Suhr Thornbuckers. Give me the scoop

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Lord Toneking

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I have a basswood/maple top HSS Suhr S4 that has an SSH+ in that I'm thinking of replacing. I'm intrigued by the Thornbucker but would like to hear the good bad and ugly if there is any.

Open to other suggestions as well. Must split well and play along with the V60 single could that at in it as well. I play hard rock and modern country (yes..I do it for the cash lol)

Thanks
 
I've just put a thornbucker + in my Suhr pro series. Mine is a swamp ash/maple neck combo which I would describe has a bright guitar.

Cleans - it's very useable, there's a nice mellow sound to it but that's not to say it's dull, when you dig into the string the attack is there if you need it.

Crunch - a nice balanced sound, classic paf. It has lovely definition, no harshness and is perfect for classic tones and definitely could do country.

Heavy - in not a massive heavy player, the heaviest I go is maiden and everything that's great about it still shines even with higher gain, it's articulate and open. Single notes have plenty of punch to them and chords are big and open sounding.

It's not as hot as the ssh+ which I found to hot and bit muddy in the midrange and you do have to push your gains up a little but I love it, it replaced the ssh+ in mine. I would recommend the plus version if it's replacing the ssh+. My only issue and something you have mentioned is that I don't think the bridge and middle pickup combination sounds that good. The humbucker doesn't split in mine and I have the ml single coil in the middle and I consider that a bright pickup but the split sounds a bit dull to me, it would probably sound better if I split the humbucker but I don't use that position too much so I'm not that concerned. Hope this helps.

Phil
 
Thanks for the reply!

So it's not a 4 conductor pickup?? I need those spanky second position sounds for what I do. The SSH+ sounds raspy in the mods and kind of harsh in this guitar imo. I have an SSH+ in my modern satin but it sounds really good, but its mahogany
 
No, they're 4-conductor. However, the bridge models are more mellow and darker than the SSV counterparts, which are brighter with more bite.
 
As above, they are 4 conductor mine just isn't wired that way.
 
My take on the is based on being installed in a Les Paul with a Floyd. I had the plus in the bridge. While they are only slightly hotter than a typical PAF they still sound great paired with high gain applications They are very clear and balanced. The neck is not muddy at all like many neck pickups in Les Pauls. While I didn't think they are the holy grail, I found them to excel at doing everything. If you are looking for a compressed lead tone, you may find it lacking as they are very clear and balanced.
 
Lord Toneking":3v0uvzhb said:
I have a basswood/maple top HSS Suhr S4 that has an SSH+ in that I'm thinking of replacing. I'm intrigued by the Thornbucker but would like to hear the good bad and ugly if there is any.

Open to other suggestions as well. Must split well and play along with the V60 single could that at in it as well. I play hard rock and modern country (yes..I do it for the cash lol)

Thanks

I've tried the Thornbucker in my LP and my Charvel. Great sounding pickup for my tastes. Works for hard rock (although some guys may prefer something with more push for leads), and it can give you plenty of jangle for your country stuff too. Cleans up great and splits really well too. This is probably my favorite pickup right now.
 
I have a Thornbucker+ 53mm bridge and Thornbucker neck pickup in raw nickel that I would be happy to sell you. They just weren't for me. PM me if you're interested.
 
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