Scott Henderson Discussion

[AlexThanos]

Hi Scott, Alex from Indonesia here we met during your last TT gig there .
I had an orange Suhr SH few years back. So today i received the new seafoam green one with all the mods. Pretty expensive compared to my first one almost double the price. I love all the nee mods to it.

But...i noticed they didnt set the G to go up to B note so i had to set it up myself i thought that was part of the mod. No big deal though i can set up pretty well.

What bummed me out though was that this is my 7th Suhr and my most expensive one. Right when i was turning the back screw to adjust how much the bridge pulls i notice paint cracks in the corner w white paste im assuming its super glued to keep the cracks from getting worse. Now i love Suhr guitars and a big endorser but looking at this quality control over a top signature series is kind of a bummer. Do u know if this is normal Scott and can you help mention to John cos i dont wanna send it back n wait long to get it im in singapore but i dont know if this is gonna be a problem in the future.

Im writing to u Scott cos u know im a big fan of yours and i saw another post w SH Suhr guitar problem i thought i’d bring it up to u and get your opinion on it.

Check it out :

[img]url=https://postimg.org/image/bk4ca5aez/][/url]






What do u think Scott is this a concern? Thx so much!

[Scott Henderson]

Hi Alex, this is just my opinion so please don't let me make the decision for you. Some people would send it back, but personally I don't care about that kind of stuff. Some of my Suhrs have paint cracks where they drilled those big screws in. To avoid that, they could've drilled the holes bigger, but I think they want those screws to be super tight for obvious reasons. I've also got paint cracks just like yours in the same exact places on some guitars but not on others.

Those paint cracks never got any bigger so they don't bother me, but my situation with Suhr is different than yours - you paid a lot of money so if those paint cracks really bother you I'd send it back.

[AlexThanos]

Thank you for the advise Scott. Yeah i was just bummed seeing as i dont see them on any of my cheaper Suhrs and i get em on this really expensive one...kinda reminded me of something you would find on a chibson or some fake chinese knockoffs.

I guess i fell in love w the guitar enough to close one eye on it my concern was those paint chipping off, the chips spreading and suddenly i gotta send it back plus pay for a repaint etc

But ill take your word for it that its on some of yours and it didnt spread. Im a player not a collector/dentist so it already sounds good i dont wanna hv it replaced n hv it come back sounding different....which has happened before.

Oh and its funny it sounds really different than my first non roasted neck Suhr SH that u signed when u met me ...even sursprisingly the neck size feels really different. The newer one had less width n felt smaller in my hands. Did you hv the new neck size carved a different size?? The new one sounds waaay better for some reason...aside from the glue its a gorgeous sounding and feeling guitar im really happy w it .

[Scott Henderson]

I haven't noticed any changes in the necks over the years - the specs are the specs and don't change. You're right about sending it back for a re-paint - that could change the tone, so if you like the sound I'd live with the paint cracks - they're pretty minor.

[AlexThanos]

Thx Scott yeah ill just be careful w the back and try not to wreck it.

Regarding the neck size, yeah thats what i thought too but its sooo different the moment u pick it up u instantly feel it. Both me and the dealer was surprised. I didnt feel as much shoulder on the new one. But i like it so doesnt matter just wondering how thats possible.

Thx for all the great ideas on this guitar im just blown away a couple artists tried it during rehearsal they were blown away and one started saving for it lol.

Hv a great one Scott pls come to singapore soon my daughter is wondering why she only watches u on tv and never see u anymore 😄

[AlexThanos]

Another thing Scott, i know the guitar is supposed to be ‘lightweight’ as advertised. It felt heavy and i just weighed it and its a staggering 3,9kg without the armbar attached. Thats 8,6pounds!!!!

What are your thoughts on this?

[Scott Henderson]

That's too heavy for sure - you'll need to turn up the mids on your amp a little more to make up for it.

