Fantastic video as ever! This is an interesting one as I’m sure it’s different in the room but tbh I preferred the sound of the fender neck and middle positions (but with the pickup upgrade that makes sense I guess but just, through YT at least, they sounded absolutely fantastic) but of course pickups can be changed, playability, how it feels, build quality etc are important and that’s where I can imagine the suhr shines. Plus of course, tone is subjective 😊 hope you’re keeping well man
I had a Vintage Fender Stratocaster > purchased a Suhr SSS with Lollar Dirty Blondes, The phenomenal Gotoh 510 Trem-system, Locking Tuners & Stainless Steel Frets > I Sold my Fender (after not playing it for 1 year) > The Suhr was on another stratosphere. The tuning-stability and return-to-pitch, the Stratty Tone . . . Everything. oNe LovE from NYC
Just got the american pro ii GT11 in shell pink about a month ago. I got it partially based on your thorough review. I'm patiently waiting for the telecaster version to come out!
What I love about Suhr is that they're not too different in terms of feel and vibe from a Fender Strat. However, it improves the design and quality without completely swaying away from what makes a strat special.
Exactly, it isn't a brand trying to reinvent the wheel. Just addiing very practical improvements on top of far, far better craftsmanship than Fender offers is what sells me.
Just a few seconds into the suhr clip, and yep exactly what I figured. I had a suhr almost like that for a while, and I hated the sound. Great feel, stainless frets, masterfully built with not one QC issue anywhere, but there's just no midrange and the top end is glassy instead of sweet, give me my AV2 '61 every day of the week thank you very much. *edit" btw, I had the same AmPro2 strat for a while too (except it had the v-mod2 not the fat 60s which are my fave fender cs pups) and found its pickups great all 'rounders but uninspiring next to the 61 ri. Also, love to see a Z! Hope it's as much of a keeper as mine.
The Z will only leave this room if God himself decides it's going up in a hurricane or it gets flooded - it is THE amp in my eyes. For the Suhr I already had a plan for the entire SSC system as well as the neck and middle pickup. Next string change it should sound substantially different but the feel between the two is a big, big difference.
It was by the second demo song, neck pickup, that I'd made my choice. There's something about the Fender, where you can hear how each string is hit. And I found with the Suhr, that there seemed to be no nuance. I don't know how to describe that technically. It was like, every string was the same. It was a solid sound, whereas the Fender sounded more fluid. Sorry I don't do technical!
I actually think a lot of it may have to do with the SSC in the Suhr that removes the 60 cycle hum. I've never been the biggest fan of any noiseless pickup and was open to this kind of compromise but I will happily put in a set of Lollars I have had waiting for it on the next string change ( minus the bridge pickup, that will absolutely stay ). Will be interesting to see the difference removing the SSC system makes with the 64's.
Good demo. My conclusion? The suhr appears to be a superlative build , with nicer features than the fender. However, the fender knocks it out of the park when it comes to sound . That's the difference.
@@DavidOHara-t4b lot of Suhr’s pickups are wound rather high, taking some of the “strattiness” out of them. Funny enough, many folks have something to say about the V70 or V63 (not V63+) pickups for being too bright, but those are the ones that nail the beloved fender sounds
It's pretty easy, the saddles come at basically the correct heights per string all around but if you invest a few bucks into a radius gauge you'll nail the setup everytime regardless of string gauge you want to use
I commented on a different video but I'll say it again, if you're into the high end modern-vintage type of stuff, definitely check out Valiant guitars. NO ONE does it like them, and they're just so damn cool. Especially their 'Jupiter' model, which is like a jazzmaster jaguar hybrid thing
I’ve seen them, with jags and jazzmasters I like them just as they were to me the designs were perfect from day one. The guitars do look very cool but not up my alley with offsets
Nice video. Love the color of the Suhr, but not sure if I would want to spend that much on a S-type. I'm curious how you think the Suhr, or the Fender compare to the Japanese brands? Maybe a Japanese Fender, Tokai or FGN with some custom pickups would give the same result for a lot less cash. I assume they use the same Gotoh trems not I have not looked into it.
