I'm so glad to see you just lubricating the nut instead of complaining about the guitar not staying in tune and not trying to do anything about it like most pessimistic reviewers/cry-babies, who clearly have no knowledge about how a guitar works. Great review! I'm tempted to pick one up inspired by the guitars Jerry Cantrell got from Eddie
Man, it just continues to impress me what the “low end” of the market is putting out these days. I would happily sling one of these at a gig, looks like a million bucks.
I have many guitars (EBMM EVH, Stingray guitar and bass. Sterling's silhouette, Axis, Stingray 5 string ). Sterling's from Indonesia, amazing quality. One of my favorite guitars without mods, (and I do lots of mods) is a Squire Stratocaster Affinity I purchased for $112.00 bucks due to the the trem-arm was missing. It has a dark sunburst body, blacked out hardware, a 59 sounding humbucker that has a tone I do not want to change. Indonesia is catching Mexico in value.
Great review and all sterling subs/Axis are set up in California and live up to the hype of Musicman/Sterling USA !! SO yes all guitars, come set up by the same people, that set up all USA models !!! Enjoy Phillip, they are my favorite overseas made guitar.....And your my favorite DEMO man, cause you tell it like it is and i have been watching your channel for a very long time and you are just a very nice person, and we need more people like you in this crazy world my friend.....T.Y for bringing sunshine in my life everyday......
The neck that MM and Peavey put on EVH guitars is simply the best neck I’ve ever put my hands on. They are perfect for my hands. I wish I could spec that neck with other companies. It’s amazing.
Just got mine last week, and I love it. Sounds real chunky and plays flawlessly. The trem's a little stiff, I'll probably throw some locking tuners on it, but I honestly couldn't ask for a better guitar at that price point
@@michaeleaster1815 At first I wasn't feeling crazy about it, but after a while now I really dig it. It gives me a good grip for the chords, and feels easy to play leads on the high strings. It's a great feature imo
I do not doubt it's setup well outta the box. I bought a Sterling by Music Man Cutlass in mid '20 and it was spot on. That was their $249 SSS Daphne Blue model. Excellent fret edges and string hieght. These new Axis models look appealing without a doubt. They have came back out with an upgraded Cutlass with a baked neck and I believe locking tuners for $399. I dig both colors of red and gold. Phil I thank you and Sterling for sharing the Axis with us all. Get the Cutlass Cutlass HSS from them if you can. Thanks again Phillip.
I have had many of these over the years, starting way back when "Kimberly" was making them (Canadien import) and then the OLP (Officially LIcensed Product by Ernie Ball Musicman), then eventually the SUB and Sterling model imports by Ernie Ball Musicman. Always a fun guitar to own because of tie in with EVH history of course. This model with the five-way selector is my favorite iteration of the Axis, most versatile, and if you keep the nut lubed, you can dive bomb almost as much as a Floyd. To me, nothing feels as excellent as the American made versions, but these Sterling models are very nice overall and can easily be tweaked to almost as nice with some neck work, gunstock oil, etc.
I own this exact guitar and also a red SUB ax4 and this guitar feels way better and stays in tune more than the ax4 model, (and my ax4 has tons of buzzing and I cant have the neck nice and low but the Sterling Axis is perfect) Great video demo Phil!
With the older sterling guitars, they were sent to the USA factory for inspection and setup,after manufacture. There was a sticker on the body explaining this.
I love the Axis. Music Man made a great move mantaining the Old EVH model on their lineup. At thid pricepoint Sterling Beats epiphone any day of the week.
Hey Phillip. I just picked one of these guitars up (last one in Canada) and your right it is really good! Great out of the box but no gig bag. I just need to set up the tremolo as this was not done. Thanks for all of your videos as they are great!
Man the time of buying affordable guitars is upon us.Sterling Music man is stepping up their game.This one $400 the other one they sell at $500 with a roasted maple neck and everyone thats reviewing them says Q.C is great.
Gotta be careful. Everyone online who is reviewing them has been paid to. Not saying Phil isn't being honest, just that he's getting a sponsored deal with them because you can buy the guitar through his link. Not necessarily the best guitars on the market. I'm sure they're good, but play them yourself first.
@@lokibane4939 I mean doesn't the visual and audio tell you it's a fair enough review? He wasn't overly positive or negative, didn't rave about it and criticized stuff he didn't like. Obviously, many reviewers online are less than objective but I tend to trust Phil almost implicitly at this point because his reviews are very consistent in their methodology. Edit: I just wanna add that based on my viewing, I wouldn't buy it because of the tuning issues but I know that because of his review.
@@aniquinstark4347 Eh, not to me personally. It's really easy to make guitars look good, or send the top of the bunch to the reviewer. And as for the audio side of things, that's actually one of the last things I think about with regards to reviews of stuff like this. Audio is super, super finicky and can sound wildly different even if he uses the same amp or plugin that you yourself own. Mics versus in the room sound are incredibly unique. That does make it hard to buy guitars ever, since even trying them out at guitar stores doesn't give you a perfect inclination of their tone. Even so, it's something worth considering. What this comes down to is build quality, and he's both being paid by them, and was no doubt sent the best one they could make. I'm not saying they're bad guitars. All I'm saying is I wish he was a little more upfront than vaguely stating that the link to it may or may not be an affiliate link, which is really hazy imo. I get why he does it, but don't take this review as the word of god.
