THE GEAR HUNTER Suhr Guitars

John Suhr knows a thing or two about tone. Hey, the guy oversaw repairs at Rudy's Music in NYC, modded amps with Bob Bradshaw, became a Senior Master Builder and launched his own admired brand

- BY AMIT SHARMA

VERY FEW NAMES in our industry command as much respect as John Suhr's. His creations are widely considered to be world-beating manifestations of design and craft colliding at the highest possible level, sitting at the ultra-boutique end of guitar manufacturing. As a result, he's recruited some of the most respected names in the business as signature artists, from Guthrie Govan and Scott Henderson to Reb Beach and Mateus Asato. He's even managed to infiltrate the world of pop; earlier this year at Coachella, Lady Gaga was seen playing one of his Classic T models.

Suhr was making a living as a cook in Manhattan when he got the opportunity to handle repairs at legendary NYC guitar shop Rudy's Music. Eventually he started building his own instruments, which led to a stint at the Fender Custom Shop in the mid-Nineties as a Senior Master Builder. Two years later, he launched his own company, and the rest is history.

Perhaps one of the most impressive things about Suhr's wealth of knowledge is that it's not limited to guitars; he's also designed and produced pickups, pedals and amps, making him one of the most encyclopedic minds in the game, not to mention well-versed in all things tone. Almost three decades on from launching Suhr Guitars, he's rightly proud of how far he's come as an independent builder. He's also very excited about the road ahead.

Take us back to the beginning of your journey with guitars.