Guitar company D'Addario has admitted that Suno AI was used to regenerate audio in a promotional video after denying it for nearly two weeks and offering alternative technical explanations.
The company has now updated its original Instagram post from July 29th to apologize, stating it will require employees and creative partners to disclose generative AI use going forward and review all content more closely.
What happened
Guitar company D'Addario has admitted that Suno AI was used to regenerate a track in a promotional video for new strings. The company had denied the allegation for nearly two weeks, offering alternative explanations including low-quality exports, Autotune artifacts, and AI-assisted mastering tools from LANDR and Logic, before editing its original Instagram post from July 29th to acknowledge the error.
Why it matters
D'Addario's initial denials and heavy-handed deletion of critical comments damaged trust with customers and the broader music community. The company now faces credibility questions and has committed to requiring employees and creative partners to disclose any use of generative AI going forward, signaling that at least some music brands view AI-generated content as inconsistent with their brand values.
What to watch
The admission follows scrutiny from guitarist and YouTuber Rhett Shull, who obtained the original Logic session files directly from D'Addario and concluded Suno was used to regenerate an original recording. This is one of several recent AI controversies in the guitar industry, including the Fender CEO's comments comparing bandmates to analog AI.
The controversy began when D'Addario released a promotional video for a new set of strings designed for extended-range guitars and low tunings. Listeners immediately flagged the recording as suspicious, prompting the company to defend itself. D'Addario first denied that generative AI was involved, offering technical explanations: it blamed low-quality exports, combinations of plugins like Autotune introducing digital noise, and the use of AI-assisted mastering tools from LANDR and Logic Pro.
To support its position, D'Addario posted a clip of what it claimed were the original Logic recording sessions for the demo track. However, listeners quickly noticed significant melodic and rhythmic differences between the finished track and what appeared in the Logic session—discrepancies that suggested the audio had been substantially altered or regenerated. Guitarist and YouTuber Rhett Shull obtained the original Logic files directly from D'Addario and published his findings, concluding that Suno was probably used at some point in the process, most likely to regenerate an original recording. Even in what Shull characterized as a "rather generous assessment," the evidence pointed toward AI involvement.
After nearly two weeks of denials, D'Addario edited its original Instagram post from July 29th rather than issuing a new statement. In the updated post, the company acknowledged the error: "We got this wrong. We've completed a full review and confirmed that Suno Studio was used to regenerate the original track. We shared inaccurate information, and we're truly sorry…" The company also apologized for heavy-handed comment moderation, which had seen critical posts deleted and users blocked. Going forward, D'Addario stated it does not support AI-generated music and will require employees and creative partners to disclose any use of generative AI, with more rigorous review of all content the company releases.
D'Addario's initial response to allegations of AI use reveals how defensive companies can become when caught using generative tools they believe may conflict with customer expectations. The company's escalating explanations—from technical audio artifacts to established tools like LANDR and Logic—suggest internal uncertainty rather than a deliberate cover-up, but the effect was the same: erosion of credibility. The turning point came when YouTuber Rhett Shull obtained direct access to the Logic files and independently concluded that Suno had been used to regenerate an original recording. This external verification made continued denial untenable.
The fact that D'Addario chose to edit its original post rather than issue a new statement suggests a desire to minimize the controversy's visibility, though the apology itself is substantive: the company commits to disclosure requirements and closer review of all content. This pledge indicates that at least in the music industry, there remains consumer and brand sensitivity around AI-generated audio, positioning transparency as a competitive advantage. The incident is part of a wider pattern of AI friction in music and music-adjacent industries, as evidenced by the recent Fender CEO controversy.
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