If you have other questions about the two guitars, I'll do my best to answer them.

Dude ....you nailed that neck pick up comparison!!!

Just bought a sb59 V Eastman. Absolutely incredible guitar. I like my Gibson's a lot but the Eastman is better no question.

I received an Eastman SB55 DC today. From the moment I strummed the first chord until I put it down ( one hour later ) I was smiling nonstop. This is a permanent never sell keeper. The only time it will no longer be mine is when it’s “Taken from my cold dead hands.” I love it!!!!

Just ordered a SB56 last night. Excited to try it out. Great video!

Great comparison and I share your sentiments. I recently bought a Gibson LP Special and it warms my heart. It sounds so great and that neck... Gawd, it's great!

Glad to see you back. I hope you and yours are doing well.

Great vid as always!

Love your content man. Especially Gibson stuff haha. Your channel is next to get big

I love your videos. This one is no different. Great content. Thank you

Interesting, thoughtful comparison. You’ve now got me thinking about lollar p90s for my SG classic! P.s. have you a video production background? The lighting, tones and colour grade on this vid are all stellar.

I currently have the Eastman SB55DC/V and the very rare PRS 25th Anniversary 245 Mira for P90 duties, the Eastman wins easily. The PRS build is superb but it feels and sounds a little sterile. The Eastman feels and sounds like a great vintage guitar, cannot put it down, it just has that mojo. I appreciate everyone looks for different things in a guitar but I’d recommend at least trying the Eastman, you may get a massive surprise and the bargain of the century. Great channel, great video

Good to know about the neck profiles. I’m about to buy the single cut version of this Eastman. I have 2 eastmans. A sb59 and a acoustic. They are the nicest guitars I’ve ever played and I’ve owned a ton of Gibson’s. At the end of the day I still want a Gibson. Like you, I want both. I want the history of Gibson and the quality of Eastman. Best of both worlds and I’m blessed to be able to have both at this point in my life. Oh and I think you succeeded in making the bridge pup sound like a neck pup. Close enough to get the job done anyway

Well done on the comparison. I like with your final point about the pickups. The Lollar is the winner. I just received an Eastman SB55dc/v and I am impressed. The neck carve is not my favorite but it doesn’t make me want to sent it back. It feels much better than my wife’s ‘61 reissue SG neck. The weight and balance of guitar are awesome. Even though the SB55 is somewhat of a copy of the LP junior, I think it is still unique and a really fun guitar to play. It’s a keeper.

Your comments at the are exactly how I feel, also I have done tons of research on Eastman and it’s the not the first time I have heard that people prefer the neck carve on the Gibson.

Good work! I've owned 4 Gibsons: a '71 SG (stolen) a '74 J-50 (still own), a ~2014 low-end SG (sold) and a 2019 ES-339 (sold). I wanted to buy a newer ES-335, but none of the ones I played at my local Guitar Center would stay in tune worth a damn, so I went with the 339 for half the price. The 339 had two issues for me. It was slightly neck heavy and the smaller body meant that the horns are closer to the neck and access to the upper frets is difficult. I recently bought an Eastman SB59/v and it is amazing. The build quality is on a par with my custom shop G&Ls and the guitar sings. I'm not a fan of Duncan pickups, but the Antiquities in this guitar are glorious..

That dimed Lollar sound is awesome. To me it was like a combination of clean and overdriven sound. Loved it!

I have that same SB59 and I adore it. It’s surprisingly versatile and as you’ve demonstrated can get real sweet. With my rig (benson germanium fuzz, JHS morning glory, strymon deco, into supro super) increasing the time and gain on the morning glory but then rolling off the tone and volume on guitar gets you this super rich, lush tone that my ears just love. But then dime the volume and tone and you get pure rock bliss

Thanks for doing this. I had heard of Eastman before but never considered them a guitar I would buy. I will from now on.

Thanks for this! I have two Eastman electrics and an acoustic and they're all excellent guitars. Truly custom quality instruments.

I love how honest you are about the Gibson brand. They've annoyed me so much over the years and I still wouldn't buy a new one but there's still something about looking at a guitar and seeing that name on the headstock. Having said that I'd still pick the Eastman

I agree 100% with you about the neck carve… the neck on the sb55dc/v was so uncomfortable I sent it back the day after I got it.

