(see rating details)

Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

I just got it today, a scratch and dent model and it only had a small chip near the tremolo. It's brand new otherwise and is a great deal. I only need to do a slight truss rod adjustment, it was almost in tune considering the cold air from shipping I was surprised. Pickups aren't bad at all. I'm playing through a Headrush gigboard and it it sounds very smooth, every tone I've played sounds great. The 12db booster is excellent. Even through an old school fuzz pedal, it sounds killer. The neck is very easy to adjust to, I find it easier playing this guitar than some others, the frets are flawless. Mine didn't have a single buzz anywhere. For me that's a first. I most certainly recommend this guitar if your looking to try a new brand. I would buy this guitar again as well. I used to own a PRS 7 string and I like the Sterling more.

Musical Background:

Musical Style:

(see rating details)

Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

I bought this guitar about 2 months ago but I like to wait and really give it some time before reviewing. I got this guitar - really wanting a MM JP15/16 - but found this and thought I would give it a go. I hadn’t played one before but since I was ordering from Zzounds I knew I could send it back if I hated it. Upon unboxing the guitar I did an initial strum and found the guitar nearly perfectly in tune - what a surprise! The quality like fit and finish are top notch and I am not sure how the American model could improve upon this part. It is easily as good as a PRG SE series in terms of fit and finish. The neck however is what makes this guitar so fantastic. It fits so perfectly you can really see why JP can shred on one of these. The neck is made for flying and takes little effort to get used to. If you are an intermediate guitar player this guitar will definitely help you on your journey. The double locking tremolo is really good. I am no expert on these and I am sure a top tier Floyd Rose branded would be better, however, you can dive bomb with ease and not go out of tune and the minor tuning adjustments are easy to make with the thumb wheels. Not sure what more one could want from a temple system honestly but it is a floating bridge so will raise and lower pitch. It has a great spot made for resting the palm built onto the face of the bridge. All controls are within super easy reach of the pick hand (more on this later). The guitar comes with a bag that is super padded but is a weak point in the package. It is fine to protect the guitar for a regular player (who the guitar is meant for) but it screams inexpensive. Playing the guitar is a joy! You will impress yourself on the neck after just a few sessions with it. The finish is easy to glide across and the shape of the neck is one of the best of all time (strong words, I’m know..) I had a proper setup done on mine but the factory setup was pretty good. The db boost switch (built into the volume knob) is pretty cool and may get some use so is a welcome feature. The Shape of the body where the neck meets it is so open allowing access to the highest frets easily. The heel and scalloped body work really shine. The weakness with the guitar is the electronic in my opinion. The pickups are great for Dream Theater type sound ( some Rush, Metallica etc.) but is pretty limited to this range - they are high output. It’s a fun range to be in and plenty of options to be sure in that range but still is a weak point. The first upgrade will be a new set of pickups at some point - this will take the guitar from really good to great. And really it made me wonder why MM doesn’t offer hot rodded versions of this themselves. There is plenty of price point room between this and a 3K JP16 to offer a model with a better case and some better pickups with a higher DB gain - but I digress. The other item that takes some getting used to is the placement of the toggle switch in such close proximity to the picking hand at the bottom of the stroke. If you are like me you will find this an annoyance at first and will be surprised how many times you hit it. I wish they would move it - it is that annoying. After a week of playing you will find a comfortable way to play and you won’t hit it any more but it does take some getting used to. Pure shredders may not notice because right hand movement is more restricted. In summary the guitar is a five star build and the neck/playability is the primary reason to purchase. It will inspire confidence and you will impress yourself. The fit and finish are outstanding and rival American made models. The bag is good for home/church use but not real gigging or travel. The pickups are the only (small) let down in an otherwise amazing guitar. Overall, I would highly recommend this to any intermediate level guitar player aspiring to be better.

Musical Background:

Musical Style:

(see rating details)

I've been a fan of John Petrucci since back in his "Stallion" days. So glad that they came out with this guitar...finally! I couldn't get my hands on one of his Ibanez sig models so I've been stuck with an Ibby RG. Couldn't get into Sterling or Music Man's tremolo as I'm a Floyd guy. When I saw that this came with a double locking low profile trem, I was hooked. The neck is amazing with the roasting, and the boost on the volume is really usable. Thanks Sterling for coming out with this, as there's no way I could drop the coin on the MM USA version!

Musical Background:

Musical Style: