Need advice on second hand Fender Strat Plus -> Finally it is a Suhr

Piing said:
The seller is quite cryptic replying and doesn't anwser all questions. It is probably a Google Translate issue, since I cannot write in Thai. I will abort the operation.

In the meantime, do you think that $2,100 is a good price for this Suhr Modern Satin? (also in another province. I cannot try it).They are selling around $3,000 at Reverb. However, I am confused by this shop selling it new for $1,999. Says list price $2,858.

http://www.mattsmusic.com/3Y4Q-prod.html

Is that an inferior model? I only see one model at the Suhr website, with options on Natural Satin or Black Satin, and 510 or Floyd

https://www.suhr.com/product-archive/archived-instruments/modern-satin/

And the Suhr website says Street Price $2,699 (it is weird that they sell them more expensive at Reverb)
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I think they were around $2000-$2200 when it first came out. But the price went up in the recent couple of years. They are great guitars!
 
The listing at Matt's Music is for a previously sold guitar. The only Modern they have in stock now is a custom color, beautiful, but $4,799.00.

I bet you'll love yours, congratulations!
 
My Suhr has arrived safe. I love it! It is a pleasure to play it :) :) :)

Suhr 01res.jpg

The only detail that could be improved for my taste is that I would have liked the FloydRose version, but for this price I cannot ask for more. I will release the tension at the tremolo a little bit, because now it cannot even pull up a semitone.

The previous owner sadly passed away a couple of weeks ago, and his wife is selling his gear.
 
I have adjusted the springs to get +1/2 tone at the 2nd sting and +1 tone at the 3rd string when fully rising the trembar, and I think that I am not going to miss a FloydRose at all. It stays in perfect tune after doing wild things :)

It sings beautifully! I still have to audition the new Factory Presets and the Austin Buddy Presets for Cygnus, but I do not feel the need to move from a simple preset with the Friedman HBE V3

BTW, it looks great after a treatment with beeswax, carnauba wax an orange oil
 
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Piing said:
I have adjusted the springs to get +1/2 tone at the 2nd sting and +1 tone at the 3rd string when fully rising the trembar, and I think that I am not going to miss a FloydRose at all. It stays in perfect tune after doing wild things :)

It sings beautifully! I still have to audition the new Factory Presets and the Austin Buddy Presets for Cygnus, but I do not feel the need to move from a simple preset with the Friedman HBE V3

BTW, it looks great after a treatment with beeswax, carnauba wax an orange oil
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NICE. I need to do that wax thing . I’ve found that trem to be very stable when tweaked right.
Congrats!
 
Now that I have completed the honeymoon with the Suhr Modern Satin Natural, I must say that my old and worn-out RG550LTD that I have been playing for 27 years has nothing to envy from it.

This RG even surpasses the Suhr in sustain on certain notes. It is like the Suhr has some micro-dead notes. Not as bad as the J-Custom that I had to sell, though

I've noticed this since the beginning, but I see it more clear now while learning to play Santana's Europa. That song has a couple of long sustained notes with the help of some feedback from the amplifier. The Suhr cannot get there, while the RG does it without effort at bedroom volume.

I have even used the trick of placing a small Bluetooth speaker behind the guitar body when sitting. It works with the RG (infinite sustain) but not with the Suhr (for that particular note only; it works for others).

I have wondered many times if all the RG550LTD are built with this mojo, or if I just have a lucky piece of wood. It has survived a J-Custom RG8550MZ, a JS2450, a JEM7VW and a S5470Q amongst others. I sold these more expensive guitars because they had nothing to add to the RG550LTD. I have never played a Standard RG550, so I cannot compare it

After countless pickup swaps, it currently has a Suhr Aldrich at the bridge and a Dimarzio Bluesbucker at the neck. I love this versatile combination and the 3 split positions of the Bluesbucker, one of them very P90ish

I have also replaced the bridge 2 times. Now it has a Floyd Rose instead a Lo-Pro Edge, only because one guy who bought it by mistake was selling it at low price. I don't notice any remarkable advantage or disadvantage comparing it with the Lo-Pro Edge. (edit: actually, it has one big advantage: I got rid of these annoying Teflon rings. I hate to have the bar loosen)

I am going to keep the Suhr, anyway. Not all songs require to sustain that specific note like that. And sometimes it is a pleasure to play a new guitar. I hope that some day it will make me feel like at home, like when I go back to my old RG 🙂


Suhr % RG550LTD.jpg
 
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If you are using the Floyd on the Edge studs (as in the picture) the knife edge is impeded slightly by the angle in the V of the stud which is too small. A simple fix is use a set a 1996 studs in to the existing bushings (they are the same, Gotoh make both). The 1996 studs have a different angle in the V and better accommodate the ground baseplate of the Floyd as opposed to the thinner more acute angled insert used in the edge and edge pro. If your trem is anything less than smooth in operation this is the reason. Oh and RG550 are almost alway great.
 
