Sterling ST. VINCENT GOLDIE Guitars User Manual
- September 6, 2024
- STERLING
Table of Contents
REVIEW
ST. VINCENT GOLDIE Guitars
STERLING BY
MUSIC MAN
ST. VINCENT GOLDIE
A streamlined take on one of the most exciting guitar designs in recent memory
In 2016, Ernie Ball Music Man unveiled a guitar that was unlike anything else
on the market – one so radical it’s often cited as one of the mostexciting
guitar innovations of recent memory. That was the St. Vincent signature
guitar, masterminded by Annie Clarke
[aka St. Vincent herself] and debuting a new body shape.
A more aff ordable version arrived from Sterling by Music Man soon after, but
when an updated $3,000-priced Goldie was released in 2021, guitarists began to
dream once again. Enter the equally radical but comfortably more aff ordable
Sterling by Music Man
Goldie, which – at least on the surface – carries all the aesthetic flair and
tonal appointments of its pricier sibling…
There are some tweaks worth stating for the record. Here, nyatoh has been used
for the body rather than okoume, and the premium tremolo of the original has
been swapped out for a standard alternative. A roasted maple neck returns,
though it’s topped with a rosewood, rather than an ebony, fi ngerboard. So, a
fairly sizeable shake-up, but not one that has compromised the instrument’s
performance. In fact, those comparisons are almost unfair: this is a smashing
guitar in its own right.
It’s always strange getting to grips with an unfamiliar guitar shape, but the
Goldie somehow doesn’t feel unfamiliar. It’s very narrow, but the contours
make it a pleasing playing companion that doesn’t feel brittle when balancing
on your knee. Owing to the
nyatoh, the Goldie is light and has a nice snappiness. Pair that with an
impeccably profiled neck and 12”-radius ’board, and you’ve got all the
ingredients for an exceptional instrument. It’s a fun little thing to noodle
with unplugged, but, of course, its potential is capped without an amplifi er.
Indeed, if the guitar itself feels like lightning in a bottle; that
electricity is unleashed when plugged in. Gold foil pickups have been a bit of
a ‘thing’ recently, but these are certainly here on merit. It becomes a diff
erent animal with a little fuzz, and anyone familiar with St.
Vincent’s repertoire – or gold foils in general – will be well prepared for
this trio. The cleans are nice, too, and the fi ve-way switch off ers an array
of chimey and sludgy sounds, but this guitar really sings with a little
overdrive.
As with all three-humbucker guitars, that pesky middle pickup can get in the
way of strumming – and here, that 2/4 tuner design might not be for everyone –
but that comes with the territory. To summarise: stick the EBMM logo on the
headstock and without a close-up inspection we’d probably be fooled. A must-
try for fans of guitars that push the boundaries of instrument design.
Matt Owen
-
BODY
In a market flooded with Strats and single-cuts, the Goldie continues the rise of St.
Vincent’s radical design.
Its small, but not too small, and inherently comfortable to handle. -
PICKUPS
Gold foils are a load of fun, so stick ’em in a guitar that’s as zany as this and you’ve got yourself the makings of a seriously powerful and versatile tone machine. -
FEEL
The spec sheet has been tamed somewhat, but this still feels like playing lightning in a bottle: the neck is a breeze to navigate, and transforms completely when plugged in.
MARCH 2024 TOTAL GUITAR
AT A GLANCE
BODY: Nyatoh
NECK: Roasted maple SCALE LENGTH: 25.5”
FINGERBOARD: Rosewood, custom St. Vincent inlays
FRETS: 22, narrow
PICKUPS: 3 x Gold Foil mini humbuckers
CONTROLS: 5-way pickup selector, master volume, master tone
HARDWARE: Vintage tremolo, locking tuners
FINISH: Cashmere, Velveteen
CONTACT: Sterling by Music Man,
sterlingbymusicman.com
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Read User Manual Online (PDF format) >>