It's the golden age of affordable guitars! With computerized manufacturing technology and global competition it's such a great time for guitar players. When I started in the 80's cheap guitars were really *cheap* guitars.
@@lokibane4939 I have, sterling by music man of any price dwarfs any other foreign made guitars in quality. I didnt know it until I stumbled upon one. Of all my guitars of 400 to 1200 dollars, the sterlings are just completely a different level of quality in every way
Phil love this Guitar!!!!! Hate the finish! Love matching headstocks! Give me something new! Sparkles, Metallics, Sparkle Metallics! I love the lower end versions, the Tuxedo Styles, I think they're the same 5 way switch wiring, not sure about the neck shape tho? Show me some Sparklie Metallic Oranges, Golds, Greens, Lake Placid Blues or something similar to avoid copyright fees, a flat deep Rose/Crimson red, maybe a Stryker style red? Tuxedos, with pearled coloured bindings black and white! Hey Sterling, I'm available for consulting, lol! How about an ebony or Roasted maple neck, while we're at it? You have it on your higher end S-type guitars and lockers. Eart Guitars showed us you can make a tonne of profit and still quality woods and components, with a great finished product! Well...., just a thought! Thanks Phil, great vids, keep 'em up!!!! P.S. did I mention Metallic sparkle Purples?
Nice review! I have the Neptune Blue version, just got it last month. As for fret work - mine left much to be desired. All the frets felt gritty, and on close inspection it appears they ran a sanding bar across them, then shipped it out - you could see the tooling marks. I spent several hours with my fret erasers and a polish cloth, and they're all good now. Also, the action on mine came in around 2.25mm on the low E, but it was easy enough to lower with a little turn on the bridge posts and lower each saddle a turn and a half. I got it down to just a hair above 1.5mm, right where I like it. Like yours, no fret sprout, so that's nice. Completely agree about the trem arm. I have two SbMM Axis, and they both have slop, so it's part of the design. A few wraps of teflon pipe tape around the threads does wonders, and takes out much of the slop. I have no idea if mine shipped with 10s - I didn't measure, and I changed strings when I refinished the frets to a set of EB slinky 9's. Finally, I didn't know that was how the switching worked - I thought it was like the EBMM Axis SS setup, where pos. 1 is bridge, 2 is outer coils of each pickup split, 3 is both pickups, 4 is inner coils of each pickup split, and 5 is neck.
Basically the new version of the OLP MM1 guitar circa 2002. Those were phenomenal and only cost $199 back then. Great mod platform and the neck is excellent 👌
I have a black one and I love it. I got a graph-tech nut installed and the G string still didn't stay in tune. I just added a spring and forgot about it. As a hardtail it's perfect.
Always worth listening to Phillip's point of view on guitars! This video is close to home for me - in December I bought a 2015 Sterling Cutlass off eBay in great condition. I had been researching the Cutlass and was confused by the different versions and price points. I soon realised that my Chinese built CT50 is no longer sold, and been replaced by a cheaper built Asian model (CT30)... now with a flimsier vibrato, ceramic pickups, no locking tuners etc. Still a good guitar (it's MusicMan!...but I''m glad I found my beautiful mint green one!
Great Video!! i bought one about 3 years ago for pub Gigs cos I needed to Retire my EBMM EVH ! It arrived from UK to Madrid in tune. The Guitar was faultless & sounded fantastic but the neck was too big for me! Wider & a full 11mm more girth at 12th fret with the ´Asymmetric´ more exaggerated than the 92 Eddie. My LES PAUL mate Loved it. This thing was built like a SHERMAN TANK!! My zip split in my old gig-bag & the guitar hit the Granite paving with barely a scratch!! It got a new home!! CHEERS AS ALWAYS FROM MADRID ps: I just measured my 92 Eddie Van Halen . Nut is 41mm. last fret width 54.5mm
Took some time to comment: bought one of these in the blue. Frets were finished great setup so so. Second time your reviews have cost me money first was the Relentless bass pickup. Hope they make a Jazz style soon my Spector bass has a Dimazio stacked in the bridge now. Thanks Phil.
I have a Sterling AX-4 TRD with Sterlings floyd copy. Stays in tune very well. Put Dimarzio's in it and it's spot on - a killer ax for small money. I love the 5-way wiring scheme Sterling does on these models. Wide tone palette without the typical anemic split coil tones from the push/pull pots most companies opt for. Really a brilliant budget priced guitar.
I bought the Mariposa and it was very nice out of the box. I lowered the action to 4/64 and polished the frets with fret erasers. There was no fret sprout. I liked it so much I sold my fender and ordered the ct50.
