Suhr Custom Instruments

For over 40 years, John Suhr has been crafting the finest instruments for the finest musicians in the world. Countless legends have relied on John’s expertise when building the tools to make the music that has lasted the test of time. Since the beginning of Suhr Guitars 24 years ago, Suhr instruments have proved themselves to be the absolute best guitars and basses in the world.

Build your dream guitar and reach out to your Suhr dealer for options and pricing. For a complete list of color, stain and finish options, please visit your local Suhr dealer.

For a complete list of options, please visit your local Suhr dealer. To find the dealer least you, please click below.

Body Shapes

We offer a wide range of body shapes that range from Classic to Modern, with many variations in between. Beginning with the Suhr Standard, the shape that started it all, to our Classic S and Classic T improving on timeless design, and evolving into the Modern era of easier access to the higher frets and asymmetrical, offset body shapes.

Whatever shape is for you, you can find it at Suhr.

STANDARD
(21 or 22 Frets)

CLASSIC S
(21 or 22 Frets)

CLASSIC T
(21 or 22 Frets)

MODERN T
(24 Frets)

CLASSIC JM
(21 or 22 Frets)

MODERN
(24 Frets)

MODERN 7
(24 Frets)

CLASSIC J

Body Wood & Top

The overall sound of a guitar is the sum of its parts; Pickups, string gauges, bridge, and some say the biggest contributor to the raw tone of any guitar, the woods. Different woods have different characteristics that all add to the resonance and tone of an instrument. We offer a range of body and top woods here at Suhr, all unique tonally as they are aesthetical.

Here is an incomplete list of some of the woods that we offer. Being that the wood we build our instruments is sourced from all over the world, depending on the availability of a certain species may change as time goes on.

Please reach out to your local dealer to have them walk you through all of your options to build your Suhr Custom.

Body Woods:

  • African Okoume
  • Alder
  • Basswood
  • Black Limba
  • Figured Koa
  • Flamed Maple
  • Genuine Mahogany
  • Koa
  • Paulownia
  • Quilt Maple
  • Roasted Alder
  • Roasted Swamp Ash
  • Swamp Ash
  • White Limba

Top Woods:

  • African Okoume
  • Alder (Flat or Carved Top)
  • Angel Quilt Maple (Flat or Carved Top)
  • Black Limba (Flat or Carved Top)
  • Burl Maple (Flat or Carved Top)
  • Curly Maple
  • Figured Koa (Flat or Carved Top)
  • Figured Walnut
  • Flamed Maple (Flat or Carved Top)
  • Genuine Mahogany (Flat or Carved Top)
  • Koa (Flat or Carved Top)
  • Paulownia
  • Plain Maple (Flat or Carved Top)
  • Quilt Maple (Flat or Carved Top)
  • Roasted Alder (Flat or Carved Top)
  • Roasted Swamp Ash
  • Spalt Maple
  • Spruce
  • Swamp Ash (Flat or Carved Top)
  • Walnut
  • Waterfall Burl Maple (Flat or Carved Top)
  • White Limba (Flat or Carved Top)

Color & Finish

We pride ourselves on creating the most beautiful finish imaginable, aesthetically and tonally. What do we mean by this? The finish of a guitar is incredibly important. Though it is a thin layer, when a finish is slightly too thick, you can easily deaden the resonance of the entire instrument. The old knowledge has always been, poly, bad, and nitro, good. This is because the idea is that a poly finish is harder and is usually put on more thick. No matter what finish you choose, we have perfected our process to achieve the thinnest coat of finish possible, to allow your guitar to resonate and sustain.

For a complete list of color, stain and finish options, please visit your local Suhr dealer.

Bridge & Hardware

Depending on the instrument and how you will be using it, the choice of bridge will be one of the most important choices you will make. Locking, non-locking, Solid saddles, Bent saddles, 6-screw, 2-post, all of these are possible options that come in black, chrome, and gold. We also offer various versions of each of these bridges, e.g. We offer the Gotoh, and the Original Floyd Rose tremolos as well as many others.

For a complete list of bridge options, please visit your local Suhr dealer.

Pickguard & Knobs

Sometimes, the pickguard on an instrument can change the look more than the overall color of the finish. Depending on the guitar’s body shape, we offer many pickguard shape options as well as material choices.

For a complete list of pickguard options for your custom instrument, please visit your local Suhr dealer.

Neck Wood & Finish

Closely argued as the other most important variable in the equation of tone, the neck and fingerboard have as many options and combinations as body and top woods. Each with their own look and tone, which combination is right for you.

For a complete list of neck wood and finish options for your custom instrument, please visit your local Suhr dealer.

