Not impressed with Suhr or their dealers (a rant)

And this is why i own both Suhr and Fractal products, both industry leaders in my eyes, and both are grounded enough to give that little bit extra to please the customer. Many other companies do not and would not
 
On behalf of the entire team at Suhr, we want to publicly apologize to JMA for the issues surrounding his build. As previously noted in this thread, we have reached out to some others to apologize and we feel that we owe JMA an apology too. Building a custom guitar should be a time of fun and excitement, and we are very sorry that it has turned into a source of frustration for you. There are many things that may delay the build of a custom guitar, but one thing that we never want, is for our communication to lapse with our customers. Our customers mean everything to us, and we are nothing without them! Please accept our apologies in that we let you down in this regard. From this point forward, we will strive to improve in our communication with you so that you do not feel out of the loop. We are thankful that you have not cancelled your order and we ask that you please continue to communicate with us regarding your build. We will do whatever we can to restore your confidence in Suhr and make things right.

I appreciate you taking the time to publicly respond. The majority of my problems from the outset were caused by either miscommunication in the details or no communication at all regarding the progress of the build (very frustrating), and an unrealistic estimate on the completion date given by the dealer. From the beginning, I had no problem waiting as long as necessary as long as I know what's going on and the order isn't just sitting there collecting dust. To some it may appear that I'm now being overly critical and negative, but given the history of this project let's just say I'm not taking anything for granted or assuming everything is progressing as expected.
 
I care

Well guys, just came back from vacation and was alerted to this.
We are not perfect as much as I strive to be. Creating a company where everyone has some serious options and direct connection with the shop has been a daunting task but it is working, we are growing exponentially every year. This requires changes to our infrastructure as well as serious investments to try and iron out any issues of the growth we are having. Having been in this industry since the 70's I can assure you no company is exempt from these issues. The difference is in how we all try to deal with them. There are many reasons for hickups when they happen and yes many times it is our fault. All I can ask is that my crew does their absolute best to make things right for the customer and that we learn from the experience. I welcome customer criticism and complaints especially when they are sent to me so I have a chance to find the complaint. You can call me anything you want, I have been called a tool and many other things over the years. I can assure you the one thing that would be incorrect is to say I no longer care and don't do my absolute best to take care of my instruments and customers. Fortunately most of the complaints I find have been multiple posted and brought up many times and are not new complaints. I am very familiar with the situations brought up on these threads and know the customers by name. We try to make things right, usually we succeed but do have a few losses just like any company out there. The only thing I can promise you is we get better ever day striving for the day of a perfect experience. I'm easy to to reach. We have reinvested in to our company every year since day one and are constantly working on ways to make the experience easy and painless for everyone involved. I still believe we make some of the best playing guitars available and have some of the best service out there. Otherwise I would be playing something else personally. If someone has an issue please don't hesitate to contact me directly. Don is the best customer service rep I have ever experienced and a huge asset to the company. He will also do everything possible to correct any issue.

Funny side bar
Flight to my destination, they run out of food 1 row in front of my family. On the way back exact same thing happened. This is Delta, you would think they would have figured that out. Shit happens but when I tried to talk to the attendant about why ? I get a dumb silent stare. That is something you won't get from us.
 
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Be glad you didn't order a CS Jackson, their build times are 2+ years if you are a Joe off the street. (End product is usually excellent, as I'm sure most Suhr's are.)

Ordering a custom guitar there are so many points of possible mix ups and problems. You wish they wouldn't happen to you, but the law of averages says it could happen to anyone. All it takes is one person to drop a 250K pot in a 500K pot box at a workbench and your guitar now has an incorrect volume pot. Obviously not a show stopper, but it isn't 'exactly what I ordered'.

What separates the wheat from the chaff is how fast and properly the company deals with the issues. I don't own any Suhr products but judging from their response here, it looks like solid company. Lots of players I respect say they are good instruments so I'm inclined to believe them.
 
A few years back, I went to the old Tone Merchants shop to watch Guthrie Govan play. While I was waiting to observe the stupefying Govan I spotted John Suhr making small talk with spectators who approached him; however, in between conversations he was grabbing Suhr guitars from the wall and checking them over--he took time to examine each guitar, from the fit and finish to their basic setup. I watched him examine quite a few guitars and adjust the relief of a few necks-with what appeared to be a wrench from his pocket. I know it seems like a minor occurrence/observation, but I gained a significant understanding of Suhr's commitment to his brand. Even after a long day of the Namm show and being in the middle of an event where impressive endorses we're celebrating his craftsmanship, Suhr made time to check each guitar that bore his name.
 