I think you’re right about the name on the headstock, I own a number of fairly high end guitars Rock n Roll Relics, Yamaha, Fret King, plus vintage Gibsons and Fenders. I can remember being 18 in 1981 and drooling in guitar shops at the sight of Fenders and Gibsons way out of my price range. I think every guitarist if they are honest wants at least one Gibson and Fender they may not necessarily be the best but a million professional musicians over the last 70 plus years can’t all be wrong

I've actually had the LP special TV yellow and feel it was a great guitar, I was very surprised. The bridge and action and intonation were very well done. But, I'm very intrigued with the Eastman. I am pretty easy on neck carves, I think I might give the Eastman a shot. The maker of Eastman has his own story as well.

Great point, hopefully Some USA MFG companies can see the talents of other countries & implement them and improve the USA brands.

Completely relate about the value placed on the name on the headstock. Doesn't necessarily make one a guitar snob. But after watching this, the Eastman name went up a peg or 2 for me

I love your honesty. Probably a bit unfair to compare a Special with a Junior, but I agree totally with your comments regarding the importance of neck feel. I currently own two Eastman's which I absolutely adore, and I've just ordered a SB55DC/v... which will be interesting because the only other Junior I've owned was a 1959 original, which I'd love to get back but I don't have £8k to spare ! The Eastman will cost my an eighth of the price, and I have no doubt that it will be superb and unique in its own way. Great video, thank you.

I have the same Special but in Vintage Cherry. I’m also considering changing the pick ups in it. If you do end up switching the stock ones do a comparison!

Very great video, thanks a lot! I have a Gibson Custom Shop LP Special that I really enjoy, so I decided to buy a single cut Junior as well. I hesitated between the Eastman and the Gibson production made junior. At the end, I chose Gibson. Greetings from Hungary ;)

Great review mate!! Wished you wdve put a bit more grunt in the review (but thats me!!). Ive got a Special & an SC/v..the Lollar dogear is brilliant clean or dirty.. Now this isn't an ad or anything, but lve just whacked a set of JJs J90s in the Special... absolutely transformed the guitar!! Sand cast Alnico magnets, vintage, modern or gaussed...two pups were the price of one SD. Aussie made, theyre pretty fkn gd. Enjoyed your playing fella!👍

Great comparison! The pickup in the Eastman sounds a little bit better (but I'm not sure it be able to tell them apart in a blind test). It's somewhat louder, higher output I guess. By the way, what is a "dimed bridge"?

Nice comparison man, thanks! If you don't mind, where'd you buy the Eastman?

Glad you are back. I love the look of the LP special but the Eastman oozes class. My SB56 is the best guitar I’ve ever touched and when I play it I can’t see the name on the headstock! 😉

This might be the most honest video in terms of a comparison I've seen. It's subjective but actual production quality is not. I've got 2 Eastman guitars and 2 Gibson guitars, all great but, you need to go to the Gibson custom shop for 5x the price to rival the Eastman quality which makes it hard to justify. The Eastman SB59/V with Lollar pup's might be the finest instrument I've ever played and sells for only $2k

My Eastman SB59 is just fantastic. I also have the Gibson Les Paul Special, and I agree, I also like the neck carve and size. The Eastman SB59 is a bit thinner, but also very comfortable. But it is a superior built instrument. Also have the Eastman T484. That one has a thinner neck than the Eastman SB59 and is wider at the nut (1.75 according to specs) A different kind of animal. But has beautiful maple wood. Would like to compare it with a gibson 339 or 335 to see the difference. Love my 2 Eastman's.

I agree with you 100% on the Gibson Logo point. That being said, I'm currently in the market for an Eastman SB55/V. I currently own a Gibson Les Paul and a 1955 Gibson LG-1. I love both of those guitars, but... the Eastman SB55/V is equivalent to a Gibson Custom Shop Junior for 1/3 the price. If this were going to be my only guitar I'd probably lean towards the Gibson, for the same reasons you listed. Because this will be an additional guitar just so that I can add a P-90 to the mix, the Eastman is a no-brainer...

Flack flack flack. Just kidding. Great to see a new post! Btw, I feel a wife beat down coming. Maybe two depending on how that Lollard pickups swap goes. Luckily it’s been awhile since you’ve posted and I’ve pretty much healed up since then.

Agreed. I have a T486 Eastman. Quality is comparable to Gibson that's priced double the Eastman. What's the downside? The major one is resale value. Anything without that G name drops dramatically. Keep & enjoy.

"I win" haha. Thanks for the review, been looking at Eastmans for some time now

Yes, I get the "story" argument, I bought, in part, a custom shop Gibson (The Les Paul) in the late 70's for that exact reason BUT by the same token, Eastman are offering you the chance to buy into a new story. Who is to say in another 60 years that what you buy today won't be the equivalent of a Gibson '59 sunburst today? Did that make sense? Lol! These Eastman guitars are supremely well made and the varnish finish - well we don't know yet but its worked for Stradivarius for 350 years! Excellent review, I subscribed.

