Suhr

[SIR DOUGLAS T]

Hi guys,
I've been a devoted Suhr fan for over 6 years now and I have custom ordered 3 standards a classic an od100se and now the badger.I'm working up an order for my 4th standard and i am thinking of trying a maple neck/board for the first time.Most of my guitars have a pau ferro neck/board and emg's.I'm not a metal guy i like sweet mids and punch but not an overly bright tone. I had an ernie ball evh and i hated the tone as i found it to be too bright and thin.The only reason i use emg's is because im a light player and the mid boost helps me cut thru the mix.
I just wondered what is the best body wood to go with a quilt top, maple neck/board, and of course a floyd.The floor is open to any suggestions or advice.Btw I love rosewood but i have 4 rw boards and thought I would like a change and it looks cool.thanks - doug gentry

[HiOctane]

My Suhr is a basswood/maple body with a one-piece maple neck and I think it sounds great. Generally speaking, you will hear the same opinion from forum members and Ed & John as well.

[1TwoRock]

I'd agree with octane... The basswood/ maple combo is a killer. The maple neck pairs with alder well too. (My maple necked Alder Classic is probably my favorite guitar in the stable right now.) Remember the Suhr Maple neck is a one piece neck; no neck fingerboard separation. This gives the neck a solid vintage feel.

If you are looking to boost the mids more naturally (without the highs)using a tonewood, instead of using the emg's; I might think about a mahogany body, maple neck combo. This would be an "outside the box" way of getting your (not "thin") tone! A floyd and a killer humbucker in the bridge... Done!

Let us know what you decide.

Cheers

[SIR DOUGLAS T]

Thanks guys,
I may go basswood/quilt top one piece maple neck, only thing is I have a basswood/quilt maple neck w/brazilian board and it's chambered.I love the chambered for cleans but it can be a little spongy on hi gain applications.The alder sounds interesting but then I'm tempted to go w/pau ferro board as that is Johns favorite shredder pick.I just want the most versitale tone from a one piece maple neck.-dg

[1TwoRock]

[Pete Lacis]

+2 on not being a fan of chambering for hard rock stuff. I had one of the original Suhr "chambered Reb Beach" models (koa top, mahogany back). Chambering definitely looses definition with high gain stuff......spongy is a good way to describe it.

I did my basswood back, maple top Suhr with one piece maple neck, but sometimes I wish it had a rosewood board. I've played a few with that combination and I just really dug the way it sounded (smoother).

I actually dig the way the EVH MusicMan's sounded. I would have still owned one but the neck hurt my hands. It was actually the catalyst for my basswood Suhr. To that point, the pickups make up for a huge difference in how the two (Surh vs EVH MM) sound.

If you're a high gain buff, I can suggest one great resource for hearing the difference between a koa solid bodied Suhr Reb Beach vs. a Basswood bodied, maple topped with maple neck and rosewood fingerboard......the Dokken "Live from the Sun" DVD/CD with Reb Beach on guitar. You can really hear the difference between the two guitars when Reb switches between them. For the Dokken stuff (I'm 99% certain) he had the old JST Buckers in both of them (at the time). There's a very noticeable difference in sound. Both good, but quite different. Also sounds NOTHING like EVH tone-wise (very scooped sounding). Check it out!
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Suhr, I'll take another....

[HiOctane]

I really agree with Pete, in that a chambered guitar just doesn't work for metal/rock/high gain situations. You definitely need a solidbody.

I also concur that a basswood/maple body with either a 1-piece maple neck or maple neck/rosewood board are excellent choices. Both good, but slightly different. Maple is probably a bit crisper, rosewood a bit smoother and warmer.

I wouldn't let your experience with the EVH guitar dissuade you. Try one again, or pick up any of a number of high-end Ibanez models to re-visit the concept. You'd be surprised how your opinion changes over time, AND the fact that no two guitars sound the same. You just might have played a bad one.

And besides the tone comparisons to be had with the Dokken DVD, it's also a great rock performance from one of my favorite bands.

Enjoy!

[HiOctane]

[quote="1TwoRock"]I'd agree with octane... The basswood/ maple combo is a killer. The maple neck pairs with alder well too. (My maple necked Alder Classic is probably my favorite guitar in the stable right now.) Remember the Suhr Maple neck is a one piece neck; no neck fingerboard separation. This gives the neck a solid vintage feel.

If you are looking to boost the mids more naturally (without the highs)using a tonewood, instead of using the emg's; I might think about a mahogany body, maple neck combo. This would be an "outside the box" way of getting your (not "thin") tone! A floyd and a killer humbucker in the bridge... Done!

Let us know what you decide.

Cheers[/quote]

I have had pretty good luck with mahogany bodied guitars with either a maple neck/fretboard or maple neck/rosewood fretboard (preferred).
I know it's a riskier choice than some and a lot of guys shy away from it, but it has worked really well for me in several guitars.

Check out "Against The Rage" for an example of a mahogany bodied, maple neck/rosewood fretboard guitar:

http://209.240.26.127/pages/media.asp

[SIR DOUGLAS T]

Thanks for all the responses.Man you guys are like my lost suhr bretheren.I've always enjoyed Petes comments over the years and as for the other guys your comments are so spot on.I just so happen to really be into Reb beach which is the sole reason I discovered suhr guitars.I have the "live from the sun" dvd and never thought about reb's basswood model.I also used to be addicted to Ibanez J-custom guitars and would never look at anything else until I sold my entire collection to fund my Suhr habit.I had an rg-art,2 jem's,a js crystal planet and many others.
I'ts funny how you change as you get older and wiser.Now when I see Ibanez come out with a 6k jem I think to myself ya that looks cool but it's not very practical and I would much rather have a guitar that feels as good as it looks and never goes out of tune. Again thanks guys and I'll let you know when I get my new one.take care - doug gentry