Suhr Fret Issues

[Blix]

Some of the greatest music has been made on $200.00 guitars with horrible frets and action so high it causes a nose bleed, and here boys are getting their panties in a knot over 1/64th of an inch?

Maybe the answer is to get off the internet and try playing the guitar for a while.

(Admittedly, I have somewhat of a bias. I have three Suhrs, and they are all great. Not perfect -- what is?; but great.)

A tad harsh seeing OP have physical limitations making higher action troublesome.

 

[daysleeper]

A tad harsh seeing OP have physical limitations making higher action troublesome.

I'd like to know the name of the condition that prevents a man, who can fret a note on a string 3/64ths of an inch above the fret, from fretting a note on a string 4/64ths of an inch above the fret.

Have you ever noticed how small an increment 1/64th of an inch is?

I'm all for indulging the sensitivities of artists, but at some point we hurt that artist more than we help him. Sometimes a slap in the face is exactly what the doctor will order -- in a less politically correct world, that is.

 

[Jerrod]

I'd like to know the name of the condition that prevents a man, who can fret a note on a string 3/64ths of an inch above the fret, from fretting a note on a string 4/64ths of an inch above the fret.

Have you ever noticed how small an increment 1/64th of an inch is?

I'm all for indulging the sensitivities of artists, but at some point we hurt that artist more than we help him. Sometimes a slap in the face is exactly what the doctor will order -- in a less politically correct world, that is.

Seriously. The "PC" BS?

 

[macmax77]

I do not own a Suhr, yet John has always been there to answer questions I had with my other guitars. That speaks volumes of the kind of coolness he has!

I have friends who own Suhr Guitars.
They are great guitars!

 

[Gar O'Brien]

Two days, any news? Any reason why you can't or couldn't catch a ferry, then drive to London?

Cost, not driving, time... Also the amount of hassle involved is astronomical. I suspect it'd be cheaper to post the thing by the time you factor in ferry, time off work, trains, hotels etc. A quick google suggests it would be roughly €190 return on the ferry, €130 in trains, and about €100 in hotels, assuming I stayed one night. Which is more than shipping. And then there's the whole 2 days of my life to resolve something.

As previously stated, I'm going to get it resolved in Dublin. It makes economic sense to do so

 

[Gar O'Brien]

Shipping from Ireland to the UK mainland is no big deal as it will be overground, not airfreight.
Fill in a Customs Dec to ensure no charges on return.
As Suhr has said they will cover shipping (a generous move), put it in a bombproof box and get it done.
/End of problem.

Suhr are covering return shipping only. I'm going to resolve it here on my own dime. It's a lot easier and cheaper

 

[Gar O'Brien]

I'd like to know the name of the condition that prevents a man, who can fret a note on a string 3/64ths of an inch above the fret, from fretting a note on a string 4/64ths of an inch above the fret.

Have you ever noticed how small an increment 1/64th of an inch is?

I'm all for indulging the sensitivities of artists, but at some point we hurt that artist more than we help him. Sometimes a slap in the face is exactly what the doctor will order -- in a less politically correct world, that is.

Your solution to somebody posting about high frets is to slap them? That seems churlish, honestly.

 

[snooze]

@Gar O'Brien, it's great that you come here to share your feedback. I'm sure your intentions are great. I've read your thread because I'm a Suhr fan. And like most fans, if you seem to (even if you don't) complain here in order to get visibility to get some leverage, even if your intent is noble (which I'm sure it is), just because it COULD look like bashing to get something in return, that's the hidden message most folks will see. It is just a question of appearance.

John Suhr replied to you. If I were you, I would try to get "leverage" from him directly, not on a forum. Why? Because it might be more efficient and you won't start the discussion with him while looking like you tried to make Suhr appear like having average customer service (even if it is not what you were trying to do), you would instead start the conversation the way it should start, by expressing your need to Suhr and see how they can meet your need.

I had an issue with a Suhr and they were stellar to solve it. But like you, I could have had to ship it to them and pay the cost of it. But you know what, if I were to ask someone to solve it near me, it would probably cost me more than the shipping cost, maybe less, but I would not get the best out of Suhr.

