I wonder how much a Player Series Strat would cost if it had a roasted maple neck and locking tuners. Makes the gulf between them even wider than it is.
I have one - had a tech replace the 5 way switch and pots. Now the guitar is top notch! The HB pickup died shortly after I received the guitar - Sterling sent a replacement for free.
Just grabbed one of these today. Extremely low action. Solid thick trem block with two pivot points, locking tuners, no string trees needed, baked maple neck, contoured neck joint and extremely tight pocket, friction hold wiggle stick. It’s totally awesome. Much better than any fender I’ve ever picked up. Small pot? Ok I’ll replace it if it ever gives me an issue.
Small pot isn't really an issue. I don't know why reviewers keep saying this shit. You can get high quality small pots, these are even used in super expensive sound systems. Now I do think that the pots on this price range are low quality, but it's not because it's small.
A superb instrument. I got mine for under $500! Mine is 60's Pink. The tremolo with HSS is so cool! Locking tuners. Roasted maple neck. Dial truss rod at the body/neck! Hot pickups. And a solid tremolo system. Leo Fender achieved his dream of pushing the original Fender Strat into the modern era with the Music Man Cutlass developed by Music Man.
Just bought mine a month ago.. Blue Toluca Lake with a red turtoise pick guard and the roasted maple neck and locking tuners. Mine was $549 and I got it on sale for $399 brand new! I already have a strat and sold my polar white affinity series tele to get this… sounds amazing all I replaced was the neck pick up.
Well received it in great shape. Can't complain about one thing. Tuned and adjusted the pickup heights and sounds great. The pickups may be slightly hotter than the performer and the professional. In fact it sounds better than expect. The candy red burst finish is really something to look at. Excellent neck, probably the best of all 12 of my guitars. Not one flaw can be found. Plays like butter. I'm one happy camper
Greetings from India! In this part of the world, it's just half the price of a Fender Player Strat! These sell for like 50k INR ($670) whereas a Fender Player Strat starts just a bit below 100k INR ($1340). So it's really a good and affordable option for a S style here. By the way, that's a really nice in-depth review sir!
That Cutlass looks sharp, what with its roasted maple neck and silvery paint job. I don't mind the lower output pickups, if they perform once you turn it up and kick on an overdrive. My version of this is a Yamaha Pacifica 112L I just snatched up at a pawn shop for $150 CAD. My luthier is going to town on it, adding a filtertron clone at the neck and refinishing the natural grain into a dark sedona red. Black pickguard, trem cover, knobs and tip and chrome cover on the bridge humbucker and blacking out the middle single coil. Yamaha's guitars are damned good, and way less dear than a beloved Fender, but with the opposite of a deep wallet, I do what I have to for what I want in a guitar.
Good day to you Mike After spending way to much on expensive guitars I picked up the Cutlass CT50 HSS. I enjoy playing it and in the 500.00 range you can’t go wrong. And as you said in your video the crackling blade switch had to go, so I switched out the blade switch and the rest of the electronics and it’s a terrific guitar. I’m still thinking about swapping out the pickups. But so far I am very happy with it. It has taken the place of my 1988 Fender Strat that I really didn’t like too much.
Note: as Single coils are naturally bright you don't want larger 500k pots. They get really glassy and screechy in sound. It's a bad combination. 250k pots for singles And 500k for humbuckers. You can use 250k for a humbucker in Combination with single coil cause it will bring the louder levels of the humbucker down to the less louder level of the single coil
Well, I bit. I've watched a few video's on this guitar and really like it. Used to own a Sterling Silhouette so I'm familiar with Sterling. Fyi, as of right now, this is on sale at Musician's Friend for 399.00. Looks like only this color and one other available, but it's the one I wanted so I lucked out. Good review, thanks for convincing me to add to my guitar collection that that I didn't plan on having!
Ive been looking for an HSS with a trem that I could play for a long while. I've had lots of strats, Clapton, EJ, Ultra, Std, 2 MIM's and 2 Squires. Never bonded with any of them and always struggled with the necks. MIM's were the best for me but still a little clunky. I picked one of these up this weekend by trading in an Epi LP and some cash for a $449 sales tag. Vintage Cream with roasted Maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. Set up easily. Tweaked the truss rod by changing the head on my screwdriver, that simple. Lowered the saddles two full turns and action was hair below 4/64. Neck and frets are straight, I could take it lower, but that is fine for me. Electronics are fine, sounds great. I would imagine it would sound a little sweeter with new pickups, but I upgraded all of my MIM strats with pups, pots, saddles and block. At least the locking tuners can stay on this one. Not a big fan of Fender pups anyway, I'd probably upgrade those too at some point. But it's not like this Cutlass needs it. I had no problem dialing in tones on this. I will say, it's the first guitar I've actively used the tone knob on the bridge, it is pretty bright. IMHO, the low output pups are what you want for a HSS. A bridge that is too hot becomes a one dimensional shredder, you want something that is going to play nice with the single coils. YMMV. The neck is what has me for now. It has a nice full rounded feel to it, like my LP's. And it's gorgeous. Roasted Maple and Rosewood fretboard is the best of both worlds for me. We'll see if it lasts, but really liking it now.
Thanks for the great review, Grumpy Mike. I just bought the exact same model and I’m very excited about it. Even if I change out pups and electronics this was a steal. All the best!
@@grumpymikeguitar yeah it was great....lol ...and I figured yud keep the goldtop... such a cool looking guitar.. I might have to order one.but I probly could use some pedals or a tube amp instead..lol. I dnt usualy buy stuff without holding it first but I need to get over that
I have them switched, my Sterling is SSS while the Strat is HSS. I certainly like the layout better and I like the warmer pups too. But those pots & the switch are where they save a little money...and I still haven't changed them - though they were sprayed after about a year. Love the neck and I do pick it up the most. I think it's a very good axe as is, but if you want to upgrade anything the foundation is excellent! Rob
I Just bought one, didn't watch any videos before. Just tried it out at the music store for 30 minutes, compared it with a player series Fender strat and was convinced that this is the one.
