# Suhr Modern Pro Series or ESP USA Custom Shop??



## AfroSamurai (Mar 21, 2010)

Hi guys, Im looking for a bolt on super strat guitar with a floyd, with fast thin and wide neck. I was thinking about getting a suhr modern pro series 







or a jackson dinky usa (no pics for this one) but then I saw this 






and now I cant make up my mind. All of the guitars cost about 2k, being the esp a little less. The thing here is that I havent tried a suhr nor an esp custom shop, so I cant decide which one plays "better". 

I know that there are a couple of suhr modern owners around here and I also saw a guy with one of this esp custom shop, so I was wondering if you guys can tell your experience with suhr (pro series) and esp (usa custom) and point the out the pros and cons of each. I know that probably the dinky will be the less awesome guitar of the bunch, but please rate it too.

Also, I will run the guitar through my axe-fx (if you guys need to know the "amp").

Thanks!


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 21, 2010)

I'm going to say, go for the Suhr. Every Suhr I played, both Custom and Pro, was absolutely amazing. The fret work was top notch, the hardware was great, the pickups were very nice, and the neck shapes were super comfortable. 

I'm not saying a USA Jackson, or CS ESP will not be any of those things, but I'd take the Suhr with it's passive pickups, Gotoh trem, and wonderfully shaped compound radius neck any day. 

It also comes down to which woods you prefer. If you're already a fan of Alder the Modern will deliver the goods.


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## yellowv (Mar 21, 2010)

Another vote for Suhr here


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## Bloody_Inferno (Mar 21, 2010)

...and another. Same reasons as Max.


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## Adam Of Angels (Mar 21, 2010)

I've never been impressed by a Suhr. The only thing that impressed me was the price tag... they're great, don't get me wrong, but in this case I say definitely got for the Custom Shop ESP. Their Custom stuff is absolutely ridiculous, and that guitar is fucking HOT


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## AfroSamurai (Mar 21, 2010)

Thanks for the replies!

Hey Adam, would you mind to elaborate why the suhr didnt impressed you? Also, can you tell me how the fretwork is on the esp?

Im more inclined to get the suhr because of the SS jumbo frets and the neck shape.

Keep the replies coming!


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## Adam Of Angels (Mar 21, 2010)

SS frets are always a plus and neck shape is important. For me, ESP has the most comfortable necks, it seems. The fretwork on Custom ESP's is about as good as you can get, in all seriousness. The only better frets I've seen are J-Custom frets, but those are actually a tad smaller than I usually prefer.

Suhrs have this godly reputation, and they're really nice, don't get me wrong. Its just that when I picked one up the first time I was expecting so much more. I wasn't blown away, and therefore I was let down. I've played many of them since and I think they're fantastic, but not worth $2500 or $3000 like they usually go for. I'd love to play some of the really high end models though.


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## sevenstringj (Mar 22, 2010)

If that's really a USA Custom Shop ESP, then go for the ESP. I had 2 USA MVs (still have one, needed money and sold the other ) and I really hate to admit that they're just as good as USA Jacksons. SWEET neck, supreme fit and finish, quality hardware. Plus those USA ESPs are extremely rare.

Personally, for the price range I'd go for a USA Jackson DK1. Just because I can't do without a forearm contour.


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## xtrustisyoursx (Mar 22, 2010)

Ever check out a Vigier?


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## Bloody_Inferno (Mar 22, 2010)

xtrustisyoursx said:


> Ever check out a Vigier?


 
 Those are amazing too.


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## AeonSolus (Mar 22, 2010)

Nolly and misha (bulb) own vigiers and i remember Nolly saying they're superior in terms of...EVERYTHING against Suhrs, I mean, Suhrs are killer, impeccable craftmanship, amazing neck feel, real good pickups, but Vigiers are all that x3!


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## adaman (Mar 22, 2010)

I had a chance to play two Vigiers at NAMM( pretty much the only two that weren't already sold) and they were both amazing! Out of the two I would take the Suhr, I just dont really get along with ESP. I have had a Eclipse II and a Ninja, and I ended up getting rid of them both.