I think that the combination of a Poplar sold body and the Maple neck and fretboard seems to produce a very balanced sounding guitar with excellent tone and sustain. The Maple cap is a nice visual touch along with the matching headstock. I've always liked the 4+2 tuner design, and the price is affordable. That is a lot going right with the Sterling model. Thanks
I had one of the old series "OLP" versions of this guitar, which where madenin the 90s iirc. It was such a great guitar. I had only played for 2 years at that time and that guitar made me instantly play better. I miss that guitar, looking back it was perfect. Also crazy under value cheap
At 5:38, what I don't like about the Sterling is where the screw location & wire are the corner. To me, if that wire rubs or vibrates against the screw, over time that may damage the insulation around the wire. Take it apart enough and does the screw damage the wire insulation. The screw hole already looks sloppier, like it's too close and thin to the edge of the routing of the body for that cavity.
The Sterling guitars, especially the Axis are great instruments for the money, I have a couple. I was also shocked how great the pickups sound, they have a nice growl to them when you're using distortion. Mine have the overseas made non USA Floyd Rose, not the standard bridge that you have on yours.
I have the ax40 same color with sterling floyd rose. Such a great guitar for the price, I don't like the bridge pickup, but the rest is pretty good. Some times I prefer over my San Dimas.
I purchased a Sterling short scale cutlass online at GC and it was missed the final buffing of the frets so bends felt like I was scraping against sandpaper. Even after removing strings and trying to clean and polish myself. It was also dusty and felt like it was in the box over a year and a half. I promptly returned it and sent an email to Sterling. They appreciated my feedback but that was it.
Dude, Phil!!! You rocked the playing!! Amazing stuff and the guitar looks and sounds gorgeous. My recent purchase is an Ibanez MAR10 on pre-order, but for 1/4 of the price, this looks like a hell of a player!! This is definitely going on the list
This is a long shot but I grew up a huge fan of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez so I'd love for a review of the Sterling Mariposa but I don't think anyone will ever make a video on it. Thanks Phil, learn something every time I watch a video with you!
I bought one from musicians friend. Call them an they’ll give you 15% off. This offer is not on their website. I’m really happy with it. It’s a lot like this review. The neck is roasted and is unglossed along the back of the fretboard, where your thumb goes, but is glossy behind the head stock. No fret sprout. Only complaints are the frets are rough and the volume pot for the bridge pup has a slight uneven roll. I polished the frets with fret erasers and the pot isn’t a big deal.
Love these informal first impressions! Displaying the pickup selector position from the player perspective vs the viewer perspective always throws me off. Just trying to help the channel!
Hey Phil, Thanks for this review🤘👍🎸. I have been considering buying this guitar I still have my 2004 olp MM1 and it plays great however my older brother who just started playing in the last year want to buy so I told him once I have the replacement bought he could buy my olp. Guitar looks and sounds great. Thanks again Pete from Chicago
Phil have you considered looking at the Yamaha Revstar line? I bought the RS820CR off Reverb and have been loving it and would love to hear your thoughts on it
Hello, great guitar. It would make a perfect couch guitar with a little practice amp. I'm impressed. Thanks for another great informative show. Randy in The Great North Woods of Michigan
Great review. Looks like an awesome guitar. It’s getting really hard to choose with so many fantastic options at the lower price points. And that’s right now with the supply crunch. Once they solve it and start meeting demand, look out! We can probably expect promotions galore. The only challenge is to have the patience to wait it out... First world problem if there ever was one!
Great alternative to a wulfgang . I have the Sterling SUB Bass and i really like great quality at very affordable prices. I compared it to the actual Music Man version honestly couldn't tell the difference.
Great review. I thought the 2 & 4 positions of the pickup selector were supposed to be split humbucker outer and inner coils respectively. That's kind of the way they sound but this is showing them as just straight up neck and bridge singles. Can anyone confirm which is correct?
I had one and yes the trem was not the best as far as staying in tune. Drove me nuts so I sold it. Plus I’m not crazy about poplar wood. Not exactly a tone wood.
I just got mine in the mail a week ago. Being a Van Halen fan who doesn't like Floyd Rose guitars, a MM Axis style guitar with a Fender style bridge on it was right up my alley, especially without the $3000 dollar American Music Man or USA EVH Wolfgang price tag. I think it's a great ax at this price point. Thought I'd have to change the cheap pickups but they sound great. Might upgrade with a graphtech nut and some locking tuners but that's about it. My only two minor complaints are that the frets, while having no major issues, were a little bit gritty (could have used a crown an polish) and the book-matched flame maple veneer has a more pronounced flame on one side (as if they put two thin pieces of maple veneer on it and one side was slightly better quality flame than the other). Overall though, great guitar for the money. I'm interested to hear what you would do to it if it were a 'Sharpen Your Ax' project, Phil.
Great value! Looks like a EVH Wolfgang body for $250 less. (Only thing you lose from the EVH is the locking nut, Floyd Rose, EVH pickups, and tension pots.)
Clearly setup to match Phil's preference of 1.5mm action. I think it sounded great thru the dirty shirly. If they just spend another $10 on a better nut.
