Eastwood Guitars
When Eastwood guitars sent me this guitar I was expecting another cheap Korean guitar. If you look at the picture below--I was surprised at what I was looking at. This guitar has no flaws in the finish. The bold on neck is set perfectly. Fret work is excellent. The guitar balance is perfect. In other words you are not battling holding the guitar neck up while playing. I.E. some Telecaster's. Bigsby tremolo end piece and they added a roller bridge--Smart Move! This is a really "Cool" looking guitar. I first plugged it into my little Crate amp 10" speaker. I use this amp when I am hot rodding a guitar and checking it. Then my Princeton. Then my regular set up. Marshall 2000, New Marshal MG, and my old ever faithful Evil Twin. In every case I was extremely surprised by the tone. The tone is equal to the Gibson Standard 490 series pick-ups ( Les Paul Standard & the L.P. Custom). A good solid work horse pick-up. I played the guitar at my last band practice. This is a work out for any guitar. The Eastwood handled every song I could throw at it. To me this is not a shred guitar. It is a good work horse type that looks really cool. The members in my band asked what all the buttons were for. One volume and one tone for each pick-up and a master volume. I told them one was a radio station and the other is emergency weather alert and I was not sure on the third.Probably warns you if there is a grease fire in the kitchen. This guitar kept having the guys make comments on the looks. To put it all on the line--In My Opinion --This guitar is worth the money they are asking. It is a work horse guitar with a "Large" tonal variety/palette. (five way switching.) You will grow into this guitar because of all the options in tone. Not forgetting the Bigsby Tail Piece. I own a 71 SG with one and a 2002 Gretch Sparkle Jet Syncromatic with one. The 71 SG Bigsby is of great quality because back then they didn't scrimp on the metal thickness. The Sparkle Jets Bigsby is just plain cheap. The one on the Eastwood is more in line with my SG's. Not that close but a major improvement.. This guitar will be keeping you busy learning and inventing new tones to work with. To top it all -- people (the audience) are going to be knocked out by the looks of this guitar. It is a show stopper. If they guy's in my band kept making nice comments (and they are pretty jaded in this area) then I can hardly wait to see what is going to happen when I play out to an audience. Two more things I want to add. The tuners are Gibson style tulip ends but that is where the simularity ends. I don't like the tuners. Because on the back side of the head stock the tuners look like the old cheap type that you cannot replace just one tuning gear. You have to replace all three on a side because they are connected. My only gripe. The case (optional) is of great quality compared to other foreign guitar cases. Where they (foreign manufacturers) have used styrofoam, cloth and a glue gun. The case I recieved was really made well. Close in quality to a Fender square guitar case.
*************Update 11/21/09****** I have been having trouble with my live rig as for harmonic squealing. I picked up the Eastwood at the end of today's band practice. I was really tired of fine tuning everything for four hours. I pugged in the Eastwood and I was totally amazed at the tone. Good solid chords. No hum or noise when at a pause. This guitar is growing on me extremely quickly. I was going to use it as a slide guitar. I think I am going to to use it when my Les Paul w/EMG's gets too heavy as the evening wears on. I also noticed that this guitar is really well balanced when wearing. My band starts gigging again come January. I will be taking this guitar out to play. Then up-date this as a finale part of this review. So Far So Good. As of right now I would buy one of these as a show/play out guitar. That is a compliment I rarely give out!
Here is some of the information they provide---This is pasted in.
Airline 3 Deluxe GuitarBigsby Tremolo Tail, Roller bridge Three Alnico HOT-10 Humbucker Pickups Raised metal AIRLINE Logo Available in LEFT-HAND |
Our Price $799 |
Color | Hardshell Case $99 |
Other Available Guitar Colors & Finishes
More pictures
EMG Zakk Wilde 81/85 Active
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Okay, I spent four and a half hours practice with my band-- the guitar is now back to my number one. The tone is what ever I ask it to do.