I had both a hybrid I and hybrid II Stratocaster from Japan in at the same time as this guitar and as nice as they are they simply don’t feel as nice - which is a lot of expectation. The brand I feel is really the one I want to compare it with is Saito Guitars, they are extremely similar in many ways. Most of the Tokai stuff is vintage style bridge or just the run of the mill specs with strats, although you will see an F style Tokai shortly on here ( as well as a G style for that matter ). To me with Suhr it really is my way of supporting a company that treats their employees right, I have a connection with that area and community, and their is no hype on their end. Just giving customers the best instruments they can out the door and I’ve been blown away but how good both the Suhrs I have were from day 1. You could absolutely make many other brands work for less. Crews Maniac Sound would be another good shout for a more modern MIJ S style.
@@AudiomoMusic Thanks for the detailed reply. I have not heard of Saito, so I will have to do some research. Like you, I also like to support companies that try to treat their employees well and produce high-quality gear, especially for a reasonable price, that being very subjective. I will keep an eye on Suhr and look forward to the Tokai reviews.
Fender sounds good, it sounds like a proper strat, Suhr has less mojo than an Ibanez to my ears, probably plays like a dream though from what i have heard.
I recently tried a Suhr Classic T and an American vintage 63 telecaster in the same store. the suhr was so much better to play, felt better, and strangely felt like a much higher quality instrument. the fender felt like a toy in comparison
I have a Suhr that I love BUT the neck profile is a 60s C vintage. It gets wider in the high frets, so I can't wrap my thumb around the neck. What's the neck profile in that Suhr?
I wouldn’t mind the Suhr but over $1k more than the Ulra, I’ll settle for the Ultra II or even Ultra 1. I wonder which brand will have a better resale value, I’m guessing it’s the Suhr since it’s $3300 new. I have seen Ultra 1 used going for $1400 or sometimes lower.
The suhr absolutely will, the Fenders immediately take a nose dive but that's only something you have to worry about if you buy a guitar you don't love and keep it instead of returning it
I have to say i much preferred the sound of the Fender. Just goes to show the sound is in the ears of the beholder. (P.s. Is this video pre or post evacuation? Glad everything is ok.) 🎸🎸
This was filmed last Sunday Night, I uploaded it once we got to the hotel on Tuesday evening and it's been up since then for members Everything is doing great all things considered, I've been cleaning up a ton of debris, down trees, and other fun things but we were spared from serious damage to the house itself and the 4 of us are happy and healthy which is all i could ever ask for
@@AudiomoMusic ahh I assumed the 6 screw gotoh 510TS-SF2 was the same as this one besides being 6 screw vs 2. Hope everything is fine with you and your family.
That's the worst part to me about doing guitar youtube, I am not positive that you would feel the same way if you actually sat and played both back to back haha
It wasn't supposed to be ready until March and I got the phone call literally the day after Helene hit that they got it super early. The color really is perfect on it
Played strats for 25 years, got my Suhr classic last week, and I doubt I’ll buy fender ever again. The Suhr is that good. The pro II is incredible, but the ss frets and Suhr pickups take it to the next level.
I have a Suhr Modern Plus and it blows away anything Fender currently makes. Fender has too many smoke and mirrors now with its Player Series which is just the old Mexican-Strat which used to sell for $500. Its American Ultra and Professional are just a slight improvement over the old American Standard but the price has doubled. You don't even get stainless steel frets.
Fender is the only one that makes beautiful instruments. Sorry for the others. They are like a almost perfect girl with a very weird thing. The body, the headstock, etc...something that looks wrong and breaks harmony. My conclusion is always go to Fender because those QC issues can always be treated in a luthier for some extra 100-200$ money. So you would have an awesome looking guitar that plays awesome too. Another point is Surh guitars are much expensive that Fender regular ones so the comparison is not so fair. But yes, I know Custom Shop also have QC issues hahaha. Anyway, take it to the luthier.
Harmony? I don't think we can speak of harmony from the mega private equity firm who owns Fender that couldn't care less about Fender guitars outside of sales numbers... I have older Fenders I love but in this day and age there are countless better new alternatives if you're open minded enough to get past the headstock.
@@AudiomoMusic I am glad you can find other alternatives you prefer. That is good for the world and to push Fender improving their processes. As a matter of fact, the new Fender Player II, with rolled edges and rosewood again. Even Squier, there are very good ones and really appealing. I have 2 that are very superb (only bad tunners). This good changes I am sure they are "forced" to do them because nowadays there are very cheap guitars that are really well made like Sires or Harley Benton. In my personal case, I just prefer stratos than other brands, but I recognize they are doing a great job.
