Feeling kinda bad for Suhr...

[AJS]

Someone better tell Natsumi of Caspa and Hyunjung of Rolling Quartz. Both just got expensive Suhrs that they have been gigging with. (Bear in mind Suhr is much more expensive in Japan and Korea than in the US). I discovered Caspa because they were an opening act at the 2021 Naon Yaon show and I was like why does the opening act have someone using an expensive Suhr. The irony is that the more established bands in that event were using off the shelf Ibanez guitars.

Natsumi's Suhr unboxing



Hyunjung talking about her new Suhr duing their recent livestream show. (time marked)




I follow a lot of smaller bands in Japan and Asia. You would think for small bands or starting bands, the musicians would use affordable instruments. What I see instead are a lot of players using stupidly expensive instruments. The winner in this case is Yuna Anjou who is in high school but gigs with a PRS Private Stock. Not sure why this is the case but there are enough cases to see a trend.

In all fairness, most Japanese bands that I follow tend to mostly play domestically, as the country does have the second largest music industry on the planet, second only to the USA. Not to mention the country is a good bit smaller (just about the size of California), so there's a lot less risk bringing instruments if you're not flying all over the place (and aren't any more than 6 hours from Tokyo by bullet train). A lot less to worry about, I feel.

Similar thing with many Korean bands that mostly stay domestic, but the country is the size of Indiana (or Ireland).

 

[Heart Of The Sunrise]

i don't feel too bad for them, i'm sure their bank acct has several more commas than mine so they must be doing something right.

I'm quite sure Mr. Suhr doent give a fluff

do you feel bad for fender because suhr exists?

suhr cant be bothered putting out a quality product in the 1-2k range

both AZ and DK series are loaded with specs that suhr can't match at a fraction of the cost

Suhr has their niche. And they are doing more than ok in it.

Ok, now that there has been multiple comments along these lines I feel that I need to clarify that saying that I “felt bad” for Suhr was poor wording. Never in my life have I lost sleep over how well a fuckin’ guitar company is doing. Secondly, I also understand that a boutique operates differently than a major manufacturer. Lastly, I am aware that Suhr is not actually doing any worse business-wise as compared to when they had more frequent “exposure” per se.

My point in making this thread was not to provide any misguided lamentation for a successful and renowned guitar company, but rather to primarily remark on how successful Ibanez and Charvel have been in not only making very good interpretations of a certain style of guitar but also in actually managing to pull the large majority of artists who previously the “original”, if you will. Secondarily, I had just noticed that Suhrs have had less “representation” compared to when the Ibanezes and Charvels did not exist yet.

 

[Musiscience]

People don't buy Suhr (or any of the boutiques) because so and so plays them, they buy them because they're exceptional guitars.

Exactly!

Not knocking Charvel DKs or Ibby AZs in any way, they are really cool and well playing guitars for the money. But they don't even come close to the exceptional build quality and attention to detail and the fit and finish of a Suhr. People who are after that very special instrument will not go the AZ route.

Charvel's CS is very good too, and will surely do a DK24, but it will put you in the same price ballpark as Suhr or TA.

 

[Hired Goon]

Suhr said they didn't move enough to make it worthwhile and that the margins were too small. Retailers wound up discounting the last of them, and they still sat for some time.

The few I played were solid, so I don't think quality was the problem.

But, at the time, you could get an Ibanez Prestige for less, so folks just did that.

If they released them today everyone probably just say to buy a used AZ.

For those curious about the Rasmus line:
https://www.themusiczoo.com/blogs/news/up-close-with-rasmus-guitars-from-suhr

Yes I had complained on TGP about spending 4-5k on a guitar because in the end I'd sound exactly the same on a 1k guitar. Suhr said he was simply trying to build the best mousetrap he could. I asked about an import line like PRS did but he said he didn't trust the foreign labour to be consistent. Additionally he felt that it was a lot of work and sales to simply feed the machine with a foreign factory. I think he's doing fine. Sure Ibanez and Charvel have copied his stuff but they all do that to each other. He himself copied Fender

 

[Bordcla]

I don't care what it is, there will always be more $1000 guitars sold than $3000 to $4000 guitars.

After playing (and owning) a MIM Charvel, I have zero interest in what Suhr is doing.

How many Suhrs have you sampled? The others you quoted may have a similar nominal feature set and general outward design. But that's where the resemblance ends.

Do you think that those entry level Chryslers with chrome side gills are the same as a Bentley because they kinda look similar?

