Sterling By Music Man Albert Lee ---- Not their finest effort!

As I have said previously, if you buy a Sterling, you can expect to have at least one thing wrong with it. It's usually minor & easily fixable. Sometimes,,,,, not so easy.

[@BenCoombs]

Other than the problems it's a great guitar!! Love ya man cheers!!

[@greatvanzini]

Yeah, but, but, it 50% of the real thing,,,, I'm good, LOL. See ya on the tube, Bud!

[@ThePaddedPedalroom]

HI GV, Happy Halloween! Hope you did not eat too much candy. Thanks for the eye candy, nice guitar. Sweet jam brother! 👍

[@greatvanzini]

Yeah, you know the thing,,,, no candy here, LOL. Thanks for coming by, Francis!

[@Jaysteenn]

❤❤❤ very cool, Happy Halloween!

[@greatvanzini]

& Happy holidays, Jay. Appreciate the visit!

[@arvongaunt1575]

Yeah , a couple of minor repairs and it'll be aces - nice guitar GV , Happy Halloween!

[@greatvanzini]

Shouldn't be too hard to fix up at all. Thanks for the visit, AG.

[@brianbrazil4426]

I have 3 Sterling by Music Man Albert Lee Signature Guitars. 2 of them are the AL40HH models with a 9 1/2 radius Jatoba fretboard and C shape Maple neck. They have 2 Humbuckers and 5 way switch to split coils of the pickups to get the single coil sounds. I also have the AL40P in the Sherwood Green finish with 2 P90s and 3 way pickup switch, a C shape Roasted Maple neck and dot inlays on a very dark, smooth Rosewood fretboard. None of mine have a problem with the pickups or the switches.

[@greatvanzini]

Oh that is good to hear. I was beginning to think perhaps they all had problems. Truthfully, I was as much upset with Sweetwater as I was with Sterling. They usually do better.

[@konjunto2477]

GV! Great to hear and see you. I havent posted anything lately. I have just been lazy I guess. P.S. You make playing guitar seem easy.

[@greatvanzini]

Thank you so much, KJ! GTSY too. Same here. It is kind of off & on at times.

[@applehead252]

I think it sounds wonderful. I bet Albert could make that thing sing ! Lol

[@greatvanzini]

LOL! Yes he sure could. As long as I play almost totally clean, it sounds fine. Add a pinch of dirt & it all goes downhill. Appreciate the visit, Applehead!

[@merrillj229]

Happy Halloween GV. Thanks for sharing ✌😎

[@greatvanzini]

GTSY You, MJ. Thanks for coming by.

[@Kubricklover1972]

Happy Halloween greatvanzinni I'm watching Jeff's metal show now. I'll check your video out later. Thanks for the Jeff Beck comment on my stream the other day. It's really helping to shape some of the Frank Terzo cover song. I think it had something to do with a slide. The slide is helping the song nicely. See you in the near future!

[@greatvanzini]

That's good to hear. Thanks for the visit.

[@Leenie333]

Excellent, thorough review, GV! I hate when there's grinding in my nuts. 😁 Happy Halloween! 🤗 💜👍14

[@greatvanzini]

Oh that Leenie, lol. Thanks for stopping by.

[@TheDinosaur82]

I didn't see this video until after I placed my order through Sweetwater, so while I was waiting for it to show up I got a little apprehensive. This video is on the Sweetwater review section but only shows in the listings for the cream version, and I purchased the green one. Next time, I'll check reviews for all color variations before ordering, but I wish Sweetwater would fix that. Despite having several Cutlasses, Mariposas, and even St. Vincents, my local stores never had one in stock for me to try. I love the neck on the recent Sterling models and I was intrigued by the body shape and the dual P90s. The one I received was great. The nut on the output jack was loose, and there was a wonky screw on the trem cover, but the rest of it is well put together. Super comfortable, the neck plays like a dream and the frets were well-dressed.

[@greatvanzini]

Hey, Dino! Thanks for dropping by. Oh that's good to hear. Sweetwater has promised a nice discount on my next purchase due to this. When they come through I may make a, well,,,, a make up video, LOL. Don't be afraid to let them know what was wrong. It is a fun player, feels good, etc.