Fantastic video as ever! This is an interesting one as I’m sure it’s different in the room but tbh I preferred the sound of the fender neck and middle positions (but with the pickup upgrade that makes sense I guess but just, through YT at least, they sounded absolutely fantastic) but of course pickups can be changed, playability, how it feels, build quality etc are important and that’s where I can imagine the suhr shines. Plus of course, tone is subjective 😊 hope you’re keeping well man
That said I forgot to mention I can’t wait to hear the humbucker- HSS strat styles give you so so much
I had a Vintage Fender Stratocaster > purchased a Suhr SSS with Lollar Dirty Blondes, The phenomenal Gotoh 510 Trem-system, Locking Tuners & Stainless Steel Frets > I Sold my Fender (after not playing it for 1 year) > The Suhr was on another stratosphere. The tuning-stability and return-to-pitch, the Stratty Tone . . . Everything. oNe LovE from NYC
Love to hear it, especially since I have a set of Lollar 64s waiting for next string change!!
@@AudiomoMusic You're gonna Flip = phenomenal Pickups Trust me. Ended my "Tone Search" - Good Luck with them.
@topitopka oh I had a fully loaded electrical assembly ready to go for it.
Just got the american pro ii GT11 in shell pink about a month ago. I got it partially based on your thorough review. I'm patiently waiting for the telecaster version to come out!
I really, really liked this guitar and stand by it being the best modern strat they offer. How do you feel about the neck on yours??
@@AudiomoMusic the neck is perfect for me and that is so important. Not too big, not too small. It's easier to play than my Vintera II 60s telecaster.
That's what I love to hear. The neck is what sells the entire guitar imo, it's fantastic
What I love about Suhr is that they're not too different in terms of feel and vibe from a Fender Strat. However, it improves the design and quality without completely swaying away from what makes a strat special.
Exactly, it isn't a brand trying to reinvent the wheel. Just addiing very practical improvements on top of far, far better craftsmanship than Fender offers is what sells me.
I'd take a Suhr over any Fender any day of the week. Beautiful color on that Suhr, too !
Just a few seconds into the suhr clip, and yep exactly what I figured. I had a suhr almost like that for a while, and I hated the sound. Great feel, stainless frets, masterfully built with not one QC issue anywhere, but there's just no midrange and the top end is glassy instead of sweet, give me my AV2 '61 every day of the week thank you very much. *edit" btw, I had the same AmPro2 strat for a while too (except it had the v-mod2 not the fat 60s which are my fave fender cs pups) and found its pickups great all 'rounders but uninspiring next to the 61 ri. Also, love to see a Z! Hope it's as much of a keeper as mine.
The Z will only leave this room if God himself decides it's going up in a hurricane or it gets flooded - it is THE amp in my eyes. For the Suhr I already had a plan for the entire SSC system as well as the neck and middle pickup. Next string change it should sound substantially different but the feel between the two is a big, big difference.
Absolutely fantastic have a great weekend Jim also Monday is Thanksgiving in Canada ❤😊
Happy holidays!
Great review. I'm looking at the same fender in your review. I think the Suhr guitar is 2x price of the Fender, but i could be wrong.
It was by the second demo song, neck pickup, that I'd made my choice.
There's something about the Fender, where you can hear how each string is hit. And I found with the Suhr, that there seemed to be no nuance. I don't know how to describe that technically. It was like, every string was the same. It was a solid sound, whereas the Fender sounded more fluid. Sorry I don't do technical!
I actually think a lot of it may have to do with the SSC in the Suhr that removes the 60 cycle hum. I've never been the biggest fan of any noiseless pickup and was open to this kind of compromise but I will happily put in a set of Lollars I have had waiting for it on the next string change ( minus the bridge pickup, that will absolutely stay ). Will be interesting to see the difference removing the SSC system makes with the 64's.
@@AudiomoMusic Definitely. I'll be listening if you upload the results!
Nice demo ! What Dr. Z amp are you using, it sounds great ! -Cheers !
Z plus, best amp I’ve ever owned
Good demo. My conclusion? The suhr appears to be a superlative build , with nicer features than the fender. However, the fender knocks it out of the park when it comes to sound . That's the difference.
