Educate Me on the Suhr Classic T

[DAB]

I have and love a Suhr Classic Strat (swamp ash, bird's eye maple neck, Pau Ferro fingerboard). It is my number one guitar and has been for several years.

I am gassing for a Classic T. I am thinking about a non-traditional setup with a humbucker in the bridge and a P90 in the neck. Thinking it should be chambered but am not sure.

What combination of woods, neck, pickups, etc. for a thick juicy blues tone? Not looking for twang. Should I get it chambered?

All help appreciated.

Dave

[JoeB63]

I have 2 Suhr Classic Ts. One is a blackguard style. The other is similar to what you described above. It's chambered alder body/maple neck/rosewood fretboard with a HB in the bridge and a T-style neck pickup. The cool thing about it is that it has a cut-back Tele-style bridge (3 brass saddles), so it has Tele-like snap with HB tones. It's a very cool sound. No twang.

I think that you're right -- a P90 in the neck would be a better match than the T pickup that's in the neck position. Or perhaps put a HB in the neck with a 5 way switch to get HB and split tones.

[Maculan]

I'm not really answering your ?, but I love what Suhr does with a lightweight 1 piece Swamp Ash T with a maple neck. I've played a bunch and own(ed) a few and to me that's just nirvanna for that type of Tele.

I've also got an Alder\Rosewood Suhr tele that I think is closer to what you are describing. Its solid, and weighs a little over 7 pounds.

I actually bought a G&L thinline (f-hole) Bluesboy - I always liked G&L in terms of bang for the buck and with the Seth Lover in the neck position its just a really cool guitar at about 2/3rds the price.

G&L pleks em great btw. Just a nice guitar, even with the 6 saddle tele bridge.

[diego]

Alder body with a rosewood fingerboard will get you less twang. I have that version and a ash/maple fingerboard version so I've made a direct comparison. My alder guitar has tele/strat/tele pups and is very versatile, but if you're used to humbuckers P90s you might go that way. Chambering will soften the attack a little.

[DAB]

What do you guys think about a chambered mahogany body/mahogany neck? Chambered it might give it a little bit of the LP kind of woody tone...

Dave

[Maculan]

I like Chambered just for the lightness and they are fun to play (the way the resonate a bit more).

IMVHO, I think the best thing to do is drop an E-Mail to Ed Yoon at Suhr and ask him (and John). Along that vein, there obviously is no substitute for playing the guitars to really see how they sound with you playing your rig.

Its fun to make general statements but in the end, the way an individual instrument sounds to you can only be quantified once you play it.

Sorry to state the obvious.

As for your proposed Mahogany Suhr, it sounds awesome, with a couple of P-90's (Maken Music I think has one) it would probably be unbelievable.

[dewman]

here's mine- P90 neck, broadcaster bridge (cant remember the exact bridge pup and too lazy to run upstairs..) alder body, rosewood neck. tele custom burst cosmetics. phenomenal guitar. my playin cant do it justice- but you get a little idea of the tone this baby has and this nontraditional pickup selection has going for it-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNs3w2hJT8c

[DAB]

Very cool clip. I like your playing style a lot. Kind of a bluesy slide like vibe without the slide...excellent.

Guitar sounds good as well. Couldn't tell were you on the bridge or neck P/U?

Dave

[dewman]

many thanks- I was using the bridge pickup the whole time. the P90 sounds sweet in the neck and the output is balanced with the bridge pickup. it has the SSC system so is dead quiet too!