The Guitar Everyone Quickly Forgotten About

[@andrewbecker3700]

Bought this guitar when they first came out with the intent of modding it. Now that its all hopped up, its not going anywhere. TB-14 and two SSL-6's with DiMarzio superswitch and 500k pots with a push/pull tone for coilsplitting the humbucker. Orangedrop capacitor and treble bleed curcuit round out the mods. I'm still messing around with wiring and parallel/series and phase options.

[@romeou4965]

In USA, the Indonesian cutlass is cheaper by $250 versus than mexican player strat. And b-stock means it was a demo, open box or returned unit that passed inspection

[@JasonWharton82]

I just got the Sterling Miropsa and I'm absolutely blown away by the quality of it at the price point.

[@Paul-D]

I haven’t tried one of those

[@bluzikmusic]

I've got a Sterling MM Cutlass HSS in stealth black. It's my second favourite guitar, coming close to my outstanding Maton MS520. For those who are unaware, Musicman was started by Leo Fender in the '80's after the restrictions placed on him by his sale of Fender Guitars, came to an end. Subsequesntly, Ernie Ball bought the company.

[@garyp5522]

I always enjoy listening to your playing.

[@Paul-D]

Thanks for listening

[@EricMakingWaves]

Bro, your playing is great and your commentary is excellent. So helpful! Subscribed. You deserve a big KZbin following. I stumbled across your pickup shootouts and honestly I almost clicked off cuz I thought you were just an amateur. A good key light in all your shots and a decent microphone for the commentary could go a long way. Maybe some more polished thumbnails and you’d be killing it. Just my thoughts. I’ll stick around regardless. You’ve got knowledge and talent-don’t hide it!

[@Paul-D]

Appreciate that man - really good of you to comment that with some pointers too. The commentary audio has done my head in lately, I bought a lapel and broke it after 2 vids - then I bought a rode shotgun mic for the camera and its insanely high noise floor so has to be run with 0 gain and boosted in the edit - all this costs money whilst im also buying 90% of the guitars on here with me own money all for what is a tiny KZbin channel lol. Its a labour of love and im trying to improve it as time goes on :)

[@stefangrose4954]

The ct-50 HSS sells for $549 new in the U.S. Are you sure you got the price right?

[@Paul-D]

Yeh man i went from the recommended retail price from the distro, alot of retailers will undercut that though its true. The RRP on a brand new one in the UK is between £750 -£800 believe it or not!

[@miketuttle9319]

Had this same guitar, the neck was just a bit big for me. Otherwise I liked the guitar quite a bit. One thing about roasted guitar necks is they use a black dot fret marker on what can be a rather dark neck. If the light was low it was hard to see.

[@Paul-D]

Yeh good point, alot of the premium specs that include Roasted maple have luminlay dots for that reason i guess

[@SO-bp2uc]

100% the neck is a little thick for my taste. I like rest of the guitar, although I’d replace the trem if I was going to keep it.

[@kaneo67]

I am a huge fan of tuning stability,and I am curious -have you noticed that the cutlass keeps better tune than a strat? I ask because since i got a silver sky,then a silver sky se i noticed that they kept better tune than any strat i had ever owned or played, and i block the trem on strats so that wasn't a factor.The music man and sterling have a similar design with 4 tuners one side,2 on the other,and the strings appear to be in a straight line through the nut. the prs ss strings also go through the nut at better angles than say a gibson, especially for the D and G strings.Fender also a straight line but all fixed onto the one side of the headstock

[@Paul-D]

I have to say as someone who never ever uses a trem i dont get bothered by too many tuning issues. I do think the 2 point system on here is better then the one on the player series though. And the 4 x 2 straight string through design will definitely be better for that too.

[@kaneo67]

@@Paul-D thanks, i am sorry,. i word things in the most confusing way. I just meant did you notice it kept better tune overall,regardless of trem use

[@Paul-D]

It definitely felt stable without trem use, thing is i played this straight out from the box without doing anything so by the time i get it on the bench it will feel 10x better for the next person

[@robertromero5930]

I bought this guitar in daphne blue as my first guitar and so far I’m pleased I like many different types of music so I was looking for a good all around we and every review I’ve seen said for the money at least in the us it’s great at everything it does.

