially modern interpretations of the early Fender designs, refinements that always improve, never resulting to gimmickry. What's more, they accomplish that while still maintaining a wholly unique identity, something I don't think any other comparable manufacturer does.
I could never just own EBMM guitars, because my tastes are too diverse. By the same token, I can't imagine not having an EBMM, because they're just too good to put down, and too attainable to dismiss. And that's really the important thing.
What I love about EBMM's guitars is that they are all essentially modern interpretations of the early Fender designs, refinements that always improve, never resulting to gimmickry. What's more, they accomplish that while still maintaining a wholly unique identity, something I don't think any other comparable manufacturer does.
I could never just own EBMM guitars, because my tastes are too diverse. By the same token, I can't imagine not having an EBMM, because they're just too good to put down, and too attainable to dismiss. And that's really the important thing.
Big Poppa
Well-known member
well said. I bought an old Gretch on one of my road trips last year. Is it a great guitar? No do I love reaching for it occasionally? Yes.
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