Suhr Andy Wood Modern T Guitar Review: Classic Muscle With A Modern Twist

This week we are checking out Andy Wood's signature series Suhr Modern T guitar. With a roasted maple neck, stainless frets, brushed metal pickguard, and thornbuckers...it's going to be awfully hard to go wrong. Killer specs and another great looking guitar from Suhr. Let's take a look.
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[@andywoodmusic]

and no cuts because it changed the tone. it wasn't a look or feel thing, it was totally a sound thing, and the push pull is series parallel.

[@andywoodmusic]

great tones and great review! glad you enjoy the guitar :)

[@TheGuitarPit]

Sure did, classy and killer sig model man. Love it. Thanks for dropping by!

[@Eventual420]

Suhr is one of the few guitars you can feel comfortable buying sight unseen. Always exceptional.

[@TheGuitarPit]

I think you might be right. Every single one I've played has wow'd me. Someone already wants to buy this one so I guess I better start looking for the next Suhr :)

[@rp9187]

Very good review, good job!

[@GuitarHack66]

I dig that guitar's look and sounds great. Nice review! Cheers

[@TheGuitarPit]

Yeah, this is good all around :P

[@AkiraSpectrum]

Beauty guitar. I love the black Ash with large pores and the pickguard/scratch plate tops it off perfectly.

[@TheGuitarPit]

Yeah the scratch plate is off the charts. Love that the control cover lines up perfectly and just looks insanely well put together. The ultra thin satin top is next level too. Stellar guitar for sure.

[@coleyounger3701]

awesome Review....my next axe for sure!

[@TheGuitarPit]

Thanks! Yeah I really don't think you can go wrong with this thing. Thornbuckers, roasted maple, metal plates, all the usual Suhr stuff...crazy cool.

[@notyerbrother2228]

Awesome review.

[@TheGuitarPit]

Thanks man!

[@oldguysguitarvlog183]

Beautiful guitar. Wow. Sounds amazing, too!

[@TheGuitarPit]

So sleek and minimal in a cool way. Almost industrial too. Love it!

[@MitchHaman]

Really nice looking guitar Chris. I love how the wood grain looks with the flat black.

[@TheGuitarPit]

Thanks Mitch! Super cool and clean. Good mix of old and new going on with this thing.

[@joeschultheiss]

Great video! I've got an Ibanez AZ and have been thinking about switching out the pickups for Thornbuckers. Since you've reviewed guitars with both of these pickups, could you give me you opinion on the differences? I see you like the Thornbuckers a lot so like do you think it would be a big upgrade, or just a different flavor? It seems like the general sound is kind of similar but I'm looking for more dynamics/touch responsiveness but still sounding good with some gain, which sounds like the Suhrs do well. I just don't want to go for them if its only going to be a slight change. Its just tough to tell from only videos! Thanks!

[@TheGuitarPit]

My AZ was HSS, and I didn't own it at the time I had the Suhrs. I remember thinking the AZ sounded pretty good, but I doubt I'd prefer it to thornbuckers. I just put thornbuckers into a Vigier in my most recent video, so take a listen there for some more examples of how they sound. It's worth noting (and I mention this in the new video) is it really costs a lot to buy and install them. I'm not sure you'd be better off if you spend ~$500 upgrading an AZ. That money is effectively lost, you might have better luck buying a Suhr with thornbuckers already installed and selling the AZ? kzbin.info/www/bejne/hqSsgZJoos16aKs

[@joeschultheiss]

The Guitar Pit oh great I’ll definitely check that video out then. That should help. I understand where you’re coming from with getting a Suhr, and I’ve considered it but I’m happy with the Ibanez overall, just not as much with the pickups. But spec wise it’s pretty much perfect for me so getting a Suhr would be almost like getting the same guitar, but I’d honestly spend more money overall by losing money in selling the AZ and a thornbucker equipped modern would easily be $2500 I’d imagine. I’m looking at Suhr and bare knuckle pickups either way and since I would install them myself I’m just planning on around $300 for it. Thanks for the reply by the way!

