John Surh on dropping his name in "Guitar Stories" documentary

[quizzaciously]

https://www.facebook.com/john.martin.610/posts/1920546714858486

The documentary:

Quotes from JS:

Pretty sad how much was left out of that video around 30:00, how quickly they forget who actually designed and built his Pensa-Suhr. Funny thing is I was half way done building that guitar before Rudy decided it was perfect for Mark.

Thanks, I think what is depressing is somehow I lost someone I thought was a friend (Mark) so I can only imagine what was said to him.

Especially when nobody else touched that guitar except for me, I guess there were sour grapes, people can be disappointing. I remember the "Napkin" When they showed me his wish list the guitar was so far along that I could really only accommodate a few of Mark's wishes. No rings around the hum bucker because the color of the ring didn't match the pickup.

Yes correct, I think I had less than a week to paint and build it. I was scared it would stick to the case it was so new.

That was a story at 30:00, the truth? That guitar was more than half built before I was shown "The napkin". It was in fact so far along that the only request I could accommodate was no pickup Ring for the hum bucker and adjusting the neck angle for a non floating Floyd cause I had already cut it for a Floyd. Rudy saw the guitar and said this would be perfect for Mark. I painted it the color I had wanted to do all along. I remember Mark asking for a tapered thickness on the headstock and I had to say no can do because the neck was already cut, I had already carved the top and it can be seen on my bench in an old D'Addario ad. This guitar was only built by me. I was told it needed to be ready for the Mandela concert so I had to rush the paint. I remember it all very clearly. Sour grapes I'm afraid when I left. Mark hasn't said hello to me since 1991 and I have tried, its sad and disappointing for me.?

A role? I designed and built the guitar. The neck and body were only perimeter cut by Tom Anderson because he was a friend and I had no pin router there. The shape was the same perimeter shape I did for the standard guitars. There wasn't any carve or pickup routes on the body or the neck, all of that was done by me. Totally square. The "MK-1" name was created after I left. For me the first one was simply a Carved top standard I was building for myself. Maybe sour grapes with Rudy, I don't know, we had disagreements after I left due to reasons I don't want to get in to. I was just trying to make a living and support my new family found a more lucrative opportunity with Bradshaw and wanted out of NYC Who knows what was said to Mark. But by the lack of credit where it is due I'm assuming plenty. I'm still good friends with Frampton who I knew during that period as well. Actually Peter was one of our first investors.?

Well Rudy and I are now friendly and were after we settled any disputes between us. Or at least I thought so until I saw this video. I think the basis for any bad feelings is that I chose to leave NYC.?

[Crusty]

Sad story. JS was huge asset in Rudy Pensa business and his guitars for MK and other profsienal players must bring lot of money. No John, no (less money). Maybe because this Rudy was bitter.

I also think MK have "selecting memory" and is little bit more cynical than we think for him.

[holaknopfler]

MK really looks like an ass in this story.

[Eddie Fox]

I don't know, perhaps we should listen to what Mark has to say about it before jumping to conclusions. Maybe John is telling the truth but we don't know if he's telling everything.

[jbaent]

There are always two sides in every story and we usually believe Mark's side as we are fans... And sometimes we might be wrong doing it.

[Crusty]

Remember how MK "forgot" all about his "great friend" Jack Soni ...

[border_reiver]

Funny how they zoom in on the headstock at the end, yet Illsley leaves out "-Suhr". 

[quizzaciously]

Funny how they zoom in on the headstock at the end, yet Illsley leaves out "-Suhr". 

Yeah... to my this situation is simple.

Mark played on a Pensa-Suhr guitar, not on a Pensa guitar. Whatever happened between the two (what COULD possibly happen between a musician and a guitar builder, anyway?), leaving the whole role of an original builder is like Stalin removing Trotsky from official photographs — plain stupid.

Everybody can see the name on the headstock yet he talks about the first part only. Ridiculous. I hope J. Suhr will get his answers some day.

[holaknopfler]

Funny how they zoom in on the headstock at the end, yet Illsley leaves out "-Suhr". 

Yeah... to my this situation is simple.

Mark played on a Pensa-Suhr guitar, not on a Pensa guitar. Whatever happened between the two (what COULD possibly happen between a musician and a guitar builder, anyway?), leaving the whole role of an original builder is like Stalin removing Trotsky from official photographs — plain stupid.

Everybody can see the name on the headstock yet he talks about the first part only. Ridiculous. I hope J. Suhr will get his answers some day.

Completely agree with you

[border_reiver]

what COULD possibly happen between a musician and a guitar builder, anyway?

Then you haven't heard about amp builder Mr. Alexander Dumble 

[TheTimeWasWrong]

Very sad story indeed... as a kid the Pensa-Suhr always fascinated me, much more than the Strat or Les Paul, sad to read the disputes.

This guitar was only built by me. I was told it needed to be ready for the Mandela concert so I had to rush the paint. I remember it all very clearly. Sour grapes I'm afraid when I left.

Yes correct, I think I had less than a week to paint and build it. I was scared it would stick to the case it was so new.

This is the part I find hard to believe. At such a massive gig, why would Mark take the risk to play a guitar that has just been finished and hasn't been batlle-tested at all. An enormous risk if you ask me considering he had enough guitars to choose from even then.

[Crusty]

Very sad story indeed... as a kid the Pensa-Suhr always fascinated me, much more than the Strat or Les Paul, sad to read the disputes.

This guitar was only built by me. I was told it needed to be ready for the Mandela concert so I had to rush the paint. I remember it all very clearly. Sour grapes I'm afraid when I left.

Yes correct, I think I had less than a week to paint and build it. I was scared it would stick to the case it was so new.

This is the part I find hard to believe. At such a massive gig, why would Mark take the risk to play a guitar that has just been finished and hasn't been batlle-tested at all. An enormous risk if you ask me considering he had enough guitars to choose from even then.

MK knowed John Suhr from many years and John have built many guitar for MK before that. MK trusted John, simply.

[Eddie Fox]

Very sad story indeed... as a kid the Pensa-Suhr always fascinated me, much more than the Strat or Les Paul, sad to read the disputes.

This guitar was only built by me. I was told it needed to be ready for the Mandela concert so I had to rush the paint. I remember it all very clearly. Sour grapes I'm afraid when I left.

Yes correct, I think I had less than a week to paint and build it. I was scared it would stick to the case it was so new.

This is the part I find hard to believe. At such a massive gig, why would Mark take the risk to play a guitar that has just been finished and hasn't been batlle-tested at all. An enormous risk if you ask me considering he had enough guitars to choose from even then.

Agreed. I don't think it's about trusting John or not. Mark doesn't change guitars every two songs to show off his collection, guitars can be set up in different ways to get different tones and textures and some guitars are better suited to styles of music than others. Mark wanted a versatile guitar that allowed him not to switch instruments mid-set and Rudy/John built one for him, but taking it out of the case straight to such a huge gig doesn't sound like something our man would do.

[jbaent]

That guitar was used in the Warm Up Gigs at Hammersmith Odeon as well and, I can't recall if it was before or after the Mandela show but, it was used at the Prince's Trust concert at the RAH with Clapton and Elton John so maybe John Suhr was a bit exaggerated about the rush...

[Ingo]

Something similar appeared  in a Pensa ad, showing a picture of the Pensa-Suhr  with a photoshopped head saying Pensa only:

http://www.mk-guitar.com/2014/01/04/photoshopped-mk1-in-official-pensa-ad/