I have two older SBMM. One is a Cutlass SSS and the other is a Silhouette HSS. I bought the Silo to learn how to do fret work and things like that. My cutlass I did upgrade the pots and put a black pickguard on it and black pickup covers. I really want one with a roasted maple neck though. That's sweet looking.
I bought exactly the same guitar in that exact colour. I think its a great guitar. I'm even considering getting an sss version and getting rid of my elite strat which imo has a too complicated switching system with its S1 switch.
I have a MIM Tele:. Love it..!!… and I’m looking at the Music Man Cutlas HSS… I’m cheap and I don’t see any sense in paying for a name..👍🏼 …oh yeah… you don’t seem too grumpy to me… hahaha…
Go for it. I have an expensive American made Cutlass and a Sterling MM Cutlass. I just put some Seymour Duncans in the Sterling and it's wonderful. There's virtually no discernible difference between the two, and I spent $1700 on the American made one, and $500 + 150 for the pickups on the Sterling. I'm actually thinking about selling the American made one because I got it a few years ago for $1700 and bet I could sell it for $2000+.
I agree. After a certain point, it is difficult to justify spending another $1000-$2000 for an American made guitar. The Sterling Cutlass is an awesome guitar. They need a little fret work out of the box but once the frets are leveled, crowned, dressed, and polished, the Cutlass model is hard to beat. On many brands the price point comes down to how much time and work was spent on the frets. Peace.
Grabbed one of these when they first dropped early last year. The output jack is the only electronic part I didn't upgrade. Seymour Duncan TB-14 and two SSL-6's. 500k DiMarzio pots with a .223 Orangedrop cap and a treble bleed curcuit. 5 way DiMarzio superswitch wired for(neck,neck+middle,neck+bridge,middle+bridge,bridge). Push/pull tone pot gets those out of phase quacky tones in positions 2&3. The treble bleed makes the volume knob way more effective when used with tone adjustments.
I just got one for GC’s Labor Day Sale. I love everything else, but I can’t get use to this tree trunk of a neck. Man it sure is chunky. I got mine for $399 Brand New so I’m having a hell of a time boxing it back up to return.
I bought the same guitar yesterday, as a gift for a good friend. Naturally I had to play it for a while! I really like the way it plays, and I'm thinking of getting one for myself. I already own the Sterling Albert Lee, and both guitars play above their weight. I think it was Premier Guitar that just ranked the Cutlass as one of the best guitars under 500.00. With the roasted neck and locking tuners, it's great value! Not to mention I got it for a little over 329.00 at Guitar Center's Memorial Day sale!
Nice guitar....has locking tuners, which at that price point Fender does not offer...and string trees not necessary (yay) ...plus it has a gorgeous roasted maple neck. For the price point, best bang for the buck ! NOW since this video, I might also look at Sire. Gorgeous...both the 3 and 7 series.
I got a Sterling Cutlass CT50 like new on CL for $200. I just changed the wiring and pickups out, and the thing sings now. Used pickups and humbucker i already had. The stock humbucker is muddy.
Thank you Mike for this review, I really enjoy this video and your way of explaining things. Just being honest and straight on. Also the way you talk about the instrument I can see that you are a lover of the instrument and that playability is much more worth than only the brand itself. Thank you again
Great review. I have one of the first series Cutlass. SSS. No roasted maple neck but was shipped from Indonesia to California to be set up by Ernie Ball techs. I don’t know if that is still the case with these mk ii Cutlasses. I think I’ve had it about six years from new and it’s still big standard. I was going to upgrade the pots and switch ( I did with my Squire Tele) but I like the sound of these stock pups. Plenty of clean chime but can still growl very effectively. I would certainly choose a Sterling over a Fender Mexican again. Thanks from the UK for such a great channel Mike.
Thx, great review. I also had the MIM strat and wanted an HSS but went for the SQ CV 70s Strat for that, swapped the pickups for shawbuckers. Sterling by MM with the roasted maple necks are definately worth it tho to add to your collection. I got a Stingray SR50 and love it butt it’s more a Strat hybrid. The neck is so awesome and that firemist silver is gorgeous when you see it in person, no vid or pic can do it justice 😍🎸
Hey Grumpy😃👍-- just subscribed; love the show. Got one of these (just like yours, BTW)... love it to pieces just like you, and I agree with the electronic upgrade idea. Mine came with a CJ Labs humbucker in the bridge w/ a three-way coil tap mini-switch installed -- made it into a bad machine!! Daily driver now👌
Plus points. Looks well built. Like Roasted Maple neck Like Chunky neck Pickups sound pretty good from here. Visually a passable alternative to a Fender Don't like Headstock on Musicman/Sterling is too small Don't like 12 radius necks Not wild about the colours on offers Really don't like the price in UK... They retail at around £600 which is around $800 A Fender Strat MIM player is actually cheaper here , around $725
Alnico 5 singles and humbucker by musicman is what they are. All musicman pickups are low output as it comes closer to the original vintage PU's. The dime sized pots as well. They are Fender standards on singles unless it's a heavy strat with only Humbuckers. Larger 500k pots are more les Paul specs.
I have a Sterling by Music Man (MM) Cutlass HSS in stealth black. MM was started by Leo Fender in the '80's when his sale of the Fender company contract restrictions allowed. Ernie Ball subsequently bought MM.