[@DreamArtScientists]

Nice looking guitar. If it has a non-working pickup switch, and an issue with the nut, you should maybe call Sweetwater and see if they will replace that guitar for you with a better one. I think they owe that to you because they are supposed to do a full inspection and setup before shipping.

[@greatvanzini]

Hi DAS! Thanks for coming by. I may indeed call them. Shipping it back is a pain in the neck for me. It plays half way decent & it's all fairly fixable. I know a guy,,,,,, LOL. Again, thanks for the visit.

[@Charlieg01]

Nice review hip hip!!!

[@greatvanzini]

Charlie, Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

[@Kubricklover1972]

Happy Halloween greatvanzinni! I'm watching Jeff's metal show now. I'll check your video out later. Thanks for the Jeff Beck comment on my stream the other day. It's really helping to shape some of the Frank Terzo cover song. I think it had something to do with a slide. The slide is helping the song nicely. See you in the near future!

[@greatvanzini]

You bet! Enjoy the metal!

[@brianfromoregon2244]

Thanks for the video. You bought it so we don’t have to 😊

[@greatvanzini]

LOL! Yep, I sacrifice so others won't have to! Thanks for dropping by, Brian.

[@ColourfulEnergy]

Wow, this is awesome!👏👏👏

[@greatvanzini]

Thank you! Cheers, CE! Appreciate the visit.

[@BrianBrazilHarmonica]

The body is poplar wood, the neck is roasted Maple, the fretboard fretboard is Rosewood the pickups are 2 P90s with a 3 position pickup switch. The reason you can't get 5 positions is there are only 2 single coils pickups. I have this guitar in the Sherwood finish and there is nothing wrong with it.

[@greatvanzini]

Hi Brian, thanks for stopping by. I fear I muddied the waters with my explanation. It came with a broken 3 way switch & a bad nut. In this case I only had a single bridge PUP or well, never did dig my meter out. I was sort of comparing it to a real MM Albert Lee that I had played which has a 5 way switch (3 singles.)

[@DanielDroz]

So just like the original... except for everything🤣. The best part of this guitar is your playing! Fun video 👍👍

[@greatvanzini]

Thanks so much, Daniel. Yeah I think most any tele or strat will get you closer! Appreciate the visit, Daniel.

[@jimmybiter2936]

Happy Halloween GV🤘🤘Great video 👍

[@greatvanzini]

Jimmy! Thanks for coming by. Hope you're well.

[@kaneo67]

It sounds really good.Once you get it fixed it will be a very good guitar

[@greatvanzini]

It does,,,, considering. As somebody else said, it has good bones! LOL. THanks for stopping by, Kaneo!

[@kaneo67]

@@greatvanzini Cool bro. Yeah the Silver Sky SE video you made is similar in that they have some problems but they have good bones too! Rock on, you are a really awesome player.I am 49, and I hope I still play as well as you when I I get "long in the tooth" haha. I just hope I can still play, it's a righteous addiction!

[@Empirism]

Pickup difference? xD... good stuff

[@greatvanzini]

Not sure what you're asking, Empirism. Thanks for dropping by for a visit.

[@williamdesilva67]

Nice looking guitar for sure.. Albert Lee is a legend.. those sterlings tend to have bad reputations from what i hear..i just picked up a mij aerodyne strat for $599 .. Franklin guitar is blowing them out.. I imagine thats gonna be a much better $599 deal

[@greatvanzini]

William, Thanks for the visit. Great minds think alike! I just grabbed a 75 anniversary MIM strat from,,,, I think from Fullers on Reverb. I think you still got the better deal. Any MIJ is going to be way better for sure.

[@albertarguelles3262]

How could that guitar pass a 10 point inspection much less a 55 point?

[@greatvanzini]

Hey, Albert! Yeah, I let em know. They were very nice about it. Gave me a good discount on my next one. I have always had good luck with SW until this one.

[@timehasbeenkind]

Great to see catch this! #31

[@greatvanzini]

Hey, Mark. GTSY! It needs some work but yeah, it will be a fun one. Appreciate the visit!