[@Paul-D]

A fantastic first guitar and great guitar in general tbf. You chose well. Im surprised how quickly it disappeared from any attention. I had this guitar listed for £400 for months (£200 odd under rrp) and nobody bought it. Yet i used to sell fender player series weekly lol.

[@robertromero5930]

@@Paul-D Coming from a person who has not much knowledge on the topic, I think it comes down to the fact that it’s at least in the USA it’s priced just above entry level guitars, but also a significantly smaller name then fender or Gibson makes new people look under it and makes older people look past it.

[@Paul-D]

@@robertromero5930 In the UK the full RRP on the CT50 is around £700 so actually more then a Mim Fender. But yeh your definitely right, perhaps now theyve signed Rabea alot more people will take notice of the brand in general.

[@rickc2102]

how about a Charlie Christian in the neck position

[@englishflowers1233]

Would you reccommend this guitar for someone who likes classic rock? I have small hands and the les paul neck is too big

[@Paul-D]

Id say find a les Paul with a smaller neck, They really arent all big - far from it :)

[@englishflowers1233]

@@Paul-D Okay thanks. Do you know any specific models with a smaller neck? Preferably tokai or epiphone because a real les paul is expensive!!

[@Paul-D]

If you look up older Epiphone Les Paul customs and pro's they have really skinny necks. I realllllly hate them for that reason but it might be extreme enough that since your looking for small neck you might like it. In 2019 epiphone revamped all the models and that neck profile pretty much disappeared from the line up in favour of more vintage bigger necks. It only lives on today in the custom model but are now very expensive too! Any pre 2019 Epiphone pro or custom should be your first point of call with epiphone - I see them for sale all the time around the £350 mark. Tokai have bigger necks, the china and Japan ones.

[@JohnnyApp1eseed]

Try the ct 50 plus with the mid boost if you ever get the chance. It’s become my favorite guitar. Only comes in HHS but it SO GOOD.

[@Paul-D]

I would like to try one to be fair.

[@zorbathegeek]

Jack of all trades, master of none. The LP had more balls, and the Fender had more sparkle (imo) - it seems a bit mild. Lovely guitar though.

[@Paul-D]

Yeh man thats what i should call the vid. Jack of all trades master of none haha.

[@RJKANEAO]

Comparing to an LP is a bit much as it’s not a set neck nor a HH guitar.. As far as being milder than a fender.. I would say fenders are becoming like Gibson.. “you never what you’re gonna get.” I play the Ernie ball music man “American” made cutlass’s 5-7 nights a week (I have three of them) at my gigs full time and I occasionally play these Sterling models too.. back 2016 when they came out was probably the best year as being closest to the American made but the newer models are great too.. compared to my PRS silver sky they’re right in the same pocket! But I’ll say this not just because I’m an artists of EBMM/ SBMM but also cause it’s true for me.. the cutlass is probably best S style electric guitar on the market as far as value vs capabilities/sound/tone.. I’m fortunate enough to rep them everywhere I go and they do not disappoint.. sturdy guitars with great feel and tone.. I’ll actually prefer to play one of my Sterling cut all guitars over any of my America and Mexican Strats.. aloha

[@rsaathoff]

On the used market, you can get the CT50b for $300 all day. I got mine for $200. They just don't hold their value. But they're very comfortable guitar. The CT50 has way more harmonics than my strat

[@Paul-D]

absolute used bargain - in fact not only do they not hold their used value, they didn't really hold their RRP either and many dealers sold them new at high discounts

[@pharmerdavid1432]

This model seems more attractive to me than the PRS "SIlver Sky", just going by specs mind-you, haven't played either. A vlog comparing those two models perhaps?

[@Paul-D]

I remember both pretty well - I’m assuming you mean the SSS version of this as the silversky is in the convo. This feels and sounds much more modern than the SS. It tends to be lighter in weight then the silversky too being a thinner body and roasted maple.

[@carpathus]

That's obviously a nice guitar but it's tough enough finding the time to play the instruments I already have. I don't practice enough as it is which is why I am stuck being a permanent beginner. My focus needs to be more on practice and less on gear. Be that as it may I'm still hooked on guitar and love playing terribly for 2 or 3 hours a week. Cheers!