[@robertclarkguitar]

Killer guitar man. Damn!!!!

[@TheGuitarPit]

Sure is! 9.8/10 since no arm contour :P

[@jackflynn8616]

I have this guitar. The neck is radius is flat, but they definitely did plenty of R&D. The reason flat necks can feel awkward (to some) is because our fingers don’t barre at 90 degree angles, the multiple joints cause them to curve like a quitter neck. But this is definitely not something I noticed a problem with. The back of the neck is like glass. Regular maple can sometimes get sticky, but this neck, on either side doesn’t. Often using a toothbrush lightly will get lint out, or even smaller teeth cleaning tools (plastic) and air cans work. Thornbuckers are basically less muddy PAFs. So you can actually hear what’s being played melodically. They put a lot of time into a guitar that can definitely sell for more. Great review, good job, Andy and Suhr.

[@Oilid]

Sure Suhr for sure sir!

[@PooNinja]

Si Sir

[@TheGuitarPit]

For suhr bruh

[@Oilid]

:)

[@stevebumstead9840]

I agree with the lack of belly cuts and the location of the switch. for this kind of money I expect these things. Great video!

[@TheGuitarPit]

Yeah, minor details but overall the thing plays and sounds incredible so I'm not complaining too much :)

[@andywoodmusic]

i don't enjoy the tone of a tele once it starts getting chunks of the body removed. therefore no belly cut. also the switch is where a traditional switch is, i grew up on teles and wanted the switch where im used to.

[@JasonHobbsGuitarist]

I will own this one too ☝️ I love the fact that they don’t change it from being a Tele at heart. My whiskey barrel is one amazing guitar.

[@BrianSGuitars]

Stunning guitar! Still can't believe you let the Friedman hardtail go, but this might be cooler than that even!

[@TheGuitarPit]

Oh I'll be getting another Cali hardtail, trust me haha. This looks cooler but the cali was more comfortable :)

[@scottroberts3801]

I did the same thing . Didn't know who Andy Wood was until I heard someone talk about the guitar, then I looked him up. He's pretty good player, and I'm not a tele fan but that one sounds great.

[@TheGuitarPit]

Yeah he rips. I don't love teles either but if there was ever a tele I'd like, it'd be this one.

[@perkocet.4084]

Love that guitar! Reminds me of a Jim Root tele

[@TheGuitarPit]

Yeah it does, now that you mention it. I haven't tried one of those but I dig the look.

[@ajpeagle]

The jack socket is the "electro socket" a replacement for the regular tele style to solve all of the issues associated with that design, best tele style available.

[@TheGuitarPit]

Very cool! I noticed Friedman uses these jacks pretty often as well. No problems with it, and I think it looks kinda neat too.

[@94Shredder]

What is that trans blue guitar with the Floyd in the background?

[@TheGuitarPit]

It's a Harley Benton Fusion-II HH EB Aqua. Review coming in a bit!

[@RickRomanelli]

That's a very nice fiddle, Chris. If I did not share a budget with another person, I'd be in the market for something of that quality. Or, if I were not such a hoarder who can't even sell a $300 guitar for fear he'll always regret it. You're a great player, Chris.

[@TheGuitarPit]

Thanks for the kind words Rick. You can always replace guitars. "It's just stuff," as they say :)

[@tysonhatch]

Oh hell yeah it sounds amazing man! Great buy. Bet your glad you did it! And if you ever want to sell; you know where to find me!

[@TheGuitarPit]

Thanks for the tip man! Killer guitar. And just lemme know and it's all yours. I'll sell anything I own lol.

[@tysonhatch]

@@TheGuitarPit: wellp; I convinced myself. I will message you on reverb

[@chrisgrabowski2678]

Thanks for the heads up on the fret work. I love jumbo, stainless steel frets. Nice guitar. I was unaware about the pores. PS: didn't know you were a one man band!

