New Tele: Suhr Classic T or Fender Custom Shop Tele

[Wolf Static]

I tried out the Suhr Classic T a while back and loved it. I tried out a Fender Custom Shop Relic 1960 today and loved it. In terms of quality, resell value and tone - what would you go for, and why?... BTW They're comparably priced. (I'm leaning towards the Fender Custom Shop).

[TRS1]

I understand its a different model, but I just picked up a custom shop nocaster from wildwood with Abby handwound pickups after being unsatisfied with an Anderson classic T (very similar to the Suhr). I could not be happier with the swap. Fit and finish were both top notch however the feel and overall tone of the FCS is exactly what I have wanted in a Tele for the longest time. As for resale value I think the FCS has a better profile with the average craigslist and eBay buyer, however here on TGP you are probably going to be right at the same range for both values. Just one mans opinion, good luck!

[Husky]

Originally Posted by TRS1

Is after being unsatisfied with an Anderson classic T (very similar to the Suhr).

With all respect to Tom's T style guitar, his and mine are very different, not really similar at all. Starting with a very big difference... the bridge and pickup mounting. We do also offer a completely stock T with no contours. You really cant use his T to judge mine against a Fender.
I will however throw out one important plug, relentless customer service, a CEO who is at your disposal and a lifetime warranty.

[TRS1]

Originally Posted by Husky

With all respect to Tom's T style guitar, his and mine are very different, not really similar at all. Starting with a very big difference... the bridge and pickup mounting. We do also offer a completely stock T with no contours. You really cant use his T to judge mine against a Fender.
I will however throw out one important plug, relentless customer service, a CEO who is at your disposal and a lifetime warranty.

I stand humbly corrected.

To the OP: Mr Suhr's comments here should tell you something about the difference in access to the makers. When I purchased my nocaster I dealt with Bruce at Wildwood and never even spoke with an FCS employee. It ended in my favor and I received a superlative instrument. However, here you are simply contemplating a purchase and the man with his name on the headstock gives his direct opinion. That's worth something.

[Big White Tele]

These are all great guitars. Play them all, as many as you can and find the one that works. Ive owned a few Anderson T's, and they are awsome, but I always ended up back to more of a traditional Tele, so for me, Its the Fender custom shops.

[Husky]

Originally Posted by TRS1

I stand humbly corrected.

To the OP: Mr Suhr's comments here should tell you something about the difference in access to the makers. When I purchased my nocaster I dealt with Bruce at Wildwood and never even spoke with an FCS employee. It ended in my favor and I received a superlative instrument. However, here you are simply contemplating a purchase and the man with his name on the headstock gives his direct opinion. That's worth something.

Thank you
And to be clear I love Toms guitars, they are different than mine though.
As for many of these guitars sometimes it boils down to a particular instrument sometimes more than a brand. If you have faith that you will be supported during the lifetime of the instrument, that also goes a long way.

[TheFife]

I would go with the Suhr. Fender Custom Shop quality control is pathetic. The worst part is Fender won't take care of you if they screw up your guitar. They tell you there is nothing wrong or that you caused the problem. Guys like Suhr and Anderson make sure it's right before they send it out, and they actually stand behind their product.

Brad

[onemind]

Sorry for the wrench: But if you can find a Danocaster definitely give it a whirl.

[Pax]

Originally Posted by Husky

Thank you
And to be clear I love Toms guitars, they are different than mine though.
As for many of these guitars sometimes it boils down to a particular instrument sometimes more than a brand. If you have faith that you will be supported during the lifetime of the instrument, that also goes a long way.

You probably need to go with the instrument itself, rather than brand. Most everything you read here will be opinion only (i.e. feel, touch, playability, tone, etc.). Nothing wrong with that, but it really doesn't apply to your particular case.

Now the items you can compare as fact and you should consider are consistency and quality of service, build quality, warranty and cost.

Full disclosure: I have a Suhr Classic T. I don’t know much about CS Fenders. I love the Suhr judging both by fact and opinion. I have nothing negative or positive to say about Fender CS b/c I just don’t know.

Good luck.

[66Park]

I have a Fender CS Nocaster and a couple other Fender teles. I ordered a Suhr standard a couple months ago, and while it's not a tele, I played every Suhr I could get my hands on before ordering it, including teles, so I have some experience with them. They were consistently outstanding.

