Suhr Custom Standard

Sonic Evaluation

The koa top on this Suhr Custom Standard may be mesmerizing in its beauty, but don't get it twisted: there ain't nothing nice about this guitar, and I mean that in a good way. Oh sure, it might sound sweet and open when you play softly, and it might have a beautiful sparkle when you play through a clean amp, but those are mere smokescreens, like a bully swearing up and down that he's on the straight and narrow to the teacher when he knows full well he'll go back to stealing lunch money the second authority figures turn their back. This guitar commits felonies against other guitars, and it has no remorse.

In more concrete terms, that all means that this guitar has devastating bass response capable of causing small earthquakes if you dial your EQ in correctly. It also means that it snarls like a cornered junkyard dawg that hasn't been fed in two weeks, and that it has a lush, sparkling high-end. Beyond that, its articulation, clarity, and balance are superb, giving this guitar the best of both worlds when it comes to vintage vs. modern. The bridge pickup is bright, punchy, and open, and the neck pickup is beefier than a bag full of In-N-Out double-doubles. The in-between positions have a lovely bell-like single-coil quack, and the middle position jangles like nobody's business.

If you're looking for a beautiful guitar with a heart full of pure malice (but that can play nice when it wants to), check this koa cuti from our friends at Suhr out!

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