[@TheGuitarPit]

Suhrs SS frets are the best I've used for sure. Love em. And yeah...I need a drummer haha. Or I should at least learn EZdrummer haha.

[@cablo73]

Played the hardtail version last week, absolutely killer piece of gear, smooth neck, different from the only telly I can play my (the Mex made Jim root telecaster). The suhr has a meatier neck profile but less shoulder and make soloing smoother, The neck is the winner, in the same league as the Ibanez andy timmons At100 and the Japanese made Ibanez AZ. Vey light, there is no back belly contour but it does not hurt my ribs. It happened that the one tested mounted 011 therefore it was super stiff, the pickup had great dynamics but for my liking I will choose HH and tremolo variant.

[@TheGuitarPit]

Yeah very cool. The neck on this is amazing. But agreed, 11's are tough for me to play. I think I have 10's on this one at the moment.

[@andrewsantos3283]

Whoah ! That's a killer guitar.

[@TheGuitarPit]

Clean build, huh? Love these damn Suhrs...

[@andrewsantos3283]

The Guitar Pit yeah. Best of both worlds. Vintage design with a modern feel. Congrats man !

[@michaelweldon1127]

I too will have to look up the playing of Andy wood. I tuned in to see why the late great mother love bone frontman was getting a signature tele style guitar. 😉

[@TheGuitarPit]

Wow, very good call. Didn't even occur to me that they had the same name. Crazy!

[@guitartube5822]

Is that a Harley Benton hanging back there? I’d be interested in that review, given their low cost

[@TheGuitarPit]

It is! Picked it up the other day for $299. Figured it'd be worth a shot to review since it's SO insanely cheap.

[@guitartube5822]

That's great haha, look forward to it. I have heard decent things, a $300 guitar to take around as a beater that is also a really good guitar is never a bad thing!

[@colepetersonmusic]

About the Tele control layout - I’ve never even noticed it being too close. I’ve heard lots of shred and more modern construction guys complain about it. Is the exact issue rolling the volume up and down? When I play my Tele, I use my pinky to run knobs and the closeness isn’t even an issue. Guitarists like Greg Koch use their pinkies to do volume and tone swells in the Tele and it sounds super cool! Nice video! I’m patiently waiting for you to get another Friedman or Suhr in!

[@TheGuitarPit]

I'd say the issue is when I want to move it from the bridge to anything else, I can't just use the regular thing I do. I have to loop a finger around it. Not a huge deal but seems like a very easy thing to fix lol.

[@colepetersonmusic]

The Guitar Pit understood! Also, I just scored a Suhr HSS Classic Pro from 2007 for $1650. I partially blame you, but also thank you for reviewing a guitar that piqued my interest but I’d never seen in person.

[@tonlarj37]

Hey Chris! Great review, as always! Cool guitar too! For whatever it's worth, I happen to watch Jeff Kiesel's Q&A last night and they're doing roasted necks now... also introduced a new headstock that has kinda between a Suhr and the AZ vibe. They make a "Solo" Tele style guitar with a tummy cut... could get similar looking finish and have several options on neck profile and radius. I did a little mock build with similar specs... added $240 for Thornbucker's and the price of custom metal pickguard and plates I'd have to have made... came out to be around $1700... give or take a little. That would be a worthy option if anyone is into this guitar but not the price. Suhr's are freaking awesome guitars! However, every Kiesel I've played has been as good as every suhr on the quality and fret work.... for half the price. Just saying. If I was set on one of these, but not the $$? I'd go Kiesel with the above specs over an AZ. Unless, people just hate Kiesel. ;)

[@TheGuitarPit]

Ha, I saw the new headstocks. They seemed a tiny bit goofy but I think they'll grow on me. It's like Vigier + Suhr or something. Glad they finally caved to roasted too, it's a cool look. And it's crazy $1700 will get you there. That's damn good for sure. I wish they rounded their SS frets a little more, but I can't complain about Kiesel quality at all. They're top notch!

