Music man Cutlass Hss & valentine tremolo
Like many big brands, Music Man’s 2018 offerings are more about tweaking and expanding what they already have rather than launching the next ‘big thing’. We take a look at two cool updates
As one of the most carefully considered makers out there, Music Man defines the high-end production electric, never afraid to incorporate new concepts like active boosts, hum-cancelling circuits, stainless steel frets, compensated nuts and, on an increasing number of models including the Cutlass, roasted (aka torrified) maple necks. These on-going additions, of course, come on top of design elements that go back to the mid-eighties like the highly distinct and practical 4-over-2 headstock, or the wheel-style truss rod adjustment that is now copied by many, Fender included.
Both the Cutlass and Valentine launched back in 2016. The following year saw the Cutlass HSS while the Valentine, along with a trio of natty new colours, got a vibrato option to herald 2018. As ever, if it ain’t broke…
The Valentine is, of course, the signature model of Maroon 5’s James Valentine – one of the very select and hugely eclectic artists
that have MM signatures. His original signature model was a big hit in the Guitarist office not least due to the fact it introduced a new body shape, interesting pickups and electronics and featured one of those necks that have really helped to put MM on the map over the past four decades. And while new colours help to stimulate the interest, the addition of Music Man’s modern vibrato to this previously hard-tail only design elevates it into quite the stylistic hybrid.
The Cutlass, of course, caused its own stir a couple of years back. While ‘doing a Fender’ has become de rigeur, the Cutlass’ overly Stratocaster-like appearance hid numerous charms not least its lower tier ‘Modern Classic’ pricing, active buffer and hum-cancelling Silent Circuit which, bundled in with stainless steel frets, fired a shot across the bows of many higher-priced boutique makers. The addition of a bridge humbucking HSS version is a no-brainer not least when it’s offered in this Stealth Black finish (a slightly shiny satin, not a matt) with ebony fingerboard. But things have changed, primarily the price which is now over 50 per cent higher than the three single coil model we looked at back in issue 413: while the original model looked set to do battle with Fender’s USA models, the 2018 version sits more with brands like Suhr and PRS’s Silver Sky bolt-ons. Both guitars share numerous features: that headstock, the compensated nut (which improves lower position intonation), the 22 medium/tall frets superbly loaded onto the 254mm- (10-inch) radius fingerboard. And although the material is different, dimensionally the necks are very similar with very Fender-width nuts: the Cutlass measures 51.76mm at the 12th, the Valentine virtually identical at 51.23mm. The Cutlass’ neck is a little deeper (21mm at the 1st fret, 23mm at the 12th) with a very slightly V’d feel in lower positions; the Valentine goes for a similar rounded C overall which is just a little skinnier front-to-back measuring 19.3mm at the 1st and 21.5mm by the 12th. Both feature that wheel-style, and very practical, truss rod adjustment along with Music Man’s own five-bolt neck-to-body join on a nicely rounded body heel that’s chamfered a little more on the Cutlass.
Both guitars also share the same (plating aside) hardware: Music Man’s Modern vibrato mixes old-school bent-steel saddles with two height adjustable pivot posts, a
not all of us live in a 1950s strat bungalow and so appreciate the balance of the Cutlass
push-fit, tension adjustable arm and a steel top-plate, although the deep-drilled block material isn’t specified. Both units, by design, sit flat on the body’s face with no up-bend; down bend is virtually to slack and, partly thanks to the Schaller rear-lock tuners, return-to-pitch stability is excellent.
Where the guitars primarily differ is their pickups and internal electronics. The Valentine originally (sort of ) aimed to cross a Telecaster with an ES-335 and although both pickups look like humbuckers, mounted in proprietary recessed rings with both height and tilt adjustment, the bridge unit is a single coil with its protruding diagonal magnetic poles staggered to match the camber of the strings. But the Valentine has a few more tricks up its sleeve, not least Music Man’s latest hum-reducing Silent Circuit plus a gain boost (pre-set to around 10dB but it can via an internal trim pot be increased to around +22dB) introduced by the push/push volume control.
