Suzuki Guitars

The range of Suzuki instruments is quite catholic, from the best-selling and comprehensive harmonica range through pianos, melodicas, violins and a range of percussion for the educational market. Suzuki watchers in recent years will also be au fait with the unique and eccentric Q Chord, successor to the Omnichord (a favourite with Brian Eno, among others).

So with this range of goodies, you might think that the handful (relative to the better-known marques) of guitars might not have anything startlingly new to offer, and to a certain extent you’d be right in the cutting-edge department. Suzuki offer guitars of great class at an affordable price — pure and simple. The quality and workmanship is among the most consistent you’ll find anywhere, the guitars are set up and perfectly in tune right from the box, and you get a case, strap and lead thrown in! The folks at Suzuki sent me four of their models, representing some of the best on offer at the present time.

Tuners are unbranded, but presumably Suzuki’s own make, while the electrics comprise the EQ-7545R system with volume, four-band EQ (bass, mid, treble and presence) and a button for battery checking. The pickup system works very well, giving a wide range of useful tones, and it’s obvious that the EQ settings have been well chosen on this guitar, allowing you to explore different tonalities you need and giving you the capability to shape the sound as required.

The Houston is a fine acoustic guitar with a resonant and rich sound, although I found the action rather high for my tastes. No matter, as adjusting the truss rod is easy via the soundhole and Suzuki thoughtfully supply a truss rod tool for you if desired. Even as it stands, the action is fine for chord playing and song accompaniment.

Now, you might think that the two guitars, having so many common factors in woods, build and features, would be very much cut from the same cloth, but you’d be wrong and probably as surprised as I was by the difference. For me, the Mississippi Delta is the preferable of the two. The body shape and cutaway are much more rounded, making exploration of the extended upper register a very easy proposition, while the neck section is smaller, making for a very comfortable playing action and style. It has a lower action (which I always prefer), the neck is slightly narrower and both feels and is faster to play and more tactile in response.

Even though it has the identical electronics package as the Houston, this guitar definitely sounds richer to my ears and more responsive throughout its range. The bass end has greater depth, the mid-range exhibits bite and punch, and the top end more clarity and air. It’s very easy to get distinctive settings that will appeal to many more players outside of its stated aim for the folk and blues market.

Overall, it provides a comfortable, fast and, above all, responsive electro-acoustic guitar that will appeal to anyone with leanings towards jazzier styles, as well as being a great guitar for most musical situations. For me, it’s one of the fastest and most comfortable electro-acoustics I’ve ever come across.

Pickups are humbuckers with twin volume and tone pots and a three-position pickup-selector switch.

All the sounds you know and love are here, with the creamy warmth that typifies SGs on blues styles, to good cutting rock tones when cranked up and cleaner sounds at lower settings. Newcomers to the model may not realise how flexible the tone controls can be on SGs — they’re capable of far more than you might think with a little investigation. Overall, this SG is a simply superb guitar to play and listen to, with no faults or vices and true to the spirit of the classic original.

All the usual features are here: two single coils and a bridge twin-coil pickup, five-way selector switch and a six-spring trem unit with a screw-in whammy bar (which I find preferable to the click-in types you can find on some Strat models and copies — you may disagree, of course). The tremolo system is smooth, responsive and completely accurate in returning perfectly to tune. Customisers might find that they won’t need a locking trem. I tried, but simply couldn’t get this guitar to go out of tune with some judicious dive-bombing during this review! The hardware works perfectly, with the tuners being smooth and accurate, the switches and pots silent in use, and the output healthy, sweet and authentic. All the tones you would expect are here, from hollow scoop tones and clean country twangs to searing lead sounds.

So what do Suzuki offer? Simply models based on tried and tested classics that you all know and love with no compromise on quality, sound and playability. This quiet authority and unassuming stance has gained quite a few converts in the guitar world, and a quick search of the web will show those folks in full flow, surprised and delighted by the sheer class of the make.

And, of course, there’s the price and quality question. I’ve known students who’ve purchased famous-name guitars that have turned out to be complete planks to play, but the student has been dazzled by the name on the headstock. At the end of the day, the prospective buyer has to ask themselves whether the famous name really lives up to the reputation in the areas that really matter to the player, or whether a copy that equals and in some respects exceeds the originals may fit the bill at a much more competitive price. The combination of quality and price here is a winning one and one that should get the Suzuki range of guitars a much higher profile in the years to come.  0