What is the difference, if any, between a Cutlass and a Cutlass RS?

[NGJohn]

Greetings, everyone. I just bought a 2019 Cutlass and the EBMM serial number lookup tells me I have a Cutlass. When I look online, however, I see references to a Cutlass RS. What's the difference between a Cutlass and a Cutlass RS? Does the "RS" stand for "rosewood", maybe?


Thanks in advance.

 

[threeminutesboy]

RS=Roasted Maple Neck. You can tell the difference by the color of neck. If it has a nice sun tan it’s roasted

 

[DrKev]

All Cutlass (and StingRay) guitars from 2018 on are RS.

 

[John C]

Just to add the 2016-2017 "pre-RS" Cutlass and StingRay models have a satin sprayed-on urethane finish (I think - it might some other acrylic/poly type satin finish) and the RS models use the EBMM oil-and-wax finish method where they rub the raw wood down with the oil-and-wax materials like a gunstock.

From what I remember when trying them out the EBMM satin finish on the 2016-17 Cutlass & StingRays is one of the nicer ones around - nicer than G&L or Fender's satin finish.

 

[Virtuoso]

I think it's R$! The original Cutlass was $1499 - the current one is $2199, a $700 price increase!

 

[NGJohn]

Thanks for the responses, everyone. Looks like I definitely have an RS.

 

[John C]

I think it's R$! The original Cutlass was $1499 - the current one is $2199, a $700 price increase!

The $700 was a stairstep increase - they went up $100 for 2017, then jumped either $400 or $500 for the RS model in 2018, before going up to $2,200 for 2020. If the increase to the RS was $400 for 2018 then they took another $100 in 2019; if the increase for the RS was $500 then they held steady for 2019.

There is a larger jump for 2021 - up to $2,400 for the powder blue and $2,500 for the tobacco burst (previously the vintage burst was $50 more than the other colors).

No complaint about EBMMs prices; everyone is taking a jump of some kind for 2021 with everything going on in the world, supply chain issues, etc.