I got a gut feeling Sterling knew you were the recipient of the guitar and they selected the best and increased the stringent inspection criteria Shipped it out to you
This guitar had several features that I wanted to try out but in the age of Covid was reluctant to spend a lot of time in a store testing if I could find one. Most of my experience upon receiving the guitar was similar to your review but I haven't been able to really check it out as the nut slot for the high E string was cut so close to the edge of the fingerboard that I could not fret the high E without it slipping off the neck. Saddle not lining up properly also seemed to be an issue. From the rest of the comments it appears that mine may have just been one that Q&A missed. Only one high fret which I can take care of but Mike Lull's Guitar Works is installing a properly cut bone nut that will allow me to check out the features I was interested in.
I bought one of these recently and it came with 9s like the website says also didn't look as clean and precise finish as Phil's around the neck and frets meet where the neck and body join together sounds great and plays awesome. Bought It on Amazon for like 385 and paid like 470 after tax was a deal this guitar kicks ass but just wondering if someone could lead me to a tremolo spring tension arm so the whammy bar stays wherever you leave it 😀
im not sure if i want to buy the axis OR the Wolfgang standard.....🤔🤔 its really good looking... bjt the Wolfgang has double locking tuners and jumbo frets...
So, I got the same guitar but in the blue and pretty much everything you mention is true for mine (including the guitar sometimes coming out sharp after whammy-ing), but apparently your guitar and mine have different pickup combinations. Mine is 1 both neck coils, 2 both neck coils again but sounds different from 1 (parallel maybe?), 3 both pickups both coils, 4 both pickups outer coils only, 5 bridge both coils.
I find it so surprising on those fret ends, 2 years ago i played a cutlass ct30 and it had super sharp fret ends. maybe they had enough complaints to finally fix it, or the one i played was a fluke
I would like to check out the Sterling Axis when I come across one at a guitar store. It’s very reasonably priced but I think the Ernie Ball Music Man would be much better with a price tag to go with it.
Hey Phil, could you review any one of these in 2021? 1. Epiphone Les Paul Standard 50's (rolled fingerboard, medium C neck, GraphTech NuBone nut, 50s wiring) 2. Epiphone Les Paul Modern (weight relief, asymmetrical neck, contoured heel, Grover locking tuner, treble bleed, ebony board)
I have a Reverend Manta Ray and it is absolutely amazing! I have quite a collection guitars and it's my favorite! A friend of mine has a Kingbolt and it's equally impressive! I highly highly recommend the Reverend guitars, they are well worth the cost of admission! Beautiful finishes, excellent playability, and great tonality with very sculptible EQ to replicate a single coil sounds without the push/pull pots.
I'm so glad to see you just lubricating the nut instead of complaining about the guitar not staying in tune and not trying to do anything about it like most pessimistic reviewers/cry-babies, who clearly have no knowledge about how a guitar works. Great review! I'm tempted to pick one up inspired by the guitars Jerry Cantrell got from Eddie
Sterling has been bringing the fire in 2021. As a hobby player, there is a ridiculous amount of great $400-$800 guitars right now.
That's a fairly nice guitar at that price point. The flame maple in yellow looks great too.
Man, it just continues to impress me what the “low end” of the market is putting out these days. I would happily sling one of these at a gig, looks like a million bucks.
I have many guitars (EBMM EVH, Stingray guitar and bass. Sterling's silhouette, Axis, Stingray 5 string ). Sterling's from Indonesia, amazing quality. One of my favorite guitars without mods, (and I do lots of mods) is a Squire Stratocaster Affinity I purchased for $112.00 bucks due to the the trem-arm was missing. It has a dark sunburst body, blacked out hardware, a 59 sounding humbucker that has a tone I do not want to change. Indonesia is catching Mexico in value.
Seems the last 3 years have been a catch up to quality for low end guitars like we’ve never seen
The indonesian factories have been really impressive these past few years
Great review and all sterling subs/Axis are set up in California and live up to the hype of Musicman/Sterling USA !! SO yes all guitars, come set up by the same people, that set up all USA models !!! Enjoy Phillip, they are my favorite overseas made guitar.....And your my favorite DEMO man, cause you tell it like it is and i have been watching your channel for a very long time and you are just a very nice person, and we need more people like you in this crazy world my friend.....T.Y for bringing sunshine in my life everyday......
The neck that MM and Peavey put on EVH guitars is simply the best neck I’ve ever put my hands on. They are perfect for my hands. I wish I could spec that neck with other companies. It’s amazing.
...Warmoth...
Warmoth has the Wolfgang profile which is based on the peavey and I know other parts companies let you order something closer to the music man profile
I love maple necks. So cool to see this has that.
Just got mine last week, and I love it. Sounds real chunky and plays flawlessly.
The trem's a little stiff, I'll probably throw some locking tuners on it, but I honestly couldn't ask for a better guitar at that price point
what does the asymmetric neck feel like, for you? that's the big Q !!!
@@michaeleaster1815 At first I wasn't feeling crazy about it, but after a while now I really dig it. It gives me a good grip for the chords, and feels easy to play leads on the high strings. It's a great feature imo
So glad you reviewed this guitar. Been apprehensive due to the low price. Questions answered!!
