New Suhr "Custom Configurator" tool

[Rick]

Actually, I do like that roasted maple board, that can be put on a regular maple neck.

 

[Strat Avenger]

I spec'd this one. $4,700 and doesn't even come with a hardshell case. I'm building a Warmoth that is very similar for a fraction of that price.

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

My carve top came to $5,320 without a case. I can understand the price difference, but personally I prefer Warmoth.

 

[Strat Avenger]

My carve top came to $5,320 without a case. I can understand the price difference, but personally I prefer Warmoth.

Well I don't understand it. I think it's snobbery. It's like wine; a $20 bottle of wine can be every bit as good as a $150 bottle of wine, but the rich snobs will buy the expensive stuff and serve it at their parties.

 

[bruzanhd]

Yeah Suhr makes a nice guitar, but I don’t understand what makes their (identical) version of my warmoth ($1200) worth $4000? Surely a their special care and setup attention can’t be worth that much.

 

[stratamania]

Yeah Suhr makes a nice guitar, but I don’t understand what makes their (identical) version of my warmoth ($1200) worth $4000? Surely a their special care and setup attention can’t be worth that much.

But is it identical, what are the specs of one compared to another?

Things like customer service, staff salaries, factory costs, etc all have to be factored in.

I have experience of Suhr's excellent customer service, as I own one of their amps and I was really looked after above and beyond.

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

There was a thread for discussion about "How much to spend on Warmth". I am sorry, but I don't have more to add here.

 

[Hendrix]

Well I don't understand it. I think it's snobbery. It's like wine; a $20 bottle of wine can be every bit as good as a $150 bottle of wine, but the rich snobs will buy the expensive stuff and serve it at their parties.

The Law of Diminishing Returns Explained​

 

[bruzanhd]

But is it identical, what are the specs of one compared to another?

Things like customer service, staff salaries, factory costs, etc all have to be factored in.

I have experience of Suhr's excellent customer service, as I own one of their amps and I was really looked after above and beyond.

Yes the specs are identical down to hardware. Same bridge, tuners, frets, woods, etc. if anything I’ve got better wood selection than Suhr offers. I get that factory costs must be factored in, but they are also factored into a parts build. So is the Suhr assembly process really worth that much more, or is it the cost of not being able to do it yourself. Or is it a premium brand that charges for exclusivity? Either way, having built a couple of parts guitars, it really makes something like a Suhr guitar a really hard sell.

 

[Strat Avenger]

Yes the specs are identical down to hardware. Same bridge, tuners, frets, woods, etc. if anything I’ve got better wood selection than Suhr offers. I get that factory costs must be factored in, but they are also factored into a parts build. So is the Suhr assembly process really worth that much more, or is it the cost of not being able to do it yourself. Or is it a premium brand that charges for exclusivity? Either way, having built a couple of parts guitars, it really makes something like a Suhr guitar a really hard sell.

Suhr guitars are "parts guitars". They are made from the same kind of parts as the guitars we build. They just aren't getting their bodies & necks from Warmoth. Suhr guitars have a state of-the-art setup, but we can have that done to our guitars by a pro if it's not something we know how to do ourselves. I like Suhr guitars, but I'll never pay $5,000 or more for a guitar when I can get what I want from Warmoth and assemble it myself. And I don't need or want the name of someone else on my headstock (including Fender).

 

[BroccoliRob]

i mean, if Suhr is paying living Cali wages & benefits, doing top notch work, industry leading support, it's no wonder they can charge PRS prices for boutique, high quality guitars from excellent components and turn a profit. sure (no pun intend) most of we here can make something roundabout equiv to Suhr with our own honed skills or a good tech, but that ain't the crucible the average, affluent player is gonna be willing to go through. the dismissiveness about the pricing is doing me a good lmao this Monday afternoon

What u can build at W for $1500 or $2k would likely have to sell at at least 1.5x that, en masses to support a business with employees, so suddenly their prices don't look too crazy am i rite? (I am)

 

[bruzanhd]

i mean, if Suhr is paying living Cali wages & benefits, doing top notch work, industry leading support, it's no wonder they can charge PRS prices for boutique, high quality guitars from excellent components and turn a profit. sure (no pun intend) most of we here can make something roundabout equiv to Suhr with our own honed skills or a good tech, but that ain't the crucible the average, affluent player is gonna be willing to go through. the dismissiveness about the pricing is doing me a good lmao this Monday afternoon

What u can build at W for $1500 or $2k would likely have to sell at at least 1.5x that, en masses to support a business with employees, so suddenly their prices don't look too crazy am i rite? (I am)

Sounds reasonable. I’m not much of a business man I suppose.