[@Paul-D]

We are all guilty of that my friend haha. Main thing is you enjoy it as a whole, whether that's 3 hours playing and 1 hour looking at gear or 8 hours a day every day.

[@PaulCooksStuff]

I'm slowly getting over the stumpy headstock (like I'm slowly getting used to a PRS headstock on a strat). I've heard nothing but good things about them, and the spec is good. But it's odd - they're entirely competent, but I just have no reason to want one. They don't do anything tangibly better than what I've already got, and there's already a dozen other competent alternatives to what I've got. There isn't a stand out reason to put them ahead.

[@Paul-D]

Yeh I think that sums up exactly why it came out and was pretty quickly forgotten about. Where as something like the Silversky SE despite already being 12 months old still gets tonnes of interest

[@bluwng]

I like them but the frets are to small.

[@SparkyGoldsmith]

HSS is THE do everything guitar. Put a coil split in it. I used to be a SSS purist but I've since found pickups that sound good split and I'm over it. If I could only have one guitar it would be a HSS Strat. If you don't like the sounds of THESE pickups, that a different problem.

[@Paul-D]

I totally get it. I really do. The thing is, ive never wanted a do everything guitar.

[@SparkyGoldsmith]

@@Paul-D There really is no such thing but that's as close as it gets.

[@wilhen1]

Don't really understand your dislike of HSS guitars. Sure if you have the $$$, go right ahead and buy multiple guitars. But, if you're on a budget, this guitar gives you a lot of versatility for a very good price.

[@Paul-D]

I just prefer a tool for each job over a multi tool for lots of jobs. But that doesnt mean i dont see the value and benefit. Just expressing a personal preference in an ideal world haha.

[@Prajnana]

Three singles all the way. I don't get why they don't, at least, offer a coil split on the bridge pup - maybe it sounds crappy when split! 😉

[@Paul-D]

Yup im a 3 single coils guy on a strat. Not keen on HSS

[@TedSchoenling]

I got one exactly like that for $450....

[@Paul-D]

And to think just yesterday i ended up selling this for £240.

[@nellayema2455]

@@Paul-D That's kind of a bummer! One can't count on decent resale value with brands such as Sterling and G&L, unfortunately. I don't get it because they do make really good guitars. I have the CT-50 in Rose Gold. I have to lube the nut and all of the string take-off points because I can't keep it in tune when I touch the tremolo. Otherwise, it is a fine guitar.

[@RJKANEAO]

Fender Mexican Player series Stratocaster cost more.. like $150-200 more..

[@Paul-D]

They do but they are for sale at full RRP more often too. The RRP on these in the UK is about 700 but nobody really sells them for that. I sold this one for 400 when i had my shop haha

[@purrpocalypse]

I suppose QC is the issue... I recently picked up a CT30, and I hate to admit it, but it's one of the worst guitars I've ever purchased brand new. The nut is cut wrong so it doesn't intonate on the E or A, the trem doesn't work well enough to stay in tune, the pickups are microphonic and sound brittle and ice-pick-y. The neck is just cheap... It's a bad guitar. It's a Squier Affinity/Bullet tier neck. I thought I was going to get something on par with a CV or Paranormal, but instead I got a guitar that barely matches a Squier Bullet, and I'm not even sure if it's as good as my Bullet. I'm just super bummed. I wish I could return it.

[@Paul-D]

How come you cant return it, sound like you got a real bum one??

[@SalvvOrtiz]

$349 today at Musicians friend's stupid deal.

[@Paul-D]

Yeh its a great deal for sure, not surprised its so heavily discounted - nobody wanted them for whatever reason

[@SalvvOrtiz]

@@Paul-D I would buy it if I didn't have 7 guitars that I want to get rid of.

[@jasonmelo1974]

I don't like versatility 🧐

[@Paul-D]

I prefer a tool per job then 1 tool for lots of jobs - if thats allowed to be an option lol

[@jasonmelo1974]

@@Paul-D yes it is. I get it if the one tool is far better but honestly, this sounds nearly as good as the comparatives.