Question Cutlass Bass used market.

[Steveh2023]

I found a near new looking EBMM Cutlass bass, 2016 SN, Heritage Tobacco Burst in a shop today. With original case. This bass is expensive. Sounds terrific. Those knobs were silky. Trying to get an idea of $$$ range on these now and maybe even back when they were available. Just not finding them anywhere.

Oh, one other thing, it is drilled for thumb or finger support. The support bar is not present did these include one?

A bit curious to about the reputation. I was not at all familiar. Own a P bass and it is top of my favorites. This Cutlass seems to be a great potential compliment. Honestly, I am kind of concerned that EBMM did not do many. Was it attempt to keep them in short supply or were they not well received?

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

Welcome to the Forum.

The Cutlass (and Caprice) Basses have a very good reputation. I have no idea of what they go for as I've never seen one on the used market.

IIRC they didn't have a thumb rest.

 

[Steveh2023]

Welcome to the Forum.

The Cutlass (and Caprice) Basses have a very good reputation. I have no idea of what they go for as I've never seen one on the used market.

IIRC they didn't have a thumb rest.

I suppose those two holes don't really matter but wish that had not been done. Thanks for your welcome and reply!

 

[MingusBASS]

Here is my current take on the Cutlass and Caprice:

They were discontinued for the same reason any item is discontinued, they weren't selling, at least not enough to warrant keeping them in the line-up. Shortly after being discontinued you could buy them for around $1200 bucks on the used market.

In the last few years, something changed. I think it comes down to a couple things:

First of all, the price on new EBMM basses has gone up considerably, which makes the used market inflate as well.

The second thing is that the Cutlass has been seen as this holy grail P bass substitute and because there are relatively few out there, they have become highly sought after. My personal opinion is that this stems mostly from Craig Young, our beloved and legendary session musician friend who has been known to wield a Cutlass on a track from time to time. He has testified to their greatness on many occasion. The lore has been built up, and because very few people have real world experience with them, and because Craig is respected, it becomes gospel.

For a while Cutlass basses were selling for anywhere from $2,000-$2,500 and beyond but as of late the used market has cooled a bit. I don't necessarily think it has anything to do with the Cutlass but more so the current concerns of the economy. It is harder to sell used gear now than it was last year, that's a fact.

The Caprice is not as sought after, but because it has some similarities and was released at the same time, people assume they'll be able to fetch the same price as a Cutlass. Not so much...

 

[N4860]

For your reference, I bought my limited edition cutlass for $1800 USD and split the shipping with the seller. This was in spring of 2021 though so if the market has cooled, I would imagine the current prices would be a bit less now. Given that mine is also 1 of 1 from the vault, I imagine that might have added a little to the price when I paid for it.

 

[Steveh2023]

Here is my current take on the Cutlass and Caprice:

They were discontinued for the same reason any item is discontinued, they weren't selling, at least not enough to warrant keeping them in the line-up. Shortly after being discontinued you could buy them for around $1200 bucks on the used market.

In the last few years, something changed. I think it comes down to a couple things:

First of all, the price on new EBMM basses has gone up considerably, which makes the used market inflate as well.

The second thing is that the Cutlass has been seen as this holy grail P bass substitute and because there are relatively few out there, they have become highly sought after. My personal opinion is that this stems mostly from Craig Young, our beloved and legendary session musician friend who has been known to wield a Cutlass on a track from time to time. He has testified to their greatness on many occasion. The lore has been built up, and because very few people have real world experience with them, and because Craig is respected, it becomes gospel.

For a while Cutlass basses were selling for anywhere from $2,000-$2,500 and beyond but as of late the used market has cooled a bit. I don't necessarily think it has anything to do with the Cutlass but more so the current concerns of the economy. It is harder to sell used gear now than it was last year, that's a fact.

The Caprice is not as sought after, but because it has some similarities and was released at the same time, people assume they'll be able to fetch the same price as a Cutlass. Not so much...

Thanks for that response.

 

[Steveh2023]

I was able to get some photo’s. It is still on the police hold at the store.

 

[Edmang]

Beautiful! Love that pick guard

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

 

[Tollywood]

For your reference, I bought my limited edition cutlass for $1800 USD and split the shipping with the seller. This was in spring of 2021 though so if the market has cooled, I would imagine the current prices would be a bit less now. Given that mine is also 1 of 1 from the vault, I imagine that might have added a little to the price when I paid for it.

View attachment 41186

That is a sweet bass.

 

[BALLS]

Really wish they would bring the Cutlass back to production.

 

[Thew Ebow]

What ever was the ending of this story? I own a caprice and would love to find a cutlass to pair it with. There is one in Poland on reverb but it is super inflated price.. (£2.7k) as much as a retro 70’s stingray used… I mean I’m more likely to just find an older Sterling or a classic Sterling and stick some flats on it.. I know different beats as active but I saw one for about £1.8k when I picked up my caprice.. wishes I had got to the cutlass first.. although I do love the p pickup on the caprice..