@@DavidOHara-t4b lot of Suhr’s pickups are wound rather high, taking some of the “strattiness” out of them. Funny enough, many folks have something to say about the V70 or V63 (not V63+) pickups for being too bright, but those are the ones that nail the beloved fender sounds
@@dannyllerenatv8635true
Nice comparison! How do u set up the radius on the 11 inch fretboard on the GT11? Try to get a 11inch gauge and I can’t find it. 😢😢
It's pretty easy, the saddles come at basically the correct heights per string all around but if you invest a few bucks into a radius gauge you'll nail the setup everytime regardless of string gauge you want to use
@@AudiomoMusicthanks bro! Thank you for making the video. Amazing content! I’m still waiting for my gt11 to arrive. ❤
I commented on a different video but I'll say it again, if you're into the high end modern-vintage type of stuff, definitely check out Valiant guitars. NO ONE does it like them, and they're just so damn cool. Especially their 'Jupiter' model, which is like a jazzmaster jaguar hybrid thing
I’ve seen them, with jags and jazzmasters I like them just as they were to me the designs were perfect from day one. The guitars do look very cool but not up my alley with offsets
Thanks for demoing... You put me on perspective why don't buy Surh strat... I'm very interested in Music man Steve Lukather
Go for it!
Nice video. Love the color of the Suhr, but not sure if I would want to spend that much on a S-type. I'm curious how you think the Suhr, or the Fender compare to the Japanese brands? Maybe a Japanese Fender, Tokai or FGN with some custom pickups would give the same result for a lot less cash. I assume they use the same Gotoh trems not I have not looked into it.
I had both a hybrid I and hybrid II Stratocaster from Japan in at the same time as this guitar and as nice as they are they simply don’t feel as nice - which is a lot of expectation. The brand I feel is really the one I want to compare it with is Saito Guitars, they are extremely similar in many ways. Most of the Tokai stuff is vintage style bridge or just the run of the mill specs with strats, although you will see an F style Tokai shortly on here ( as well as a G style for that matter ). To me with Suhr it really is my way of supporting a company that treats their employees right, I have a connection with that area and community, and their is no hype on their end. Just giving customers the best instruments they can out the door and I’ve been blown away but how good both the Suhrs I have were from day 1. You could absolutely make many other brands work for less. Crews Maniac Sound would be another good shout for a more modern MIJ S style.
@@AudiomoMusic Thanks for the detailed reply. I have not heard of Saito, so I will have to do some research. Like you, I also like to support companies that try to treat their employees well and produce high-quality gear, especially for a reasonable price, that being very subjective. I will keep an eye on Suhr and look forward to the Tokai reviews.
Fender sounds good, it sounds like a proper strat, Suhr has less mojo than an Ibanez to my ears, probably plays like a dream though from what i have heard.
I recently tried a Suhr Classic T and an American vintage 63 telecaster in the same store. the suhr was so much better to play, felt better, and strangely felt like a much higher quality instrument. the fender felt like a toy in comparison
Interesting to hear, I didn’t think the Fender felt like a toy but the Suhr IMO was the much nicer instrument.
I have a Suhr that I love BUT the neck profile is a 60s C vintage. It gets wider in the high frets, so I can't wrap my thumb around the neck. What's the neck profile in that Suhr?
This one has the even C, it's a bit smaller than the vintage C that's on the Alt T i also have
I wouldn’t mind the Suhr but over $1k more than the Ulra, I’ll settle for the Ultra II or even Ultra 1. I wonder which brand will have a better resale value, I’m guessing it’s the Suhr since it’s $3300 new. I have seen Ultra 1 used going for $1400 or sometimes lower.
The suhr absolutely will, the Fenders immediately take a nose dive but that's only something you have to worry about if you buy a guitar you don't love and keep it instead of returning it
I have to say i much preferred the sound of the Fender. Just goes to show the sound is in the ears of the beholder.
(P.s. Is this video pre or post evacuation? Glad everything is ok.) 🎸🎸
This was filmed last Sunday Night, I uploaded it once we got to the hotel on Tuesday evening and it's been up since then for members
Everything is doing great all things considered, I've been cleaning up a ton of debris, down trees, and other fun things but we were spared from serious damage to the house itself and the 4 of us are happy and healthy which is all i could ever ask for
@@AudiomoMusic that's great to hear you and your family are happy and healthy Jim. 🙂
Since you recommend the Callahan bridge for strata as an upgrade, how do you compare it to the gotoh 510 on the suhr?
