NGD part deux: SBMM Cutlass

[fazool]

I am totally infatuated with the design of the Ernie Ball Music Man Cutlass.

I don't need another high end electric guitar but wanted a Cutlass. Sterling is Music Man's "budget" brand, similar to Epiphone and Squier for Gibson and Fender.

I tried a Sterling Cutlass and was very unhappy with it.

Lately I wanted a cheaper guitar to take out and leave at our band's rehearsal spot etc. I came back to this exact model and wondered if I judged too quickly. I even went back and re-read my own post to remember what I didn't like.

But, I found a store that bought out the clearance directly from Music Man when they discontinued the better CT50 model. The price was obscenely cheap so I figured I would try it again, and I would replace all the hardware and all the electronics. I also didn't like the color combo so was already planning on painting it.

Well.....1) I had low expectations since I didnt like the prior one I bought and 2) I didn't prefer a SSS pickup configuration, I didnt think Id like a maple neck and didnt love the color as advertised.

Well I got it today......and WOW!

I am totally smitten with this thing and one evening with it made me wonder why I didn't love SSS pickups, maple necks and the whole strat configuration.

This guitar plays amazingly well - totally unlike the prior one. The electronics on this budget guitar are AMAZING. Totally the opposite of the other one. The three pickups are so clean and articulate and there is so much tonal range available with the selections, and vol/tone settings. I can get so many different tones from this - more than my humbuckers and everything is *SO* clear.

These do not even remotely sound like cheap pickups.

For now I will be making *NO* changes to this except maybe a Tusq nut and MAYBE putting schaller locking tuners on it eventually - these are a little tiny bit sloppy feeling.

The finish on this thing is stunning. I can't believe the price/quality of this guitar.

The bridge is rock solid and stays in tune nicely.

So, two lessons:

1) these can be great guitars of terrific quality (the Made in China CT50 models)
2) the quality is inconsistent and I hated the first one but love the second
one

[fazool]

One modification I've now done successfully on two guitars was to significantly lower the 5-way blade switch. I do this because my playing style causes me to brush up against the switch, inadvertently changing pickup selection. I did this to one of my Taylor solidbodies and I just did it to this one. I love it this way.

I also spent quite a bit of time really sanding/polishing and dressing the fret ends and the fretboard edge. It made it much smoother.

I changed the endpins to PW ellipticals, which are my favorites.

Then I played this quite a bit. Staying in love with this cheap guitar !

I took the loaded pickguard off and the wiring quality and solder quality were much better than my previous one.

[marty bradbury]

Very cool looking guitar!

[Birchtop]

That sure is sharp!

Congratulations, and Happy NGD to you!

[Guildman]

I've got the EBMM Cutlass same color combo. Never played a Sterling. The Cutlass came a couple years after I had purchased an American Pro however. I don't have the Pro anymore so that sort of says it all. Glad you got one that you are happy with.

[fazool]

A month-and-a-half into ownership and I remain completely impressed with this inexpensive guitar.

The only criticisms I have of this are:

• The fret ends are sharp and need dressing - I did but need to touch up more
• The 5-way swictch sits high (switch issue not guitar issue)
• The nut is cheap plastic
• The nut width is a little narrow for my tastes (but that's just personal preference)
• It's a little heavy (compared to my chambered Taylor solidbody)
• The tremolo knob was threaded poorly and I had to really work to tighten it properly

But I took it all apart again while doing a string change - my intent was to plan out a switch upgrade. But I was pleasantly surprised to find out the pots were full-size large cans (not the cheap ones) and the 5-way switch was a really solid design (not the cheap kind)....so I closed it up amazed again.

Even the tremolo is beautifully machined (I work with machined aerospace parts so have an eye for this).

The one-way tremolo is rock solid and returns to pitch perfectly every single time.

I've owned probably ten different electric guitars in recent years (including several Gibsons, a couple vintage Gibsons, several Taylors, a vintage Framus). These pickups are toward the top of the tone list.)

The pots are solid and smooth with no response issues at all - they are perfect.

It is also dead quiet.

They did so many little things like conductive paint in the pickup cavity (with a dedicated ground wire), the solder joints are perfect (again I work with microscopic electronic assemblies so this is kind of "my thing").

Now, I am guessing that the frets are not stainless and the trem is not hardened tool steel so those may wear faster than the $10X version of this guitar but I can't see any evidence of this now.

This was such a phenomenal good deal.....