[@kurikokaleidoscope]

🧡❤🧡🧡🧡❤

[@greatvanzini]

Thanks for the visit, Kurikokaleidoscope. Appreciate it!

[@kaneo67]

What amp were you playing through? Sorry if you mentioned it and I missed it

[@greatvanzini]

Hey, Kaneo! Again thanks. Nothing special here. The intro & outro was from the Boss Eband. Basically a GT100 with a speaker system. The main stuff was with a Fender Champ 20.

[@surf7642]

I’m looking for an alternative p90 guitar because i don’t like the tuning stability on my p90 les paul studio. (I tried kluson locking tuners, which helped a little). Guess i might try fender mustang p90 if this sterling is no good?

[@greatvanzini]

Hi Surf. Thanks for coming by. The Sterlings have been really hit & miss with quality control. I've been thinking about a Mustang myself. They just seem so high priced for what you get. I'm thinking Gretsch makes a LP shaped something now with a P90. Might be a chambered body though. I have a Reverend Sensei jr. with one p90. I love it except for the Pau Ferro fretboard/ I've heard they have gone back to using Rosewood though.

[@surf7642]

There’s a fella on youtube who did a video with a blind sound test between a gibson p90 and yamaha revstar p90. Surprisingly I likes the yamaha sound better. I’m going to think about the yamaha i suppose

[@greatvanzini]

@@surf7642 Thought about that one too, LOL. I have owned some Yamaha electrics & was always pleased. Most of the acoustics I own are YmHa'.Very pleased.

[@blastsucarta1068]

I found sterlings to not have very good pickups and when they are brand new the sound is brittle like breaking glass and there was a funny vibration coming from the bridge that translates into the recording. They look cool but really you get what you pay for. The reason the US made EBMM are so expensive is because they are great instruments

[@greatvanzini]

Hi, Blast, thanks for dropping by. Interesting! I actually found the PUPS on the other Sterlings to,,, not be as bad as I thought they would be. LOL. Not exactly a ringing endorsement. These P90's though, while not outright terrible are at the bottom of the list of all my P90 guitars. Of course with the 3 way switch not working I have no real idea what I'm hearing. The 2 or 3 USA EBMM's I played were all just terrible players. Sounded ok but played bad. All needed a good set up & some fret work. They were however all used.

[@jamiej14544]

Other than all those differences, it's exactly the same as Albert's!

[@greatvanzini]

LOL. Yep. According to my calculator, the final numbers are 42.3% identical. Thanks for dropping by for a visit, Jamie!

[@jamiej14544]

I heard Albert play in a guitar clinic sponsored by Thoroughbred Guitar ctr in Tampa some years ago and have nearly all his CDs. He was demonstrating his signature model Music Man guitar that us much like a Strat. A great human being!

[@greatvanzini]

@@jamiej14544 I have heard that. A heck of a player for sure. Saw him about 10 years ago.

[@OldJong]

How many pounds does that Sterling weight? 😉

[@greatvanzini]

Hi, OldJong, Thanks for coming by. I think they said 7 lbs 4 or 5 oz. It feels a pinch lighter than most of my strats which frankly caught me a bit off guard. Again, thanks for the visit.

[@OldJong]

But I kind of like the sounds you get out of it. Even if it represents only 75% of the sounds it should produce! 🙃 @@greatvanzini

[@greatvanzini]

@@OldJong So weird. The sound came out on the video far better than I thought it would.

[@gregmacklin9758]

Looks like good bones that needs work

[@greatvanzini]

That's a great way to look at it. Even with pup switch out, it still sounded & played decent. Thanks for stopping by, Greg.

[@gregmacklin9758]

@greatvanzini Any tome partner. Your reviews atr top notch because you never sugar coat anything with BS. Nothing against the other's, but you've got a no-nonsense approach and get to the point and tell it like it is. I can sit through your reviews without anxiously thinking, " Get on with it." Your insight is of value to me, and I appreciate your efforts

[@greatvanzini]

Double, thanks again! Appreciate the feedback.