EBMM Jason Richardson Signature Cutlass

Dr. Dipwad

Experienced
I was looking at this New Arrival on Sweetwater:
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...ass-hh-7-string-electric-guitar-rorschach-red

...and I said to myself, "Self, looks like EBMM has produced yet another edition of the Petrucci Signature Model, albeit without the shield inlays."

And then my self corrected me and said, "According to the label, this is someone else's Signature Model, a cat named Jason Richardson."

Curious, I started reading specs. It doesn't have the piezo. Different wood for the top. But other than that, as far as I can tell, it's nigh-on-identical to the Petrucci model...except maybe that there's like one switching option that's different? Maybe?

Just wondering if any of you guys have any experience with this new model, and (apart from the piezo) any insight as to what differences it has, that would cause a player to prefer it over the Petrucci? (It isn't appreciably lower in price!)

P.S. No criticism implied of Mr. Richardson or his taste in guitar features. You can't be going far wrong as a player if something you do reminds others of JP. I'm just looking for a differentiating feature or two.
 
There a a few differences more ...
mm.jpg

What you can't see on the picture:
Petrucci: Basswood body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard
Richardson: Alder body, roasted maple neck, ebony fretboard
 
Well compared to a JP15, the following is different for a start:

Body construction (tone block vs no tone black)
Woods
Body shape (JP vs Cutlass)
Neck shape
Fret size (high/wide vs medium jumbo)
Pickups
Pickup switching (the JR has coil splitting on the tone, giving 3 more sounds)
Electronics (JP is passive besides piezo, JR is active with switchable boost, buffered output etc).

So yeah. While they both might appeal to the same crowd, they're quite different when you get down to it.
 
The Cutlass is a different body shape. The JP model is based on the Silhouette. The silhouette has a slightly smaller body than the Cutlass, which is basically a full-sized strat body. If you look at the side-by-side pictures posted above, you can see that the neck of the JP looks slightly longer and wider, which means the picture's been blown up a bit compared to the Richardson model. If they were scaled so the necks were the same size, it would be more obvious the JP body is smaller.
 
The Cutlass is a different body shape. The JP model is based on the Silhouette. The silhouette has a slightly smaller body than the Cutlass, which is basically a full-sized strat body. If you look at the side-by-side pictures posted above, you can see that the neck of the JP looks slightly longer and wider, which means the picture's been blown up a bit compared to the Richardson model. If they were scaled so the necks were the same size, it would be more obvious the JP body is smaller.
I was curious, so I shrunk the JP so that both guitars are to scale. The necks also line up now, so the size difference for both the bodies and headstocks are easier to see.

mm.jpg
 
Awesome, fellows!

That was more work than I had any right to expect, especially with the photo resizing (thanks, @guitarnerdswe).

Now if they both only cost a fifth as much, I could afford to set up my own personal side-by-side comparison. ;)
 
Just out of curiosity, I superimposed them by lining up the necks. It's actually pretty surprising just how different they are!

Yeah, without superimposing it's hard to see the body difference, but now that I see it, I feel like a doofus for thinking they were so similar.

Part of what fooled me, though, is the fact that the tremolo (unless I'm mistaken?) looks the same as one Petrucci uses, albeit on his other signature model, the Majesty:
instrument-35.png

I didn't recall that Petrucci uses different trems on his two models, so at first blush I was seeing: 2 Humbuckers, similar Superstrat contours, same headstock, same tremolo, same split-coil behavior in the center position....
 
I'm pretty sure all three trems are the same, just a different plate on the back. The Majesty one is also slightly more angular than the one on the Richardson model.
 
The trems are all different too. The JR is the Cutlass trem. Both Petrucci trems are their own thing, even though the Majesty trem is pretty similar to the Cutlass. Totally different saddles though. Also, there can be differences on trems that are not easy to see, like different blocks, small details etc. I know the JP trem got an update somewhere along the line, requiring different routings.
 
The trems are all different too. The JR is the Cutlass trem. Both Petrucci trems are their own thing, even though the Majesty trem is pretty similar to the Cutlass. Totally different saddles though. Also, there can be differences on trems that are not easy to see, like different blocks, small details etc. I know the JP trem got an update somewhere along the line, requiring different routings.
Ah yeah, I definitely see the difference looking at. The JP post spacing is narrower than both the Cutlass and the Majesty.. I wonder what difference all that makes in practice
 
Ah yeah, I definitely see the difference looking at. The JP post spacing is narrower than both the Cutlass and the Majesty.. I wonder what difference all that makes in practice
I think the trem post spacing is wider mainly to avoid the saddles hitting the posts when dive bombing.
 
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