Is This Guitar Too Good To Be True? Let's Find Out! - Sterling Cutlass
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 มิ.ย. 2024
- On face value this guitar looks like a really fantastic deal. Let's take a closer look to find out!
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VIDEO SECTIONS:
1. Great price...and great specs? - 1:04
2. So what does it sound like? - 4:06
3. One Minute Solo! - 8:10
4. Let's tear it down! - 9:35
5. What is it like to play? - 14:58
5. So...Is it worth buying? - 16:29
SOLI DEO GLORIA! - เพลง
I can't imagine Fender or any other major guitar maker putting out anything like this Sterling Cutlass. It's really fantastic to see makers like Sterling moving in this direction!
VIDEO SECTIONS:
1. Great price...and great specs? - 1:04
2. So what does it sound like? - 4:06
3. One Minute Solo! - 8:10
4. Let's tear it down! - 9:35
5. What is it like to play? - 14:58
5. So...Is it worth buying? - 16:29
Enjoy!
Hey Darrell how ya doin. I know this has nothing to do with your video, but what do you know about Wolf guitars. There made in south Korea but there set up and the frets are done in California. If you can let me know what you might know about them there 449.00 without a hard case n 499.00 with a case. They have alot of custom work on them but I don't know if it's good custom work or the electronics. I hope you can help me cause that's about the max amount I can afford for a decent single cut, if it's a decent guitar. Thank you brother, you n yours be safe, peace.😎✌🌈🐻🐢
Fender hasn’t been a good for awhile now. They started going down hill 6-7 years ago
For some reason your video won't play for me. The button just turns grey and does not play. I reload it skip time forward all to no avail. Only this video.
I own the American Cutlass and the JP6... Sterling is doing a great job.
Darrell please do some more affordable guitars, i have a gretsch g54215 electromatic jet in fb red, is it good ?
Darrell... it's a small thing but something I have noticed, especially recently, is that unlike almost every other YT channel, when you go from voice to playing I don't have to adjust my volume. Usually the guitar is so loud vs the voice volume it's a constant battle... anyway just wanted to say I noticed your mixing! Great review, seriously considering one of these!
I’ve got an older one of these and it had really sharp frets. They’re cheap but there are better finished guitars in the same price range
@Raphet Kchotto oops I replied to the wrong comment.
Damn right Marb, it's so brutal most times.
I only want to say this. Great Comment. It's one of those "I knew that" things that until someone mentions it? You're like...OMG...You're right!!! I missed it. I think that's great editing on Darrell's Part. I for one really appreciate it!! Thank you for making this point.
Darrell is literally rhe only guitar reviewer I ever watch at this point. His focus on quality is incredible.
Glad to finally hear a real tone test of pickups without pedals. It seems like everyone just wants to strum a couple of chords on the neck and middle pickups and then slam the overdrive on. Great toner test. Thank you!
Depends on the player. Like expecting a metal channel to play blues..... 😂
No doubt some pickups sound best with gain/distortion, but I prefer to hear how they sound clean. There are a million distortion and overdrive pedals out there to custom tailor one's high gain tones to whatever they prefer. But (other than compression or eq perhaps) there is no way that I know of to make a crappy clean pickup sound better.
No pedals😂
I'm so glad you posted this. I just added one to my "list" and I you have no idea how big the smile you put on my face is. Thank you.
This is why I love your channel. Whenever I have any guitar questions I end up looking through all the videos that pop up to find yours specifically. Your reviews are in depth and just phenomenal. Love your vids and can definitely see the time and effort you put into each one. Keep it up :)
Me too lol
Glad to see Sterling's quality control and value for the price point has improved so well. The pickups sound incredible and the fact that it has a roasted maple neck for the price is awesome! Great job as always, Darrel. Cheers from California!
Great review, as always!
Man, I just can't get over the value of these. I'll age myself here, but after 45 years of playing, and buying a lot of guitars, like MIA Fenders, Gibsons, PRS, etc, I just bought my first EBMM about 6 years ago, and then immediately another, and another!
I would buy any one of the Sterling guitars now. I didn't feel that way 10-12 yrs ago, but I do now. I think they've really improved the Sterling line - and without any big price increases (yes Fender, I'm talking about you).