The Cutlass is a little simpler but again far from standard, employing both the Silent Circuit and a buffered output – effectively an active guitar. It goes for a simplified master volume and tone set-up (hugely overlooked on so many guitars like this) and puts the output jack on the side, avoiding the oh-so-Fender look of the original dished jackplate. Although the black single-ply scratchplate ‘disappears’ in this colour, the bass-side especially is very different to a Fender design. The two single-coils offer a stagger that reflects the arc of the strings rather than some historic reference, while the bridge humbucker, in a plastic cover, melds in with the vibe nicely.
Feel & sounds
Sticking with the Cutlass, there’s plenty to appreciate here though its modern presentation certainly reflects what we hear. While we don’t get the usual pickup hum there is a very slight active ‘hiss’, which may annoy some, and overall it’s voiced, to our ears, on the more modern side of the Strat tracks. String-to-string balance is noticeably more regular than our reference Fender American Pro, which has a slightly dominant G and softer B and E. While many will say ‘Well that’s what a Strat is supposed to sound like’, not all of us live in a 1950s bungalow – the balance here is certainly appreciated. It’s nice, too, that the bridge humbucker isn’t over-loud, again it’s pretty well balanced in terms of output with the single coils and has an expected smoother, fuller voice. Certainly in bridge and middle it still creates that typical hollowed texture, which along with the
neck and middle sound a little produced, in a good way. The neck doesn’t shy away from high-end attack and, as ever, the middle provides extremely good contrast. Certainly if you’re mixing funkier, poppier voices with a bit of good ol’ classic rock ’n’ blues in your set this and a few basic effects will get you there in exemplary fashion.
The Valentine is a beautiful mash-up of numerous instruments and inspirations: its Les Paul-ish rounded lower bouts blend with a sort of double-cut Tele vibe, not least with its slab style and smaller radius top edges. There’s no body contouring but the body – from bass-side to treble – is tapered with edge depths running from approximately 35mm to 41mm. The weight is excellent too and it feels really, really comfortable. The oil and wax-finished neck feels superb in the hand and the Valentine summons up as many sounds as the instruments that inspired it.
Kicking off clean on the single coil bridge there’s plenty of a Tele’s steely honk, which is contrasted by the neck’s thicker and chewier humbucking voice: two very different characters. In combination they work superbly for a mix that has hollowness and sparkle in equal measure; hit the tone switch to split the neck humbucker and it becomes a little thinner with a little more of the Tele’s wide pickup mix – both timeless sounds. Split though, the neck humbucker throws a nod to that smoother Tele neck single coil, but here it sounds clearer than most, and with an appropriate amp voice this Tele-like side of the Valentine would easily cover your Americana tour alone.
But it’s just one facet of the Valentine’s multi-voicing; clean up the reverb and kick in a little compression and the pickup mix encourages your Rogers funk or Cropper soul, the choice of either the split or full humbucker adding tonal shade.
Switching to a rockier set-up and there’s a glorious bright but not sharp-edged rhythm tone from the bridge that’d cover the bluster of the E-Street Band on full tilt or classic era Britpop jangle. The boost is equally multifaceted: from a simple solo boost for those jam gigs, adding just a little hair, to light crunch or frankly another level of saturation to an already cranked amp. You choose. And that’s the thing about the Valentine: it references so much but never sounds clichéd and with simple, easy-todrive controls you’re very much in charge.
the vibrato addition on the Valentine is simply the icing on a very tasty cake
The vibrato addition here is simply the icing on a very tasty cake indeed.
Verdict
Music Man builds some of the finest modern electrics money can buy. The key word here is modern: from design to set-up it’s extremely hard to find fault. Yes, the Cutlass doesn’t hide its inspiration but it’s an entirely more up-to-date dish with the sort of specification we’re coming to expect from the cream of modern bolt-on makers: sophisticated hum-cancelling, stainless steel frets, an improved vibrato and, more unique to Music Man, a buffered output. Add in the 2018 change to roasted maple for the necks and, certainly, it’s state-ofthe-art.
While the all-over Stealth black won’t be to everyone’s taste Music Man offers plenty of more classic-looking hues. The downside might be the substantial price increase but alongside makers like Suhr it’s less of a ‘which is best?’ shoot out, more a ‘which do you prefer?’
The Valentine, however, takes the ball and runs it out of the park. It’s simply one of the classiest, most intelligent new designs that we’ve encountered that covers huge sonic ground with style and class. It’s Valentine’s day indeed!