I have two Sterling , a JV60 and exactly the same than this one. These are killer guitars for the money. In fact, the Cutlass is my go to guitar before my G&L USA Legacy (fantastic guitar too) and my Fender Strat 62 reissue (very expensive but not so good ...) ... The Sterling is lighter, the neck is just the best neck I have in the middle of my +20 guitars, the finish is perfect, soundwize it covers mainly all sounds I need with the HSS configuration ... I love these sterling and consider buying the SSS model too ... 🤘🤘🤘 and about the electronic you are mentioning, quite frankly I can't say anything against it ... I find them pretty good again for the price. No need to change anything honestly.
I’m curious why you prefer the Cutlass? Weight? How does it compare -wise? I have a ‘96 USA Legacy also - love that guitar especially the pbt tone set up.
Me too!!!!! And I miss and hate that I sold mine. It was an LTD and FR. Sucks to be poor. Hahahah This is nice man. I want one too!!! Heheh. Going to try and move the Harley Benton Fusion T HH FNT. I love it but I like strats and super strats more. And I'll pick up and tele again soon. Hahah great video.
I love my Sterling MM Cutlass (esp with the new Seymour Duncans I put in). It's an HSS version. I literally just bought an SSS version on Reverb and can't wait to do some mods on it. To be honest, with better pups in it, I kinda like my Sterling better than my American Professional Strat. But, I have new pickups for that, I just haven't gotten around to replacing them. When I do, I'm sure they'll probably both be my "favorite".
I own the sss version in the darker blue color. I love it! I may put some new pups in it, it the stock ones sounds great. Maybe put a mini humbucker with a coil tap option. Then it would be a versatile guitar. But stock, it still kicks ass. Great review by the way!
I think those pick-ups sound Great! I love the lower output pick=ups as a rule .... more so than the "hotter" versions. You didn't mention the two-point trem (I don't think....) and I have a guitar with something very similar that I love! I think you made a great choice.
I have one of these in SSS. It's fantastic, except for the switch. That said, brand is almost everything to most people. This guitar is long forgotten for most people.
Thanks for the review. I have owned and really like the Fenders. But my ears can’t hear a 300.00 difference in the electronics. And with roasted neck, and locking tuners. I’d rather have the cutlass and keep the 300.00 in my pocket.
I have this guitar, I had to swap the switch as it was junk. the size of the pots don't matter... the taper on the volume pot is no good tho. But I love this guitar.
Fender and Gibson are starting to our price themselves. The mexican strats (if you get a good one) are very well built, but your almost at $1000 for a nice Mexican strat ! At this point id be looking at the new Squier Classic series instead as those are built just as nice imho if not better. But the Music Man is a nice guitar, id buy that over any Fender under $1000. Imho to get a decent Fender US model, you gotta spend $1700 on a Pro II. To get a good Mexican is closing in on $1000. Squier meanwhile is in the $400 ish range. I wouldnt have believed how good the Squiers are unless my friend had brought one over. He got a Jazzmaster that is SICK, for the $ ya cant beat it. Im glad you picked this guitar over the player series, that guitar with the right pickups is gonna be the bomb diggity. Id rather get a guitar and put the money i saved into improvements than buy a stock Fender player series. Cool video. :-)
It feels like a chunky C. Very similar to my other strats only a bit thicker. Unfortunately, it could find any official listing what Sterling calls it.
Pretty looking with the silver and roasted maple, nicer than the Player options. Seems like a good mod platform, looking forward to the 'after' video. Although the tones were pretty good as is, the cheap pots and switch for the price are a bit annoying. Funny how manufacturers (not just Ernie Ball) cut the cost in places where the difference is tiny anyway and reviews like this make it plain to potential customers how cheap they are. The saying "leaping over a dollar to save a nickel" comes to mind.
Fender Player series is friendly to your wallet? I think $549 is not friendly at all. I was thinking about the Donner DST400, Musi M, Slick, Harley Benton, Eart. I think the Squire CV's are overpriced today. Also, 5.16k neck pickup seems like it would be awfully bright with the 500k pot. I prefer a P90 like 7.1k if I have 500k pots.
Was wondering if this neck is suitable for someone with small hands? I normally play acoustic (Martin and Taylor) and was wondering if the neck has a similar profile.
Sadly, I have 'really small hands.' I just purchased this guitar two days ago and find it to be as good as any neck I have tried. Solid construction and versatility is great. I bought the Dropped Copper. It is beautiful and it sounds better than I can play. I bought it from Sam Ash, in case anyone cares. I couldn't believe that they shipped it so quickly. Hahaha... I suppose any store could do that... but it was fast. This guitar is beautiful.
Pots and caps don’t have to be big, where did this mind set come from. The entire electronics industry spend billions of dollars to move from large bulky passives to almost microscopic surface mount components. Giant vacuum to tubes to small efficient, streamlined solid state. Guitarist are the only ones who want giant Pots and Vacuum Tubes.
The problem with the cheap dime sized pots is that they tend to have a short lifespan. The size of the pot isn't the issue as much as it is that they are usually poorly made. CTS pots, on the other hand, are much more reliable.
And the Sterling comes OEM with Ernie Ball Slinky strings. Nobody whining about crap strings out of the box. Set it up and make epic music. Meh electronics, I have a 2005 Squier Bullet SSS HT that's 17 years old and the electronics DCR measures the same as they do for 2021/2022. I also have a 2016 Affinity, same DCR, & that guitar is 6 years old.
Hey, thanks for checking out the video. It is a roasted maple 🍁 neck with a fairly thin poly satin finish. I should, however, point out that the more time you spend playing it, that satin finish polishes up pretty quick.i have to say, though, it's a very comfortable neck to play.