Hard to compare since one is a 6 screw vintage and the other is a modern 2 point. I think each are the best at their own style of bridge.
@@AudiomoMusic ahh I assumed the 6 screw gotoh 510TS-SF2 was the same as this one besides being 6 screw vs 2.
Hope everything is fine with you and your family.
There's a used Suhr Classic S on Dave's right now that looks identical to that one :)
I saw it yesterday, I have a lake placid blue guitar also in the house and the color is surprisingly really different to the indigo on this one
Yes, there's an Enormous difference!
Not a fan of pink guitars but I'd have to go with the Fender over the Suhr.
That's the worst part to me about doing guitar youtube, I am not positive that you would feel the same way if you actually sat and played both back to back haha
@@AudiomoMusic I agree. You don't really know a particular instrument until you play it. Cheers!
@@AudiomoMusicExactly. Plus, the UA-cam compression doesn't do any favors. I'd take Suhr over Fender anytime.
How you doing mate?
we are safe and sound, this video was filmed well before we left but outside of some tree damage and downages we were spared from any serious harm
@@AudiomoMusic awesome 👍
Suhr was the clear winner.
I would agree between these two for sure. I'd love to try a Saito with it though.
Based on this comparison i would choose the fender.
it's the best one they offer at the moment imo
in doubt I have both 🇧🇷
makes things a lot easier that way!
@@AudiomoMusic yep 🙏
the color on that Suhr is fantastic. It saddles the line between blue/purple.
It wasn't supposed to be ready until March and I got the phone call literally the day after Helene hit that they got it super early. The color really is perfect on it
Blugly.
Fender
Not surprised. I'd pick the Suhr too in this case.
Played strats for 25 years, got my Suhr classic last week, and I doubt I’ll buy fender ever again. The Suhr is that good. The pro II is incredible, but the ss frets and Suhr pickups take it to the next level.
The Alt-T is the best new guitar I've played in a long, long, long time. Brand just knocks it out of the park.
@@AudiomoMusic how do you find the neck carve, compared to the classic S?
The Fender is not made as well and yet still sounds better.
EQ is a powerful tool my friend
Both sounds like my 89€ Harley Benton ST-20.
There is much more to an instrument than the end product of sound.
@@AudiomoMusic My comment should not be taken too seriously.😉
@germanCrowbar oh believe me, I didn’t take it very seriously 😂
I have a Suhr Modern Plus and it blows away anything Fender currently makes. Fender has too many smoke and mirrors now with its Player Series which is just the old Mexican-Strat which used to sell for $500. Its American Ultra and Professional are just a slight improvement over the old American Standard but the price has doubled. You don't even get stainless steel frets.
Dude from Japan expensive to Suhr I’m not a millionaire.
Neither am I
The Suhr sounds like a toy
Fender is the only one that makes beautiful instruments. Sorry for the others. They are like a almost perfect girl with a very weird thing. The body, the headstock, etc...something that looks wrong and breaks harmony. My conclusion is always go to Fender because those QC issues can always be treated in a luthier for some extra 100-200$ money. So you would have an awesome looking guitar that plays awesome too. Another point is Surh guitars are much expensive that Fender regular ones so the comparison is not so fair. But yes, I know Custom Shop also have QC issues hahaha. Anyway, take it to the luthier.
Harmony? I don't think we can speak of harmony from the mega private equity firm who owns Fender that couldn't care less about Fender guitars outside of sales numbers... I have older Fenders I love but in this day and age there are countless better new alternatives if you're open minded enough to get past the headstock.
@@AudiomoMusic I am glad you can find other alternatives you prefer. That is good for the world and to push Fender improving their processes. As a matter of fact, the new Fender Player II, with rolled edges and rosewood again. Even Squier, there are very good ones and really appealing. I have 2 that are very superb (only bad tunners). This good changes I am sure they are "forced" to do them because nowadays there are very cheap guitars that are really well made like Sires or Harley Benton. In my personal case, I just prefer stratos than other brands, but I recognize they are doing a great job.