Gibson LP vs Eastman SB59

[robj144]

So, in the thread about a lighter LP alternative (which I didn't want to derail further), I mentioned Eastman as a suggestion. I had a light hearted debate with an LP lover, rockabilly69, who prefers Gibson which is awesome. His LPs sound amazing and he has some magnificent examples of LPs. But, I just stumbled upon this video when I was surfing Youtube and thought it was done well:



If you listen with headphones you get a good feel for both of them.

(The comments seem to be pretty even. They are both excellent guitars though.)

[rockabilly69]

And I still prefer Les Pauls. As I told you, I was in the room with my Les Paul and a bunch of Eastmans hearing them through a real amp (not a line 6 Helix modeling pedal like in the video you posted which will homogenize everything with compression). When I plugged the Eastmans into a real amp they were all thinner than the Gibson, and not in a good way. And as I said, not a single person in the room preferred one Eastman SB59 over the one Gibson I had with me. That should speak volumes. And it's not that some Eastmans have Lollars, and they are better than the ones with Antiquities that I played, as I have pretty good feel for Lollar Imperials. They "were" in two of my guitars, and I actually prefer Antiquities. If I hear a Eastman that sounds as good as a good Les Paul I will post it on this forum. I am not just a Les Paul or Gibson fan, I own many guitars (50 at last count), and I'm always looking for killer tones. And I'm not against thinner tones, I just don't like Les Pauls to sound like that! Lately I've been playing a Japanese built Zemaitis with single coil Dearmond style pickups built in Greece, and it cost me less than the Eastmans you're talking about. So it's not a USA thing, or a money thing, it's a tone thing! And to me, the Eastmans, though built to a very nice quality standard, didn't get me to spend the money. And, that should also speak volumes.

But I won't be buying any guitars in the near future anyway, as I am a full time musician, and I lost more than 90% of my gigs with the pandemic, so I guess the point is moot. It doesn't cost money to debate though

[robj144]

Yeah, it's just a discussion... I wouldn't even call it a debate. But, I just wanted to see what others thought.

Everyone has their opinions on sound.

[rmp]

There is a compromise with an import, as well there should be.

I'd bet for the money, it'd be hard to top the import, as I've heard/read, Eastmans in general do have a very good reputation.

And it's a good thing that players are given options that fit what they can afford in the kind of guitar they want.

but to say a 500 dollar import is "the same" as a $4k usa made guitar, I've played a bunch of the import copies, (Samicks, Epis, etc,) and I own a bunch of Gibson's and I've owned a # of Epiphones.

There is a difference. Not everyone will care, or some even notice.

For those of us that do notice, well it's a "it is what it is" situation all the way home.

[robj144]

Originally Posted by rmp

There is a compromise with an import, as well there should be.

I'd bet for the money, it'd be hard to top the import, as I've heard/read, Eastmans in general do have a very good reputation.

And it's a good thing that players are given options that fit what they can afford in the kind of guitar they want.

but to say a 500 dollar import is "the same" as a $4k usa made guitar, I've played a bunch of the import copies, (Samicks, Epis, etc,) and I own a bunch of Gibson's and I've owned a # of Epiphones.

There is a difference. Not everyone will care, or some even notice.

For those of us that do notice, well it's a "it is what it is" situation all the way home.

True... but Eastmans are not a normal import as the most with acoustic Eastmans will attest. The SB59 is very high quality: solid mahogany, solid maple cap, ebony fingerboard, bone nut, Gotoh Hardware, switchcraft parts, and either SD Antiquities, or Lollar Imperial PUP. Not to mention the V version is hand varnished like a French polish. It is not a normal import.

[BoneDigger]

As an owner of an Eastman acoustic (as well as a few Martins), I am certainly not anti Eastman. Yesterday I had the chance to play a new Les Paul Standard and a new Eastman SB. I thought they were both nice guitars. They both seemed well made and both were easy to play. The Les Paul had a typical Les Paul tone, which is thicker than I'm used too (since I tend to favor P90s and single coils). The Eastman was a bit brighter sounding and had a touch more note separation, more in line with a Gretsch Jet or a Guild.

I could certainly enjoy either one. But, I think if you are looking for typical Les Paul tones, you will be happier with a Les Paul. If you want a "somewhat similar" tone, the Eastman is great too. Resale will certainly be better on the Les Paul than an Eastman, but then you are also paying probably $1k more for the Gibson (new).

So, to me, it's a tossup. But, I think the Les Paul is a slightly better overall purchase and if you want Les Paul tone, you should get a Les Paul.

[rmp]

Originally Posted by robj144

True... but Eastmans are not a normal import as the most with acoustic Eastmans will attest. The SB59 is very high quality: solid mahogany, solid maple cap, ebony fingerboard, bone nut, Gotoh Hardware, switchcraft parts, and either SD Antiquities, or Lollar Imperial PUP. Not to mention the V version is hand varnished like a French polish. It is not a normal import.

you're right, that is NOT your typical spec for an import. The eastman acoustics seem to punch way above their price..

so it seems more to it than meets the eye..

[C-ville Brent]

Thanks for sharing the video. The tones were very close through my small and inexpensive computer monitors. I'm fortunate enough to own two Gibson LPs and couldn't be any happier with them.

[Rick Jones]

Whilst I can't speak for the Eastman vs. Les Paul thing, I have owned a carved-top hollowbody Eastman 'thinline' that looks like the TMX185 model on their website but has a flame maple back and sides, since 2004.

I can honestly say that other musicians that have played it at soundchecks (I was in the house band for a local music venue and we opened for visiting touring bands a lot) have all been blown away by it... including those with lovely 335's and similar in their stage racks those nights.

It is the sweetest, fattest sounding, most controllable/musical feedback sustain enabling stage guitar I have ever played, and I also had a USA PRS hollowbody and two 1994 PRS solids (A custom 24 and a CE24) and a Gibson Les Paul Studio. I still have the CE24 and the Eastman, even though I quit gigging electric 6 years ago.

They can and do make special instruments.

[Texsunburst59]

So here's my take on the Gibson LP

I have a good idea of what makes up a good quality guitar as I have quite a few in my 50+ guitar/bass collection.

So I looked on Reverb and other places online, and a used Eastman SB59V will run at least $1500 used.

So while it's probably a good quality used guitar, it will never hold the value of a good quality used LP .

I always try to buy the best quality used guitar I can for the very best price.

Over the years I've succeeded in doing so.

I personally never played the SB59V guitar, so I can't say it's a bad or a great guitar.

I will say with good digital processing,you can make decent guitars sound really good.

To me it how an electric guitar sounds and feels in person with a good quality tube amp,which I have plenty of.

Any guitar I play is going to be played through and nice high end tube amp, and that where I decide if the guitar sounds and feels right.

As I said above, that guitar is around $1500 used, and to me, for an import it wouldn't be a good value at all

Since I NEVER EVER buy new guitars, the value it supposedly brings compared to the reissue is meaningless to me.

I'd never spend that type of money on a Gibson Reissue anyway.

I've quite a few Gibson guitars that I didn't spend more than $1500 on any of them.

They all sound and play very well, and they'll definitely hold way more value in the future than the Eastman.

For me, buying these used guitars at the prices I paid, makes WAY more sense than spending the almost $2K new or $1.5K used for an Eastman SB59V

Here's a few of my LP's and what I paid for them:

'80 Gibson "Jimmy Wallace" '58 Reissue Prototype LP Standard ($500)



'89 Gibson LP Standard ($993 )



'00 Gibson Classic Premium Plus ($1500)



'08 Gibson LP Standard Plus ($762 )