To put it simply-- the guitar now is pre-amped. Pushes threw the effects with ease and more power if you want it. Your tone control is wider. More colors to choose from. If you are trying to get a little nasty dirt from your pick up these will not do this. However it will push a distortion effect to a new level. These bring out the harmonic levels. Really opens up a chord. I play threw three amps to cover highs, mids and lows. Each amp covers each area. Playing in a cover band we play Metal, Country, Rock and Roll, Punk--you name it. I usually have three or four guitars to change to for different styles. I didn't have too this evening. If you have a good guitar and you are a tone freak this is a must. The pick-ups are not cheap. But, if you want the best I really do not think you are going to find much more out of a pick-up. { EMG also sent me their new active X-series.81-X/60-X This is supposed to be another step up.} To say the least I am very impressed. This guitar is now "Totally" at a pro level thanks to the EMG pick-ups. I always have tried to guide the members and readers of the site if your going to spend more than a usual amount for a product at least get your moneys worth. This product does it in spades. This is after one practice. I really don't know how far these pick-ups will take my playing. That impressive. One last thing. When not playing these are totally quiet. I usually get some sort of hum or buzz from at least one amp. Not a sound, pop, snap, hum etc. Really quiet. Kind of weird from what I am used too. Shortly I will review their X-series. I honestly do not know how one would improve what is here.I suggest you get out there and try a guitar that has this combination in it. These pick ups get the best rating I can give. I was really worried that I could not improve beyond the Res Paul. Problem solved!
As for wiring EMG sends everything you need (except battery). All wiring is is plug together. The only soldering is for the plug in jack from the amp. To give you an idea how versital the guitar now is-- the song "Fell Like Making Love" by Bad Company starts with clean accoustic then punches in with hard distorted guitar for the main chorus. The tone of these pick-ups is that versital. Mind you I use distortion on the chorus. But it really punches in the gut with distortion.
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11-14-09
I have been having a ton of problems with my live rig harmonic squealing.
I am always trying out guitars I have hot rodded or screwed around with at practice..
At the end of practice I grabbed my black L.P./EMG Standard. All of a sudden I was
right at home. The EMG's took care of all problems in an instant. For the next hour
I was in guitar playing bliss. The EMG's keep on surprising me what they can do.
Rhondo $100 Guitar
Older Review
I have order several different combinations of pickups from Guitar-fetish. Also I ordered new tone and volume controls. I will be adding the more expensive Humbuckers to the Chinese Les Paul and the controls. These they are calling "The Brown Sound" I ordered two more (4) sets of
over-wound double white humbuckers. One set I will put in my S-101-335. I put the
pickups from my Les Paul Classic in the 335 and it's just too much power. If I did hard metal all the time I could make them work. (Maybe) But I play in a cover band. We are all over the place in musical styles. What I am looking for is a pick up that helps my playing with a little personality of it's own. One bar we play--we play for five sets a night. By the fifth set I can use all the help I can get.
I will be receiving these parts this coming weekend and I am hopeful will have some great answers for all of you a week after. All this stuff cost less that $200 bucks. So we will see. If these work This will save us all a ton of money and keep our passion/obsession fed! (For Now) I have been in touch with Lollar pick-ups. Teye guitars uses there picks ups and Bill Lawrence one of our comments said Lollar pick ups are the best. Teye said he thought they are more musical than Seymour Duncan. Personally I don't think Duncan's are that bad. Great upgrade. But they all cost. Namm is starting next week so all these manufacturers are heading to California and I really can't bug them. So It's up to me this month to keep everything fresh and new. Any idea's about future subjects E-mail me. I'll give you credit for the idea.
S.C.
I received and have installed the pick ups. This was "Totally" worth the money.The only pick up right now that I can say is the best I have heard/played is the
Seymour Duncan JB. I cannot say enough about this pick up.
