Suhr Classic Antique - Sunburst, rosewood + SSS

vincechu89 · January 2018

I bought my Suhr Classic Antique around 5 months ago and have been loving it. Historically I have played Fenders - custom shop, American vintage and American Deluxe strats

Build quality:
Is just immense: everything just feels great, well put-together and like it will last.

The fret work is immaculate - best I have ever seen.
Aging - the guitar is a very light relic, it looks like it has been owned and well played for a few years, has a few dings and the nitro is just beginning to crack here and there. This is subjective, but I think this is one of the most realistically aged guitars I have seen compared to Fender relics, it is most similiar to a Journeyman, but with less lacquer checking.
Neck pocket - is super tight, gapless.

Sounds:

As a rosewood 60's style strat - it nails throaty bluesy tones well, think SRV and Henrix, it also does very nice chimey cleans.
What has really suprised me is the guitar's clarity - both unplugged and through an amp. Perhaps this is because the body sustains well, but is really resonant, you can feel every note through the body and neck really well.

Feel/comfort:

The guitar was set up fairly well by Suhr, but was a little buzzy. Getting a full set up has really helped.
The neck is the Even C medium, kind of a mid 60's C with a decent amount of thickness to it, without being overly chunky. The neck feels great and 9-12 inch radius and chunky frets make it a pleasure to play.
The neck finish is satin nitro, it is really smooth but can get sticky if you have sweaty hands.
The heel (neck join to body) is really comfy, it doesn't have a cutaway, but is angled to give better access to upper frets, a really neat and discrete way that they have improved comfort. The bottom cutaway is also contoured a little more than strats at the rear.

What would I change?

I would love a push in tremolo arm
Whilst the guitar doesn't weigh a tone, it is average weight, I'd love for it to be lighter!
I'd love for the neck to be slightly skinnier towards the nut, only slightly - I can get my thumb over fine, but it is a bit of an effort.
I would love Suhr to offer more neck profile as standard - e.g. soft v shape
There is a £500 premium for nitro and ageing, compared the the Classic Pro which has a thin poly finish.

Bottom line:
The best strat-type guitar I have played. Since purchasing it I have compared it to the following Fenders: a 1960 CS, a 56 CS and a Custom Classic with Rosewood neck. Weight wise they were all similar, but soundwise the Suhr had better clarity and was more resonant, it could cover all of the Fender's tones and do more. Build quality wasn't a contest, the Suhr is a different level - I found the Custom Classic strat was a disappointment, quiet and not resonant and you could fit a pick either side of the neck pocket!!

I would highly recommend a Suhr, they are really competitively priced - cheaper than CS strats since the recent price rises. If you look around, you can get them used at prices near Fender American Elite/Vintage series guitars, and at this price it is an absolute no brainer!

Humbucked · July 2018

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and impressions on the Classic Antique. Absolute no brainer is absolutely right. Enjoy your Suhr.

vincechu89 · July 2018

Humbucked said:

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and impressions on the Classic Antique. Absolute no brainer is absolutely right. Enjoy your Suhr.

Thanks for reading... Recently I actually ordered another one online without trying it... it was flawless. Suhr is the probably the only brand I would buy without trying. I think the negative about the brand is that thr resale values hurt if you buy new.

hubobulous · November 2018

Nice write up and glad you're enjoying it.

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Suhr Classic Antique - Sunburst, rosewood + SSS

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