SuhR Custom | 2025 Suhr Custom Gear at
Chicago Music Exchange!
New Suhr Custom Guitars, Amplifiers, Pedals & More—Now at Chicago Music Exchange!
With over 40 years of experience building custom guitars, amplifiers, and effect pedals, John Suhr is one of the world’s finest luthiers, and the gear produced by his team at Suhr Guitars is among the most desired on our showroom floor and website! Whether you’re looking for a unique take on a classic design, a truly forward-facing axe that is built to wow, a hand-built amplifier, or a pedal that kicks your tone into high gear, Chicago Music Exchange is YOUR destination for all things Suhr Guitars!



The Scoop on Suhr
In the mid-'80s, John Suhr began building custom guitars under his own name and that of his employer: Rudy Pensa of Rudy’s Music Shop in New York City. Soon, the connection between Suhr and Pensa led to the “Pensa-Suhr” brand of guitars, which have been wielded by the likes of Mark Knopfler, Peter Frampton, and Eric Clapton! In 1991, Suhr left NYC to work with Robert Bradshaw to design amplifiers and designed the Custom Audio Electronics 3+, most notably used by Steve Lukather. Finally, from 1995-1997, John served as Senior Master Builder at the Fender Custom Shop, gaining a unique perspective on some of the most classic guitar designs. In 1997, he opened Suhr Guitars, making custom guitars to order, with unflinching attention to detail! That dedication to detail and fanatical craftsmanship persists today with John’s expanding team!
SHOP SUHR CUSTOM GEAR ARRIVALSA Lineup that is Suhr-ly the Best!
With a complete lineup of guitars, amplifiers, and effects, every player can find the Suhr gear they will love! Gigging professionals and enthusiastic amateurs alike will love their Suhr guitars for player-centric features like the Silent Single Coil System II pickups and Suhr’s proprietary locking tuners while appreciating each design’s nod to some of the most iconic designs ever created. This includes the new limited Classic JM! For the first time, the Classic JM is now available with jazzmaster-style pickups and appointments, including a Mastery bridge and vibrato.
QUICK SPECS
- Built in the USA
- 127 programmable presets
- Built-in smart Tap-Tempo
- Engineered on four re-issued versions of the renowned MN3005 bucket-brigade analog-delay chips
- Soft clipping limiter for infinite feedback and oscillations
- Use in ANY set-up with MIDI In & Out/Thru
- Switchable true-bypass or buffered-bypass
- Incudes an 18V DC power supply
A Custom Shop Par Excellence
Of course, one of the best things about Suhr is the ability to bring our wildest guitar-related dreams to life using their Custom Shop! With tops and tonewoods that were hand-selected by our team and a plethora of options, you can rest assured that each Suhr Custom guitar is a world-class instrument! “Every piece of wood they have is the best of the best,” says Daniel Albert, CME’s Product Manager in charge of Suhr guitars. “There is never a doubt in my mind that the guitar on paper is going to be a world-class guitar when it arrives.”
Suhr offers solutions for every part of your rig, from custom guitars to modern love letters to classic amplifiers, to workhorse pedals built to suit the needs of gigging musicians. Call, chat, or come in today to explore Suhr’s options today at Chicago Music Exchange!
SHOP SUHR
Related Posts
Tone Exploration | The Guitars of Bruce Springsteen
Released on September 30, 1982, Nebraska marked a radical departure for Bruce Springsteen. Recorded entirely alone on a four-track TEAC Portastudio in his Colts Neck, New Jersey bedroom, the album was never intended for release. Springsteen had planned to re-record the songs with the E Street Band, but the raw demos—haunting, intimate, and unvarnished—proved more powerful than any full-band attempt. In their imperfection, he found a truth he couldn’t recreate.
Read moreGibson | Back to the Future “1955” ES-345 Collector’s Edition
Go Johnny Go—to Chicago Music Exchange! CME proudly presents the Gibson Custom Shop Back to the Future “1955” ES-345 Collector’s Edition, a stunning recreation of the “impossible” guitar featured at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance in Back to the Future. With unpotted Custombuckers, Alnico 3 magnets, a 6-position Mono Varitone switch, and Murphy Lab aging, this ultra-limited run of 88 guitars bridges movie magic and Gibson history. Complete with a Lifton case featuring Marvin Berry & The Starlighters graphics, this collectible is the ultimate time-traveling tribute for Gibson and film fans alike.
Read moreFender | American Professional Classic Series
The all-new Fender American Professional Classic Series redefines the balance between vintage soul and modern performance. Built for gigging musicians and tone purists alike, these guitars and basses deliver the classic Fender feel with modern upgrades like Coastline vintage-voiced pickups, the Greasebucket tone circuit, sleek Modern “C” necks, and custom-color finishes. From Stratocaster and Telecaster to Jazzmaster, Precision, and Jazz Bass, every model blends heritage tone, comfort, and craftsmanship—reborn for today’s stage and studio. Shop the full Fender American Professional Classic Series at Chicago Music Exchange, online or in-store today!
Read more














