Suhr guitars sold off

FelineGuitars

Looks like someone beat @hubobulous to the sale

In all seriousness it may be that John Suhr watched his company get bigger and bigger and as that happened he spent more time in an office or in meetings than building guitars.
By selling off and making enough money to be comfortable he could go back to a small workshop and do what he loves and have a more hands-on business again (without the worry of how to pay the bills)

andyoz

Exactly right, he would have also been spending more time with lawyers and accountants and for someone creative as JS clearly is, it's soul destroying (nothing against those professions but it's just the nature of the beast).

That press release smacks of the usual text that's been checked by lawyers and given the OK by a committee.

bingefeller

FelineGuitars said:

Looks like someone beat @hubobulous to the sale

In all seriousness it may be that John Suhr watched his company get bigger and bigger and as that happened he spent more time in an office or in meetings than building guitars.
By selling off and making enough money to be comfortable he could go back to a small workshop and do what he loves and have a more hands-on business again (without the worry of how to pay the bills)

Well, if John Suhr started making guitars on a small basis I would definitely buy them from him over whatever the "Suhr" brand will become. 

hubobulous

I'm glad for him. The products that are made today I love, obviously. That won't change in the next year or two. The people will stay, the machines are the same, the designs won't dramatically alter.

Perhaps in the medium term we'll see more budget ranges of amps and guitars, but I suspect that the quality will still remain high.

As it stands, I'd love to try the Bella and Hedgehog, and there's always another combination of woods that would be great to purchase, but if I had to cease buying Suhr products tomorrrow, I'm happy with what John's company has delivered to me thus far.

Catthan

I'd be surprised if he allowed his name to be used in anything he wouldn't approve.

After all he has been associated with many top players over the years and I think that's what's been getting the company a lot of business.

That's not a reputation one would put at risk.

No matter how big they've grown, I think he still maintains a custom shop mentality and he is involved in all R&D.

I don't believe avalanche would do anything to drive him away.

Could be wrong tho.. 

dindude

I still think it's a slightly odd move to sell it to a venture capatilist company TBH. There are other buyers who would likely take more "care" of the reputation that's been built of what is still a relatively small boutique business. i.e. another company in the MI business.

It's a different approach than, say Taylor, where Bob is obviously grooming Andy Powers to take over from him eventually rather than selling up.

andyoz

Catthan said:

I'd be surprised if he allowed his name to be used in anything he wouldn't approve.

 

He has essentially sold his rights to call the shots, at least in the mid to long term.  It really is that simple.

I'd love to see the contract he has signed with the venture capitalists.

hubobulous

A little while back he posted an intimation that he wanted to pass this to his kids. Perhaps they've taken decisions with their careers/lives which means that its no longer a priority for him?

Who knows. Either way, there will be a shed load of quality guitars over the next few years at least. This is not dramatically different to the PRS situation is it?

thomasross20

I'm hanging onto my previous avlp suhr for sure now lol

Neil

FelineGuitars said:

Looks like someone beat @hubobulous to the sale

In all seriousness it may be that John Suhr watched his company get bigger and bigger and as that happened he spent more time in an office or in meetings than building guitars.
By selling off and making enough money to be comfortable he could go back to a small workshop and do what he loves and have a more hands-on business again (without the worry of how to pay the bills)

Also known as "doing a Leo".

Same thing with Fender.

Leo sold his name and company to CBS, saw out his consultancy contract and then started G&L.

bingefeller

thomasross20 said:

I'm hanging onto my previous avlp suhr for sure now lol

Me too!  I'm not planning on getting a new guitar as I very much like my Suhr.  I will most likely see what the pre-AVLP Suhrs are fetching and , if it's more than their original price, then I would most likely buy a new guitar and put my Suhr in storage until I decide to sell. 

ICBM

How old is John Suhr? I would have thought he's got to be at least 60, maybe a few years older, in which case maybe he just wants to retire.

Whatever happens to the quality it's a certainty that guitarists will put a premium on "pre-AVLP" Suhrs though.

jonnyburgo

I've worked for two companies that were taken over and we were told "nothing will change, don't worry etc" then everything changed and not for the better.

Philly_Q

Lets hope it doesn't end up going the way of Hamer.

andyoz

jonnyburgo said:

I've worked for two companies that were taken over and we were told "nothing will change, don't worry etc" then everything changed and not for the better.

thomasross20

I've got a love-hate things with Suhrs/ Great company, gave me a new neck for free. Didn't get on with the Moderns/. Pro S4 is top notch but one week I'll love the sound of it in the band and the next I wont be sure. The coil split on my PRS isn't as good as the Suhr single coils. But the bridge humbucker I oh so miss on the S4. Rolling down the tone on the Suhr bridge humbucker is ok but when I switch to a clean sound it just doesn't sound right. Still, great guitar!

Dominic

As it happens Iplayed 3 Rasmus guitars and they were as good as any Suhr I have played

In fact the GG was identical in feel bar the boost switch

I think they killed off Rasmus as it was going to eclipse and dilute brand value which is all about hype ...

hubobulous

Rasmus died because it was wasn't possible for them to attain the quality for a profit. John was happy that the line was tried out, but just one of those things that didn't make sense in the longer term.

Great guitars for sure.

Clarky

hubobulous said:

John posted this on TGP:

Hey guys
I understand everyone's concern but there is really nothing to be concerned about. 
We have spent a lot of time with AVLP. They love what we do and want to help us continue on our current path of growth making great products for our customers. The last thing they want is for anything to change. 

This is all good for everyone involved. On the announcement day we celebrated with our employees. I will stress that there is no change to quality, process or personnel. You all know that there is nothing more important to me than to maintain the Suhr quality, brand and reputation that we have worked so hard to build. Obviously there are details I am not able to get in to at this point, nor am I able to address every question. From the outside looking in everything stays the same. So remember, nothing changes and I'm still here!

So doesn't seem to be a drastic change, but certainly interesting to keep an eye on for the future builds.

@dindude - I'm getting there!!

that's corp management code for:

they're going to get totally fkd and "Pre-Av" will become the new Suhr vintage...

blueskunk

Just announced a budget range to "compete with classic vibes".