Just got mine delivered today. I don't know why they call the color "Firemist Silver" as it looks like "ice blue" to me--which I happen to like. Mike, I agree with ALL of your points. The weak point indeed are the electronics, esp. the 5-way switch--feels flimsy to me. But the rest of the guitar is amazing for the price point. I got it on sale via MFriend at $399 minus $37 in reward bucks, so price came out at $362. Not bad for a well-built guitar from Music Man. I love the roasted maple neck (and yes it is chunky). The locking tuners are so much better than what you usually get at this price point. The trem unit, tho simple, is fine. But the subjective aspect of the guitar, which makes it a winner, is how to interacts with a high-gain amp. Perhaps the low-output pickups actually work well in this case. My first go at it was so fun I just wanted to keep playing--a sign that you have a really good guitar. No regrets. Besides, I already have a Strat!
Congrats on the NGD. I couldn't agree more with your assessment. You really do get a lot of bang for your buck with this one. And yes, I always get a kick out of the names they come up with for colors. Thanks for checking out the video.
@@grumpymikeguitar Thanks Mike. I am subbed! BTW, did you see Darrell Braun's demo of the 10-way selector switch? Just $45 from Stew Mac. Might just do it if I can confirm it will fit. I have an even less expensive Ibanez AZ Essentials HSS. It has a toggle switch that adds four more tones to the 5-way selector for a total of nine different tones (why they didn't round up to ten, who knows). That feature is the one thing that really makes the AZE stand out. To be fair, the AZE came out after the Cutlass. At least there are remedies!
I have had em all and now that I know that cost isnt the main factor... "Law of diminishing returns" Craftmanship means everything and I am in love with whats being made outta the CORT factory, especially... PRS! 😉 Mexi Fenders? Hmmm A guitar made in Mexico by Mexicans who love playing guitar... The choice is obvious... Choose wisely folks because Inhave had a $1800.00 dud and yup a Fender! My 1987 Ibanez HSS RG is probably my fav guitar nxt to my PRS, Schecter, Tokai, Charvel etc 😂 Gibson? ugh nahhhhh and for many solid reasons! (yep had one) Tokai forfilled my strat itch, along with PRS! 😉 Sterling is another guitar... mod it and rock on! Grateful
It's been a while, but I believe it is a CT50. Off hand, I don't remember the model number, but looking at current pricing, and knowing what I paid for it, it would have to be a CT50.
@grumpymikeguitar thanks Mike ! I was thinking the same. CT 50. Apparently the Jet JS 400 is another S-style guitar that is really great for the price. Then there's the Sire S3, also.
@mikec6733 honestly, I have zero experience with the Jet guitars, so I can't really give an opinion. The Sires, on the other hand, are solid. I don't own one, but I have tried a couple. I have been impressed by them. Maybe I should check out a Jet, though. 👍
@grumpymikeguitar I haven't held any of the guitars we mentioned in my own hands. Just watched RUclips videos. I just enjoy learning about them. People do really seem to like the CT 50.
The Mexican Fenders are no where close to the Mexican guitars not because of the Mexicans there are Mexicans are making them in California it’s the parts the woods and electronics as well as the time they allow the craft men to make them not to mention the tools they have American craft men make more money and can afford better tools!
I wonder how much a Player Series Strat would cost if it had a roasted maple neck and locking tuners. Makes the gulf between them even wider than it is.
I have one - had a tech replace the 5 way switch and pots. Now the guitar is top notch! The HB pickup died shortly after I received the guitar - Sterling sent a replacement for free.
From what I have read, Leo Fender was a Music Man partner after his split with Fender and was involved with the design of the Cutlass.
Just grabbed one of these today. Extremely low action. Solid thick trem block with two pivot points, locking tuners, no string trees needed, baked maple neck, contoured neck joint and extremely tight pocket, friction hold wiggle stick. It’s totally awesome.
Much better than any fender I’ve ever picked up. Small pot? Ok I’ll replace it if it ever gives me an issue.
Small pot isn't really an issue. I don't know why reviewers keep saying this shit. You can get high quality small pots, these are even used in super expensive sound systems. Now I do think that the pots on this price range are low quality, but it's not because it's small.
A superb instrument. I got mine for under $500! Mine is 60's Pink. The tremolo with HSS is so cool! Locking tuners. Roasted maple neck. Dial truss rod at the body/neck! Hot pickups. And a solid tremolo system. Leo Fender achieved his dream of pushing the original Fender Strat into the modern era with the Music Man Cutlass developed by Music Man.
Cool guitar, like the roasted neck and locking tuners. Thanks for sharing. Let's all be good ✌
They're blowing these out now brand new for $399.... What a steal 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🎸🎸🎸
That is a really good deal. Definitely worth it. 👍
Just bought mine a month ago.. Blue Toluca Lake with a red turtoise pick guard and the roasted maple neck and locking tuners. Mine was $549 and I got it on sale for $399 brand new! I already have a strat and sold my polar white affinity series tele to get this… sounds amazing all I replaced was the neck pick up.
The new ones from 2023 have been upgraded. The electronics including the pickups switch is much sturdier than the previous years.
I like your wall hanging. It takes me back to living in Berkeley in 1967 when everyone seemed to have them.
I tried one out at Guitar Center. Very nice guitar. Played great.
I'm waiting for my mim hss in candy red burst. Originally 829.99 on sale for 599.99 from guitar center. I'll give you an update when it gets here.
Well received it in great shape. Can't complain about one thing. Tuned and adjusted the pickup heights and sounds great. The pickups may be slightly hotter than the performer and the professional. In fact it sounds better than expect. The candy red burst finish is really something to look at. Excellent neck, probably the best of all 12 of my guitars. Not one flaw can be found. Plays like butter. I'm one happy camper
Nice!!!
Greetings from India!