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All my Suhrs have been custom ordered and I have never had a problem.

As a matter of fact, I have a new one in the oven (hope to have it by end of summer)

Suhr Order
January 16, 2014
Classic

  • Chambered
  • Alder (lightweight)
  • Black (front and back)
  • No scraped binding
  • AB face an side dots
  • AB logo
  • Roasted Maple neck (no gloss, non-tinted)
  • Original headstock
  • Rosewood fretboard
  • Even C medium .840” - .920”
  • 1.65” Nut width
  • Black Tusq nut
  • Side jack
  • SSC
  • 9 - 12’ compound radius
  • 5-way blade, volume, tone, tone
  • Single, single, hum
  • V 60 single coils (middle, neck) with Black covers
  • SSH (bridge, black)
  • Gold hardware
  • Tortoise pickguard
  • Gotoh Vintage Trem (6 screw, solid saddles, steel block, Non-recessed)
  • Suhr locking tuners (same as 17384)
  • Medium SS frets
  • Hardshell case (black classic)
** Added spec: Coil Tap (all positions on 5-way must be silent

To me it sounds like the dealer is an idiot and you should actually write a note to John Suhr himself.

Suhr makes some of the best guitars on the planet so I would not be put off because you dealt with an idiot.

One more thing -- the dealer said 3 months -- he is full of shit. 6-9 months is the average for a custom Suhr depending on what the dealer currently has in the hopper (store vs client) and if he can take one of his store slots and give it to you -- if not you jump to the end of the line based on what the next available slot is for the dealer (which could push you into the following year).

As always - ordering custom suhrs is well worth the wait.

Ordered Jan 16, 2014 -- arrived today - July 22, 2014 (7 months)

check this bitch out - overwhelmingly impressed!!!!


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That's a beautiful guitar! Not sure why it takes 6-7 months to make such a thing, but I am sure it was worth the wait. OUtside of this thread, I've heard nothing but good things about their work.
 
That's a beautiful guitar! Not sure why it takes 6-7 months to make such a thing, but I am sure it was worth the wait. OUtside of this thread, I've heard nothing but good things about their work.

It does not take 6-7 months to build a custom guitar. You just have to wait in line for your turn.
 
Well guys, just came back from vacation and was alerted to this.
We are not perfect as much as I strive to be. Creating a company where everyone has some serious options and direct connection with the shop has been a daunting task but it is working, we are growing exponentially every year. This requires changes to our infrastructure as well as serious investments to try and iron out any issues of the growth we are having. Having been in this industry since the 70's I can assure you no company is exempt from these issues. The difference is in how we all try to deal with them. There are many reasons for hickups when they happen and yes many times it is our fault. All I can ask is that my crew does their absolute best to make things right for the customer and that we learn from the experience. I welcome customer criticism and complaints especially when they are sent to me so I have a chance to find the complaint. You can call me anything you want, I have been called a tool and many other things over the years. I can assure you the one thing that would be incorrect is to say I no longer care and don't do my absolute best to take care of my instruments and customers. Fortunately most of the complaints I find have been multiple posted and brought up many times and are not new complaints. I am very familiar with the situations brought up on these threads and know the customers by name. We try to make things right, usually we succeed but do have a few losses just like any company out there. The only thing I can promise you is we get better ever day striving for the day of a perfect experience. I'm easy to to reach. We have reinvested in to our company every year since day one and are constantly working on ways to make the experience easy and painless for everyone involved. I still believe we make some of the best playing guitars available and have some of the best service out there. Otherwise I would be playing something else personally. If someone has an issue please don't hesitate to contact me directly. Don is the best customer service rep I have ever experienced and a huge asset to the company. He will also do everything possible to correct any issue....


^^^This... is a big part of the reason I own several Moderns... John and Cliff have similar customer service philosophies and it's good to know who's at the helm. Hey, I've spent my HARD earned cash on their products!
 
That's a beautiful guitar! Not sure why it takes 6-7 months to make such a thing, but I am sure it was worth the wait. OUtside of this thread, I've heard nothing but good things about their work.

It does not take 6-7 months to build a custom guitar. You just have to wait in line for your turn.