One thing you can count on for sure is second best tries harder. That is certainly worth points.

I've got an Eastman SB55/v single cut, and it's a phenomenal player. The neck carve on mine is definitely chunkier than my friends Eastman SB55DC/v. I've owned a 2007 Gibson LP Jr in the past, and my Eastman is way better than that Gibson was.

For me, who manufactured it probably has less to do with an instrument than how it feels to play. But aesthetically, I want a strat or tele to look like a fender or squire and I want an LP to look like an epiphone or Gibson. So I can understand your second point at the end. That being said...I have a Harley Benton SG style guitar and....sigh...I f*kn love it. It’s awesome lol

Gibson: love the guitar, hate the company. It's a problem....

I want the SB55DC/v but I'm such a neck pickup guy that it troubles me. I'm wondering if it'd be reasonable to have a neck pickup put in there.

Eastman puts out some fantastic guitars...comes to feel..they are consistant where Gibson is all over the board..well through 2019...i haven't even tried a new Gibson in 2 yrs over it

Spot on about the necks…. I’ve owned both guitars as well. The Eastman was beautifully made and rang like a bell. I mean, the WHOLE guitar vibrated when you played, it was the most “alive” guitar I’ve ever owned. And I hated the neck. I really tried to bond with it and just didn’t enjoy playing it. It reminded me of a PRS “wide thin” neck. There are just no shoulders and for me, it made it unenjoyable. I had to let it go. But boy, was it a nice guitar.

That SB55 neck is on the thinner side. I have a SB55 single cut and it is .98 at the 12th but mine is a really soft V so it has little in the way of shoulder. I actually put a Gibson custom shop p90 in it because I thought the Lollar was too polite

The Eastman SB55v neck is thick and beefy. They made the DC version slimmer for some reason. I bought one a couple of weeks ago and it's a sweet guitar.

Thanks for the honest review. I bought one of Lesley West’s 1958 Les Paul Jr.‘s in 1991. I bought it from him personally. The sound was great but I could never get it to intimate. Never. When I get my Eastman Jr. I sold my ‘58 Jr. And never looked back. Unbelievable guitar. I like the “name” on the headstock too, but Gibson has been one of the worst companies on the planet for too long! Their product for decades has been substandard and you don’t want to know what I know about Gibson. Go try one of these. You won’t believe it

You should try the T59V . It’s absolutely a revelation.

Honestly your two points about the Gibson stand out as totally valid! neck feel is a big deal. And yeah...the logo on the headstock DOES mean something. Maybe it shouldn't....but it does. way she goes I guess.

How are you getting brand new eastmans for that price? Not just any Eastman mind you, arguably their most popular and constantly sold out model at that….also I’m not doubting him, I fully believe him. I have this Eastman anf for damn it’s my favourite guitar I’ve ever owned (I own an Eastman sb59 too). Coincidentally I’m really gassing for a TV yellow LP special so this is a perfect video. I tend to buy off brand, especially with Eastman use of jescar frets and how solid their fretwork is but I don’t know of any other brand selling a single cut TV yellow LP special guitar (maybach have a DC but I’m not keen) so guess I’ll be getting another Gibson. Anyway, great video, banging guitars

Have you tried the single cut? It has a different neck carve.

That’s crazy that the DC has a thin neck. I have the Eastman sb55 SC and the neck is a big boy, IMO thickest neck I’ve ever played

The Eastman is a good reproduction of an older Gibson. That is what it is. Nothing wrong with that. And you couldn't buy an old Gibson at that price. I have the Gibson Jr DC Tribute, 60s neck feels good. I have a Gibson Les Paul Special Guitar Guitar Center special model with Burstbucker 2 & 3 in it. The neck is much thicker and I thought it would be too big to play, but after a bit, I was shocked how well it plays and I play it. It's definitely baseball battish compared to the 60s neck. I don't think you gain or lose anything with the Eastman vs Gibson. The pickup is slightly different - both are really good. I prefer to have the original, Gibson. I have heard many side by side Gibson vs Clones and the Gibson usually wins. Mainly because the pickups are better on the Gibsons. Maybe better wood etc. This is the first I have seen that is on par with a Gibson - but, it should since it was a sincere attempt to clone an old Gibson. I just got an SG and that is a thin neck and it is really easy to play. I really like that one. I would like to see the Eastman vs a Gibson VOS or an original..... But I agree with you, you are the winner, 2 great guitars!