One thing you will find with John's guitars besides the flawless construction and finish is a real attention to detail when it comes to how each part and each piece of wood affects the sound and playability of the instrument. Every Suhr I have encountered played great, no matter if I thought the neck shape suited me or not (some did and some didn't). The hardware is better quality than what Fender uses, even on the expensive CS guitars, and the parts that are offered are chosen by John because they are the best he can find to achieve the results he's after. Those bits can add up to a lot of difference in the end result. Just as an example, I recently replaced the stock Fender bridge on my Nocaster with a Callaham, and the result of one part change was astounding to me. It's like a different and much better guitar.

I ended up having to buy a custom Suhr, because the specs on the Pro Series were not what best suited me, but the Pro Series are fantastic guitars, and are just as good as the custom Suhrs for less money if the specs suit you.

Don't get me wrong. I love my Fender teles. None of them are completely stock at this point, though. I've had them since before Suhrs were available, and if I had it to do over again today, I think there is a real strong chance the Suhr would come out on top. Add to that the tremendous customer service that John provides, and you've got a very appealing option.

[thesjkexperienc]

I'd go Suhr over Fender, but LsL T-Bone over Suhr.

[pedalcr8z]

Originally Posted by TheFife

I would go with the Suhr. Fender Custom Shop quality control is pathetic. The worst part is Fender won't take care of you if they screw up your guitar. They tell you there is nothing wrong or that you caused the problem. Guys like Suhr and Anderson make sure it's right before they send it out, and they actually stand behind their product.

Brad

No offense intended but my suspicion is that you do not own a Fender Custom Shop guitar and have perhaps become too TGP jaded for the the amount of time you have been with the forum judging from your March 2011 join date. At 59 years old I would like to offer a real world experience concerning my '04 Nocaster. The construction and fit and finish as well as the sound quality is simply superb. The fretwork is jewelry like. I've also owned a few Collings electrics so my judgement barometer is fairly high. Perhaps I am being quick to judge but my point is perhaps you have been quick to judge also. Fender Custom Shop quality is FAR from pathetic.

[TheFife]

Originally Posted by pedalcr8z

No offense intended but my suspicion is that you do not own a Fender Custom Shop guitar and have perhaps become too TGP jaded for the the amount of time you have been with the forum judging from your March 2011 join date. At 59 years old I would like to offer a real world experience concerning my '04 Nocaster. The construction and fit and finish as well as the sound quality is simply superb. The fretwork is jewelry like. I've also owned a few Collings electrics so my judgement barometer is fairly high. Perhaps I am being quick to judge but my point is perhaps you have been quick to judge also. Fender Custom Shop quality is FAR from pathetic.

Wrong. I've owned 2 Fender custom shop guitars. I purchased both brand new and both had issues. I've dealt extensively with fender's custom shop trying to correct the problems. I have first hand experience with how they handle their mistakes.

If you get lucky and get a good one, you get a guitar with an F on the headstock. If you are unlucky and get a bad one, you just get F'd.


Brad

[shallbe]

I've owned vintage Fender, Fender CS, Masterbuilt, Anderson and Suhr. I gigged for 18 years with one Fender Tele.

Then I played a Suhr I liked, and custom ordered a T. I now have two Suhr T's, and the Fender and Anderson are gone. The Suhr's were made to my specs and are everything what I wanted out of the other guitars, but were not quite there. Plus the customer service is top notch.

[DGTCrazy]

Originally Posted by TheFife

I would go with the Suhr. Fender Custom Shop quality control is pathetic. The worst part is Fender won't take care of you if they screw up your guitar. They tell you there is nothing wrong or that you caused the problem. Guys like Suhr and Anderson make sure it's right before they send it out, and they actually stand behind their product.

Brad

Brad,

Hi....you don't know what you're talking about. First, Mike Eldred is a member here, so bad mouthing the shop he runs on TGP is a no-no. Second, either choice, Suhr or Fender is going to yield great results. I've owned and played both, and currently have a 60's CS Tele with the Twisted Tele pup and S-1 system which is fantastic.

Suhr offers some great choices, and his personal attention to detail is second to none. Fender is a much larger scale organization, but their Team and Master build guitars are simply amazing recreations of Fenders best of years past, and future.

It's always easy to bad mouth someone or something, especially when you have an agenda to serve. And you are the same person who gave Husky a post full of completely disrespectful comments ( you know...the "man crush" rant), and told him he should leave the forum. Wow.