They Say This Is Better Than Gibson Custom Shop, Some Hype And Some Truth

Long time GIbson owner here, I've got a 2 year old Eastman T-484 / ES-339 equivalent. IT came with SD Jazz and 59 pickups. Neck was spot on.... the dealer was unboxing it when I walked in the door. Fret work - very nice. ried it and bought it. Nice, very nice. The neck is closer to a thin taper rather than a thicker Gibson neck, and that's what sold the guitar to me.

I have a local Eastman dealer and I happened to walk in while he was unboxing and setting up 4 new SB59 Eastmans. I wanted the varnish, or I wanted the tobacco burst, but after playing every one of them, I bought a Goldburst model because it blew me away. I don't even dream about Custom shop Les Paul's anymore. The neck is perfect for me, the neck set is ideal, 1 piece body, 8.0 lbs. Dude!

Our local music shop carried their acoustics and I loved them. Just never bought one. The owner sold the store and they quit carrying them just before I found out about the sb59/v. But I wanted one and kept my eye out. Then I noticed people were talking about them and the prices were going up. So I went on a search and found a great used one. Same color as yours. Mine is older and has the antiquity pickups. I absolutely love it. I also have 4 PRs 594’s. They compliment each other beautifully. I bought all my core 594’s used and saved a good chunk of change. But I still paid much less for the Eastman. And it easily hangs with them. Love it.

I played my first Eastman about 3 months ago. It was the Juliet series and did not plug it into an amp initially. I was surprised as to how it felt, played, sustained and vibrated. Played it in an amp. Loved it. Needless to say it is on my list of guitars I want to pick up. I played the SB59 and loved that as well. If I did not have a Les Paul and was looking to pick one up, I would consider one.

After playing for a little more than 50 years, I got my first Eastman just a couple of weeks ago. I've heard people rave about them, so I had to get one. No dealers anywhere near me, so I bought it from a dealer online. Well I'll tell ya, I opened it up and I was shocked at how nice this guitar is. The figured wood, the perfection of the fretboard, nut and saddle, the finish on it. It just blows me away. Are there nicer or better ones out there? Yes, but you gotta look to find them and when you do, be ready to shell out 3 or 4x more money.

I have one of these , it's better then my Gibson custom shop that's 6 thousand dollars plus

My Eastman Mandolin is flawless. They make fantastic instruments that are heirloom quality.

Truetone is a two-part urethane, which makes me think it's a 2k automotive clear coat. I've used both 2k and nitro on guitars and they're very similar in look and feel, but of course the desirable aging process of nitro won't replicate with poly type finishes.

I’ve owned 5 Eastman’s and everyone has been awesome. I started buying them in 2017 when they were relatively unknown and were a lot lower cost then they are now. I sold a few of my Taylor’s in favor of the Eastman’s. Most of them are acoustics. My favorite one is a limited addition parlor size E-100 LTD 12 fret and it’s my go to couch guitar. Easy to play and just sounds amazing. I’ve owned $3000 Taylor’s that don’t sound and play as good. I’m glad your doing a review on this guitar as it may be my next Eastman/

We sold Eastman's in a mom and pop shop in Victoria Canada and they were always well received

Sheeeeeeeesh! What a gorgeous machine. Pretty stark example of the idea that anything not made in the US being junk is totally absurd.

That's gotta be one of the best sounding bridge pickups I've ever heard. I can see why people pay the money for the Lollars.

My Eastman SB59 is the best Les Paul I’ve ever played….by a mile! 7.6 Lbs. Super flame. Super resonant. Lollars are the best PAFs I’ve ever heard too.

I work on a music store and we do well with Eastman. Everyone that picks one up is impressed. .I heard that the owner used to work for Gibson in England and every guitar that leaves the factory passes through his hands. Good value for sure

I can absolutely confirm that. I have sold 4 Gibsons (2 of them Custom Shop models) and 2 Collings since discovering Eastman, and it was not for budget reasons. Pickups are better, the ebony fretboards are better, Jescar fretwire is better, one piece body and one piece neck is by now Murphy Lab (rhymes with money grab) territory, and to find a Les Paul that weighs as little as an Eastman (or Maybach for that matter) you have to do some serious hunting.

I have always said, " Not where it is made, but how it is made." I have pissed off many people saying that. Simply don't care . You have proved my point.

Nice guitars. I have the SB55/V-SB Eastman's take on a Junior. Everything about this guitar is excellent, neck, fretwork everything. Has a Lollar dog ear in it. A real beast. Love it.

An interesting thing about Eastman is that they were initially a sort of cheaper Gibson alternative but now that people caught on, even their used prices are pretty high. So now they're kind of in the same ball park as a PRS singlecut or Maybach

Phil, I closed my eyes while you played the guitar. It really sounded so rich and dynamic. You're such a good player as well! Cheers

The company was founded / is owned by a classical flautist, nice to see an actual musician in charge of a guitar company.