I own 7 Gibsons. I love them. I’ve owned 4 Eastman jazz boxes. All traded away.

Neck carve is a personal choice . You might prefer a chunkier neck, but myself, I have smaller hands and prefer a thinner neck. For me, the shape of the Eastman neck is a plus, and conversely , I have found many Gibsons too chunky. But, I know a lot of players love the thicker necks and just as many love thinner ones.

Good video, as always. I would have to agree with your thoughts on the LP special neck- its a damn good carve. Mine was a tuning nightmare, but I finally got it squared away. I have not had my hands on an Eastman, so it was good to here your thoughts- Thanks.

Awesome

Thanks alot of ，i think eastman is better sound and i have to buy it and but but i want gibson either 😂 so just one qusion, how did you do that sb55 sounds like neck pickup

I own the SB55DC/V and love it overall - I give it a 9.5/10. I guess I'm not as fussy about neck carves as most people - I have guitars from Gibson, Fender, Hamer, Zemaitis, Heritage, Tokai, PRS, Epiphone, Gretch, and Greco. Rarely do I find a neck I just don't like. This Eastman isn't a late 50's Gibby baseball bat by any means, but it's not bad. I'd call it average and comfortable. What I can't get over is the "varnish" finish. It's flat-out ugly, there's no other way to describe it. Don't like the feel, don't like the look. I have a friend here in NC who paints all of Paul Stanley's guitars and I'm thinking about having him paint it TV Yellow instead, except I'm afraid it would effect the Eastman's resonance, which is pretty unbelievable. So I'll play my ugly guitar and enjoy it!

I just got the sb55dc/v couple of week ago , my problems are : the faber wrap around bridge is badly designed, the screw heads are in the way if you want to damp with your palm, i am thinking to change them into normal two piece gibson bridge. The tuning pegs are very smooth. The big bends detune the guitar maybe it needs some nut sauce ?? My guitar buzzing on the thick string side almost all over and the action of the strings are pretty high compare my other guitars? Maybe some truss rod adjustment needed, i hope so just that. I miss the comfort cuts on the body but i know it is a true copy of a junior but still would be a better guitar. It is a very fast instrument , good neck profile , very light , no neck dive, really made for old rock tone, one can hear every slight pick movement on the strings clearly. Very dinamic, it is a short scale guitar so one needs used to it . I called my guitar tech to show him the eastman for set up , i hope he can solve the issues.

Are the pickups on the LP special adjustable for height?

I hate that the name on the headstock matters to me, but it does. What I hate even more is that I'm OK with other "boutique" builders on the headstock instead of Gibson. Why am I OK with "Collings" on the headstock, but not "Eastman"? I think we've just been conditioned over the years to believe that things manufactured in China are poor quality. Even when confronted with the reality that Eastman makes phenomenal instruments that are objectively better than their American counterparts, we can't bring ourselves to fully accept them. I feel so stupid haha

Yeah I HAD a Gibson from 2007 it was good but the Eastman sounds like a 60s model I have played quite a bit over the last 20 yrs...for about 15% of the price of a vintage Special...I'll probably get another Eastman model soon...they are just amazing and seemingly marketed at players not collectors so...

Well the Eastman sounds a lot better to me , it sounds like a think a Gibson should sound

Sorry to trip you up a little bit 😃but you said on your PRS McCarty S2 Thinline you get the PRS blank canvas sound as you were not born in the sixties but are now making reference to the Gibson history. A bit confused with that. A great guitar is a great guitar, it does not need an F or G on the headstock. I’m sure if Jimmy Hendrix had access to a Tom Anderson Classic Icon, he would have been blown away. Love your channel mate 🎸

saying it says Gibson on the headstock used to mean a lot...and yes sir..YOU WIN

As a gigging guitarist brand name means nothing to me. I’ve had numerous Gibson’s and only one I can honestly say was of a quality I was happy with at the price I had to pay. I’ve only had two Eastman’s, both have become ‘keepers’, both a of far higher build quality than my Gibson’s. However, if I was buying for resale value and heritage its hard to see anything out there that compares to Gibson, my only concern is I truly believe they’re trading on past glories and there are now a bunch of boutique guitar makers producing way better guitars for far less.

You need to understand that your guitar heros played Gibsons, cause there were no great alternatives back then. Especially like an Eastman. I think the Gibson logo is cool too, but I'd rather have the better instrument. But, I'm 62, and I don't give a damn what other people think of what I play and why. Bennifits of older age. The only Les Paul I've played better than an Estman SB59/v was a counterfit made by a Swiss guy - Wish I'd never sold that one. Thank you for the cool demo - Cheers!