They told you what are their specs and if that doesn't meet your need, that is a different story. But if you talk to John and he tells you that if you ship the guitar they will setup it to your specification, although hard to achieve, I would go for it and invest my money into Suhr so if something bad happen later, they will be accountable. On the opposite, if you go with your own luthier and ask him to touch the frets and he misses it, Suhr might not be so keen so solve the problem that someone else created.

All this to say, evaluate the pros and cons, but to me, if at the end of the day, getting Suhr setup cost your a bit more, I would go for that with no hesitation (IF they can meet your spec). They do custom guitar to all type of players... I'm sure they can do it as good as anyone else (honestly I think they can make better... .but that's me!).

Contact John directly. He specifically ask people to do so... and that's awesome! So get in touch with him and if he tells you he can do it, but you would have to pay one way shipping (you do have to realize that they would still pay the other part of the shipping cost... all this to make a customer with special needs happy.... just that is awesome.).

Anyway, that's my 2 cents! I hope that helps!

 

[hdahs143]

Suhr are covering return shipping only. I'm going to resolve it here on my own dime. It's a lot easier and cheaper

Nobody covers shipping both ways, and some, none at all.

Out of curiosity, how long did you have the guitar in the states before you moved to the UK, and how many times did you address the issue with the dealer?

I see you changed your title, but only changed it to other words, that still seem to impugn Suhr's quality. Why bother. Every solution offered to you gets countered by some "road block", to include:

And then there's the whole 2 days of my life to resolve something.

I don't know you from Adam, but you sure come across as a bit unreasonable.

 

['59_Standard]

Cost, not driving, time... Also the amount of hassle involved is astronomical. I suspect it'd be cheaper to post the thing by the time you factor in ferry, time off work, trains, hotels etc. A quick google suggests it would be roughly €190 return on the ferry, €130 in trains, and about €100 in hotels, assuming I stayed one night. Which is more than shipping. And then there's the whole 2 days of my life to resolve something.

As previously stated, I'm going to get it resolved in Dublin. It makes economic sense to do so

£64 one way Dublin to London on a plane. Probably still cheaper to get it sorted in Ireland but ferry/train yada yada aren't your only means.

 

[zsno]

Someone knocked my Custom T over at a gig last night and made a nasty chip in the body's finish. Suhr's quality must really be slipping. I can't believe the anti-gravity module failed and the finish couldn't hold up to a fall. I can't believe that Suhr won't refinish it for free and pay shipping both ways to do so.

In all seriousness, this thread only reassures me that I made a good move in finally purchasing my first Suhr. The guitar itself is phenomenal, and the few inquires I've made to Suhr CS, both before and after making the purchase, have been met with stellar customer service. Thanks to @Husky and his crew for the amazing work they do.

I'm also very serious about my Custom T being knocked over last night and sustaining damage, but I guess I'm one step closer to it being an Antique model now

 

[beorn]

I guess I'm one step closer to it being an Antique model now

Even Tom Murphy can't match that kind of authenticity. And you got it for free!

 

[trap]

Someone knocked my Custom T over at a gig last night and made a nasty chip in the body's finish. Suhr's quality must really be slipping. I can't believe the anti-gravity module failed and the finish couldn't hold up to a fall. I can't believe that Suhr won't refinish it for free and pay shipping both ways to do so.

In all seriousness, this thread only reassures me that I made a good move in finally purchasing my first Suhr. The guitar itself is phenomenal, and the few inquires I've made to Suhr CS, both before and after making the purchase, have been met with stellar customer service. Thanks to @Husky and his crew for the amazing work they do.

I'm also very serious about my Custom T being knocked over last night and sustaining damage, but I guess I'm one step closer to it being an Antique model now

Yeah well that’s what gets me. If some guy in a shop puts dents in a guitar then it adds value. If it happens because of real playing it diminishes value. I’ll never get that one!

 

[trap]

I'd like to know the name of the condition that prevents a man, who can fret a note on a string 3/64ths of an inch above the fret, from fretting a note on a string 4/64ths of an inch above the fret.

Have you ever noticed how small an increment 1/64th of an inch is?

I'm all for indulging the sensitivities of artists, but at some point we hurt that artist more than we help him. Sometimes a slap in the face is exactly what the doctor will order -- in a less politically correct world, that is.

