Eagerly awaited for several years, the 24-fret Modern model was introduced to great fanfare in January, 2008 at NAMM in the Anaheim Convention Center. The Modern is John Suhr's vision and realization of the ultimate 24-fret bolt-on solid-body guitar. It is super sleek with its downsized body and extended horns.

The neck heel has been completely redesigned for super easy access to the highest frets - including the two extra frets to hit that high-E! The new neck shape designed specifically for this guitar is based on an early-80's shape that is fast and slim but not too thin with enough girth for your hand to grab onto when you want to dig in with bluesy string bends.

The Modern is not merely a Standard model with two extra frets. Adding the two frets necessitates the change to the geometry to the body and the layout of the pickup cavities.

The balance between the body and the neck needs to be rethought out as well. John Suhr spent many months looking at the most popular 24-fret bolt-on guitars on the market and wanted to offer something a little different but still familiar to those who have played such guitars for many years.

The result is a slightly asymmetrical body shape that balances superbly whether you are playing it strapped on standing up or on your lap sitting down. It looks really cool, too!

Modern MercedesUltimately, though, what matters is how it plays and how it sounds and this is - once again - where the Modern really shines. The acoustic sound is big and robust with superb clarity and string-to-string definition.

Plugged in, that big beautiful and brilliant acoustic tone is faithfully sent to the amplifier through our popular Aldrich or SSH+ and SSV humbucker pickups (or you can request an HSS setup with the FL or V60LP single-coils in the neck and middle positions).

This isn't your typical midrange-heavy shredder guitar. This guitar has tone in spades. As far as playability is concerned, you will need to learn to restrain yourself because this axe will make your fingers want to fly at blistering speeds. The Modern is about sleek looks, speed, amazing playability and great tone. For you shred masters, technical fusion players and hard rock/metal enthusiasts, you can't ask for a better combination; the Modern will take you where you want to go in style.


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