Eastman T64 - is it really all that?

[Gladders]

I'm on a bit of an Emily Remler tip at the moment. I had the opportunity today to play a 1967 ES330, a Heritage H535 and an Eastman T64.

I haven't played a vintage Gibson before. It was great, though expensive. The Heritage was very nicely finished but lacked the vibe of the es330. The Eastman I expected to be the sweet spot, though still pricey at £1800. I was quite shocked that the join of the neck binding wasn't smooth to the neck. There were a few areas that felt really under finished, much less slick than my Ibanez JSM10.

The Ibanez is a mechanised factory guitar while the Eastman is handmade.

Are my expectations of the finish of a handmade guitar too high?

I'd like to love the Eastman and I enjoyed playing it, but the quality felt poor.

The £5.5k vintage Gibson is sadly out of reach.



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[339 in june]

An ES330 is fully hollow, the H535 is a semi with a center block, like an ES335. This is maybe a part of a difference in sound and feeling.
For a Heritage equivalent to the ES330, look for a H530
I don't know for the Eastman and can't find the information on their website
As for the building quality, I only can say that my Eastman AR503CE (something like 10 years old) is flawless. Eastman prices have like skyrocketed since then, I hope they kept the same quality standards at todays prices

[Gladders]

An ES330 is fully hollow, the H535 is a semi with a center block, like an ES335. This is maybe a part of a difference in sound and feeling.
For a Heritage equivalent to the ES330, look for a H530
I don't know for the Eastman and can't find the information on their website
As for the building quality, I only can say that my Eastman AR503CE (something like 10 years old) is flawless. Eastman prices have like skyrocketed since then, I hope they kept the same quality standards at todays prices

You're right about the Heritage. I meant H530.

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[Cunamara]

The Heritage may very well "play in" and develop a very nice vibe. They're basically Gibsons with nicer woods (well, the older ones anyway; I've not tried the current ones).

[Mark M.]

I had a T64 for awhile and the fit and finish was excellent. It was light and played very well. The P90’s sounded good as well. But, for some reason, I sold it to acquire something else. Now, I have a Gibson ES330 ‘61 RI VOS and I love it. But, for the money, the T64 was a good alternative.

[Oscar67]

I was quite shocked that the join of the neck binding wasn't smooth to the neck.

You mean there’s a small ridge you can feel? Pretty much every Gibson I’ve ever played had that, including a custom shop 335 reissue with a price north of 5k€. That ridge shouldn’t be there, but on many guitars it is. Being hand-built is no guarantee for precision. Especially with jobs such as routing for binding, nothing matches automated precision tooling. That’s why you’ll never find such a ridge on (for example) a PRS or a higher-tier Ibanez. Eastman guitars are handmade in the sense that one person builds it. Not from scratch, as some parts, like raw necks and bodies, are made elsewhere in the factory. This way of doing things means that every guitar is subtly different from the next one and that some may be ‘better’ than others. I’ve seen ones that were brilliant right out of the case. I’ve seen many more that had the potential to be brilliant but needed fret work done and/or a really good setup. And I’ve seen a few that were train wrecks. Eastman guitars tend to feel and sound very ‘organic’. They’ve been in the game for a long time and most of their customers are very happy.

[Gladders]

Thanks, that's helpful. Maybe I just picked up a dud. I did look at another T64 that was much better finished, but it was matt black with a Bigsby - urgh...

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[jazzloverfat]

You mean there’s a small ridge you can feel? Pretty much every Gibson I’ve ever played had that, including a custom shop 335 reissue with a price north of 5k€. That ridge shouldn’t be there, but on many guitars it is. [/FONT][/COLOR]

Same experience here, I lost count at how many Gibsons I tried, from Tribute to Standards, 335s and LPs and every.single.one.of.them had this very pronounced ridge. Then a few had finish issues and all but one had rough fingerboards, especially near the nut. Yes, you can make the argument that you rarely feel it when playing, but when Gibson charges this kind of money, i call this bullshit especially when there are much better alternatives.

Heritage wasn't really on my radar until someone I was talking to about my frustration in finding a good 335 and/or LP-like guitar told me to have a look at. Went to a store that sells them and I couldn't find a bad guitar, they were all perfect! Tried their entire range, both standard and custom core (or whatever they call it) and I could have chosen any one of the guitars they had blindfolded and be happy that I have a good, resonant and well crafted guitar. What made the choice difficult was picking a color xD and I spent waay too much time faffing around staring at the flame tops. Luckily mom went guitar shopping with me and after an hour and a half I picked the one that sounded warmest to her. So yeah, as a happy owner of a 4.7kg H-150 which has sustain for days and feels very comfortable to play, I really do recommend anyone considering a 335 or LP style guit seriously give Heritage a try. They are better made than Gibsons, the tops are mesmerizing and most have a very beautiful deep flame, and they don't sound sterile or clinical like the Japanese made alternatives Tokai or Edwards, at least in my opinion, do.