Thanks Phil!!
I do not doubt it's setup well outta the box. I bought a Sterling by Music Man Cutlass in mid '20 and it was spot on. That was their $249 SSS Daphne Blue model. Excellent fret edges and string hieght. These new Axis models look appealing without a doubt. They have came back out with an upgraded Cutlass with a baked neck and I believe locking tuners for $399. I dig both colors of red and gold. Phil I thank you and Sterling for sharing the Axis with us all. Get the Cutlass Cutlass HSS from them if you can. Thanks again Phillip.
I have had many of these over the years, starting way back when "Kimberly" was making them (Canadien import) and then the OLP (Officially LIcensed Product by Ernie Ball Musicman), then eventually the SUB and Sterling model imports by Ernie Ball Musicman. Always a fun guitar to own because of tie in with EVH history of course. This model with the five-way selector is my favorite iteration of the Axis, most versatile, and if you keep the nut lubed, you can dive bomb almost as much as a Floyd. To me, nothing feels as excellent as the American made versions, but these Sterling models are very nice overall and can easily be tweaked to almost as nice with some neck work, gunstock oil, etc.
Thanks so much for deep diving into the tuning stability! That is the #1 feature that is drawing me to Music Man guitars.
I own this exact guitar and also a red SUB ax4 and this guitar feels way better and stays in tune more than the ax4 model, (and my ax4 has tons of buzzing and I cant have the neck nice and low but the Sterling Axis is perfect)
Great video demo Phil!
With the older sterling guitars, they were sent to the USA factory for inspection and setup,after manufacture. There was a sticker on the body explaining this.
Same finish as what was on Santanas first PRS. Love it
I love the Axis. Music Man made a great move mantaining the Old EVH model on their lineup. At thid pricepoint Sterling Beats epiphone any day of the week.
Hey Phillip. I just picked one of these guitars up (last one in Canada) and your right it is really good! Great out of the box but no gig bag. I just need to set up the tremolo as this was not done. Thanks for all of your videos as they are great!
Man the time of buying affordable guitars is upon us.Sterling Music man is stepping up their game.This one $400 the other one they sell at $500 with a roasted maple neck and everyone thats reviewing them says Q.C is great.
Gotta be careful. Everyone online who is reviewing them has been paid to. Not saying Phil isn't being honest, just that he's getting a sponsored deal with them because you can buy the guitar through his link. Not necessarily the best guitars on the market. I'm sure they're good, but play them yourself first.
@@lokibane4939 I mean doesn't the visual and audio tell you it's a fair enough review? He wasn't overly positive or negative, didn't rave about it and criticized stuff he didn't like. Obviously, many reviewers online are less than objective but I tend to trust Phil almost implicitly at this point because his reviews are very consistent in their methodology. Edit: I just wanna add that based on my viewing, I wouldn't buy it because of the tuning issues but I know that because of his review.
@@aniquinstark4347 Eh, not to me personally. It's really easy to make guitars look good, or send the top of the bunch to the reviewer. And as for the audio side of things, that's actually one of the last things I think about with regards to reviews of stuff like this. Audio is super, super finicky and can sound wildly different even if he uses the same amp or plugin that you yourself own. Mics versus in the room sound are incredibly unique. That does make it hard to buy guitars ever, since even trying them out at guitar stores doesn't give you a perfect inclination of their tone. Even so, it's something worth considering. What this comes down to is build quality, and he's both being paid by them, and was no doubt sent the best one they could make. I'm not saying they're bad guitars. All I'm saying is I wish he was a little more upfront than vaguely stating that the link to it may or may not be an affiliate link, which is really hazy imo. I get why he does it, but don't take this review as the word of god.
It's the golden age of affordable guitars! With computerized manufacturing technology and global competition it's such a great time for guitar players. When I started in the 80's cheap guitars were really *cheap* guitars.
@@lokibane4939 I have, sterling by music man of any price dwarfs any other foreign made guitars in quality. I didnt know it until I stumbled upon one. Of all my guitars of 400 to 1200 dollars, the sterlings are just completely a different level of quality in every way
Phil love this Guitar!!!!!
Hate the finish!
Love matching headstocks!
Give me something new!
Sparkles, Metallics, Sparkle Metallics!
I love the lower end versions, the Tuxedo Styles, I think they're the same 5 way switch wiring, not sure about the neck shape tho?
Show me some Sparklie Metallic Oranges, Golds, Greens, Lake Placid Blues or something similar to avoid copyright fees, a flat deep Rose/Crimson red, maybe a Stryker style red?
Tuxedos, with pearled coloured bindings black and white!
Hey Sterling, I'm available for consulting, lol!
How about an ebony or Roasted maple neck, while we're at it?
You have it on your higher end S-type guitars and lockers.
Eart Guitars showed us you can make a tonne of profit and still quality woods and components, with a great finished product!
Well...., just a thought!
Thanks Phil, great vids, keep 'em up!!!!
P.S. did I mention Metallic sparkle Purples?
