Intro Series Cutlass CT20 | CMC Music | RRP $595
Ernie Ball Music Man guitars hold a special place in guitar history; supremely high-quality, forward-thinking designs that retain elements of the best guitar designs, tied together with modern appointments to achieve both classic tones and fresh, contemporary ones. This extends right through to Ernie Ball Music Man’s Sterling range that tie all this together in a profoundly affordable range.
Sterling by Music Man
Newly added to the Sterling range is the Intro Series, currently featuring the RAY2 StingRay bass and Cutlass in the CT20. Two of Ernie Ball Music Man’s most popular models are now more streamlined and supremely accessible.
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The Cutlass was initially released in the 70s, and is Ernie Ball Music Man’s dual-cutaway electric, filling a void in the market. Cutlass’ have been used by countless shredders throughout the company’s long history.
The CT20 is a poplar bodied electric guitar, featuring a HSS (humbucker, single, single) pickup configuration. The HSS allows you to access a whole range of more traditional tones in the single coils and 5-way switch, but the addition of the humbucker offers the heft and weight of an all out rock machine. Switching between pickups offers uniquely direct and phasey tones, designated for more classic tones. The poplar body offers an immediate and clear response, not as warm and wooly as some woods can be, and not distinctly thin either!
The neck is made from Hard Maple, and your different choice of colours have either Hard Maple or Amaranth (Purple Heart) fretboard. The classic Black finish we sat down with for this review had the Hard Maple fretboard, providing a snappier and more articulate response, whereas the Amaranth would yield a warmer tone, more like Rosewood. Other colours are a Sunrise Orange, with Amaranth, and Canvas White or Electric Blue with Hard Maple and Amaranth respectively.
Woods aside, the CT20 features ceramic humbuckers, providing enough heat for modern gain, with a subtle nod towards vintage style sounds in their warmth. The pickups are controlled by the aforementioned five-way switch and a master volume and master tone—streamlined! Rolling off a little tone warms the whole guitar up a bit, shifting the guitar’s sound overall, but retaining the character and identity of a Cutlass.
Express yourself with the Vintage Fulcrum Tremolo, Fulcrum tremolos allowing for both up and down motion to pitch notes up as well as down, pivoting off a central point. This is all held in tune by the die-cast tuners at the headstock, a 4 + 2 configuration as is standard for Ernie Ball’s unique aesthetic. 22 narrow frets litter the fretboard, and the 25.5” scale length will have you feeling right at home.
In the hands, the CT20 Cutlass is as comfy as any electric guitar can be, contoured curves sitting comfortable against the body. The double cutaway design allows access right up the fretboard, and the narrow frets make for easy fretting and fast shredding if you’re that way inclined. The tone from the guitar is crisp, even when played directly into an amp or even DI box. There’s heft and weight with a clarity over all, low end without mud, and sparkle without harshness.
The neck feels great, the satin finish helping me to zip around, and the comfortable 12” radius feeling familiar yet refined; fretting is easy without this guitar feeling like a shred stick either. It’s a perfect balance.
Fulcrum tremolo
The Fulcrum tremolo is a lot of fun, yielding the character or both divebombs and subtle tremolo depending on your preference. A little push and pull can add depth and modulation to droney, spacious playing, while those of us more attuned to wailing miles away from our fretted note will have fun diving and dumping the strings for mass effect.
The whole guitar sings, the well-made construction of it all married with great electronics and great tuning. Construction, intonation and resonance all add up to make or break a guitar, and let me tell ya—the CT20 is made!
The ceramic pickups take distortion really well, warming right up without losing the clarity or becoming overblown. Fast playing is articulate and palm muting offers a generous amount of ‘womp’ from the speaker of my amp.
The Intro Series CT20 takes everything that makes Ernie Ball Music Man as a company so special, and squeezes it into a package that’s shockingly affordable—and available now to players of all levels. Whether it’s your first guitar or your fifth, the CT20 would be a welcome addition, adding a new voice to your collection no matter what’s already sitting in your rack.
Combining great sound and comfortable playability with decades of refining their designs, the Intro Series Cutlass carries the Ernie Ball Music Man flag proudly, offering exactly what you need in a guitar and nothing you don’t.
Traditional design elements combined with great electronics, the Cutlass is a tried-and-true design from Ernie Ball, and the CT20 is no different. Following a long line of world-class guitars, the CT20 and RAY2 that make up the Intro Series are a home run.
For local Ernie Ball Music Man, Sterling and Intro Series enquiries, visit CMC Music and Ernie Ball Australia.