Sterling is definitely #1 in affordable guitars. I've been rocking my Sterling AX3 for a good 3 years now, and it is such a solid, well built guitar. I went over it with a microscope and found absolutely nothing wrong with it. 250 dollars for something that good is astounding.
The distortion tone is to die for❤,Beautiful guitar
The Cutless has been on my guitar bucket list for years! Thanks for doing this vid! Blessings bro!
I've had the Asat Telecaster for years and it's an amazing guitar
Anything Fender had a hand on is good
It sounds beautiful. That clean tone is perfect
Very honest review and it matches my experience with the Cutlass I purchased in the spring of this year: looks cool, feels really good, plays smoothly, and the thing STAYS IN TUNE. Gigs, rehearsals, rattling along the highway in its case… in tune even with fairly heavy dives on the bridge. Love it!
Darrell - been watching your channel for a few years. Of all the guitars you’ve owned/reviewed, my favorite is still the seafoam green thinline tele with the split blade pickups. That axe needs to make a comeback on the channel!
Really been enjoying the channel! Thanks for the reviews!!
That 1 minute solo playing was amazing
He is a good player. Definitely has his own unique style too.
That's how generous Darrell is. If he loves the guitar he will give it away to his friends or to subscribers! Love it!
I bought this recently because I wanted a Strat like guitar but I hate the 3 knobs and I always upgrade to locking tuners, so it was nice not to have to upgrade the tuners. The guitar is AMAZING! Incredible value! If the made this exact guitar but a Tele I’d be ALL over it as well!!! Buy it! You won’t be disappointed!!!
The quality of guitars coming out of Indonesia is really high.
I agree. This is nothing new though I have some old Indonesian made guitars and Korean that are absolutely incredible for what they are.
@@ChienandKun um... Burma is another country, not in Indonesia
@@ChienandKun Indonesian local works there. Mostly rural people
@@kl6711 Burma may be Mayanmar now.
@@ChienandKun ofc they can cross borders, but Indonesia is a highly populated country, so they don't really need foreign labours. And for burma...now i just hope they can stay safe and not to be killed by the military, we literally can't help anything
Great guitar. I I’ve an HSS version in matte black. Added locking tuners because mine is older and didn’t come with them. The bridge is phenomenal. Can float it like Beck and warble like Gillis. It’s feels and responds GREAT.. the pickups are awesome. Incredible clarity absolute a must buy guitar. Light, it sounds great, and it plays great and impeccable quality. .
Its 4 in the night here(Norway) right now, woke up having to pee and saw my notification of your new post.
Guess its 04.15 when im going back to bed :)
Hahah
Now it’s 0630 here in Norway, and both my kids are up 😎👍🎸
@@TheWelhaven did you wake up dry :-). At my age I would be dreaming I had woken up to watch the video - suddenly I can play guitar like Darrel and am hitting that Gilmour solo note perfrct ... that gives me a warm feeling ...
"oh no ... that was the dream!!"
Waking up in the middle of the night to take a leak is usually not a good sign. You should check your prostate.
@@milankotevski1663 better than peeing the bed🤣
I’ve had the HSS model for a month now. Love it. Tone is far better than expected.
Beautiful guitar, amazing features and quality, looks like to me you can't go wrong. And it sounds great. Love your channel!
Loved your playing on this one. Great job!
Great show on this guitar brother Darrell
Enjoying your vids thur the years....Thank you...Tim n Tina.
Looks and plays fantastic, I'll definitely pull the trigger for it, as I was looking for a nice Strat-like guitar. Thanks for this video, Darrell, as always
I already have one without the roasted maple neck that I really love, and your video (along with a couple others) helped push me over the edge to get this exact model. The only negative thing I can say about the Sterling Cutlass I already have is that the pickups weren't my style. I changed that and plan on doing the same thing when my new one gets here next week. Otherwise, the build on these is exceptional - for the price. This is one of those guitars that people should know - if they find one at a lower price than 'brand new', go for it. One site had the rose gold version for $150 off because of a blemish. Someone beat me to it. But, I found the one I bought for $100 of reverb. It's not just a great guitar to play, it's perfect to learn how to swap out all the electronics.
Thanks for the review of the Sterling. I believe these are underrated gems. I have played the music Man version with stainless fret and a coil system to reduce 60 cycle hum. It rivaled the fender professional and silver sky in playability. Keep spreading the word. Great guitar
Very cool to know the fretwork is good on these things. There is a Lead II for $650, and they actually give you 22 frets. But it seems way cheaper in terms of quality.