Nice review! I have the Neptune Blue version, just got it last month. As for fret work - mine left much to be desired. All the frets felt gritty, and on close inspection it appears they ran a sanding bar across them, then shipped it out - you could see the tooling marks. I spent several hours with my fret erasers and a polish cloth, and they're all good now. Also, the action on mine came in around 2.25mm on the low E, but it was easy enough to lower with a little turn on the bridge posts and lower each saddle a turn and a half. I got it down to just a hair above 1.5mm, right where I like it. Like yours, no fret sprout, so that's nice.
Completely agree about the trem arm. I have two SbMM Axis, and they both have slop, so it's part of the design. A few wraps of teflon pipe tape around the threads does wonders, and takes out much of the slop.
I have no idea if mine shipped with 10s - I didn't measure, and I changed strings when I refinished the frets to a set of EB slinky 9's.
Finally, I didn't know that was how the switching worked - I thought it was like the EBMM Axis SS setup, where pos. 1 is bridge, 2 is outer coils of each pickup split, 3 is both pickups, 4 is inner coils of each pickup split, and 5 is neck.
I've never heard of an asymmetrical neck. Very cool.
This is much improved from their last rendition. Makes me want one!
Man... you just gave me some serious GAS bro! Love you man! ❤️😎🤘🎸😉
Basically the new version of the OLP MM1 guitar circa 2002. Those were phenomenal and only cost $199 back then. Great mod platform and the neck is excellent 👌
I love your videos Phillip! Great review, detailed as ever and really informative. Thanks 👍
Much appreciated
I have a black one and I love it. I got a graph-tech nut installed and the G string still didn't stay in tune. I just added a spring and forgot about it. As a hardtail it's perfect.
Very happy with my EVH Wolfgang. May have to get one of these. Looks like a great value.
I just bought mine today! I really love it. No complaints. Just a fun ride.
Always worth listening to Phillip's point of view on guitars! This video is close to home for me - in December I bought a 2015 Sterling Cutlass off eBay in great condition. I had been researching the Cutlass and was confused by the different versions and price points. I soon realised that my Chinese built CT50 is no longer sold, and been replaced by a cheaper built Asian model (CT30)... now with a flimsier vibrato, ceramic pickups, no locking tuners etc. Still a good guitar (it's MusicMan!...but I''m glad I found my beautiful mint green one!
Great Video!! i bought one about 3 years ago for pub Gigs cos I needed to Retire my EBMM EVH ! It arrived from UK to Madrid in tune.
The Guitar was faultless & sounded fantastic but the neck was too big for me! Wider & a full 11mm more girth at 12th fret with the ´Asymmetric´ more exaggerated than the 92 Eddie.
My LES PAUL mate Loved it. This thing was built like a SHERMAN TANK!! My zip split in my old gig-bag & the guitar hit the Granite paving with barely a scratch!! It got a new home!!
CHEERS AS ALWAYS FROM MADRID
ps: I just measured my 92 Eddie Van Halen . Nut is 41mm. last fret width 54.5mm
Took some time to comment: bought one of these in the blue. Frets were finished great setup so so. Second time your reviews have cost me money first was the Relentless bass pickup. Hope they make a Jazz style soon my Spector bass has a Dimazio stacked in the bridge now. Thanks Phil.
I have a Sterling AX-4 TRD with Sterlings floyd copy. Stays in tune very well. Put Dimarzio's in it and it's spot on - a killer ax for small money. I love the 5-way wiring scheme Sterling does on these models. Wide tone palette without the typical anemic split coil tones from the push/pull pots most companies opt for. Really a brilliant budget priced guitar.
Really digging the diagram on the side of which pickups you're using! Thanks Phil!
I bought the Mariposa and it was very nice out of the box. I lowered the action to 4/64 and polished the frets with fret erasers. There was no fret sprout. I liked it so much I sold my fender and ordered the ct50.
I think that the combination of a Poplar sold body and the Maple neck and fretboard seems to produce a very balanced sounding guitar with excellent tone and sustain. The Maple cap is a nice visual touch along with the matching headstock. I've always liked the 4+2 tuner design, and the price is affordable. That is a lot going right with the Sterling model. Thanks
Sterling in the US - cool mid range affordable brand
Sterling in Europe - costs as much as a used MM USA model
£499 in the UK thats $690
@@andybushell4423 On thomann they're regularly above 1k...
@@andybushell4423 , yeah I saw that it is priced at £499 no point shopping around because every shop is selling at that price ☹
Every Sterling I have played has been impressive enough to feel like it's hard to justify buying a more expensive model. Serious bang for the buck.
Can't believe no other channels are doing the sock test.
Those pickups sound absolutely superb.
Thanks Phil, my Sterling Stingray has the asymmetrical neck and the best non floyd trem I've ever owned and I've owned a few. Great guitar
I had one of the old series "OLP" versions of this guitar, which where madenin the 90s iirc. It was such a great guitar. I had only played for 2 years at that time and that guitar made me instantly play better.
I miss that guitar, looking back it was perfect. Also crazy under
value cheap
At 5:38, what I don't like about the Sterling is where the screw location & wire are the corner. To me, if that wire rubs or vibrates against the screw, over time that may damage the insulation around the wire. Take it apart enough and does the screw damage the wire insulation. The screw hole already looks sloppier, like it's too close and thin to the edge of the routing of the body for that cavity.