In this part of the world, it's just half the price of a Fender Player Strat!
These sell for like 50k INR ($670) whereas a Fender Player Strat starts just a bit below 100k INR ($1340). So it's really a good and affordable option for a S style here.
By the way, that's a really nice in-depth review sir!
That Cutlass looks sharp, what with its roasted maple neck and silvery paint job. I don't mind the lower output pickups, if they perform once you turn it up and kick on an overdrive. My version of this is a Yamaha Pacifica 112L I just snatched up at a pawn shop for $150 CAD. My luthier is going to town on it, adding a filtertron clone at the neck and refinishing the natural grain into a dark sedona red. Black pickguard, trem cover, knobs and tip and chrome cover on the bridge humbucker and blacking out the middle single coil. Yamaha's guitars are damned good, and way less dear than a beloved Fender, but with the opposite of a deep wallet, I do what I have to for what I want in a guitar.
Found your channel from hearing your name every week on Phil McKight's channel. Nice work on this one!
I have the older model ct50 Olympic white with maple neck and it's a lovely guitar. SSS configuration.
Love my cutlass too! For the price you just can’t beat it
Good day to you Mike
After spending way to much on expensive guitars I picked up the Cutlass CT50 HSS. I enjoy playing it and in the 500.00 range you can’t go wrong. And as you said in your video the crackling blade switch had to go, so I switched out the blade switch and the rest of the electronics and it’s a terrific guitar. I’m still thinking about swapping out the pickups. But so far I am very happy with it. It has taken the place of my 1988 Fender Strat that I really didn’t like too much.
Note: as Single coils are naturally bright you don't want larger 500k pots.
They get really glassy and screechy in sound.
It's a bad combination.
250k pots for singles
And 500k for humbuckers.
You can use 250k for a humbucker in Combination with single coil cause it will bring the louder levels of the humbucker down to the less louder level of the single coil
Well, I bit. I've watched a few video's on this guitar and really like it. Used to own a Sterling Silhouette so I'm familiar with Sterling. Fyi, as of right now, this is on sale at Musician's Friend for 399.00. Looks like only this color and one other available, but it's the one I wanted so I lucked out.
Good review, thanks for convincing me to add to my guitar collection that that I didn't plan on having!
Ive been looking for an HSS with a trem that I could play for a long while. I've had lots of strats, Clapton, EJ, Ultra, Std, 2 MIM's and 2 Squires. Never bonded with any of them and always struggled with the necks. MIM's were the best for me but still a little clunky.
I picked one of these up this weekend by trading in an Epi LP and some cash for a $449 sales tag. Vintage Cream with roasted Maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. Set up easily. Tweaked the truss rod by changing the head on my screwdriver, that simple. Lowered the saddles two full turns and action was hair below 4/64. Neck and frets are straight, I could take it lower, but that is fine for me.
Electronics are fine, sounds great. I would imagine it would sound a little sweeter with new pickups, but I upgraded all of my MIM strats with pups, pots, saddles and block. At least the locking tuners can stay on this one. Not a big fan of Fender pups anyway, I'd probably upgrade those too at some point. But it's not like this Cutlass needs it. I had no problem dialing in tones on this. I will say, it's the first guitar I've actively used the tone knob on the bridge, it is pretty bright.
IMHO, the low output pups are what you want for a HSS. A bridge that is too hot becomes a one dimensional shredder, you want something that is going to play nice with the single coils. YMMV.
The neck is what has me for now. It has a nice full rounded feel to it, like my LP's. And it's gorgeous. Roasted Maple and Rosewood fretboard is the best of both worlds for me.
We'll see if it lasts, but really liking it now.
Good choice! Love the look and while the pickups sound a bit thin, they do sound pretty good. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the great review, Grumpy Mike. I just bought the exact same model and I’m very excited about it. Even if I change out pups and electronics this was a steal. All the best!
Neck of the woods... that's a great pun..dno if u meant to but it was gold
😂 When I was editing the video, I wondered if anyone would catch that.
@@grumpymikeguitar yeah it was great....lol ...and I figured yud keep the goldtop... such a cool looking guitar.. I might have to order one.but I probly could use some pedals or a tube amp instead..lol. I dnt usualy buy stuff without holding it first but I need to get over that
Good honest review, i was considering one of these now i know its a chunky neck yep. Wish they made a hardtail
I have them switched, my Sterling is SSS while the Strat is HSS. I certainly like the layout better and I like the warmer pups too. But those pots & the switch are where they save a little money...and I still haven't changed them - though they were sprayed after about a year. Love the neck and I do pick it up the most.
I think it's a very good axe as is, but if you want to upgrade anything the foundation is excellent!
Rob
I Just bought one, didn't watch any videos before. Just tried it out at the music store for 30 minutes, compared it with a player series Fender strat and was convinced that this is the one.
I have two older SBMM. One is a Cutlass SSS and the other is a Silhouette HSS. I bought the Silo to learn how to do fret work and things like that. My cutlass I did upgrade the pots and put a black pickguard on it and black pickup covers. I really want one with a roasted maple neck though. That's sweet looking.
I bought exactly the same guitar in that exact colour. I think its a great guitar. I'm even considering getting an sss version and getting rid of my elite strat which imo has a too complicated switching system with its S1 switch.
I have a MIM Tele:. Love it..!!… and I’m looking at the Music Man Cutlas HSS… I’m cheap and I don’t see any sense in paying for a name..👍🏼
…oh yeah… you don’t seem too grumpy to me… hahaha…
Go for it. I have an expensive American made Cutlass and a Sterling MM Cutlass. I just put some Seymour Duncans in the Sterling and it's wonderful. There's virtually no discernible difference between the two, and I spent $1700 on the American made one, and $500 + 150 for the pickups on the Sterling. I'm actually thinking about selling the American made one because I got it a few years ago for $1700 and bet I could sell it for $2000+.