My Suhr guitars weigh from 7 pounds 8 ounces up to 7 pounds 14 ounces, which is two ounces shy of 8 pounds. My favorite ones are lighter, but I had to wait for them. Alder isn't light like it used to be - Suhr buys the wood and can't afford to throw it away. I asked for a light guitar last time and waited over a year for a light piece to show up. Gibson makes their Les Pauls light by drilling big holes in the wood under the top. That's just how it is these days - no one can guarantee you a light guitar unless you specifically ask for it and are willing to wait.

The only issue I have is with the ad, which says "Body weight is important to Scott, so we take great care to procure Alder that will produce a guitar that is close to the weight of Scott’s actual instruments."

What can I say? 8.6 is not close to the weight of my guitars. Nevertheless, let your ears be the judge, not a scale. If you don't like the way it sounds, return it, but keep in mind that the guitar I used on Tore Down House and Dog Party was a Fender re-issue which was very heavy - I put good pickups in it and that really helped.

I'll talk to the guys at Suhr about the ad.

[AlexThanos]

Yeah thats what i thought. Would you keep it then? I wrote to Suhr CS and got the template ‘it happened during transport. What are your thoughts on this?’ answer. I wrote on Suhr forum n got nothing. I brought it up on TGP cos John is there and im getting bashed but finally got John’s attention. I hv no doubt he’ll make it right.

Im just wondering how that kind of paint flaw and weight left the factory. I want to be ok with it but theres so many red lights here. Why did you personally choose lightweight over heavier ones tonally?

I mean i bought it for your opinion and functionality of what a good Strat should be. Sending it back to get another one is another big gamble. Thx Scott, really appreciate your honesty and advise on this!

[Scott Henderson]

The weight of the most sought after vintage strats is about 7 and a half pounds - 7 pounds 8 ounces. I like them a little heavier than that because there's more bass. The heavier the body, the more bass and less mids. When a strat gets over 8 pounds, there can be a loss of mids. I honestly don't know what to tell you - like I said, my Dog Party guitar was really heavy but it still sounded great.

When Suhr gets light wood and makes a guitar for me, they usually make 5 and I pick the one I like the most. It always surprises me when 5 guitars of approximately the same weight and exact pickups and hardware sound completely different from each other. I'm not positive that it's about the weight as much as just getting a great chunk of wood - and also the neck makes a huge difference in the tone.

I can't tell you what to do in this situation but the bottom line is the sound. If you like the sound, keep it, but if you think it could sound better on a second try, return it.

[AlexThanos]

Thx Scott this info is really useful. I love your TDH and Dog Party tone alot. I also love the seafoam green on your MI video and Equinox.

Can i know what the weight difference between your white Suhr and the green one that youre known for? I definitely hear quite a bit of difference .

So if im into more TDH and Dog Party album this 8.5 lbs guitar would get me closer to that? Where does it get too heavy that it shouldnt be used? Im really considering just keeping it i feel bad for John, my dealer, you, the whole experience got a bit weird i was supposed to be on honeymoon with it

[Scott Henderson]

The seafoam is 7 pounds 9 ounces. I don't have the white one anymore - it was around the same weight but it was a very trebly guitar for some reason - which goes back to my last post - every guitar body and neck sounds a bit different.

It's really hard to answer your question in any kind of scientific way. I used a Matchless amp on Dog Party and a 1968 plexi Marshall on Tore Down House. Just about any strat would sound good through those amps. I'm not sure you'd be able to tell the difference because you can EQ amps to make up for differences in the tone of guitars. The only way you'd absolutely know for sure is to compare your guitar to a lighter one, with the exact same pickups and hardware, through the same amp in the same room - otherwise it's just a guess. My advice is to take your guitar around and compare it to other strats - at least you'd get some kind of idea about where your guitar sits EQ wise.

[Scott Henderson]

I'm posting here because you deleted the first thread you started on the Gear Page, even after John asked you not to, and the second thread is closed for review.

