The Suhr Classic is a thoroughly professional instrument, carrying many features which will make the life of the working guitarist much easier. These features include:

• Locking tuners, with staggered posts - fast string changes and tuning stability;
• Rolled fingerboard edges - comfortable for hours of playing;
• Gotoh 510 bridge - tremolo arm pushes in, but the player can then screw it in to eliminate any risk of it falling out;
• V60LP pickups - hum-cancelling circuity that works without the need for a battery, and staggered polepieces to ensure even response across the strings;
• Stainless steel frets - will almost never need replacing;
• Compound radius fretboard - ease and comfort all the way up the neck; 
• Contouring of the body -there are no edges to dig in to the player, sitting or standing;
• Tusq nut - tuning stability and tone;
• Large strap buttons - not straplocks, but large enough to keep your strap in place.

Visually, this is unmistakably a stratocaster-derived instrument (the founder of the manufacturing company started out at Fender), and the Surf Green colour is one of the great colours from 1960s instruments.

It sounds like a strat too, with the response from the pickups just as you might expect as you adjust the controls. It is currently fitted with steel strings, which give a modern, slightly  sharp-edged sound. Fit nickel strings for a softer, classic tone.

The playability will be familiar to anyone who is used to a stratocaster - this has the same scale length and control layout. The action is pro-spec - about 1mm at the 12th fret on the treble side, and 1.5mm on the base side.

This example is in almost unplayed condition, and comes complete with original documentation and accessories. We are unable to detect any marks to the finish, and there is no fret wear as may be expected with stainless steel frets. A new example will be virtually indistinguishable from this guitar, but at the time of writing is likely to cost £400-£600 more.

If you are a working musician who needs the sound, playability and visual appeal of a stratocaster, but you want more pro-spec features, this instrument could be your go-to guitar for years to come. If you are a home player or collector, and you want something in the strat vein but distinctive, you may discover that this instrument has so many interesting things going on that it deserves a place in your collection.