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## budda (Mar 22, 2010)

I'd expect the CS to be built to the same or higher standard than the production model guitar. The ESP also has better upper fret access, judging by those pics.


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## Fikealox (Mar 22, 2010)

I'd go for the ESP. Customshop ESPs are amazing. Having owned a two (currently, a customshop Forest GT), and played a couple more, I'm confident that their fit and finish is flawless. Of course, when you're looking at guitars at this level it really comes down to bare preference instead of differences in quality. Personally, ESP necks fit my hand better than anything else I've played... but YMMV.

Edit: My CS Forest is the best guitar I've laid hands on, hand down. I deeply regret parting with the other CS I owned.


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## AfroSamurai (Mar 22, 2010)

Now Im really confused on what to do . Whats is killing me is that Im not able to play them first.

I think Im going to attend the dallas guitar show in april (2010 Dallas International Guitar Festival) and try to play every single superstrat I can. I think that most major brands are going to have a booth, so maybe I'll be able to decide after trying them out.

One more question for the suhr owners. How does the neck (modern elliptical 780-830) feel? From the specs it seems to be comparable with a dinky, but the asymmetrical shape may make it feel different.


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## vampiregenocide (Mar 22, 2010)

+1 for the ESP


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## ihave27frets (Mar 22, 2010)

Not a question, I have a brand new ESP custom shop sitting here in its case, unplayed, the reason it sits is because of Suhr.
























And being built right now..


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## vampiregenocide (Mar 22, 2010)

@Peter - Aren't all your Suhrs custom though?


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## ihave27frets (Mar 22, 2010)

vampiregenocide said:


> @Peter - Aren't all your Suhrs custom though?



Yes, But all Suhrs are built EXACTLY the same way The only difference between the custom and pro series is limited option.


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## yellowv (Mar 22, 2010)

That pink zebra stripe is awesome, Pete. Is it going to be relic'ed?


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## vampiregenocide (Mar 22, 2010)

ihave27frets said:


> Yes, But all Suhrs are built EXACTLY the same way The only difference between the custom and pro series is limited option.


 
Ah fair dooze, thats cool.  Your guitars are schweet. You have any 7s yet?


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## ihave27frets (Mar 22, 2010)

yellowv said:


> That pink zebra stripe is awesome, Pete. Is it going to be relic'ed?



Yeah, heavy relic'ed  That way I dont have to baby it


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## AfroSamurai (Mar 22, 2010)

Can you compare the neck on your modern with something I can try on a store?


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## ihave27frets (Mar 22, 2010)

vampiregenocide said:


> Ah fair dooze, thats cool.  Your guitars are schweet. You have any 7s yet?



Na, no 7 yet. Waitin on 2 six stringers right now, The pink bengal stripe and a flamed walnut setneck.


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## ihave27frets (Mar 22, 2010)

AfroSamurai said:


> Can you compare the neck on your modern with something I can try on a store?



Hmm.. Its hard to say, it has its own feel to it.. super comfortable. Maybe like a USA Jackson but not as round, a smoother transition across the back... if that makes any sense.


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## AfroSamurai (Mar 22, 2010)

ihave27frets said:


> Hmm.. Its hard to say, it has its own feel to it.. super comfortable. Maybe like a USA Jackson but not as round, a smoother transition across the back... if that makes any sense.



Sounds like a great neck! I think I'll go suhr. In the case I dont like it I can always flip it or sell it, though I really doubt that will happen.


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## D-EJ915 (Mar 22, 2010)

Suhrs are mad awesome but the straight headstock makes me want to poke myself with a rusty knife lol, granted I've only really played Fenders with them but not a big fan.


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## Bleak (Mar 22, 2010)

I have to say Suhr, too. My reasons are pretty much the same as everybody has said.

However - go with what you think is going to appeal to you in the long run. If the appeal of a Suhr is what you like, go with that. If you've been an ESP fan all your life, go with that. At that price range, it's really hard to go wrong.