I agree. After a certain point, it is difficult to justify spending another $1000-$2000 for an American made guitar. The Sterling Cutlass is an awesome guitar. They need a little fret work out of the box but once the frets are leveled, crowned, dressed, and polished, the Cutlass model is hard to beat. On many brands the price point comes down to how much time and work was spent on the frets. Peace.
Grabbed one of these when they first dropped early last year. The output jack is the only electronic part I didn't upgrade. Seymour Duncan TB-14 and two SSL-6's. 500k DiMarzio pots with a .223 Orangedrop cap and a treble bleed curcuit. 5 way DiMarzio superswitch wired for(neck,neck+middle,neck+bridge,middle+bridge,bridge). Push/pull tone pot gets those out of phase quacky tones in positions 2&3. The treble bleed makes the volume knob way more effective when used with tone adjustments.
I just got one for GC’s Labor Day Sale. I love everything else, but I can’t get use to this tree trunk of a neck. Man it sure is chunky.
I got mine for $399 Brand New so I’m having a hell of a time boxing it back up to return.
Ok you convinced me , go ahead and send it to me lol lol nice vidio,thanks mike
I bought the same guitar yesterday, as a gift for a good friend. Naturally I had to play it for a while! I really like the way it plays, and I'm thinking of getting one for myself.
I already own the Sterling Albert Lee, and both guitars play above their weight. I think it was Premier Guitar that just ranked the Cutlass as one of the best guitars under 500.00. With the roasted neck and locking tuners, it's great value! Not to mention I got it for a little over 329.00 at Guitar Center's Memorial Day sale!
My friend loves the Cutlass, and has been playing it daily...and he has quite a few guitars.
Nice pick for the price Mike! I,ve seen some great reviews !...Jerry
Nice guitar....has locking tuners, which at that price point Fender does not offer...and string trees not necessary (yay) ...plus it has a gorgeous roasted maple neck. For the price point, best bang for the buck ! NOW since this video, I might also look at Sire. Gorgeous...both the 3 and 7 series.
Yup, I do intend to get a Sire or 2 on the channel.
God Loves You🙏🏻❤️
DBG changed my mind from an Affinity Strat and you and Phillip reinforced my choice. Got a Dropped Copper HSS ordered ;-)
planning to buy one. Are you still playing it?
@microsmart714 I still pull it out every now and then.
I got a Sterling Cutlass CT50 like new on CL for $200. I just changed the wiring and pickups out, and the thing sings now. Used pickups and humbucker i already had. The stock humbucker is muddy.
Thank you Mike for this review, I really enjoy this video and your way of explaining things. Just being honest and straight on. Also the way you talk about the instrument I can see that you are a lover of the instrument and that playability is much more worth than only the brand itself.
Thank you again
Great review. I have one of the first series Cutlass. SSS. No roasted maple neck but was shipped from Indonesia to California to be set up by Ernie Ball techs. I don’t know if that is still the case with these mk ii Cutlasses. I think I’ve had it about six years from new and it’s still big standard. I was going to upgrade the pots and switch ( I did with my Squire Tele) but I like the sound of these stock pups. Plenty of clean chime but can still growl very effectively. I would certainly choose a Sterling over a Fender Mexican again.
Thanks from the UK for such a great channel Mike.
Thx, great review. I also had the MIM strat and wanted an HSS but went for the SQ CV 70s Strat for that, swapped the pickups for shawbuckers. Sterling by MM with the roasted maple necks are definately worth it tho to add to your collection. I got a Stingray SR50 and love it butt it’s more a Strat hybrid. The neck is so awesome and that firemist silver is gorgeous when you see it in person, no vid or pic can do it justice 😍🎸
Nice best headstock ever made strings are Perfectly aligned longest travel Street no binding
Hey Grumpy😃👍-- just subscribed; love the show. Got one of these (just like yours, BTW)... love it to pieces just like you, and I agree with the electronic upgrade idea. Mine came with a CJ Labs humbucker in the bridge w/ a three-way coil tap mini-switch installed -- made it into a bad machine!! Daily driver now👌
Nice review Grumpy Mike!
Plus points.
Looks well built.
Like Roasted Maple neck
Like Chunky neck
Pickups sound pretty good from here.
Visually a passable alternative to a Fender
Don't like
Headstock on Musicman/Sterling is too small
Don't like 12 radius necks
Not wild about the colours on offers
Really don't like the price in UK...
They retail at around £600 which is around $800
A Fender Strat MIM player is actually cheaper here , around $725
I can’t bond with that pickguard
Love the color..I actualy like that look more than a strat.. roasted maple looks great too...
Alnico 5 singles and humbucker by musicman is what they are.
All musicman pickups are low output as it comes closer to the original vintage PU's.
The dime sized pots as well.
They are Fender standards on singles unless it's a heavy strat with only Humbuckers.
Larger 500k pots are more les Paul specs.
I have a Sterling by Music Man (MM) Cutlass HSS in stealth black. MM was started by Leo Fender in the '80's when his sale of the Fender company contract restrictions allowed. Ernie Ball subsequently bought MM.
Yup, then Leo went on to start G&L.
I bought one last week. TC50 In Pueblo Pink Satin. I really like it
I have two Sterling , a JV60 and exactly the same than this one. These are killer guitars for the money. In fact, the Cutlass is my go to guitar before my G&L USA Legacy (fantastic guitar too) and my Fender Strat 62 reissue (very expensive but not so good ...) ... The Sterling is lighter, the neck is just the best neck I have in the middle of my +20 guitars, the finish is perfect, soundwize it covers mainly all sounds I need with the HSS configuration ... I love these sterling and consider buying the SSS model too ... 🤘🤘🤘 and about the electronic you are mentioning, quite frankly I can't say anything against it ... I find them pretty good again for the price. No need to change anything honestly.
