For the working guitarist who needs a diverse palette of tones at their fingertips, the new Suhr Pete Thorn Signature Series packs a ton of sonic potential into its sleek double-cutaway body. Developed in close collaboration with LA session ace and YouTube gear guru Pete Thorn, this signature model aims to be the ultimate gigging and recording guitar.
Building on the foundations of the Suhr Standard, the Thorn Signature takes the chambered mahogany/maple body construction of that model and adds a pair of custom-voiced Thornbucker pickups. The result is a guitar ready to handle any style while always sounding great.
The first thing you’ll notice about the Thorn Signature is its classy, understated looks. The body shape echoes Suhr’s Standard and Modern models with comfortable contours and a sleek double cutaway. Our review model came in a gorgeous transparent black burst finish that shows off the guitar’s maple top.
It’s an amazing guitar
The five-way pickup selector is also uniquely configured, with the middle position putting both pickups into their inner coils only. This voicing delivers exceptional clarity and definition for chords and riffing. The outer positions offer the expected combo tones, with position four giving the full neck pickup’s warm jazziness.
Plugging into a tube amp, the Thorn Signature absolutely delivers the goods. The bridge pickup has plenty of oomph and grind for searing rock leads, while the neck pickup serves up smooth, singing tones. There’s also an impressive range of sparkly single-coil flavors available from the various tapped and parallel wiring options.
With a comfortable weight and excellent upper-fret access, the Thorn Signature feels fantastic to play. It’s equally at home just strumming some chords as it is wailing through a blistering guitar solo. This is the kind of guitar you could easily play a whole gig with and have the right sound for any song.
The Suhr Pete Thorn Signature Series is a smart collaboration between artist and builder, putting stage-tested flexibility into a great-playing guitar. While designed with Thorn’s particular style in mind, it’s versatile enough for any guitarist needing top-notch humbucking and single-coil tones. For the working musician or avid hobbyist, it’s an exceptional all-around electric that could be the last one you’ll ever need.
