music man cutlass 1?

[pierreganseman]

Hi guys, need some info on the musicman cutlass, is it still produced?? if not, how long did it go for?
What's the usual price for a used pre ernie ball one?
(i could buy one for a bit more than 2000£, is it too much?)

let me know!!

cheers

 

[rrybicki]

Here is a link to a fine site of EB EB/MM history

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

In my opinion 2K Euro ($2,600 USD) is too much, but MM prices in Europe are very skewed by their odd distribution agreements.

Cheers,

Russ

 

[mikeswals]

Cutlass basses have not been produced since 1983 from the preEB days.
That price seems inline with other preEB StingRays. Cutlass models rarely come up for sale, so you decide if it's worth it or not to you.

 

[budget bassist]

£2000, that's far too much, £1500 seems a lot more reasonable in light of the current market (that's a pound sign, not a euro sign guys)

 

[Kemet09]

YOu could 'make' a Cutlass... Get a EBMM & get a Status Graphite replaement neck... Viola!!! {YOur results may vary... lol}

 

[slinginsix]

I owned one of the first Cutlasses, purchased new in 83 for $900. I sold it in 95 for $500, and saw one on ebay last week go for $2000 US. I'll tell you I miss that bass. It was a superior instrument, and one of the only basses I know of in the "modern" age that appreciated in value. They are VERY rare, and I would certainly recommend picking one up if you have the chance...it will continue to appreciate, and won't disapoint as a working instrument...GO FOR IT!!

 

[mikeswals]

Even in pounds (£) it's a chunk of change. The important question is, how bad do you want it? The the bigger question is, where are you going to find another one?

 

[Bass Viking]

I owned one of the first Cutlasses, purchased new in 83 for $900.

I played one, that same year, at a Montreal music store and really liked it but didn't have the $$. That bass stands out among the many I've tried.

 

[Bass Viking]

YOu could 'make' a Cutlass... Get a EBMM & get a Status Graphite replaement neck... Viola!!! {YOur results may vary... lol}

Not a bad idea. Does Status make a direct replacement for EBMM?

By the way, it's "voila". A Music Man body and a Status neck do not make a viola.

 

[JTE]

I played them both (Cutlas I was a StingRay, the Cutlas II was a Sabre) at the last NAMM the original Music Man company went to. The Cutlass I was so appealing, but we weren't a MM dealer so I was going to get one from a buddy's store... but the company went belly up before we could get it set up.

Great sounding and feeling basses, rare, and so whether the price is too much or not is really up to whether the seller wants to move it or not.

jte

 

[mikeswals]

By the way, it's "voila". A Music Man body and a Status neck do not make a viola.

LOL!
At least he was kinda close...most americans idiotically spell it "walla"

 

[budget bassist]

Not a bad idea. Does Status make a direct replacement for EBMM?

They do indeed, just get a black stingray and a status neck.

 

[highvilledog]

ehm ehm Status and Modulus neck don't have the same sound, and lost a lot of vintage value too !

 

[bass geetarist]

Be sure to take a good long look at the neck if you decide to go ahead and buy it. There's no truss rod in there, so whatever relief you see in the neck is what you're stuck with

 

[nivagues]

Cutlass is 1983 and early 1984 (neck dates) although they used bodies going back as far as 1979.

No truss rod adjustment. Carbon fiber necks which weren't supposed to warp but they did. As a result a lot were converted to fretless...frets removed and neck shaved.

Most had Black bodies but I've seen Red and Natural (and White from memory?). Black with the Black carbon neck and chrome/nickle hardware looks stunning st say the least.

Cliff from AC/DC had/has one.

They sound fantastic.

 

[Franklin229]

I found this thread doing a search-I have a pre EB Cutlass 1 and the neck is just about gone, ie; it has a nasty bow to it. These basses sound great and I would love to find someone who can repair/restore the neck back to playable condition. Any info appreciated.

 

[drewk]

Hi Franklin229,

If you can contact a user on here called audreycashin I'm sure they'll point you in the right direction, recently enough audreycashin purchased a cutlass II and had some work done on the neck and from memory I think it was through one of the original modulas neck designers...

Cheers

Andrew

 

[Franklin229]

Hi Andrew

Thanks for the info. I'll follow up with audreycashin although since posting, I did contact Geoff Gould, who was one of the original Modulus alum.
I am waiting to hear back on my inquiry regarding repair. I will update when I have more info.

Best
Franklin

 

[Fuzzbass]

I owned a Cutlass I that I bought new in 1983. As others have said, it was an excellent bass. I heard about the neck problems, but fortunately mine remained stable. Actually, I thought the neck might have shifted at one point, but it turned out it the frets were worn (I was playing the hell out of it). I had the frets dressed, and "wahlah" : brand new bass!

I modded it with bartolini triple-coil pickup and EZQ preamp, just to try something different. That sound was okay, but I went back to the original MM tone (2-band EQ). I traded the bass back around 2005 because I was playing 5 string exclusively and wanted it to go to someone who would actually play it.

The only real problem I had with the bass was that the nut broke during a gig, causing the E string to flop off the side of the neck. This happened for no apparent reason, when the bass was still very new. I had the nut replaced, and it became my #1 workhorse for over a decade.

 

[Franklin229]

Cool story-thanks! Look forward having more info today on possible repair.