I’m curious why you prefer the Cutlass? Weight? How does it compare -wise?
I have a ‘96 USA Legacy also - love that guitar especially the pbt tone set up.
Nice job on this !! Funny i was eying just 2 nights ago the HH version of this in black !! lol
Me too!!!!! And I miss and hate that I sold mine. It was an LTD and FR. Sucks to be poor. Hahahah This is nice man. I want one too!!! Heheh. Going to try and move the Harley Benton Fusion T HH FNT. I love it but I like strats and super strats more. And I'll pick up and tele again soon. Hahah great video.
I love my Sterling MM Cutlass (esp with the new Seymour Duncans I put in). It's an HSS version. I literally just bought an SSS version on Reverb and can't wait to do some mods on it. To be honest, with better pups in it, I kinda like my Sterling better than my American Professional Strat. But, I have new pickups for that, I just haven't gotten around to replacing them. When I do, I'm sure they'll probably both be my "favorite".
Nice insights on what appears to be a darn nice guitar.
How resonant is this guitar? Does it have that classic "neck pickup" sound that the Fender has?
I own the sss version in the darker blue color. I love it! I may put some new pups in it, it the stock ones sounds great. Maybe put a mini humbucker with a coil tap option. Then it would be a versatile guitar. But stock, it still kicks ass. Great review by the way!
I think those pick-ups sound Great! I love the lower output pick=ups as a rule .... more so than the "hotter" versions. You didn't mention the two-point trem (I don't think....) and I have a guitar with something very similar that I love! I think you made a great choice.
Nice review Mike... Why the "Grumpy"? ... you don't seem Grumpy.
Oh, I am grumpy. The thing is, guitars and gear is my zen place. I'm never grumpy when I can play a guitar.
I have one of these in SSS. It's fantastic, except for the switch. That said, brand is almost everything to most people. This guitar is long forgotten for most people.
Thanks for the review. I have owned and really like the Fenders. But my ears can’t hear a 300.00 difference in the electronics. And with roasted neck, and locking tuners. I’d rather have the cutlass and keep the 300.00 in my pocket.
I have this guitar, I had to swap the switch as it was junk. the size of the pots don't matter... the taper on the volume pot is no good tho. But I love this guitar.
Nice! Have often thought about the Sterling Albert Lee.
Yup, me too.
Fender and Gibson are starting to our price themselves. The mexican strats (if you get a good one) are very well built, but your almost at $1000 for a nice Mexican strat ! At this point id be looking at the new Squier Classic series instead as those are built just as nice imho if not better. But the Music Man is a nice guitar, id buy that over any Fender under $1000. Imho to get a decent Fender US model, you gotta spend $1700 on a Pro II. To get a good Mexican is closing in on $1000. Squier meanwhile is in the $400 ish range. I wouldnt have believed how good the Squiers are unless my friend had brought one over. He got a Jazzmaster that is SICK, for the $ ya cant beat it.
Im glad you picked this guitar over the player series, that guitar with the right pickups is gonna be the bomb diggity. Id rather get a guitar and put the money i saved into improvements than buy a stock Fender player series. Cool video. :-)
I just got a cutlass HSS and love it. 👍🏼
Nope its not. This axe is just phenomenal for its price. I traded my prs se standard and a vox amp for this guitar. Perfection.
Pretty guitar and sounds good too!
Nice review Mike
How’s the neck profile on it?
It feels like a chunky C. Very similar to my other strats only a bit thicker. Unfortunately, it could find any official listing what Sterling calls it.
These sound really good. Thanks for the video
Pretty looking with the silver and roasted maple, nicer than the Player options. Seems like a good mod platform, looking forward to the 'after' video. Although the tones were pretty good as is, the cheap pots and switch for the price are a bit annoying. Funny how manufacturers (not just Ernie Ball) cut the cost in places where the difference is tiny anyway and reviews like this make it plain to potential customers how cheap they are. The saying "leaping over a dollar to save a nickel" comes to mind.
Fender Player series is friendly to your wallet? I think $549 is not friendly at all. I was thinking about the Donner DST400, Musi M, Slick, Harley Benton, Eart. I think the Squire CV's are overpriced today.
Also, 5.16k neck pickup seems like it would be awfully bright with the 500k pot. I prefer a P90 like 7.1k if I have 500k pots.
I agree Sterling makes quality guitars ( I have the Axis). Good review; keep it up.
Floppy wiggle stick.
Wouldn't mind having one but would prefer a Mexican Strat. Thx GMG.
Dude, I have a mexicam HSS strat I bought at a guitar show. Why did you not get one of those?
Because I have a youtube channel where I demo and review guitars. I do, however, have a MIM Strat that I love.
Was wondering if this neck is suitable for someone with small hands? I normally play acoustic (Martin and Taylor) and was wondering if the neck has a similar profile.
I have fairly small hands and I find this neck to be quite comfortable.
Sadly, I have 'really small hands.' I just purchased this guitar two days ago and find it to be as good as any neck I have tried. Solid construction and versatility is great. I bought the Dropped Copper. It is beautiful and it sounds better than I can play. I bought it from Sam Ash, in case anyone cares. I couldn't believe that they shipped it so quickly. Hahaha... I suppose any store could do that... but it was fast. This guitar is beautiful.
Do you have to remove the neck to make neck adjustments?
I noticed the location of the truss rod access.
@@cmkilcullen8176 Not needed, it’s a great system!