Neck Woods:

  • 3A Roasted Birdseye Maple
  • 5A Roasted Birdseye Maple
  • Black Limba
  • Genuine Mahogany
  • Indian Rosewood
  • Khaya
  • Maple
  • Pau Ferro
  • Roasted Flame Maple
  • Roasted Maple
  • White Limba

Fingerboard Woods:

  • 3A Roasted Birdseye Maple
  • 5A Roasted Birdseye Maple
  • Ebony
  • Indian Rosewood
  • Macassar Ebony
  • Maple
  • Pau Ferro
  • Roasted Flame Maple
  • Roasted Maple
  • Ziricote

Frets

The frets and fingerboard radius you choose for your instrument will be the second most important choice in terms of playability. The glassy smooth feel of stainless steel frets or the tried and true feel of nickel. Only you can decide. Our Medium frets are thin and tall, offering a vintage look with plenty of height for comfortable bending. Our Heavy and Jumbo frets are wider, allowing for effortless transitions across the fingerboard.

FRET OPTIONS: Stainless Steel or Nickel

MEDIUM

HEAVY

JUMBO

Neck Shape & Radius

The neck back shape and fingerboard radius you choose for your instrument will be another one of the most important choices in terms of playability. Whether you want a more vintage radius similar to your old beat-up workhorse or if you will be doing large bends that require a more modern, flatter radius, you can choose the perfect radius. Not all neck shapes are available on all instruments.

For a more detailed list of available options, please reach out to your local Suhr dealer.

Neck Shape Options:
(21 Or 22 Fret Models)

  • 50’s Round .860" - .980"
  • 56 Big V .880" - .980"
  • 60’s C Vintage Medium .830" - .950"
  • 60’s C Vintage Standard .810" - .930"
  • D shape .800" - .880"
  • Even C Extra Slim .770" - .850"
  • Even C RB .800" - .850"
  • Even C Slim .800" - .880"
  • Even C Medium .840" - .920"
  • Even C Fat .880" - .960"
  • Even C Huge 1.000" - 1.000"
  • Soft Medium V .840" - .920"
  • Vintage J .810" - .930" (Classic J Bass)

Neck Shape Options:
(24 Fret Models)

  • Even C Extra Slim .770" - .850"
  • Even C Slim .800" - .880"
  • Modern Elliptical .780" - .830"
  • Modern Elliptical .800" - .850"
  • Modern Elliptical .820" - .870"
  • Modern Elliptical 7 .780" - .850" (7-String Only)

Fingerboard Radius Options:

  • 7.25”
  • 7.5” - 9.5”
  • 9” - 12”
  • 10” - 12”
  • 10” - 14”
  • 11” - 16”
  • 14”
  • 16”

Inlays

Traditional, clay or black, or something more eye-catching, we have used all types of material and have created custom inlay designs for countless incredible instruments.

For a complete list of inlay options for your custom instrument, please visit your local Suhr dealer.

Headstock Shape, Wood & Finish

We offer 3 headstock choices, along with reversed versions of each that can be topped finished in almost any combination you can imagine.

For a complete list of headstock top and finish options for your custom instrument, please visit your local Suhr dealer.

ORIGINAL

HYBRID (NO STEP)

HYBRID (WITH STEP)

Headstock Logos

Over the years, we have customized the back of our headstocks and neck plates with engravings of dates or names and even a small logo or drawing of some sort. The sky is the limit.

For information regarding engraving options for your custom instrument, please visit your local Suhr dealer.

Pickups & Electronics

For decades Suhr has been winding our pickups, here in the same factory as our guitars, in Southern California. Visit the link below to learn all about all of our Suhr pickups and pick the ones that speak to you and the style of music you will be playing.

Personal Setup

We pride ourselves on a perfectly set up instrument. Pickup height, action, nut, intonation, your instrument will be set up either to our factory specifications or to the specs that you pass on to your dealer. Your guitar should play how you want it.

Quality Control

At every stage of your instrument’s build process, we take incredible measures to make sure it’s done to the highest standard. Many of our master builders have been with us for decades. That experience is shown in every single one of our instruments. This attention to detail ensures that your guitar is perfect, or it doesn’t leave the factory. When your guitar arrives, it will play better and feel like no other instrument you’ve ever felt.

Dealers Help

Our incredible network of dealers, all over the world are experts in helping you design your Suhr Custom instrument. They have the experience and knowledge to answer any questions or help guide the way if you can’t decide on what feature would be best for you and your playing.

Reach out to your local Suhr dealer today for a complete list of custom options.
To find a dealer nearest to you, please visit the link below. Find a Dealer Near You

Custom Guitar Gallery

Visit our Suhr Custom Gallery to see all of the latest customs instruments to leave the Suhr factory.
Suhr Custom Guitar Gallery