[@tonlarj37]

The Guitar Pit interesting.... my Kiesel Guitars frets are rolled and tapered as good as any Suhr or any high end custom shop I’ve played. I wonder if they’re slightly inconsistent and I just happen to get the top guy do the guitars I have? Lol Question: Are you sure you saw the new headstock? Jeff said yesterday was the unavailing... no one had seen them yet. They’re not on any of the Delos models yet... except the 2 they unveiled yesterday.

[@tonlarj37]

The Guitar Pit yeah... I just checked again. Jeff said he didn’t have it at NAMM because it wasn’t ready yet.

[@TheGuitarPit]

Think so! This is what I saw online: instagram.com/p/BuIBUogBQxH/ Got an up-close shot of your frets on your Kiesel? I'm curious. Not that mine have ever been bad, but they just felt kinda straight over. They weren't sharp though. But didn't seem very rounded off.

[@tonlarj37]

Did you see the live feed yesterday?

[@bradleystroup1457]

If you really dig it, I hope you find a deal on a suhr modern t. It'll give you what you're looking for that the Andy wood doesn't already have

[@bradleystroup1457]

I did see this which may interest you www.ebay.com/itm/Suhr-Modern-Plus-HSH-Electric-Guitar-Bahama-Blue-/132936868267?_trksid=p2385738.m4383.l4275.c10

[@TheGuitarPit]

Ah very cool. I was plenty happy with the regular Modern too, so I could go either way.

[@jjcaine5225]

Would you rate the suhrs above the musicman guitars? Sadly, there's no suhr dealers here. The only ones you might come across are used and still have crazy prices. Did get to play a Classic T once from 2009. Not a T stlye guy myself. I hate slab bodies. After fives minutes I totally forgot it was T stlye. But it was still too pricey. I'm generally sticking to musicman guitars because so far they seem to be the best built guitars that are available here. The suhr dealers here are in the UK. I don't like buying a guitar without playing it first.

[@TheGuitarPit]

I love Music Man guitars, but I'd say Suhrs feel higher quality than MM guitars in general. That might be just because Music Mans have a small neck and feel a little small in general, but they're obviously really nicely made guitars. I loved my Luke III, so it's hard to say.

[@FrumpyPumpkin]

Beautiful unicorn.

[@TheGuitarPit]

:) I agree.

[@ArnoVdVelde]

I get why someone wouldn't be into it, but I love the red one.

[@TheGuitarPit]

Ha, fair enough! The red and gold is tough for me, but even then I still think that guitar looks cool. It's just a clean build with cool lines and neat materials.

[@FrankThaThird]

The no contours isn’t necessarily a look thing, a lot of players that enjoy teles, say it just does not feel the same, “right”, for them. You could argue the other modernization aspects such as the heel contour or the 24 frets, should do that to, but it is what it is.

[@TheGuitarPit]

Yeah I totally get it. Just isn't my personal favorite, but I'm sure plenty of people feel exactly the opposite.

[@khalaziafaqih367]

Cool

[@TheGuitarPit]

😎

[@Greuh]

Is this a HB Fusion I see? :)

[@TheGuitarPit]

It is! I'll have a review in a week or two.

[@Greuh]

@@TheGuitarPit Can't wait

[@michaeldiamond76]

that is a nice looking tele but yeah the flat fretboard is a head scratcher

[@TheGuitarPit]

Andy Wood seems to pretty much play it all, so maybe it helps when he's in shreddy territory. 16" isn't THAT bad but I do prefer a little rounder, personally.

[@JasonHobbsGuitarist]

Andy is a mandolin guy, mandolins have a flatter radius, so its closer to home for him.

[@apostolispaspalakis2627]

There is another company that makes guitars like suhr's at half the price. Gordon Smith. Gorgeous guitar BTW

[@TheGuitarPit]

Haven't heard of them. Looks like a UK thing, because there are only a couple available in the USA on Reverb...and the shipping is really high. Looks like they make a lot of Gibson style stuff?

