Artists Who Play SUHR Guitars
Suhr are a brand built on taste and quality. Consistently brilliant, their instruments, amps and pedals all embody the ‘no fuss, maximum performance’ ethos of brand creator John Suhr. With a backstory that includes significant input into Pensa-Suhr, Custom Audio Engineering and Fender Custom Shop, John Suhr is a man to whom figuring out the mysteries of great musical gear is an artform.
Unsurprisingly, Suhr has attracted a number of ferocious playing talents to their gear. Some are household names, whilst others are player’s players. All of them are exceptional musicians, and today I aim to highlight a few of these artists. Many - but not all - of them have signature guitars too, so we’ll check those out as we go along.
Suhr Artists at a Glance
Ian Thornley
The Big Wreck frontman must be one of the world’s most underappreciated players, not to mention singers! Big Wreck are a huge deal in their native Canada, but it’s almost as if places like the UK simply don’t pick up on their unique blend of hard rock and Beach Boys-inflected songwriting. It’s a shame, because they never tour over here as a result!
As I mentioned, the Berklee-trained main man Ian Thornley is an amazing talent, and he has long been a convert to the ways of Suhr.
(Pic courtesy of Big Wreck)
In fact, Thornley’s had at least three different signature models now: a JM, and S and now a Classic T. Since he is a monster of a player, he needs good technical specs such as a 16” fingerboard radius and stainless steel frets. Because he’s also a tone nerd, he needs great timbers and pickups, so his most recent signature guitar boasts an H-S-H configuration of handwound Suhr pickups and a pretty unusual combination of tonewoods: African okoume for the body, with a mahogany neck and an ebony fingerboard.
In fact, Thornley is such a Suhr guy, he also uses their Hedgehog amp, too! You can read more about it all in this exclusive Ian Thornley interview.
Andy Wood
Andy Wood is an up-and-coming name in guitar circles. A native to North Carolina but brought up in Tennessee, Wood actually started out as a champion mandolinist, and toured the Bluegrass scene for years before picking up a guitar!
Since then, he’s certainly made his mark on the ol’ six-string, with a number of top line collaborations (Scott Stapp, Sebastian Bach) and four solo instrumental records to his name.
Andy has a signature Suhr Andy Wood Modern T, which sports two humbuckers and a tremolo, the perfect spec for versatility.
Pete Thorn
Is Pete Thorn the ultimate rock sideman? Currently on tour with the SATCHVAI band, it takes a confident player to share the stage with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai! Pete’s got it covered, and has also enjoyed memorable stints with other legends such as ex-Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell.
Pete’s a consummate ‘guitar person’ and his YouTube account is filled with enthusiastic gear demos, great backing tracks and deadly playing. He not only has a fleet of Suhr signature guitars (the gold Pete Thorn Standard? WANT!), but also has a signature amp, the Suhr PT-100. What a guy!
Mateus Asato
YouTube favourite Mateus Asato is well known for his tone and touch. He is a good example of the type of player who has found fame and influence online, rather than gigging around the world and releasing albums.
It’s hard to believe, but Asato has been with Suhr since 2013, and has both a Classic S and a Classic T with his name attached. Depending on the model, you can find special Suhr M.A.T. pickups onboard, or a pair of Lollar gold foils, or indeed a custom alnico humbucker and two V63+ units in the Asato HSS Classic S guitar.
Like his guitar playing, Asato’s guitars are all about refinement and taste.
Reb Beach
Reb Beach is one of those great underrated rock players. Get this: he is currently lead guitar for both Whitesnake AND Winger! He co-founded Winger with vocalist Kip Winger back in the 80s, and is also the longest serving Whitesnake member who isn’t David Coverdale.
Impressive! The ex-Berklee guitarist has also played in Alice Cooper’s band, and is a noted session ace as well. In earlier times, Beach was an Ibanez artist, but has played Suhr for decades, and has a very tasty signature model available in two variations.
Doug Aldrich
Another Suhr-loving member of the Whitesnake alumni is American guitar great Doug Aldrich. Currently playing with the Dead Daisies (replacing Richard Fortus, who went back to Guns n Roses), Aldrich has played prominently with Whitesnake, Dio, House of Love and Lion (who you’ll know from the 1980s Transformers The Movie!).
With Suhr, Doug has developed a range of signature pickups, which are in fact the highest output pickups Suhr make. Rock!
Guitar Player’s Guitar Players
One thing that all of these musicians share in common is that they are guitar player’s guitar players. They gravitated towards the Suhr brand because they have recognised that same excellence in Suhr that they’ve cultivated within themselves.
Suhr are definitely a connoisseur’s choice, but on top of that, they are some of the finest music making tools available. Top musicians require top quality equipment, and Suhr fulfill this promise with understated confidence.