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## budda (Mar 22, 2010)

If you buy a brand new suhr, I'm sure there will be a return policy.


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## sakeido (Mar 22, 2010)

Another vote for Suhr here. It destroys every ESP I've ever played right up to the $4500us Jon Donais sig, which is a handmade custom shop built guitar.. it also destroys the old ESP Custom Shop Steph Carpenter 7 string I had, but that isn't really difficult. That guitar completely sucked and thoroughly undermined my belief in the ESP custom shop.

The Suhr Modern neck feels very similar to a Jackson. No flat spot on it like an Ibanez, less U-shaped than ESP. It has almost the same fretboard radius as Jackson, and since it is PLEKed it is almost guaranteed it will kick a massive amount of ass. The massively huge SS frets play so incredibly smooth and are so level I haven't been able to change tunings on strings on my Suhr yet because I am worried about wrecking its playability.

No difference between custom and production Pro Suhrs - they are all handmade and PLEK finished. Pros just have a more limited set of options like Peter pointed out, biggest difference being you can only get matte finish in a few colors instead of gloss. Otherwise, you get two good fretboard wood choices and either a vintage or Floyd trem so that covers most of the bases.


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## 7slinger (Mar 22, 2010)

ihave27frets said:


>



omnomnomnomnomnomnom

...and to OP, sorry I've played neither so I have nothing to add but

omnomnomnomnomnomnomnomononnomomnoknoknoknonkoknokm


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## AfroSamurai (Mar 22, 2010)

7slinger said:


> omnomnomnomnomnomnom
> 
> ...and to OP, sorry I've played neither so I have nothing to add but
> 
> omnomnomnomnomnomnomnomononnomomnoknoknoknonkoknok m



I lol'd hard. And yeah, that guitar is hot .



sakeido said:


> Another vote for Suhr here. It destroys every ESP I've ever played right up to the $4500us Jon Donais sig, which is a handmade custom shop built guitar.. it also destroys the old ESP Custom Shop Steph Carpenter 7 string I had, but that isn't really difficult. That guitar completely sucked and thoroughly undermined my belief in the ESP custom shop.
> 
> The Suhr Modern neck feels very similar to a Jackson. No flat spot on it like an Ibanez, less U-shaped than ESP. It has almost the same fretboard radius as Jackson, and since it is PLEKed it is almost guaranteed it will kick a massive amount of ass. The massively huge SS frets play so incredibly smooth and are so level I haven't been able to change tunings on strings on my Suhr yet because I am worried about wrecking its playability.
> 
> No difference between custom and production Pro Suhrs - they are all handmade and PLEK finished. Pros just have a more limited set of options like Peter pointed out, biggest difference being you can only get matte finish in a few colors instead of gloss. Otherwise, you get two good fretboard wood choices and either a vintage or Floyd trem so that covers most of the bases.



Hi man, appreciate the input on the necks. I'll probably going to end up buying it without trying it put first, so its good to know the neck is comfy.


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## petruccirocks02 (Mar 23, 2010)

Pete, you need a Suhr Riot and Shiba to go with those blue and purple ones! Those are some sick axes!

-Phil


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## Daniel_S (Mar 23, 2010)

you could prolly just get an esp M-II for cheeper than the suhr
i played one the other day, the one with the maple board. it was super fun, with a wide neck. 
mind you if you have the money, and time, get the suhr.


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## adaman (Mar 23, 2010)

Daniel_S said:


> you could prolly just get an esp M-II for cheeper than the suhr
> i played one the other day, the one with the maple board. it was super fun, with a wide neck.
> mind you if you have the money, and time, get the suhr.




But why get an M-II when he could get that ESP Custom Shop?


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## ihave27frets (Mar 25, 2010)

petruccirocks02 said:


> Pete, you need a Suhr Riot and Shiba to go with those blue and purple ones! Those are some sick axes!
> 
> -Phil



Already got a Shiba, waitin on a Riot now


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