I don’t know, arthritis? Tendinitis? Muscle pain due to Statins? Use your imagination.

 

[Gar O'Brien]

@Gar O'Brien, it's great that you come here to share your feedback. I'm sure your intentions are great. I've read your thread because I'm a Suhr fan. And like most fans, if you seem to (even if you don't) complain here in order to get visibility to get some leverage, even if your intent is noble (which I'm sure it is), just because it COULD look like bashing to get something in return, that's the hidden message most folks will see. It is just a question of appearance.

John Suhr replied to you. If I were you, I would try to get "leverage" from him directly, not on a forum. Why? Because it might be more efficient and you won't start the discussion with him while looking like you tried to make Suhr appear like having average customer service (even if it is not what you were trying to do), you would instead start the conversation the way it should start, by expressing your need to Suhr and see how they can meet your need.

I had an issue with a Suhr and they were stellar to solve it. But like you, I could have had to ship it to them and pay the cost of it. But you know what, if I were to ask someone to solve it near me, it would probably cost me more than the shipping cost, maybe less, but I would not get the best out of Suhr.

They told you what are their specs and if that doesn't meet your need, that is a different story. But if you talk to John and he tells you that if you ship the guitar they will setup it to your specification, although hard to achieve, I would go for it and invest my money into Suhr so if something bad happen later, they will be accountable. On the opposite, if you go with your own luthier and ask him to touch the frets and he misses it, Suhr might not be so keen so solve the problem that someone else created.

All this to say, evaluate the pros and cons, but to me, if at the end of the day, getting Suhr setup cost your a bit more, I would go for that with no hesitation (IF they can meet your spec). They do custom guitar to all type of players... I'm sure they can do it as good as anyone else (honestly I think they can make better... .but that's me!).

Contact John directly. He specifically ask people to do so... and that's awesome! So get in touch with him and if he tells you he can do it, but you would have to pay one way shipping (you do have to realize that they would still pay the other part of the shipping cost... all this to make a customer with special needs happy.... just that is awesome.).

Anyway, that's my 2 cents! I hope that helps!

That's a fair point, and one I hadn't really considered in terms of getting someone else to cover it. That said, it's going to be outside the two year warranty soon, so it's probably a toss up. Fair point though, thanks for pointing it out.

As for contacting John directly, I wasn't aware of it, but it's great to know going forward.

Thanks a mil for that reply, it was really constructive, and I appreciate it

 

[Gar O'Brien]

I don’t know, arthritis? Tendinitis? Muscle pain due to Statins? Use your imagination.

You've actually nailed it Arthritis and tendinitis both, unfortunately. Basically according to the docs, pushing too high an action will take years off my ability to keep playing, so I'm keen to maximise that

 

[Gar O'Brien]

£64 one way Dublin to London on a plane. Probably still cheaper to get it sorted in Ireland but ferry/train yada yada aren't your only means.

Plane is an option alright, but it's an absolute nightmare to bring instruments, unless you buy a second seat for the instrument. Then you're back to similar costs to shipping. I appreciate the suggestion though, thanks!

 

[Gar O'Brien]

Nobody covers shipping both ways, and some, none at all.

Out of curiosity, how long did you have the guitar in the states before you moved to the UK, and how many times did you address the issue with the dealer?

I see you changed your title, but only changed it to other words, that still seem to impugn Suhr's quality. Why bother. Every solution offered to you gets countered by some "road block", to include:

And then there's the whole 2 days of my life to resolve something.

I don't know you from Adam, but you sure come across as a bit unreasonable.

I had the guitar in the states for ~6 months, maybe a bit longer. Less than 9 anyway. I called the dealer a BUNCH of times. Like every day or two for a month. Then actually called down to them only to be told the guy who was going to help me wasn't there. PITA.

I changed the title to accurately reflect the issue. There are high frets. That's a fret issue. I certainly don't think it's impugning them. At no point did Suhr argue the high frets.

 

[circle_o_5ths]

I called the dealer a BUNCH of times. Like every day or two for a month.

Let's just let that soak in for a minute.

 

[beorn]

A fret rocker is not an accurate way to check for fret height on a radius which all necks are.

The only way to accurately check the fret height is with a CMM

At no point did Suhr argue the high frets.