Exactly this. People seem to forget that they're not the only one a a builder is working for. It may only take me 30 minutes to make a humbucker, but it might take me a week or two to get to it, among all the other orders that are placed.

I waited ten years to receive a guitar. See my recent NGD thread. I knew it would take a while because it was a "free time" trade deal, so it wasn't an issue... but as they say, good things come to those who wait.
 
If any of you guys want an amazing of the shelf SUHR super guitars, get a Modern Satin HSH configuration, it is one of the best guitars i have played in my humble 23 years of playing. Superb instrument, completely flawless and extremely expressive.

Since that encounter i had with one of those modern satins i have already started to save money to get one! its a no brainer for me.
 
I have owned PRS, EVH, had a Carvin built, Fender, Charvel, Fender, Gibson........... My two Suhrs are the best hands down. Every note is perfect on them. Customer service is top shelf as well! I will someday have a 3rd and maybe a 4th built. The key is when you opt for the shop who makes claims they can't back -3 month build. Once they tell you that they will not just start being straight shooters. I know there was more to the story but to have the Suhr folks chime in to the thread like this....you will be taken care of my friend!
 
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I have a lot of respect for all Suhr products but there's simply no way an apology, discount or a pedal will make things okay. They might be a band-aid for the wound but it still leaves a scar.

When promises are being broken and then validated by simply explaining their own mistakes it is in fact a confession that their company is not perfect and they have problems in building their products. There is no way around that. "We're dealing with organic materials" etc. are not the customer's problem. They shouldn't need to know this. Simply don't make promises you can not keep. Promising a quick build is false marketing and if you don't keep your marketing promises the deal is a scam. Sorry but made in USA does not change that. You are still people just like everyone else.
 

Holy crap, Clark -- you know I love ya (best IRs out there!) but you should either tune and/or set the intonation on the guitars before doing a comparison like that. The Petrucci was terribly out of tune (or the intonation was off). That said, I appreciate your approach of letting the guitar speak for itself.
 
Suhr for the win every time. John and Cliff should get together and have music babies.

Not every companies founder will answer a thread personally (on the other side of the internet), Suhr cred has just cranked up another notch.
 
Holy crap, Clark -- you know I love ya (best IRs out there!) but you should either tune and/or set the intonation on the guitars before doing a comparison like that. The Petrucci was terribly out of tune (or the intonation was off). That said, I appreciate your approach of letting the guitar speak for itself.

More like I should plan what to play. :D I'm still embarrassed about the random noodling I do there. About the tuning though... I was doing crazy trem bar stuff to prove how they keep tune. So that shows that the EBMM wasn't as good at it as the other ones were. :D But seriously they're all perfect for that.

About the Suhr thing. Personally I don't like the fact that they don't have their own designs. To me they make copies of Fender and Ibanez but in the US by hand so they cost more. Kind of doesn't make a lot of sense if you really think about it. But they sound great.
 
I have a lot of respect for all Suhr products but there's simply no way an apology, discount or a pedal will make things okay. They might be a band-aid for the wound but it still leaves a scar.

When promises are being broken and then validated by simply explaining their own mistakes it is in fact a confession that their company is not perfect and they have problems in building their products. There is no way around that. "We're dealing with organic materials" etc. are not the customer's problem. They shouldn't need to know this. Simply don't make promises you can not keep. Promising a quick build is false marketing and if you don't keep your marketing promises the deal is a scam. Sorry but made in USA does not change that. You are still people just like everyone else.
There's the Clark we all know and love!

So, there is no way to make it good then. That's clear. Or is there? A highly public admission, apology and promise to make good by the owner and director of the company is not sufficient to give it a chance? What is? What are you trying to achieve? Just curious...

Thank heavens most my scars did heal. I'd be an orc if they hadn't.
 
There's the Clark we all know and love!

So, there is no way to make it good then. That's clear. Or is there? A highly public admission, apology and promise to make good by the owner and director of the company is not sufficient to give it a chance? What is? What are you trying to achieve? Just curious...

Thank heavens most my scars did heal. I'd be an orc if they hadn't.

When it's the 5th time you get the same apology with the same explanation it loses its value. I have no agenda besides trying to say that an apology doesn't fix things. The need for a public apology on a forum after already posting one in the email sounds like a business decision to me but I guess that is justified.

But hey... I'm not the victim here. My favorite pickup are the Suhr V60LPs that are in my FENDER Strat. They sound amazing! Check it:

 
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