The Sterling guitars, especially the Axis are great instruments for the money, I have a couple. I was also shocked how great the pickups sound, they have a nice growl to them when you're using distortion. Mine have the overseas made non USA Floyd Rose, not the standard bridge that you have on yours.
My LTD MH-1001FR has the same asymmetrical neck. I love it. It is my favorite and No.1 axe.
I have this guitar in a number of different iterations, some even with the custom dimarzios, and they're all fantastic guitars.
love mine too, great guitars! \m/
The flamed finish on this guitar is most certainly a selling point. For an inexpensive guitar those pick ups sound really chunky.
I own an EVH Wolfgang Standard made in Indonisia and that thing is a beast!!! My japanese RG570 Ibanez is collecting dust ever since I got it.
I have the ax40 same color with sterling floyd rose. Such a great guitar for the price, I don't like the bridge pickup, but the rest is pretty good. Some times I prefer over my San Dimas.
I purchased a Sterling short scale cutlass online at GC and it was missed the final buffing of the frets so bends felt like I was scraping against sandpaper. Even after removing strings and trying to clean and polish myself. It was also dusty and felt like it was in the box over a year and a half. I promptly returned it and sent an email to Sterling. They appreciated my feedback but that was it.
Been waiting for this video! Thanks for doing it!
I’ve been waiting for a review in this guitar in this color!!
Nice guitar! So many cool guitars out there, and finding the one(s) that we like best is a task to be sure.
Dude, Phil!!! You rocked the playing!! Amazing stuff and the guitar looks and sounds gorgeous.
My recent purchase is an Ibanez MAR10 on pre-order, but for 1/4 of the price, this looks like a hell of a player!! This is definitely going on the list
Huh. That's probably the nicest $399 guitar I've heard. Very very cool. Love that blue they have!
you really know how to properly mic those amps. nice demo!
This is a long shot but I grew up a huge fan of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez so I'd love for a review of the Sterling Mariposa but I don't think anyone will ever make a video on it. Thanks Phil, learn something every time I watch a video with you!
I bought one from musicians friend. Call them an they’ll give you 15% off. This offer is not on their website. I’m really happy with it. It’s a lot like this review. The neck is roasted and is unglossed along the back of the fretboard, where your thumb goes, but is glossy behind the head stock. No fret sprout. Only complaints are the frets are rough and the volume pot for the bridge pup has a slight uneven roll. I polished the frets with fret erasers and the pot isn’t a big deal.
Another excellent presentation Phil. Many thanks, K
Excellent surprise!!!!!! Great review. A minor disappointment of option of string through bridge for prog/fusion players but having it back!
Love these informal first impressions! Displaying the pickup selector position from the player perspective vs the viewer perspective always throws me off. Just trying to help the channel!
I've always liked these axes.
Phillip another great video. Sterling finally has a price point that is a great deal. Cheers James
I love that guitar, the only thing I’d change would be the knobs to wooden ones.
Hey Phil,
Thanks for this review🤘👍🎸. I have been considering buying this guitar I still have my 2004 olp MM1 and it plays great however my older brother who just started playing in the last year want to buy so I told him once I have the replacement bought he could buy my olp. Guitar looks and sounds great. Thanks again
Pete from Chicago
Love this guitar, it's on my list now!
Been waiting for this video! Thanks for doing it!
I own one and I loved it!
The sterling cutless if you haven't done one yet, my suggestion, the new baked m aplenty neck. Thanks Phil love the show.
Very good testing but in 9:50 I always use a very thin scratched pencil and it's perfect.
Looks like a great value. Great time to be a guitar player.
Phil have you considered looking at the Yamaha Revstar line? I bought the RS820CR off Reverb and have been loving it and would love to hear your thoughts on it
The Neptune blue model looks super nice, I'm really contemplating buying one.
Hello, great guitar. It would make a perfect couch guitar with a little practice amp. I'm impressed. Thanks for another great informative show.
Randy in The Great North Woods of Michigan
I have a Sterling Valentine model plays great!
That reminds me of my old OLP MM1. Same color. One of the guitars I regret selling.
Great review. Looks like an awesome guitar.
It’s getting really hard to choose with so many fantastic options at the lower price points.
And that’s right now with the supply crunch.
Once they solve it and start meeting demand, look out!
We can probably expect promotions galore.
The only challenge is to have the patience to wait it out...
First world problem if there ever was one!
One of these with a Tele bridge pick-up would be so rad!
Look for an older James Valentine Sterling for that setup
5:08 is the black paint inside the controls cavity conductive paint?
Great alternative to a wulfgang . I have the Sterling SUB Bass and i really like great quality at very affordable prices. I compared it to the actual Music Man version honestly couldn't tell the difference.
Looks like a great value guitar. I love the asymmetric neck on my Epi modern SG so would probably like this as well.
