Sterling by Music Man SUB Series Cutlass CT30 review

The SUB Series Cutlass is Sterling by Music Man's mid-priced take on the Cutlass, its Strat-style body, and it lands at the same $379.99 as the Pacifica 112V on Sterling's US store. Sterling lists an HSS set of alnico pickups, one humbucker and two single coils, on a 5-way selector with one volume and one tone control. The hard maple neck has a stained, retro look, a laurel fingerboard, a 12 inch radius and 22 frets, with a dual-action truss rod and a 5-bolt neck joint. A fulcrum tremolo and diecast tuners finish the hardware. Compared with the Pacifica 112V, it skips the coil split and uses a poplar body rather than alder, so we score its performance slightly lower, but the flat radius and alnico pickups make it an easy guitar to grow with. Sterling lists no gig bag. We compared documented features and published prices; we did not test it.

Who it is for

Beginners who want alnico HSS pickups and a 12 inch radius from a Music Man brand at the same price as the Pacifica 112V.

Price

$379.99 on Sterling by Music Man's US store when checked.

SUB Series Cutlass ST-CT30CHSS-OWH-L1 $379.99
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 9, 2026.

Key features

• One alnico humbucker and two alnico single coils (HSS)
• Hard maple neck with laurel fingerboard and 12 inch radius
• 22 frets and dual-action truss rod
• Fulcrum tremolo and diecast tuners
• 5-bolt neck attachment

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Alnico HSS pickups like the Pacifica 112V
• Strength: 12 inch radius is flatter than a vintage Strat
• Strength: 5-bolt neck joint and dual-action truss rod
• Weakness: No coil split listed
• Weakness: Only one volume and one tone control
• Weakness: No gig bag included

Key facts

• Pickups: 1 alnico humbucker, 2 alnico single coils (HSS)
• Body: Poplar
• Neck: Hard maple, laurel fingerboard, 22 frets
• Radius: 12 inches (30.5 cm)
• Bridge: Fulcrum tremolo

Where it ranks

Sterling by Music Man SUB Series Cutlass CT30 is No. 3 in our Best Beginner Electric Guitars verdict.