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How 'big' is the Suhr company?

Discussion in 'The Small Company Luthiers' started by jero, Dec 19, 2005.

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  1. Dec 19, 2005 #1
    jero

    jero Member

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    Out of curiosity, since everybody around here (including me) seems to own at least one Suhr guitar :), I was wondering how big the company actually is:

    1. how many guitars built per year?
    2. how many builders employeed?
    3. total headcount?
     
    jero, Dec 19, 2005
    jero, Dec 19, 2005
    #1
  2. Dec 19, 2005 #2
    Glowing Tubes

    Glowing Tubes Gold Supporting Member

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    All I know is they are growing. I would now call them a Medium Company luthier.:rolleyes: Especially if you start including amps, cabs and soon to be released pedals..
    When will it end.. WHEN?

    Great stuff comes out of that factory.


    RC
     
    Glowing Tubes, Dec 19, 2005
    Glowing Tubes, Dec 19, 2005
    #2
  3. Dec 19, 2005 #3
    John C

    John C Supporting Member

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    Here is a fall 2003 interview with John (posted on his website):

    http://www.suhrguitars.com/000jst-musicians%20hotline%20interview.pdf

    At that time they were making 40-50 instruments a month - which means they made between 480 and 600 instruments a year with a staff of 8. John never mentioned the ratio of guitars to basses.

    Of course, this was before he added the amp line and ramped up production.
     
    John C, Dec 19, 2005
    John C, Dec 19, 2005
    #3
  4. Dec 20, 2005 #4
    JDouglee

    JDouglee Member

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    I heard quite recently they were up to 75 per month, and moving to a much larger facility.
     
    JDouglee, Dec 20, 2005
    JDouglee, Dec 20, 2005
    #4
  5. Dec 21, 2005 #5
    NuSkoolTone

    NuSkoolTone Member

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    Sounds cool. As you grow, just do everyone a favor and don't EVER become a publicly traded company. That's when most companies go to **** putting priority on quarter earnings for stock holders vs. the actual product that got them there.
     
    NuSkoolTone, Dec 21, 2005
    NuSkoolTone, Dec 21, 2005
    #5
  6. Dec 21, 2005 #6
    jero

    jero Member

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    Ah, thanks for the insight!

    The last paragraph of alexkahn's post is interesting, I think one of the biggest challenges for succesful 'small' companies (not only guitar builders) is to manage and control growth and not be seduced by short-term maximum production/sales/profit.

    Suhr's a bit bigger than I thought actually :)
     
    jero, Dec 21, 2005
    jero, Dec 21, 2005
    #6
  7. Dec 21, 2005 #7
    JDouglee

    JDouglee Member

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    Sorry Ed, I didn't know about the building situation! That's great!

    The Collier place has always been the home of Suhr to me :AOK
     
    JDouglee, Dec 21, 2005
    JDouglee, Dec 21, 2005
    #7
  8. Dec 21, 2005 #8
    Drunkagain

    Drunkagain Member

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    Just for reference how many guitars does somebody like Fender or Gibson turn out in a month? Or PRS?
     
    Drunkagain, Dec 21, 2005
    Drunkagain, Dec 21, 2005
    #8
  9. Dec 21, 2005 #9
    Kevan

    Kevan Member

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    Anywhere between 2000 and 5000.

    Not sure.
     
    Kevan, Dec 21, 2005
    Kevan, Dec 21, 2005
    #9
  10. Dec 21, 2005 #10
    procos

    procos Supporting Member

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    I love my Suhr's(3 of them) and have another one on the way. Should be here anyday now. Suhr's are my favorite guitars hands down. I wasn't even a Strat player until I bought my firts Suhr and now I'll take my Suhr's over any guitar.

    Chuck
     
    procos, Dec 21, 2005
    procos, Dec 21, 2005
    #10
  11. Dec 21, 2005 #11
    Kevan

    Kevan Member

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    Holy crap were my numbers off!

    Ed- are you sure it's 50,000~75,000/month from Fender-Asia? That seems really high.

    ON TOPIC:
    It'd be nice to see Suhr at those levels one day, all while maintaining the build quality and playability we've all come to know and love.

    Best of luck to John and the crew!
     
    Kevan, Dec 21, 2005
    Kevan, Dec 21, 2005
    #11
  12. Dec 21, 2005 #12
    Kevan

    Kevan Member

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    Amazing numbers, Ed. Thanks for that.

    I can't wait for the day when Suhr acquires Fender.
    :D
     
    Kevan, Dec 21, 2005
    Kevan, Dec 21, 2005
    #12
  13. Dec 21, 2005 #13
    Drunkagain

    Drunkagain Member

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    Amazing numbers is right. Holy crap!

    Best of luck to you guys at Suhr for sure. Hope you can keep growing, making great guitars and stay profitable. :AOK
     
    Drunkagain, Dec 21, 2005
    Drunkagain, Dec 21, 2005
    #13
  14. Dec 21, 2005 #14
    Teleplayer

    Teleplayer Silver Supporting Member

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    No wonder the typical quality is so fabulous. At least it's not like an assembly line........:D
     
    Teleplayer, Dec 21, 2005
    Teleplayer, Dec 21, 2005
    #14
  15. Jan 18, 2006 #15
    AJ Love

    AJ Love Senior Member

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    Very interesting thread... that is crazy that the Fender Custom Shop is turning out 1000 guitars a month... no wonder the QC on those has gone downhill since the mid-90's

    I wish everyone at Suhr well... I've always liked the playability of the Suhr Guitars I've played
     
    AJ Love, Jan 18, 2006
    AJ Love, Jan 18, 2006
    #15
  16. Jan 18, 2006 #16
    FredW

    FredW Member

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    I am glad everthing worked out Ed! Good Luck
     
    FredW, Jan 18, 2006
    FredW, Jan 18, 2006
    #16
  17. Jan 18, 2006 #17
    matte

    matte Senior Member

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    my body.
    [​IMG]
     
    matte, Jan 18, 2006
    matte, Jan 18, 2006
    #17
  18. Jan 20, 2006 #18
    Turbozag

    Turbozag Senior Member

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    Doesn't Suhr have their bodies and necks made for them by USA Custom? If so, there could be a slow-down in the mix.....
     
    Turbozag, Jan 20, 2006
    Turbozag, Jan 20, 2006
    #18
  19. Jan 20, 2006 #19
    SlipRake

    SlipRake Member

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    Doood! :eek:
     
    SlipRake, Jan 20, 2006
    SlipRake, Jan 20, 2006
    #19
  20. Jan 20, 2006 #20
    AJ Love

    AJ Love Senior Member

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    Is that true? USA Custom does nice work. I've got one of their T bodies on a Telecaster/Partscaster I put together. It certainly is an improvement over the Fender body I had before
     
    AJ Love, Jan 20, 2006
    AJ Love, Jan 20, 2006
    #20
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