Suhr Modern Plus or Mayones Duvell Elite or Caparison?

[oremus91]

They all have pretty different "feels", I would go with the one you like the vibe of the most. Suhr Moderns are a middle ground forward take on traditional specs, the Capa and Mayo are more typical thin neck/flat radius/etc. Also from a value perspective (as a US buyer) Caparisons these days are pretty close to the boutique US brands like Suhr and Tom Anderson, which along with my preference for more delicate feel would lead me back to Suhr/TA personally if I could only pick one, but its just a preference. All 3 seem to make exceptional stuff, and I drool over Caparisons all the time.

 

[NCASO96]

I will add my .02 as well.

I’ve owned a 2010 Caparison dellinger II, a mayones Duvell elite and still own a Suhr modern.

The Caparison was the cheapest feeling between the 3. Very disappointing for a 2500 dollar guitar (at the time). Played similar to a good Ibanez prestige but not any better IMO.

The mayones was on a higher level for sure. Built great and excellent fretwork. I personally couldn’t bond entirely with the neck profile (noticeable shoulders on the neck) and the hannes bridge. It also sounded a bit cold to me. Like it really only felt at home doing monuments typed music lol.

I love my Suhr. The quality is top notch and it plays fantastic. I’ve owned many high end guitars from many different makers and it’s one of my faves from over the years. Plus, they stand behind their guitars should anything go wrong as you would see in my thread about my customer service/repair experience with them.

If you want a straight metal guitar check out a mayo. If you want a metal guitar that can also hang with a change of mood check out a Suhr.

i chose the Suhr... i'm very moody

 

[NCASO96]

 

[MetalDestroyer]

Chili pepper

 

[Musiscience]

View attachment 124580

Oh that’s stunning! I’m sure you’re going to love it.

 

[NCASO96]

thx

Oh that’s stunning! I’m sure you’re going to love it.

thx bro

 

[FitRocker33]

My first Suhr was a chili pepper modern pro that had a top almost exactly like that one but it had a maple fretboard. That was my sellers remorse guitar that brought me back to them.

If You don’t care for the SSH+ in the bridge give the Aldrich a try, it sounds killer in these

 

[Fred the Shred]

Correct color scheme chosen. I approve!

 

[NCASO96]

My first Suhr was a chili pepper modern pro that had a top almost exactly like that one but it had a maple fretboard. That was my sellers remorse guitar that brought me back to them.

If You don’t care for the SSH+ in the bridge give the Aldrich a try, it sounds killer in these

THX for the advice.. .i had a set of Alrich in an E-II Eclipse.. and wasn't that impressed honestly.. but maybe they would sound better in this? The SSH+ sound pretty good through my EVH iconic....

but you may have sow a seed of doubt in me...

 

[NCASO96]

 

[NCASO96]

question... this Pau Ferro board... feels a bit dry... ok to hit this board wth lemon oil?

should be fine correct?

 

[Musiscience]

question... this Pau Ferro board... feels a bit dry... ok to hit this board wth lemon oil?

should be fine correct?

That's what I did with mine and it worked just fine!

Also suggesting this: https://www.doctorsprod.com/product-page/fret-doctor

 

[groverj3]

My first Suhr was a chili pepper modern pro that had a top almost exactly like that one but it had a maple fretboard. That was my sellers remorse guitar that brought me back to them.

If You don’t care for the SSH+ in the bridge give the Aldrich a try, it sounds killer in these

I must've had your Suhr's twin. Bought used. Fantastic guitar. I just decided I didn't want a maple fretboard and after a year of playing it less than it should be I resold it.

 

[Steinmetzify]

i definitely think it's worth him to seek out a Caparison, maybe via Sweetwater or wherever with a return policy, assuming of course he doesn't have very specific specs that a Caparison doesn't hit (things like nut width etc). In my experience, and with people I've talked to, Caparisons are pretty much a love/hate thing-and I'm one of the lovers like you Fred haha...I just have pretty much only heard "they are my favorite" or "they are overpriced" with nothing in between.

This. I’ve owned a Suhr and currently own a Caparison (which is my #1 and has been for over a year) and just prefer Caparisons.

I really wanted a 1 pickup 1 knob guitar with an ebony board and smaller SS frets and even tho an ESP M-1 was close it didn’t hit everything and the Cap did.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Caparison to anyone. All that said, you as a human might enjoy a Mayones or Suhr more.

As echoed above, try all these guitars if you can. Any of their models are pretty close in specs and represent their companies well.

EDIT: I posted end of pg 2 and didn’t realize you’d already chosen. Nice specs sir, top is nasty. Hope it serves you well!

 

[groverj3]

Can't really go wrong with a Suhr!

 

[MoistTowelette]

I've only had one Caparison but it kinda turned my off from the brand. It had a floyd and the standard floyd nut was not flush with the neck so I could feel the sharp corners from the binding. It was also completely dead sounding acoustically with 0 resonance and was incredibly bright, even with different pickups. I love Mayones but it's hard to beat a Suhr quality and feel wise.

 

[Sermo Lupi]

As stated before though, earlier Caparison guitars are not as consistent as what I've found after they found their footing and current management, so if you're in the second hand market, do be mindful of that - there were some fantastic guitars back in the beginning, but also a non negligible number of "eh..." instruments.