Andy Eagle said:
If you are using the Floyd on the Edge studs (as in the picture) the knife edge is impeded slightly by the angle in the V of the stud which is too small. A simple fix is use a set a 1996 studs in to the existing bushings (they are the same, Gotoh make both). The 1996 studs have a different angle in the V and better accommodate the ground baseplate of the Floyd as opposed to the thinner more acute angled insert used in the edge and edge pro. If your trem is anything less than smooth in operation this is the reason. Oh and RG550 are almost alway great.
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Thank you for the observation. I placed the Floyd over the old Lo-Pro Edge studs. I will have a look next time I change the strings.

I didn't notice much difference in accuracy, and it flutters like mad
 
Piing said:
Thank you for the observation. I placed the Floyd over the old Lo-Pro Edge studs. I will have a look next time I change the strings.

I didn't notice much difference in accuracy, and it flutters like mad
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It's probably fine then. Some older floyds won't work at all on those studs but newer ones are ground at a different angle.
 
Piing said:
Now that I have completed the honeymoon with the Suhr Modern Satin Natural, I must say that my old and worn-out RG550LTD that I have been playing for 27 years has nothing to envy from it.

This RG even surpasses the Suhr in sustain on certain notes. It is like the Suhr has some micro-dead notes. Not as bad as the J-Custom that I had to sell, though

I've noticed this since the beginning, but I see it more clear now while learning to play Santana's Europa. That song has a couple of long sustained notes with the help of some feedback from the amplifier. The Suhr cannot get there, while the RG does it without effort at bedroom volume.

I have even used the trick of placing a small Bluetooth speaker behind the guitar body when sitting. It works with the RG (infinite sustain) but not with the Suhr (for that particular note only; it works for others).

I have wondered many times if all the RG550LTD are built with this mojo, or if I just have a lucky piece of wood. It has survived a J-Custom RG8550MZ, a JS2450, a JEM7VW and a S5470Q amongst others. I sold these more expensive guitars because they had nothing to add to the RG550LTD. I have never played a Standard RG550, so I cannot compare it

After countless pickup swaps, it currently has a Suhr Aldrich at the bridge and a Dimarzio Bluesbucker at the neck. I love this versatile combination and the 3 split positions of the Bluesbucker, one of them very P90ish

I have also replaced the bridge 2 times. Now it has a Floyd Rose instead a Lo-Pro Edge, only because one guy who bought it by mistake was selling it at low price. I don't notice any remarkable advantage or disadvantage comparing it with the Lo-Pro Edge. (edit: actually, it has one big advantage: I got rid of these annoying Teflon rings. I hate to have the bar loosen)

I am going to keep the Suhr, anyway. Not all songs require to sustain that specific note like that. And sometimes it is a pleasure to play a new guitar. I hope that some day it will make me feel like at home, like when I go back to my old RG 🙂


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All of my Ibanez Edge bridges have had the arm/socket replaced with one like this:

https://www.stewmac.com/parts-and-h...os/floyd-rose-special-series-tremolo-arm.html

Or this:

https://www.allparts.com/collection...000-schaller-retro-tremolo-arm-for-floyd-rose

(I haven't bought one in a while and don't think they are FR Special).

The biggest challenge is to get the original socket out...

Been doing this for many years.
 
I think it might be a very nice find. I think the wiring is original. I have a Strat Ultra that I know is real, and the pickups are exactly the same on the back. It has the Wilkinson nut - another test of a Strat Plus or Ultra. It has the correct Sperzel tuners. Unless somebody went to an outrageous amount of effort to make that guitar look real, I am paying around $1500 to $1700 for Strat Ultras, that looks liek a reasonable Strat Plus. The pickguard does look too new, but are you buying this as a player or a collector? If as a player it doesnt matter. The bridge is correct.

I would buy it.


JB
 
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