You always make great videos. Perhaps you may want to do one on your video recording equipment, The stereo audio and video really comes out good.
Fantastic well done music Man, thanks Darrell
jeez, this guitar is unreal for that price. 6 minutes in and I'm sold.
It just might be the best looking Squier, but one thing is for certain for me: You make it the best sounding ever and like any Steat type is supposed to sound. Totally awesome!
Considering it is not a Squier yeah ;P
Great Review Darrell. My favorite low dollar guitar. I mostly use my Silhouette. I have 2 of them but traded my Mexiccan HSS Strat for Sterling Cuslass. I put a trio of Lace Sensor Gold pickups and it is now a really versatile guitar.
Great review Darrell. Thanks
Darrell great video, and it sounds great bro and great playing !!!
I am not into strats, but this one seems to have a very nice modern design and well-equipped for £500. So a very good platform to start changing pickups and electronics and that would be it. 👍🏻
Oat in a Boat... just teasing lol. Hey Darrell, I love your channel. I want to thank you for testing out these guitars for us. Every time you've got a new video, I immediately click on it, and then start binge watching your channel! 🎼♥🎸🎶🤘😝🤘🎵
Great review Darrell. I played one of these the other day in a store-compared it to the squire classic vibe. It was a really nice guitar. Very good value for the money. The satin roasted neck felt amazing, lots of features. The one I tried needed a fret polish, but otherwise was very impressive. Now I have my eye on these, and may just end up getting one.
I was going to get the Ernie Ball Cutlass but opted for the upgraded stingray. It is great. It plays awesome. Great video Darrell.
Sounds awesome, Darrell!
I'm a bass guy, but love your channel.
You literally break a guitar down and help the player make an intelligent choice.
DB is a classy, thoughtful and talented reviewer, no doubt.
Bass is easy step it up man
@@Wxterslide I've played guitar before, THAT was easy to me.
@@thebionicbassplayer then play serrana..
Love your channel, love your playing
Your always the best. I really enjoy your videos.
Love these. Been thinking of selling my mexi strat and getting one of these.
Sterling is actually a separate company to which EBMM licenses its designs. An EBMM customer service rep told me this.
I just got one . I love it , plays like a dream.
Thnaks for the review. Im thinking about buying one of these very soon.
I was going to buy a Vintage brand guitar, but this is better in almost every feature for the same price.
Good demo, Darrell. I've turned into a minor-league Sterling fan. I have a St. Vincent with 3 mini-humbuckers, and just bought an Albert Lee with a pair of full-sized humbuckers. Both are great values - look good, lots of features, and they sound good, too.
Which one do you think is better quality or are they about the same?
@@benjaminfowler4513 My amateur's view is that they're about the same. Good finish, good fretwork, satin neck. My St. Vincent has locking tuners, but the Albert Lee does not - may change that in the future, but it holds tune just fine at the moment.
@@rayschoch5882 I appreciate it
I agree, this headstock design rules for tuning stability. Seagull did it pretty well, PRS almost got it.
I have the Music Man Cutlass made in California and it looks identical to this Sterling other than mine is a green metallic & tiger striped roasted neck. By far the most comfortable neck carve I have ever felt, bar none ! I also bought the Sterling "Valentine" and was very impressed with how similar the overall quality was to the USA made guitars. Superb guitars ! Both stay in tune and play excellent. You can't go wrong with either of them for sure.
Darrel, nice sound!! Please, make a video telling us more about your setup (pedals, configs and amp).
Thanks Darrell for a great review! I have a Fender Strat and if i were to get a second S-type guitar it would definitely be this!
You convinced me Darrell. I ordered the same one from GC today, It was $550 now. It is coming from a nearby store, and should be here in a couple of days. Can't wait!
I have had it for a week now, and I really like it. Sounds and looks great!
Whats your experience with it, now that you had a couple of months with it?
are you still playing it?
darrell i would love to see more reviews, even of the really cheep guitars you get where you take them all a part and give us a little run down of the pots, electronics and hardware. much love from colorado
Yes I enjoyed the demo very much, thank you....
Sire are another great mid-range guitar company being built in Indonesia with similar cool features! Locking tuners and roasted maple necks with options for flame maple tops. They are coming out with a T style guitar soon as well!