Suggest you go for Antiquities in the Gibson for a change of tone from the Eastman lollar! They are unbelievable p90s

With Eastman, there is a fair amount of variance on the neck carve from guitar to guitar. It ranges anywhere from almost slim 60s to almost r8 chunk. Some are more C and some have a subtle V. If you can a/b more than one of the same model, I would recommend it to anyone (even though that is tough in most places). I’ve owned 8-10 Eastmans, most of which were Sb59 nitro and Varnish and each one was a little different. The hand built aspect of these is great, but leads to inconsistencies which makes buying online harder than other guitars regarding basic specs.

That Tele of yours is still scowling in the background 😂

the only things I like the Gibson over the Eastman are TV yellow(lol) and resale value. Eastman's dont hold value from my experiences. that could change. But, to me Eastman's are far superior in build quality and the Lollars are the capper for me.

Can you put a wound g on the Eastman?

Subbed

It's important to acknowledge that the primary reasons why so many musicians played Gibsons and Fenders is that virtually all the alternatives available to them - Guild, Gretsch, Harmony, Kay, Hagstrom, Mosrite, you get the picture - sucked in comparison. Another thing worth noting is that a primary reason so many '60s and early '70s guitarists went with late '50s Les Pauls is that Gibson didn't make Les Pauls between 1961 - 1967(?) and those they made after 1967 had hotter pickups and didn't sound nearly as good. If Clapton could nave bought a new Les Paul in 1965 he might not have bought the Beano guitar.

Get into it . Get sone tone happening . Channel your inner Johnny Thunders

It's the Eastman for me

I wish Gibson made a wrap tale special with just two master knobs ... in the standard profile. Every time they do a two knob special it includes an odd deviation in the design.

Eastman!

I think the Eastman sounded better to my ears the Gibson sounded darker

Brand name wise, among musicians we know that Gibson is iconic, historic, etc. but we also know they’re inconsistent at best lately and a rip off/bad qc ay worst in recent times. Eastman doesn’t have the history, but with players it doesn’t have the baggage either. It’s know among musicians as consistently high quality and extremely well made instruments. They don’t have a budget line or were poorly made in the past. Eastman has a pretty unsullied reputation so it has a great rep with players. General public doesn’t know Eastman but at least they have a good reputation with fellow musicians. No we don’t want to just impress fellow musicians but it does say that you care about quality. Their sponsored players are serious jazz and classical players. What do you think, everyone?

Eastman should do a two pick up model.

It’s like comparing Hell’s Angels and Heaven’s Satan…

Looks a bit like an SG neck for sure.

4:45!

To my ears the Eastman has a nicer tone.

I too, like most Americans, am a brand-snob, and I wouldn't trade my 2019 Gibson Les Paul Traditional for anything. I bought a new Epiphone Les Paul Custom that plays great, looks great and sounds great. But the name Gibson beckons me from afar...... so she gets the most play time.

Cheeky little bit of J. May thrown in there

On my Les Paul special I noticed that Gibson didn’t bother to round the fret ends for the upper 2/3 of the neck. This was the cheapest LP still at over 1k with tax, and they couldn’t even bother to do all the frets. That was it with me…never another Gibson. Lazy and riding on name.

Well nice review but really comparing apples to oranges IMO. Why not do a SB55 vs a Gibson LP junior? Agree that Eastman'a are custom shop quality as I have 2. Unfortunately Gibson's sordid "play authentic" lawsuit campaign has soured many to it business model and attitude including me so won't be buying a Gibson on principle. Just my 0.02.

Well since afaik there is no single cutaway Special from Eastman thats no option, i use the neck pickup 80 % of the time and think that the double cutaway Junior/Special is one of the ugliest guitar shapes ever designed.

Eastman absolutely sounds better.

yikes. that Eastman SB55tv costs more in US dollars than the Gibson LP Special costs in Canadian.

Neck, I get it but marketing ... nice video but it was a let down at the end.

I got zero love for Gibson as a company. Their QC is terrible for how much they cost. I've played an Eastman it it was awesome but way too much money for a Chinese guitar.

The difference is most all the Eastmans you pickup will be great guitars where the Gibson will be hit and miss on feel, playability and quality. Thats the difference period!! Good Gibson are hard to find!

Resale value? One thing that’s helpful is it’s a brand players trust unlike Gibson which are a crapshoot.