I can dig it, but my American 3 single coil Strat is givin' me the side eye so, shhhhhhhhhh. 👀
😂🤣😂
Nice guitar ... what color is that ... looks gold sometimes .... a lot of variation in tone 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
They call it Firemist Blue. I apologize for my bad lighting. I do plan to upgrade that as soon as I can.
какой DiMarzio хамбакер посоветуете? у меня sterling cutlass ct30hss из тополя
Pots and caps don’t have to be big, where did this mind set come from. The entire electronics industry spend billions of dollars to move from large bulky passives to almost microscopic surface mount components. Giant vacuum to tubes to small efficient, streamlined solid state. Guitarist are the only ones who want giant Pots and Vacuum Tubes.
The problem with the cheap dime sized pots is that they tend to have a short lifespan. The size of the pot isn't the issue as much as it is that they are usually poorly made. CTS pots, on the other hand, are much more reliable.
Wish I would have know I would have tried to trade you my hss fender for your HB goldtop.. although I know you wont do that lol
Yeah, I'll be keeping the gold top for a while.
if ur on the fence, go play it... i did, walked out with a cutless,hardcase and a few spare bucks in my pocket.
Feel free to call it strat it is a strat and it’s a super Strat
In spirit, I agree. However, in legal terms, it is not.
I like it!
Are the tuners, stagered heights?
No, they are not staggered. There really isn't any need for them to be.
@@grumpymikeguitar thanks
And the Sterling comes OEM with Ernie Ball Slinky strings. Nobody whining about crap strings out of the box. Set it up and make epic music. Meh electronics, I have a 2005 Squier Bullet SSS HT that's 17 years old and the electronics DCR measures the same as they do for 2021/2022. I also have a 2016 Affinity, same DCR, & that guitar is 6 years old.
I've been using Ernie Ball Regular slinky's since the 90's. I've never felt the urge to use anything else.
Nice
Thank you for this review.
What would you say is the finish on the back of the neck?
Is it satin lacquer? or bare oiled wood?
Hey, thanks for checking out the video. It is a roasted maple 🍁 neck with a fairly thin poly satin finish. I should, however, point out that the more time you spend playing it, that satin finish polishes up pretty quick.i have to say, though, it's a very comfortable neck to play.
Great. Thank you very much!
I couldn't find any information about it on Sterling's website and other web reviews.
NICE
Just got mine delivered today. I don't know why they call the color "Firemist Silver" as it looks like "ice blue" to me--which I happen to like.
Mike, I agree with ALL of your points. The weak point indeed are the electronics, esp. the 5-way switch--feels flimsy to me.
But the rest of the guitar is amazing for the price point. I got it on sale via MFriend at $399 minus $37 in reward bucks, so price came out at $362. Not bad for a well-built guitar from Music Man.
I love the roasted maple neck (and yes it is chunky). The locking tuners are so much better than what you usually get at this price point. The trem unit, tho simple, is fine. But the subjective aspect of the guitar, which makes it a winner, is how to interacts with a high-gain amp. Perhaps the low-output pickups actually work well in this case. My first go at it was so fun I just wanted to keep playing--a sign that you have a really good guitar.
No regrets. Besides, I already have a Strat!
Congrats on the NGD. I couldn't agree more with your assessment. You really do get a lot of bang for your buck with this one.
And yes, I always get a kick out of the names they come up with for colors.
Thanks for checking out the video.
@@grumpymikeguitar Thanks Mike. I am subbed! BTW, did you see Darrell Braun's demo of the 10-way selector switch? Just $45 from Stew Mac. Might just do it if I can confirm it will fit.
I have an even less expensive Ibanez AZ Essentials HSS. It has a toggle switch that adds four more tones to the 5-way selector for a total of nine different tones (why they didn't round up to ten, who knows). That feature is the one thing that really makes the AZE stand out.
To be fair, the AZE came out after the Cutlass. At least there are remedies!
That switch sounds cool. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the tip.
I have had em all and now that I know that cost isnt the main factor...
"Law of diminishing returns"
Craftmanship means everything and I am in love with whats being made outta the CORT factory, especially...
PRS! 😉
Mexi Fenders?
Hmmm
A guitar made in Mexico by Mexicans who love playing guitar...
The choice is obvious...
Choose wisely folks because Inhave had a $1800.00 dud and yup a Fender!
My 1987 Ibanez HSS RG is probably my fav guitar nxt to my PRS, Schecter, Tokai, Charvel etc 😂
Gibson? ugh nahhhhh and for many solid reasons! (yep had one)
Tokai forfilled my strat itch, along with PRS! 😉
Sterling is another guitar... mod it and rock on!
Grateful
CT50 or CT30 ???
It's been a while, but I believe it is a CT50. Off hand, I don't remember the model number, but looking at current pricing, and knowing what I paid for it, it would have to be a CT50.
@grumpymikeguitar
thanks Mike !
I was thinking the same. CT 50.
Apparently the Jet JS 400 is another S-style guitar that is really great for the price.
Then there's the Sire S3, also.
@mikec6733 honestly, I have zero experience with the Jet guitars, so I can't really give an opinion. The Sires, on the other hand, are solid. I don't own one, but I have tried a couple. I have been impressed by them. Maybe I should check out a Jet, though. 👍
@grumpymikeguitar
I haven't held any of the guitars we mentioned in my own hands. Just watched RUclips videos.
I just enjoy learning about them.
People do really seem to like the CT 50.
I want one
The Mexican Fenders are no where close to the Mexican guitars not because of the Mexicans there are Mexicans are making them in California it’s the parts the woods and electronics as well as the time they allow the craft men to make them not to mention the tools they have American craft men make more money and can afford better tools!
A cts pot is 10 bucks and a switchcraft switch will cost way less than a set of locking tuners