I mean no disrespect, but you should've cleared this up with John and your dealer before starting a public discussion about it. It was a simple mistake - your order sheet was missing the word "lightweight". I talked with John about it, and apparently he's making you a new guitar. That would've happened without making this into a public matter. John takes care of his customers. I don't know the order in which all this went down, but it might be partly my fault because I forgot to tell you - John puts an extra "pickup" in the SH model to make it noiseless. It weighs 5 ounces, so your 8 lbs 8 oz guitar actually weighs 8 lbs 3 oz. That's definitely in the ballpark for a great sounding guitar.

About guitars and weight, I read comments on the Gear Page from a few people who obviously don't know shit about tone. The weight of a guitar absolutely affects the tone, but how those tonal differences affect the player is subjective and not worth arguing about because different players have different needs. My experience is that strats which weigh somewhere between 7.5 and 8 lbs sound the best. (.5 = 8 oz) Many players, including Mike Landau, also believe this. Over 8 lbs can cause a lack of mids, and under 7.5 can cause a lack of bass. This isn't perfect science, and with wood it never is because every piece of wood sounds a bit different, but if I had to choose between a 7 or 8 pound strat I'd pick the 8 because nothing is worse than a guitar with no bass.

If your thread becomes open again, I'll post this there.

[AlexThanos]

Hi Scott, thanks for following up on this. Yes i closed the first thread because it was getting out of hand. It wasnt my intention to have people being pro or against John ive been Suhr user for 10 years . I was only bringing up the subject to get clarification on the whole matter since when i wrote to Suhr Customer Sevice i was only told the paint issue happened during shipping and no solution was offered.

So yes i checked and rechecked my guitar weight and its 3.8kg or 8.37 pounds or 8 pounds 6 ounces. It is definitely heavier than any classics ive owned especially the old Suhr SH. I felt the old Suhr SH had that mid and airy top end. This new one did hv more bass and not as airy top end but it wasnt bad. I used it a few times i didnt feel like the mids were horrible.

Do you suggest i just keep this one then? With the dummy pickup it would make this a 8 pounds 1 ounce guitar.

Ive spoken to John privately as well and clarified it with him. What do you think Scott?

[AlexThanos]

And another thing is i read on the gear page that John said he would not let guitars out above 8 pounds with everything included. Thats why between the paint chips, weight over 8 pounds, etc i wasnt sure that i was getting what i paid for.

End of the day i bought the guitar based on my trust in your experience and John’s. If you say ‘keep it Alex thats no problem’ and since John already said its on the heavy side but im getting more bass for it (though he did say he wouldnt let the guitar out with that paint issue) .

So they offered to build me another one thats light i asked for between 7 pounds 8 ounces to 8 pounds but not lighter that 7 pounds 8 ounces. Should i wait for that one or is this one fine being 8 pounds 6 ounces?

Just to go record Suhr did follow up and is solving the issue. I wasnt sure how i was gonna get that without bringing the subject up on TGP where John is. Its in the process of getting it resolved.

[Scott Henderson]

I guess your decision should be based on whether you're using it for recording or planning to make it your main guitar on stage. I own a bunch of different Suhrs ranging from 7 lbs 15 oz (that's just one oz shy of 8 lbs) to 7 lbs 6 oz. For recording I like having guitars which sound different from each other. A friend of mine just bought a Landau signature Fender and he brought it over to compare with my guitars. We came to the conclusion that it sounded the most like my heaviest guitar - which sounds huge BTW, and I'll definitely be using that one on the new album.

My seafoam guitar is my favorite guitar for the stage, but I've never recorded it because my stupid 57 seems to like the other guitars better. I have no idea what that's about, all I know is that the seafoam's bass/mid combination seems to be the best for the stage. However, I've only made those comparisons at my house and the Baked Potato - in other rooms, my other guitars might sound better. Confusing isn't it?

Since I can't hear your setup, I can't possibly know if a guitar with more or less bass/mid is right for you. OK Alex, I've gone beyond my call of duty on this one. You're on your own.