[@toddflowers8052]

I like it ,thanks for the demo ! I take it black is your favorite guitar color ? Happy hunting !

[@TheGuitarPit]

For guitars I tend to go black, white, or blues. I'm not a big warm color guy, so I usually avoid red/orange/yellow stuff when possible.

[@toddflowers8052]

@@TheGuitarPit I thought maybe it was an easier resale .

[@darkestfugue]

very nice but a lot of money, im beginning to see my ibanez az wasnt that much in comparison to something like this, you can argue the pickups are better but how much better when i seem to be able to get what i want from them, the fret job might be better but really the fret work on the ibanez is hardly bad, i gave my les paul a go at a show the other night and had a sore back the next day, it really is an awkward beast, the AZ will never win a beauty contest but its a well thought out guitar that really works as a versatile player, love the finish on the Suhr though

[@TheGuitarPit]

The AZs are a good value when you're comparing to retail Suhr prices. I'd say to compete fairly with Suhr it'd more be like a modern satin, which is at least around the 2k mark. I love the AZs too though. I think you can't go wrong with either, to be honest. Both are great, versatile guitars.

[@megostryder]

Killer guitar. way out of my league but goes to show Suhr consistantly knocks it out of the park. 16 radius is a bit much...I ordered the GH3 with a 14" and i'm a bit concerned about how I'll like it- will find out soon. otherwise not a tele guy but that looks so cool it could win me over. Great demo on the sounds. very versatile for sure. but the price? ouch! I wonder how close you can get with a Kiesel solo or johnny hiland model? Simply order the satin finish and have a custom pickguard made and then swap the PUs---I bet you'd still be a ways from $2k.

[@TheGuitarPit]

Yeah it's a home run but a couple details aren't to my personal taste. But these Suhrs continue to impress me. Check out Larremore Music's comment below. He said he spec'd out a similar thing at Kiesel and it'd be about $1700. Not bad!

[@WhiteLotus88]

Sweet guitar. Wait what? Is that a Universe on the wall?

[@TheGuitarPit]

Sure is! kzbin.info/www/bejne/gWrPqnuZgNBkrq8

[@WhiteLotus88]

@@TheGuitarPit Ha, not sure how I missed that video. Never thought you'd own a Floyd 7-string. Carry on good sir.

[@thebuddybud]

One of my dream guitars. Edit: until I saw that it has no contours. Nvm then lol

[@TheGuitarPit]

You are dreaming in the right direction! Killer guitar!

[@andywoodmusic]

the tone isn't as traditional with belly cuts. sound was most important to me.

[@TheGuitarPit]

@@andywoodmusic What an insanely bad ass sig model. Congrats man. Thanks for stopping by :)

[@a64tbird]

I guess the first question is who's Andy Woods?

[@TheGuitarPit]

He's a monster! kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYa9fJKHob5njKs

[@PooNinja]

Carving a belly cut into my Harley Benton is one thing taking a file to a Suhr not gonna happen 🙅🏽‍♂️

[@TheGuitarPit]

Fire up that chainsaw!

[@BLSrock]

6:43 I bet he's said that a few times.

[@TheGuitarPit]

Ha when I was editing this, I saw that part and thought "yup, that'll get a comment lol."

[@MK4vDubbin]

A firm toothbrush with some basic dish soap and water would easily clean that id bet!

[@TheGuitarPit]

Yeah, this guitar may need an occasional tooth brushing :P

[@jc23858369]

If you still have this guitar and you are thinking about selling it, let me know….

[@jimkiousis]

This guitar is a shred monster. It's made for ease of soloing and not power chords.

[@TheGuitarPit]

Yup. Doesn't look it, but sure feels it.

[@jimkiousis]

@@TheGuitarPit yeap, 16 inch radius and above is solo heaven. Some J Petrucci had 17 and Jimmy Herring had a strat with 20 inch. Like nylon /classical guitar.

[@troyl200]

Use a toothbrush and warm water.