'71®

If I could only make one model - it would be the ‘71®. A radical redesign of the set neck archetype that feels inspiring and familiar while totally getting out of your way as a player. The ‘71 is a labor of love with a lengthy period of design and refinement that resulted in a toneful and playable instrument that shows what Sully Guitars is all about.

Available specs:

The '71 features set neck construction, 22 stainless steel frets, 25.5” scale, Hipshot locking tuners, and a wide variety of timber, hardware, and electronics options you can find in the order form below. Some favorites would be the TonePros locking wraparound and Floyd Rose bridges, as well as our signature hollow block inlays and Sully Salty Bastard / Al Pastor humbucker pickup combination. “Sullied” nitrocellulose finishes are a popular ‘71 option, as are quilted maple tops. All '71s feature an ergonomic neck/body balance as well as our Aero headstock for improved string break angle and are contoured at the neck heel, inside the cutaway, and of course, there's a belly carve. '71 Trellas also have lap contours for that extra comfy feel. 

‘71 trim levels:

‘71 Trella - The flagship model. You know it, you love it, it has a carved top.

‘71 Trella LS - This 24.75” version features the Sully Flag headstock; more ordering info below.

‘71 Starling - this flat top model (with arm contour) can accommodate more bridge options.

Please feel free to reach out to me at any time with questions about the ‘71 model or the ordering process. I’m happy to explain trim levels or recommend which line may be best for you based on your preferences.

Custom Series pricing begins at $4799

Conspiracy Series pricing begins at $1499

Conspiracy Series Custom ‘71s can be ordered at any time with a base price of $1999

‘71® TRELLA LS

The ‘71® Trella LS is a brand new 24.75” scale length model featuring the Sully Flag headstock. To maintain the oldschool vibe, this trim level has more fixed options. As such, you can spec yours and place a deposit directly from this page; a similar process to our small-batch 622 model.

‘71 Trella LS Specs:

Construction: Set neck
Scale length: 24.75”
Headstock: Sully Flag 3+3
Body wood: Mahogany
Top wood: Maple (bound)
Neck wood: Mahogany
Fretboard wood: Rosewood or Ebony (bound)
Fretboard radius: 12”
Neck shape: Comfortable C
Neck thickness: Sully Standard (approximately .800” at the 3rd fret)
Inlays: Hollow blocks starting at the 3rd fret
Fretwire: Stainless steel jumbo
Bridge: TonePros adjustable wraparound with locking studs
Nut: Graph Tech TUSQ
Tuners: Hipshot Locking
Pickups: Sully USA
Pickup configuration: HH
Control layout: 1 vol, 1 tone, 3-way toggle
Color: None More Black, Vintage White, or Trad Burst
Finish: Polyester or nitrocellulose (optional ‘Sullied’ relic)

Price: starts at $4799

'71 Model History

The Beginning

Imagined in 2009, the '71 was an idea that took me a few years to materialize. It started as a simple pencil sketch, and I kept erasing and drawing and erasing until I took the next step and made templates. The templates helped me see the design in the material world and was refined further. As I was building the first '71 in early 2013, the finishing touch occurred as a result of a happy accident, and after a few prototypes, the '71 became fully realized. I like to think that all of the passion put into this project is why the ‘71 has been the flagship Sully Guitars model serving recording and performing players worldwide for over 10 years. We even produced a collaborative Grover Jackson ‘71 Trella batch in 2016.

The LS

When I first designed the ‘71 as my dream singlecut, a big part of that for me was the scale length. I had made a lot of updates to the classic singlecut shape and built my ‘71 design from the ground up to eliminate common problems with tuning stability, fret access, and more, but it really ‘clicked’ for me once I moved to a 25.5” scale length. I think it’s just what I had been used to my entire life. The ‘71 Trella LS is the new 24.75” model, and proved a fun project to combine that classic scale length with the lessons I’ve learned building ‘71s for over a decade. The ‘71 Trella and ‘71 Trella LS are both very much their own thing, and it’s cool to see this project come full circle and offer both options, over a decade later. The ‘71 Trella LS also features traditional aesthetic appointments, to provide an overall more ‘old school’ ‘71 option, with no playability or design compromises. All ‘71 Trella LS guitars feature the Sully Flag headstock, hollow block inlays beginning at the third fret, and are available in black, vintage white, or our new ‘trad burst’ finish, with or without a ‘Sullied’ relic job.

The Limited

Originally the flat top version of the ‘71 was named the ‘71 Limited. When we introduced that to the Conspiracy Series it was called ‘71 Starling… you can see where we’re going with this. In a world where the ‘71 Trella is now available in the Conspiracy Series, we needed to keep everything consistent. These days every flat top ‘71 is called a Starling, regardless of whether it’s a USA Custom Series guitar or a Conspiracy Series guitar. If you’re a ‘71 Limited owner - enjoy! You are now extra-special.

The Name

Trella is the name of my Mother in law, who passed away in November 2014. I could go on and on about how wonderful she was, but I'll just say that we had an instant shorthand between us. Maybe it was that we were both musicians/creative types with similar senses of humor, I don't know, but she called me son and meant it. It seemed fitting to me that the flagship '71 be named in tribute to her legacy. 

‘71 Trella® Gallery

‘71 Trella® LS Gallery