Sterling by Music Man Intro Series Cutlass CT20 review

The Intro Series Cutlass is the cheapest guitar on this list from an established maker, at $249.99 on Sterling by Music Man's US store. Sterling lists ceramic pickups in an HSS configuration, a 5-way selector with one volume and one tone control, and a vintage fulcrum tremolo. The neck and fingerboard are hard maple with a 12 inch radius and 22 narrow frets, mounted with a 5-bolt pattern and adjusted by a dual-action truss rod. Sterling also highlights a straight string path through the tuners, which it says improves intonation. Compared with the SUB Series CT30, you give up the alnico pickups and the laurel fingerboard, and the narrow frets will feel thinner than the medium frets on the Pacificas. For a first guitar, though, it gets the essentials right: an HSS layout, a comfortable flat fingerboard and diecast tuners. There is no gig bag. We compared documented features and published prices; we did not test it.

Who it is for

Beginners on a tight budget who still want a recognized brand, a flat 12 inch radius and an HSS layout.

Price

$249.99 on Sterling by Music Man's US store when checked.

Intro Series Cutlass ST-CT20HSS-BK-M1 $249.99
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 9, 2026.

Key features

• One ceramic humbucker and two ceramic single coils (HSS)
• Hard maple neck and fingerboard, 12 inch radius, 22 narrow frets
• Straight string path through the tuners
• Vintage fulcrum tremolo and diecast tuners
• Dual-action truss rod and 5-bolt neck attachment

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Lowest price here from an established guitar maker
• Strength: Flat 12 inch radius
• Strength: Straight string path that Sterling says improves intonation
• Weakness: Ceramic pickups
• Weakness: Narrow frets
• Weakness: No gig bag included

Key facts

• Pickups: 1 ceramic humbucker, 2 ceramic single coils (HSS)
• Body: Poplar
• Neck: Hard maple neck and fingerboard, 22 frets
• Radius: 12 inches (30.5 cm)
• Bridge: Vintage fulcrum tremolo

Where it ranks

Sterling by Music Man Intro Series Cutlass CT20 is No. 6 in our Best Beginner Electric Guitars verdict.