Just snagged a rose gold ct50 HSS from Long&Mcquade for 499canadian moosebucks. Setup and intonation were spot on outbof the box, and it stays in tune after the strings settled in. So far I am liking the tones, especially the cleans. Like another poster mentioned, these pups are hotter than fenders. Good value guitar if you get it with a big discount.
still playing it?
Love the headstock with straight string pulls. Neck looks like mahogany at first but baked maple a definite plus. For Alpha pots the pickups sound great. What Fender should have made.
Thanks, Darrell. Hats off to your wife. She chose wisely. A tone for every occasion. Even the Glarry with good strings can't compare to this boy. I'm sold!
Great review Darrell.
Thanks so much, for offering alternatives to the major's. As a teen, I remember thinking guitars will be cheaper when I'm older, wrong!
check out the cort g300. another insanely spec’d guitar for 800. insane value
This with the Freeway 10 way switch you showed us in another video and bam, sold. May install Fender Yosemite pickups and will definitely refinish and change or get rid of the pick guard. Thanks for the video Darrell.
And the best thing is the volume knob is down outta the way of your strumming hand...thats why I can’t play a strat...my hand always smacks that darn knob...good stuff as always DB!!!!
This guitar is a good deal when compared with similar manufacturers like fender or other popular quality brands with roasted maple neck. Even the similar Godin is $750 ish. This is a serious contender!
It’s because they’re made in underpaying factories, the labor is cheap.
@@aaron4757 so is everything else in this price range.
@@jacobseal yup
I may have paid a little more for my Godin Radiator than an offshore make but I am supporting a Canadian company that employs Canadian workers and uses Canadian grown wood. 🇨🇦🎸
@@dabsafe Agree! We should all support 'local' as much as we can! And Godin's are fantastic guitars!
I have a Few Sterling "Silhouttes, a Sterling Axis, An OLP Silhouette, and an OLP Double Neck 6-12....Love Them All
Hi. Thanks for all these great in depth reviews. Have you posted such review concerning the V6 strats from VintageUSA? Thanks
Gorgeous guitar, but man I wish I’d seen this video a week ago. After hearing lots of good stuff about the Squire 60s Classic Vibe, I ordered one; will be here today! It is in that same Lake Placid Blue with white accents, which I dearly love. I guess we’ll keep this guitar in mind for a backup, if I don’t like the Squire.
Love the channel. You have a great manner about you .
Have you ever reviewed a guitar you recommend we avoid.?
Thanks Darrell. Great axe. I want one. Did you notice the bits of metal stuck on the magnetic pu posts? Super vid as usual.
Yes sir! You’ve got a nice one there. I have one just like it and love playing it! Uh oh, tear down!!! Four plus two tuners means tuning stability.
I have a Sterling and it is great. Your right on sound. I play a lot of country and it sounds great. Thank You so much.
Wow Darrell intonation on that guitar is so much better than my fender squire tele, around the same price and the D cord sounds awesome C & B strings all the way up the neck no waiving or fuss very awesome, sounds like a strat should, and the neck head well the whole neck is the best! Great video I want one wish Money wasn’t so tight here!
Bought one after watching the video. Mine had several high frets that caused some major fret buzz. Otherwise I'm happy with it and will level the frets and keep it. Bought it on sale at GC so am okay with the extra work. Enjoy watching your videos.
I had a Music Man cutlass, and ultimately sold it as i had too many expensive guitars. This seems like a perfect replacement!
Already one year later this model is discontinued in many shops. I’ll guess people rather buy a Fender (to a lower price). And you can get the top version from Sire a lot cheaper in the same quality
Ive been eyeing this lil thing for a long time. Good looking quality guitar. Thanks for the teardown big D. This guitar is a steal with all those features. Over a grand for a fender,nah. Squires got them beat all day long. Good video once again.🎧🎸🎶
I own 2 of the Music Man HSS American versions and they're INCREDIBLE. One of them is the stealth model.
Nice work 😉🤙
I have the ct30 cutlass. This is major upgrade. Locking tuners, roasted maple neck, alnico pickups, pop in trem arm (I broke mine), and big trem block!!!
