cobrahead1030
Well-known member
I've been on a semi-active hunt for a nice hollow or semi-hollow body for a few years now. I'd played lots lot lower end Ibanez & Epiphone models that were nice, but didn't really excite me. I tried a handful of nicer Heritage & Gibson 335's, a couple of which I loved, but just couldn't justify the price tag. There was a great deal on a Gibson Midtown that I regret not jumping on....
Recently I came across this Eastman listed locally. I'd casually played a few of them many years ago, and recall them being nice but nothing memorable about them beyond that. After seeing the listing sit for a couple of months, I finally messaged the guy and we worked out a deal; costing me the equivalent of $700'ish. I read a handful of reviews and watched what I could find on Youtube about this model. I met the seller in a public place, and only had a few minutes to look it over and make a decision. I've been playing it pretty much daily for a week now.
I'm happy with the B7 Bigsby that was added, that could be considered an upgrade or an unwanted modification, depending on who you ask. The original tailpiece was included, so I could put that back on, but the small holes drilled for the Bigsby are pretty much permanent. It sounds & feels right on this guitar though, and tuning stability for light vibrato action (which is all I'd ever use it for) is just fine. The extra length between the bridge & tailpiece seems to make the strings feel a little stiffer, which I don't mind. I love the finish on this a lot. I've always liked the classic red or blonde on a 335, or occasionally I'll see a burst that isn't super dark. This color suits the guitar very well, without being another one of those super common finishes. A lot of people hate the large headstock, I'm kind of neutral on it. It came with a very nice factory hard case.
Overall quality is top notch; the finish, binding, fretwork, etc. aren't quite PRS or Suhr level immaculate, but you have to look close to find small imperfections. They have a great reputation in that regard, though I'm always skeptical of Chinese guitars, especially with a $1300 (new) price tag. The neck is nice & meaty, without being a baseball bat, and the 12" radius feels great. The action is set a little lower than I'd usually go, but it feels smooth with virtually no frets buzz across the neck, unless I really get heavy with my right hand. Unplugged it's bright & resonant, not tons of sustain but I'd say it's a little above average in that dept. for a 335. Rolling both tone controls back to around 8 seems to be the all around sweet spot my liking, which works for me, I like having a little bit of room to go brighter.
I don't love the Kent Armstrong pickups, but they're not terrible. In the low to mid gain dept. the pickups just don't translate the guitars natural tone in a way that's "inspiring" would probably be my biggest complaint, but they're definitely solid enough to enjoy playing this for a while before upgrading. I'm fairly certain I'll swap them out though, and having never changed out a semi-hollow, I'll probably take it to my guy for that job. That being said, it's my only dislike about the guitar, and they're perfectly useable. I'm probably a little spoiled, having other guitars with pickups I love.
I've played it mainly through my Mark III and Delta Blues, both straight in, and with a myriad of dirt pedals, from super clean all the way up to heavily saturated. I'm able to get a good sound across the entire spectrum, it definitely excels in the versatility department. I've been jamming with a cover band that does AC/DC, Ozzy, Whitesnake, Black Crowes, GnR, Journey, Zeppelin, Heart, etc. and I feel like I could definitely get through a long set with just this if I needed to. Controllable feedback at low volume is wonderful, I'm hoping it will be manageable in a full band context. As an all around rock guitar, this has a fun factor of 9.5, and definitely sits in that sweet spot of a mid-level guitar that's nice enough to thoroughly enjoy.
Recently I came across this Eastman listed locally. I'd casually played a few of them many years ago, and recall them being nice but nothing memorable about them beyond that. After seeing the listing sit for a couple of months, I finally messaged the guy and we worked out a deal; costing me the equivalent of $700'ish. I read a handful of reviews and watched what I could find on Youtube about this model. I met the seller in a public place, and only had a few minutes to look it over and make a decision. I've been playing it pretty much daily for a week now.
I'm happy with the B7 Bigsby that was added, that could be considered an upgrade or an unwanted modification, depending on who you ask. The original tailpiece was included, so I could put that back on, but the small holes drilled for the Bigsby are pretty much permanent. It sounds & feels right on this guitar though, and tuning stability for light vibrato action (which is all I'd ever use it for) is just fine. The extra length between the bridge & tailpiece seems to make the strings feel a little stiffer, which I don't mind. I love the finish on this a lot. I've always liked the classic red or blonde on a 335, or occasionally I'll see a burst that isn't super dark. This color suits the guitar very well, without being another one of those super common finishes. A lot of people hate the large headstock, I'm kind of neutral on it. It came with a very nice factory hard case.
Overall quality is top notch; the finish, binding, fretwork, etc. aren't quite PRS or Suhr level immaculate, but you have to look close to find small imperfections. They have a great reputation in that regard, though I'm always skeptical of Chinese guitars, especially with a $1300 (new) price tag. The neck is nice & meaty, without being a baseball bat, and the 12" radius feels great. The action is set a little lower than I'd usually go, but it feels smooth with virtually no frets buzz across the neck, unless I really get heavy with my right hand. Unplugged it's bright & resonant, not tons of sustain but I'd say it's a little above average in that dept. for a 335. Rolling both tone controls back to around 8 seems to be the all around sweet spot my liking, which works for me, I like having a little bit of room to go brighter.
I don't love the Kent Armstrong pickups, but they're not terrible. In the low to mid gain dept. the pickups just don't translate the guitars natural tone in a way that's "inspiring" would probably be my biggest complaint, but they're definitely solid enough to enjoy playing this for a while before upgrading. I'm fairly certain I'll swap them out though, and having never changed out a semi-hollow, I'll probably take it to my guy for that job. That being said, it's my only dislike about the guitar, and they're perfectly useable. I'm probably a little spoiled, having other guitars with pickups I love.
I've played it mainly through my Mark III and Delta Blues, both straight in, and with a myriad of dirt pedals, from super clean all the way up to heavily saturated. I'm able to get a good sound across the entire spectrum, it definitely excels in the versatility department. I've been jamming with a cover band that does AC/DC, Ozzy, Whitesnake, Black Crowes, GnR, Journey, Zeppelin, Heart, etc. and I feel like I could definitely get through a long set with just this if I needed to. Controllable feedback at low volume is wonderful, I'm hoping it will be manageable in a full band context. As an all around rock guitar, this has a fun factor of 9.5, and definitely sits in that sweet spot of a mid-level guitar that's nice enough to thoroughly enjoy.