So I have a 74 guild s100 it has that neck profile and is love it king jeeps the hand from getting sore
Great review. I thought the 2 & 4 positions of the pickup selector were supposed to be split humbucker outer and inner coils respectively. That's kind of the way they sound but this is showing them as just straight up neck and bridge singles. Can anyone confirm which is correct?
Wish it had a Floyd on it! I’d love one to do the 90s EVH thing alongside my Wolfgang.
I had one and yes the trem was not the best as far as staying in tune. Drove me nuts so I sold it. Plus I’m not crazy about poplar wood. Not exactly a tone wood.
I just got mine in the mail a week ago. Being a Van Halen fan who doesn't like Floyd Rose guitars, a MM Axis style guitar with a Fender style bridge on it was right up my alley, especially without the $3000 dollar American Music Man or USA EVH Wolfgang price tag. I think it's a great ax at this price point. Thought I'd have to change the cheap pickups but they sound great. Might upgrade with a graphtech nut and some locking tuners but that's about it. My only two minor complaints are that the frets, while having no major issues, were a little bit gritty (could have used a crown an polish) and the book-matched flame maple veneer has a more pronounced flame on one side (as if they put two thin pieces of maple veneer on it and one side was slightly better quality flame than the other). Overall though, great guitar for the money. I'm interested to hear what you would do to it if it were a 'Sharpen Your Ax' project, Phil.
Great value! Looks like a EVH Wolfgang body for $250 less. (Only thing you lose from the EVH is the locking nut, Floyd Rose, EVH pickups, and tension pots.)
Clearly setup to match Phil's preference of 1.5mm action. I think it sounded great thru the dirty shirly. If they just spend another $10 on a better nut.
Hey, I would love to see you review the Sterling Cutlass CT50 HSS.
Sterling Cutlass CT 50 HSS or SSS -doesn't matter. Would love to see that review.
I got a gut feeling Sterling knew you were the recipient of the guitar and they selected the best and increased the stringent inspection criteria Shipped it out to you
From Leo: I don't know anything about that model, but our family bought 2 Sterling guitars and they are excellent.
Phillip, are there any chances that you will check out fairly new Gretsch Electromatic G5222 anytime soon maybe? :)
This guitar had several features that I wanted to try out but in the age of Covid was reluctant to spend a lot of time in a store testing if I could find one. Most of my experience upon receiving the guitar was similar to your review but I haven't been able to really check it out as the nut slot for the high E string was cut so close to the edge of the fingerboard that I could not fret the high E without it slipping off the neck. Saddle not lining up properly also seemed to be an issue. From the rest of the comments it appears that mine may have just been one that Q&A missed. Only one high fret which I can take care of but Mike Lull's Guitar Works is installing a properly cut bone nut that will allow me to check out the features I was interested in.
I bought one of these recently and it came with 9s like the website says also didn't look as clean and precise finish as Phil's around the neck and frets meet where the neck and body join together sounds great and plays awesome. Bought It on Amazon for like 385 and paid like 470 after tax was a deal this guitar kicks ass but just wondering if someone could lead me to a tremolo spring tension arm so the whammy bar stays wherever you leave it 😀
im not sure if i want to buy the axis OR the Wolfgang standard.....🤔🤔
its really good looking... bjt the Wolfgang has double locking tuners and jumbo frets...
Phil you do great reviews! Can you do one on PRS DGT?
Still waiting onmy 2021 Cutlass in HSS w/maple fretboard. Covid is messing up things pretty bad.
So, I got the same guitar but in the blue and pretty much everything you mention is true for mine (including the guitar sometimes coming out sharp after whammy-ing), but apparently your guitar and mine have different pickup combinations. Mine is 1 both neck coils, 2 both neck coils again but sounds different from 1 (parallel maybe?), 3 both pickups both coils, 4 both pickups outer coils only, 5 bridge both coils.
Excellent review!
I find it so surprising on those fret ends, 2 years ago i played a cutlass ct30 and it had super sharp fret ends. maybe they had enough complaints to finally fix it, or the one i played was a fluke
I would like to check out the Sterling Axis when I come across one at a guitar store. It’s very reasonably priced but I think the Ernie Ball Music Man would be much better with a price tag to go with it.
Hey Phil, could you review any one of these in 2021?
1. Epiphone Les Paul Standard 50's (rolled fingerboard, medium C neck, GraphTech NuBone nut, 50s wiring)
2. Epiphone Les Paul Modern (weight relief, asymmetrical neck, contoured heel, Grover locking tuner, treble bleed, ebony board)
Really looking in to getting a reverend. Would love to see reviews of some of their models and any insight on positives and negatives. Thanks!
I have a Reverend Manta Ray and it is absolutely amazing! I have quite a collection guitars and it's my favorite! A friend of mine has a Kingbolt and it's equally impressive! I highly highly recommend the Reverend guitars, they are well worth the cost of admission! Beautiful finishes, excellent playability, and great tonality with very sculptible EQ to replicate a single coil sounds without the push/pull pots.
@@elihue_redneckreview thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated.
The Axis is the most attractive shape of EVHs line of guitars. While a carve top in the Axis would be cool, they still have the best silhouette