Kalan Phillips - I get that to most, it won’t have the same ownership satisfaction but as a tool it’s an extremely engaging instrument. So far it offers everything that a US custom shop instrument can do. I have no problem in recommending it over instruments that are more than twice the price.
I went to my two local Guitar Centers and tried out roughly 8 Gibson 335s and 4 Epiphone 335s, as well as several 339s - both Gibson and Epiphone. I was not impressed. All the guitars seemed to have trouble staying in tune and I didn't like the finishes. The Gibson 335s were all roughly $3,000. The Epiphones were < $1,000, but I wouldn't recommend them. I wound up buying a Gibson 339 from Chicago Music Exchange. It was an excellent guitar - great neck and pickups. However, it was neck-heavy and the smaller body meant that the horn was close to the neck and impeded access to the upper frets, so I sold it. I bought the Eastman T59/v and, IMO, it's better than any 335 I played at Guitar Center. It's balanced, plays and sounds great, and the build quality is custom-shop level. If you're not infatuated with the name on the headstock, I would definitely check one out. And, it's roughly half the price of a Gibson 335.
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How does it compare to a Gibson 335 or the heritage 535? I’m looking at getting an Eastman but was curious if it truly was on the same level
Kalan Phillips - I get that to most, it won’t have the same ownership satisfaction but as a tool it’s an extremely engaging instrument. So far it offers everything that a US custom shop instrument can do. I have no problem in recommending it over instruments that are more than twice the price.
I went to my two local Guitar Centers and tried out roughly 8 Gibson 335s and 4 Epiphone 335s, as well as several 339s - both Gibson and Epiphone. I was not impressed. All the guitars seemed to have trouble staying in tune and I didn't like the finishes. The Gibson 335s were all roughly $3,000. The Epiphones were < $1,000, but I wouldn't recommend them.
I wound up buying a Gibson 339 from Chicago Music Exchange. It was an excellent guitar - great neck and pickups. However, it was neck-heavy and the smaller body meant that the horn was close to the neck and impeded access to the upper frets, so I sold it.
I bought the Eastman T59/v and, IMO, it's better than any 335 I played at Guitar Center. It's balanced, plays and sounds great, and the build quality is custom-shop level. If you're not infatuated with the name on the headstock, I would definitely check one out. And, it's roughly half the price of a Gibson 335.