Music Man's Sterling is a great brand. I play a Sterling Silo 20, which is an older version of those new Silhouettes. The Sterling I play has HSH Pickups, two knobs, a 5-way switch and 24 Jumbo frets. It's an amazing guitar, which is comfortable in your hands and sounds pretty good. The only thing it doesn't have is a term bar, but other than that it's probably the best guitar I've played so far. Sterling doesn't feel like a mid-range guitar, which is epic.
Great review, Sterling do an axis AX3FM would love to see you do a review of that too… looks to be a great guitar too
I'm drooling over one of these and more importantly, the Mariposa...
the mariposa has a really unique design!
Hi Darrell - great review and tear-down. Not very often I can say this but I bought the guitar on the strength of this review...and I wasn't disappointed! Thanks...
Hi. Please share your opinion about the guitar
@@slawastr4619 I think the most striking thing is the quality and carve of the neck - it's a beautiful fit into the hand. I like the dark rosewood slab board.Trem is very nice quality - very stable (although, in fairness, I don't dive-bomb!). My other pleasant surprise was the pickups - I bought intending to change but I won't need too - they are crisp, low-powered with some gentle attack and nice natural compression. It's well finished, light and resonant. I'm in the UK so it was more expensive as a few people have noted but realistically - that's the cost of getting it here and UK taxes. Certainly worth a try...you'll be pleasantly surprised!
@@jonisaacs6967 Thank you very much!
These are fantastic guitars!!!
That is a very nice sounding guitar. And your playing does a great job of complimenting all the tones available. Music Man is a great instrument. Sounds like Sterling is, too.
Wow, great review, and wow, that seems like the best deal I've come across. (Schecters and ESP E2 seem good as well.) That guitar looks and sounds great, and the price is as low as you can get for reliable quality. I may have to get one of these, and I haven't bought a new guitar in over 20 years. Does Music Man make a Telecaster style guitar?
My son starts on JP150 Neptune blue and he loves it...! Nice one too...
Hey Darrell, whatever happened to that old Mexican standard Stratocaster is yours? Awesome video as always
Great guitars, got my EBMM Cutlass HSS for $1750. I should play it more often, tend to play my modded MiMs the most.
I played one yesterday at our local store , feels , plays and sounds great .
Best bang for the buck! Amazing guitar!
Man this sounds fantastic and I've had GAS lately and didn't necessarily want another Squier or Epiphone. Great specs on this guitar for the price, I daresay specced out more nicely than a Classic Vibe. I'm leaning toward the dropped copper HSS, though.
Anyone else get anxiety seeing all the crud stuck to the pickup pole pieces in the closeup?
Got me wanting one !
Loved the video, I've always liked the looks. What are your feelings about the PRS SE OR CE models?? Do the 85/15 pup's have nice Classic rock and Blue's tone's and for an import and top quality build and finish? Are they worth the price?
This guitar + a Line 6 HX Effects is all I need for my Layne ❤
Hey Darell looks like 700 k is close, keep up the good work. I had a request, my son and I both watch your channel how about a step by step on pedal boards, like where to start and what to add when. Just see a lot of pedal reviews but for the upstarts like me what to get is daunting. I ask myself why would I get a reverb pedal if I have reverb on my amp. Loopers, multi effects boards there is a lot of over complication to this and your approach might just help cut through the mix of channels all throwing out “advice” or review on pedals they get for free so how do I know if it’s really any good. So your unbiased take would be of great help to a lot of people I think IMO
Man, I appreciate your videos. You have helped me build 2 of my own awesome kit guitars. Also helped me save a lot of money. I have a question...Would you say that the Sterling is the best roasted maple neck stratocaster (for the 500 and under price range) ? Is is better than the Squier contemporary series (in your opinion) ? Are there any other honorable mentions for those roasted neck strats ?
Well I pick one up today at Music Go Round in Elk Grove Ca. It is used. But is in good condition and plays great. Thanks for a good review. I would never have known how this guitar is.
I picked up the seafoam green one with a maple neck a while back sounded good stock but decided to put a Seymore Duncan STK1 set in, wow sounds even better now , highly recommended guitar, personally better than my USA strat i used to have.
Hi, Could I ask where did you buy the STK1 pickups from?
What difference did you find?
I might do the same. Thankyou
@@rajeshgumber363 it was Thomann, they seem to be hard to get when i was looking for them
Great pickups though
@@briantomkinson7134 Thankyou for letting me know Brian, cheers.
Great demo. Finally... someone who has a professional feel.