 

[alexreinhold]

i mean, if Suhr is paying living Cali wages & benefits, doing top notch work, industry leading support, it's no wonder they can charge PRS prices for boutique, high quality guitars from excellent components and turn a profit. sure (no pun intend) most of we here can make something roundabout equiv to Suhr with our own honed skills or a good tech, but that ain't the crucible the average, affluent player is gonna be willing to go through. the dismissiveness about the pricing is doing me a good lmao this Monday afternoon

What u can build at W for $1500 or $2k would likely have to sell at at least 1.5x that, en masses to support a business with employees, so suddenly their prices don't look too crazy am i rite? (I am)

I dare you to build a 7500 USD Warmoth guitar!

 

[BroccoliRob]

I dare you to build a 7500 USD Warmoth guitar!

bro if i had $7k5 i'd be out getting a new used car (to clarify that is a used car that is new to me - a "new" used car doesn't make sense o'wise -- English is weird, don't ask me about it. i didn't invent. i think that guy Johnny English is to blame. )

 

[SlyPigAmps]

Well I don't understand it. I think it's snobbery. It's like wine; a $20 bottle of wine can be every bit as good as a $150 bottle of wine, but the rich snobs will buy the expensive stuff and serve it at their parties.

If your already drunk there is no difference between any two bottles of wine. I can tell you the difference between my Suhr and my Warmoth guitars. The guy building the Suhr is way better at it than the guy (me) building my Warmoth. I suspect the tolerance for the components is a bit tighter too but that is to some degree speculation. I can say this, I recently bought a satin copper metallic Warmoth body to build a guitar similar to my classic S but with Thorn Buckers. I’m very very pleased the quality and especially the look. About 1/3 the cost a very comparable guitar with the exception of the fret dress, again my responsibility as the builder.

 

[SlyPigAmps]

Yeah Suhr makes a nice guitar, but I don’t understand what makes their (identical) version of my warmoth ($1200) worth $4000? Surely a their special care and setup attention can’t be worth that much.

Price and demand. Suhr’s wait time on a build is estimated at 18 to 24 months. If the Suhr cost 2400 the wait time would be 48 months. Listen lots of people have more time than money. The time we spend as hobbyists to learn the skills to successfully assemble a guitar would be valued at way more than a couple thousand dollars. If you only need one or two guitars, and you like quality, Suhr is actually pretty cheap. But if you are like me and more guitars will always be your quest, you have to take matters into your own hands.

 

[SlyPigAmps]

i mean, if Suhr is paying living Cali wages & benefits, doing top notch work, industry leading support, it's no wonder they can charge PRS prices for boutique, high quality guitars from excellent components and turn a profit. sure (no pun intend) most of we here can make something roundabout equiv to Suhr with our own honed skills or a good tech, but that ain't the crucible the average, affluent player is gonna be willing to go through. the dismissiveness about the pricing is doing me a good lmao this Monday afternoon

What u can build at W for $1500 or $2k would likely have to sell at at least 1.5x that, en masses to support a business with employees, so suddenly their prices don't look too crazy am i rite? (I am)

I agree 100% but I suspect it’s 3 times not 1.5. I run a small business, expenses is tough the roof. People ask how come I charge 120 an hour, I reply I know I really need to charge 140.

 

[SlyPigAmps]

I dare you to build a 7500 USD Warmoth guitar.

Sourcing rare and exotic woods is like Vo do to me. I bought a beautiful flame maple billit for 79 bucks last year, but I see them listed for 500 sometimes, and they sell. I don’t know what the ceiling on guitar cost would be. I have a friend that owned two successful car dealerships and various other businesses. 7k5 wouldn’t be an issue to him.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

My dream Tele, but with EMG’s…

 

[Strat Avenger]

If your already drunk there is no difference between any two bottles of wine. I can tell you the difference between my Suhr and my Warmoth guitars. The guy building the Suhr is way better at it than the guy (me) building my Warmoth. I suspect the tolerance for the components is a bit tighter too but that is to some degree speculation. I can say this, I recently bought a satin copper metallic Warmoth body to build a guitar similar to my classic S but with Thorn Buckers. I’m very very pleased the quality and especially the look. About 1/3 the cost a very comparable guitar with the exception of the fret dress, again my responsibility as the builder.

I'm also not as good as the people at Suhr, however I also happen to have resources. I can assemble an electric guitar quite proficiently, but when it comes to fret work, I have a buddy who is a professional luthier who can do fret work literally almost as accurate as a PLEK. He builds $10,000+ custom acoustic guitars from scratch. Carves everything himself (he builds electrics too). Amy Grant and Vince Gill bought a couple of guitars from him. He can do anything Suhr or Tom Anderson can do (except high volume production) and whatever is beyond my abilities, he can do for me. So yes, I can put together a Warmoth guitar that rivals a Suhr for a fraction of the cost ("with a little help from my friends" LOL!). The Suhr "S" style is in no way superior to my Warmoth Strats. There are no cheap components on my Warmoth guitars like you'd find on a Squire or Mexican Strat.
No rattle-can paint jobs. No cheap pickups, bridges, tuners, or anything else.
The setup is what will make or break it in terms of high-end quality.