Had some 2005-2010 caparisons and not a huge fan. CL14 was a better guitar and felt more quality for sure, but still something couldn't jive with about it.

I'm surprised to hear late 2000s and early 2010s was an establishment period for Caparison, given that the brand goes back to 1995. Is pre-2005 equally hit and miss in your guys' view?

Caparison has always been on my list of guitars to try, I can just never find them. 20 years of going into shops and they clearly are rare as hen's teeth in all the areas I've lived because I've not seen a single one in that time.

Per the original prompt, though, I wouldn't expect Caparison to be on Suhr or Mayones' level when the comparables I've always heard for the brand were USA Jackson and ESP. Still a high bar, obviously, just not in that boutique circle of brands.

 

[BeyondAntares]

I will add my .02 as well.

I’ve owned a 2010 Caparison dellinger II, a mayones Duvell elite and still own a Suhr modern.

The Caparison was the cheapest feeling between the 3. Very disappointing for a 2500 dollar guitar (at the time). Played similar to a good Ibanez prestige but not any better IMO.

The mayones was on a higher level for sure. Built great and excellent fretwork. I personally couldn’t bond entirely with the neck profile (noticeable shoulders on the neck) and the hannes bridge. It also sounded a bit cold to me. Like it really only felt at home doing monuments typed music lol.

I love my Suhr. The quality is top notch and it plays fantastic. I’ve owned many high end guitars from many different makers and it’s one of my faves from over the years. Plus, they stand behind their guitars should anything go wrong as you would see in my thread about my customer service/repair experience with them.

If you want a straight metal guitar check out a mayo. If you want a metal guitar that can also hang with a change of mood check out a Suhr.

I agree. I'd say the Suhr is at the top with regard to build and quality. Mayones at a close second and finally caparison.

I had a Mayones Qatsi Deluge or the pricer Duvell and just couldn't gell with the guitar. Build quality, fretwork and the pickups were amazing but just not expressive enough for me. Not completely off mayones, I'll definitely try to find a Hydra VF7 to experience their take on the headless fanned fret concept.

Having played metal on super strats and extended range guitars for 20 years, I'm planning on getting Suhr Modern for the experience.

 

[NCASO96]

I appreciate the responses, and learning from your experiences with these brands.

Around a year or so ago I had the chance to pick up a "like new" MJR Caparison @ my local GC... I love the guitar and the player so I was pretty excited @ the $2500 price tag...

The guitar was setup terribly and the guitar tech who I know wasn't in that day, so I really couldn't justify dropping that $.. It was kind of underwhelming.

I went down the rabbit hole with a YJM Stratocaster (upgrading the bridge, tuners, etc.)
2X!!! over the years... That ship has sailed. I guess now that ship has burned?

The Mayones/Duval (the only one i could afford in the $3.5-4k range, seemed very 'metal" to me, but I recently picked up a Jackson Soloist USA, that i'm really happy with as my go to metal axe. I didn't want the hassle of buying one and possibly returning it to a CA boutique guitar shop.

I had 3 "mid range" guitars that i decide to part with Charvel DK, LTD JM, and Jackson Gus G San Dimas, to help fund this next purchase.

I'm very impressed with the Suhr Modern. The build quality is just perfect. Fit and finish is spot on. This is a hard rock/metal guitar, but the tones and versatility are very impressive. Playing this guitar clean is really something special. A very lyrical, bright, articulate and harmonically intelligent instrument. You can actually coax more tones out of it... just a really expressive instrument.

Overall I wish it were easier to take some of these guitars out for a test run. In the past i've ordered guitars to my local GC and returned them via the 40 day return policy.
After you do that 2 or 3 times, they start to get pissed at you.

Some shops on Reverb have been great with returns: Safe Haven Music, Alto Music..

 

[fantom]

I own a Regius and 2 Caps. Never played a Suhr.

What is the criteria you care about? The neck profiles and body sizes are rather different. It likely comes down to how much the design agrees with your personal preferences. I would disagree that the Mayones is "more metal". To me, the Caps play and sound more suited for metal. The Mayones kind of has a more generic feel to it.

My advice if you can't play first: for a thin neck, go with Mayo. For a regular neck, Caparison (caveat, it isn't a C profile). Buy something with a return policy. You can find a used Horus for under $2k, and it is worth it IMO.

Now some controversial opinion: Mayones is like the PRS of Europe targeting the thin neck (Ibanez) market. They make beautiful guitars. They have better aesthetics and are well built. The balance is great, but the body is larger and heavier. Because they have some prestige, they jacked prices to the point that buying one from US doesn't make much sense anymore.

Caparison is its own thing. The neck profile is U/D and gradually becomes C. It's more like a Fender than an Ibanez. They feel more like 80s or 90s superstrats. The sponge paint jobs are meh to me. The Horus is more like a Fender body and the TAT is more like a smaller Regius. Both of mine have exceptional playability with extremely low action. Both have the PH-R pickups. In one guitar they sound fine, but in the other they sound weaker and thin (and very clear). The one that sounds weaker sounds pretty comparable to the Mayones (which has BKP nailbombs).

I have also played an older TAT II briefly and I can understand why the older guitars get a bad rep. The neck was far too beefy to find it comfortable (thicker than a PRS Pattern neck).

If it were me buying another guitar, I'd go with a Caparison Horus or try a Suhr Modern.