Carvin's Reply
All of us whom have tried to get a hold of any manufacture have been shunned. However they do ask you to join their their e-mail; "News Letter". It's tick's us off. You all are hitting this site 150 times a day. We still need more! But, that is around 50,400 hits a year and growing. We are getting some muscle! I have added this to my E-mails to Gibson and Fender. Also Carvin--Whom said they would hand it over to their artists relations. At least a response. I offered Gibson a chance for a rebuttal on fake Gibsons and what could they do to come up affordable guitar that could "Clean House" in buying Guitars. Fender is under the gun also. But the difference is {what I suspect} In America we can get so many variations of Fender Guitars that buying a forgery doesn't make sense. In a different country let say Great Britain Fenders might be more difficult to buy or more expensive. I actually beginning to believe we take Fender for granted in the U.S.A.
"Carvin" I have at the least one "star" for after E-mailing me back with close to nothing. I would like to give a review on "Carvin". But in 45 or so years I have never seen one. All the reviews I have read have given them five stars. All guitar magazines are biased in their reviews. Not good publicity. This means they are ignoring the common person, the back bone of their profit.
So hang on to your hat's this may "blow up" on us! If I show any attitude in an E-mail they get up set pretty easily.( Read comment from Carvin below)
Also some of our readers and members have commented on Gibson fakes without knowing the information about Gibson building most of their electrics guitars in China. Obviously the Custom Shop and special orders are made here.
Here is my point -- Most all of their guitars are made in China now. So don't hand me that B.S. about being unethical. They are bending you over and your saying we are being unethical. Quite the picture! I honestly think they hope we stay blind about this and let the profits roll in. For any Major company to stay profitable at this time they have to go thru China, Vietnam, Korea, Etc. for labor. I have never said that any of these company's Gibson or whom ever sell a bad product. Totally the opposite in my opinion.. I just prefer the truth. Gibson has recently come out with a few new lines of less expensive guitars with great pick ups. Cudo's to them for doing this.
S.C.
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I have started getting response back from several companies. "Fender" got back right away. They said they want to help in anyway they can. How cool. This will come in handy when I don't have a good answer.
Carvin started off really well. I originally wrote then that any review I have ever seen on their guitars has been five stars or more. But, I have never seen one in forty-five years or more of playing. That I have had a couple of the sites readers say we should review them because of the unbelievable quaility.They (Carvin) got right back to me. I just sent another e-mail stating I need some answers for when I have the up coming reviews. I might have to say something negative if they ignored us. I think the guy that read this must have had a bad day. I pretty sure after he read my E-mail he went a little ballistic. I hope he has a change of heart and realizes you can misinterpret an E-mail really easy. I didn't mean any offense. I was just pushing.
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SC,
As you know it takes time to process these requests. As well with this type of communication, if it persists, you will get a response from the federal communications commission, Carvins legal staff , and your local district attorney for using the internet to threaten the commerce of a real corporation. Thank you for this e-mail, now we can take any bad press from you and take legal action based on this threat. You may not be a kid, however you are acting like one. Carvin has been around long before you were born and we will be here long after you are gone.
You need to halt from contacting us anymore as we can seek legal action at this point.
We are done, good day to you.
Here is this guy's E-mail link donl@carvin.com I am sure he would appreciate an E-mail or two about his attitude towards the curious everyday consumer. Not to mention his sparkling personality.
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I was going to put something real nasty and clever right here -- But, that isn't what this site is about. It's obvious this guy took my E-mail in the wrong way. His link is right above. If you wish to E-mail him and give him your opinion about this site it might be helpful. The more people the more power we hold to catch these manufactures attention. I did E-mail him back and apologized for any misinterpreted statement. I have heard nothing back.
Fender Guitars
I tell you Fender Guitar Company has it's act together. I received two replies after sending two E-mails. I sent them one E-mail about a month ago. I was asking how do I go about getting information on certain product/guitars/sound reinforcement/etc.They E-mailed back the next day offering any help they could. I E-mailed them two days ago just to thank them for their effort. I received an E-mail back in an hour and a half quote
"Regardless of our size and amount of brands, every member of the FMIC “band” still remembers why we got into music, and musicianship, in the first place. Thanks for the compliments and Happy Holidays!"
My hat's off to Fender Musical Instrument Company -- That was Totally Professional and Total Class. Very Impressive to say the least!
