Suhr Limited Standard Legacy

Back In the Day

Wildwoodians, let's take it back for a moment. Back before John Suhr opened his own guitar company, doing all the fret and finish work himself. Before he was a Masterbuilder at the Fender Custom Shop, before he conquered the amp game with Custom Electronics, before he wowed Mark Knopfler with a signature model (still called a Pensa-Suhr at the time). Back to when John Suhr was a guitar repairman at Rudy's Music in New York, a twentysomething kid experimenting with building guitars, and he decided to make a super HSS guitar to gig with out of some Schecter and Tom Anderson parts. Here, the story of the Limited Suhr Standard Legacy (and to some extent the story of Suhr guitars) begins. That proverbial One Guitar (sing it with me now!) was the first chapter in one of the greatest stories in all of six-stringdom, and now our friends at Suhr have decided to pay homage to it with a spectacular run of Standard Legacy guitars inspired by John Suhr's first Standard. Let's dive in and see what makes it such a fitting tribute!

Setting the Standard For Tone

The Suhr Standard Legacy sets a sky-high standard for tone and playability thanks to its resonant tonewoods and powerful electronics. The Okoume body has a similar profile to mahogany but is a bit more robust and full-bodied. On top of that beastly body wood sits a thick slab of maple, which enhances high-end response and sustain a bit. Within that gorgeous body lay two EMG SA single-coils and an EMG 85 humbucker, a set of electronics that, if you're not careful, could set cities aflame with rock and roll!

The EMG 85 is a refined beast of a pickup. Though it's often found manning the neck position metal machines (and it can certainly please even the pickiest heavy metal warlord with its high-gain response), it can do all sorts of things. It has plenty of midrange muscle and punch, and it attacks with a pleasing snarl, but it also has a capacity for refinement. Like all good active 'buckers, it's supremely articulate even and balanced, but it has a warm, organic quality because of its lower output.

The SA single-coils are equally delightful. They have a vintage-style warmth and fullness but with a dose of modern high fidelity. The middle and neck positions are open and sparkly with plenty of bite, and the in-between positions have pleasant vocal quack.

All in all, each position sounds like a classic tone that has undergone a bit of studio magic to come through more clearly. The Suhr Standard Legacy sounds like it's been produced in the room, and that makes it a tremendously inspiring tool.

Fabulous Fit, Finish, and Feel

Of course, Suhr has acquired a reputation for their sky-high build quality over the years, and the Standard Legacy reflects that with its supreme playability, gorgeous cosmetic appointments, and other features for the discerning modern player. The slim even C-shaped neck plays like Crisco-coated lightning, the compound radius allows for easy chording and lead play, and the stainless steel frets can take a licking and keep on ticking. Cosmetically, the flamed maple top is a stunner, and the vibe is enhanced by the gold hardware and black headstock (the Pelham Blue model has an opaque finish over the maple top and a matching blue headstock, which is pretty sick, too!). All in all, it's a picture of elegant perfection for the eyes, and it feels utterly addictive.

Full Circle

We're proud to present the limited Suhr Standard Legacy, a fitting tribute to Suhr's humble beginnings that brings it all full circle. We have no doubt it will inspire you to forge a musical legacy of your own!