Wood choice and prep, fretwork (not all SS fretwork is the same), nut, setup, pickup quality (Suhr has noiseless pickups and generally very high quality pickups), fit and finish.

I have an AZ. Great guitar, but it's not comparable to a Suhr except in general design. The build and fit and finish are not in the same league. The pickups also.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

How many Suhrs have you sampled? The others you quoted may have a similar nominal feature set and general outward design. But that's where the resemblance ends.

Do you think that those entry level Chryslers with chrome side gills are the same as a Bentley because they kinda look similar?

Wood choice and prep, fretwork (not all SS fretwork is the same), nut, setup, pickup quality (Suhr has noiseless pickups and generally very high quality pickups), fit and finish.

I have an AZ. Great guitar, but it's not comparable to a Suhr except in general design. The build and fit and finish are not in the same league. The pickups also.

I think the point being made is that while, yes, a Bentley is nicer than a Chrysler, but they'll both get you from point A to point B.

Not everyone cares, or can even appreciate, the finer details that separate a $1k guitar from a $3k. Which isn't a knock on anyone. I'd say most guitarists fall into that category.

 

[Matt08642]

Not everyone cares, or can even appreciate, the finer details that separate a $1k guitar from a $3k.

The biggest detail between $1000 and $3000 in 2021 is how the former has a Made in China sticker, and the latter has a Made in Indonesia sticker + poplar burl veneer

 

[diagrammatiks]

The biggest detail between $1000 and $3000 in 2021 is how the former has a Made in China sticker, and the latter has a Made in Indonesia sticker + poplar burl veneer

ain't nobody but prs trying to charge you 1000 dollars for a mic production guitar.

 

[Matt08642]

ain't nobody but prs trying to charge you 1000 dollars for a mic production guitar.

I should clarify I mean in Canada, where MIC Epiphones are $1050 after tax.

 

[diagrammatiks]

I should clarify I mean in Canada, where MIC Epiphones are $1050 after tax.

condolences for your country.

 

[budda]

ain't nobody but prs trying to charge you 1000 dollars for a mic production guitar.

Eastman has entered the chat.

 

[Hired Goon]

Eastman has entered the chat.

I don't care how good it is, if it's MIC I'm not touching it

 

[skinhead]

Poot Suhr with their incredible built guitars against Ibanez cakes… yeah… poor Suhr.

 

[diagrammatiks]

I don't care how good it is, if it's MIC I'm not touching it

where do you people even come from

 

[Andromalia]

Are we thinking a travelling artist would realize the day of a gig in a random country that their guitar and all its backups are somehow broken beyond repair, and they have to rush to the local guitar store to buy one at the last minute?

Wrong scenario.
Good scenario: guitar crate is lost/misplaced by flight company/stolen in the tourbus-van during lunch. Band calls distributor who directs them to a source who will lend a guitar for the rest of the tour.

 

[budda]

I don't care how good it is, if it's MIC I'm not touching it

Have fun with that.

 

[Hired Goon]

where do you people even come from

No the question is actually where do you people come from. If you are ok with supporting and enabling forced labor, atrocious working conditions, genocide, forced sterilization, kidnapping diplomacy, international bullying, Covid cover-ups, then you go ahead and buy that cheap garbage, and support that lovely regime. Now if you are talking about Chinese people, they are great, no issue there.

Off topic but I'm glad that Suhr didn't lower himself

 

[diagrammatiks]

No the question is actually where do you people come from. If you are ok with supporting and enabling forced labor, atrocious working conditions, genocide, forced sterilization, kidnapping diplomacy, international bullying, Covid cover-ups, then you go ahead and buy that cheap garbage, and support that lovely regime. Now if you are talking about Chinese people, they are great, no issue there.

Off topic but I'm glad that Suhr didn't lower himself

HE LITERALLY DID

 

[budda]

No the question is actually where do you people come from. If you are ok with supporting and enabling forced labor, atrocious working conditions, genocide, forced sterilization, kidnapping diplomacy, international bullying, Covid cover-ups, then you go ahead and buy that cheap garbage, and support that lovely regime. Now if you are talking about Chinese people, they are great, no issue there.

Off topic but I'm glad that Suhr didn't lower himself

Do you... Not know the history of the EU, Canada and the USA?

 

[diagrammatiks]

Do you... Not know the history of the EU, Canada and the USA?

shitlibs don't know anything.