• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Eastwood shortscale basses... quality?

::::BASSIST::::

::::BASSIST::::

Progress Not Perfection.
Sep 2, 2004
12,524
291
Vancouver, BC Canada
#1
Eastwood "Airline Map"
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Thinking of getting a new affordable but decent quality shortscale bass. This one is definitely ringing my bell.

specs:

Colours: Black, Seafoam Green, White Body: Tone Chambered Mahogany Neck: Bound Maple, Bolt-on Fingerboard: Rosewood, Block Markers Scale Length: 30 1/2" Width at Nut: 1 5/8" Pickups: Two Alnico Hot-10 Humbuckers Switching: 3-Way Controls: 2 Volume, 1 Tone Bridge: Tune-o-matic bridge, trapeze tail Hardware: Grover Style Nickel/Chrome Strings: D'Addario #45-#100 Case: extra Unique Features: NATIONAL Style Striped Pickguard Suggested Retail: $999.00 US


Anyone tell me about the quality and playability of these Eastwood basses?

http://www.eastwoodguitars.com/

:cool:
 
#3
from what i've heard... which isn't much their quality, although not bad, doesn't match the price tag. i think you're paying for exclusivity with those things.

i'd recommend one of these: Link Removed

sounds awesome, i've got one. its heavy, but if you play bass then i'll assume you're not a girly man anyway.
 
#6
I just got an Eastwood Classic 4 bass just like the one pictured above [in walnut]. As a l-o-o-o-ng time Fender [Precision & Jazz] player I never thought much outside of that box but much to my surprise I'm really enjoying this bass. It does exactly what I want it to do, which is to be easily playable using a pick. With string-to-string spacing at 15mm it works perfectly.

Then there's the tone: I can get the classic McCartney neck pickup sound and a really cool Noel Redding tone using both pickups and something I've never found a Hofner to be able to do and that is to produce a usable bridge pickup sound. These pickups really are humbucking from what I can tell. Though I haven't played it out as yet when I'm practicing with it and running it through headphones I hear no hiss or anything for that matter outside of the notes I'm playing. All this for only $500 direct from Invalid Link Removed

Is it perfect? No. They made it so that the bridge is now fixed in place [an improvement no doubt] but, with the strings that came on it, I can't get it perfectly in tune from string to string [especially noticeable when playing octaves] but hope that will be remedied once I put a set of GHS 3025's on it. [Note for all you Fender-style/Gibson EB0 players out there: This is a short-scale bass from the bridge to the nut but it still takes long-scale strings. I learned this the hard way which is why I'm still using the original strings.:hmm:] If you're into palm muting then you might find the edges on the player side of bridge to be a bit sharp. I've looked into a replacement bridge but nothing that has the proper [15mm] spacing has popped up on the radar as yet.

As for overall quality: I think its great. Didn't care for the way the pickguard was cut around the pickups but I removed it as I'm not into pickguards anyway. From past experience with MIJ Fenders I'm a bit concerned about the dinky little pots but so far so good which is something I couldn't say about the Fenders.

The biggest plus about Eastwood is Mike Robinson. He's accessible and will do whatever it takes to make it right from what I can tell. Admittedly, I'm still in the honeymoon phase with this bass and I haven't taken it out to see what it'll do in a real world situation but it does get a sound that always eluded me over the years so that in itself is worth the price of admission as far as I'm concerned. BTW - The Airline instruments are made in Korea as far as I know [the Classic 4 is made in China] and from my recent experience there are some really great guitars coming out of Korea these days. That and the fact that the Airline basses have a tune-o-matic style bridge should pretty much make it as worth checking out and seeing as how there are at least 6 Eastwood dealers in your vicinity go check them out for yourself [something one can't do here in Switzerland].
 
#9
I like these, but it's one of those situations where they're just a liitle bit too pricey to be a "cheap beater", but a little to cheap to be a quality instrument worth hanging on to.
IMHO of course.
If I can find one used or something like that I may give it a shot. I especially like the Gretsch clones.
 
#10
Relic said:
I like these, but it's one of those situations where they're just a liitle bit too pricey to be a "cheap beater", but a little to cheap to be a quality instrument worth hanging on to.
IMHO of course.
Click to expand...

Each to their opinion...I just never have subscribed to the theory that says inexpensive instruments are too cheap to be worth hanging onto.

If it's a good bass and you like it, then price is irrelevant. IMO there is no such thing as "...a little to cheap to be a quality instrument worth hanging on to..." provided that you like the bass.

And I've never spent as much money on a bass as an Eastwood costs, so to me they are not budget instruments, they're at least medium-priced. My price range is more like my $199 Rogue Beatle Bass, which is a very nice instrument I plan to keep indefinitely.
 
#11
I know the thread is specifically about Eastwood short-scales but I just thought I'd chime in to say my Eastwood (full-scale)EEB-1 is a great bass.
eastwood002.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cobra bass
#12
iamthebassman said:
I know the thread is specifically about Eastwood short-scales but I just thought I'd chime in to say my Eastwood (full-scale)EEB-1 is a great bass.
eastwood002.jpg
Click to expand...

Hey how would you describe the sound of that bass/pickup? I'm toying with the idea of getting the fretless version. I don't use fretless much, so I don't want to spend much, but would like to have one on hand. I have no interest whatsoever in anything like a fretless Jazz, or anything that has the "mwah" factor---I simply want thump and thud, but fretless.
(Plus I can try my Danko and Boz impersonations on that thing:)
 
#13
pbass2 said:
Hey how would you describe the sound of that bass/pickup? I'm toying with the idea of getting the fretless version. I don't use fretless much, so I don't want to spend much, but would like to have one on hand. I have no interest whatsoever in anything like a fretless Jazz, or anything that has the "mwah" factor---I simply want thump and thud, but fretless.
(Plus I can try my Danko and Boz impersonations on that thing:)
Click to expand...

I know exactly what you're talking about, I got this bass 'cause I'm a huge Danko fan. They don't offer a lefty fretless but I've got a couple fretless basses already and that's more than enuff for the amount of time I spend playing fretless.
This bass sounds like a P-bass with a bit more bottom. The neck is "C" shaped. Balances well on a strap.
eastwood004.jpg
 
#14
iamthebassman said:
I know exactly what you're talking about, I got this bass 'cause I'm a huge Danko fan. They don't offer a lefty fretless but I've got a couple fretless basses already and that's more than enuff for the amount of time I spend playing fretless.
This bass sounds like a P-bass with a bit more bottom. The neck is "C" shaped. Balances well on a strap.
eastwood004.jpg
Click to expand...

Cool--thanks. Might just work for me---some old flats and a hunk 'o foam and I'd be in bizness.
 
#15
hey there, Ive had a couple of eastwoods now for about 6 months, a classic 4 (in walnut) and airline Map ( in black), must say both instruments really are quite good guitars, before these i used a mexican Fender percision deluxe and musicman sub bass.
once i changed the strings on the classic for Flatwounds i thought both playability and tone improved, i look forward to playing this set for many years to truly make them dead and warm and flat, only hiccup with the classic 4 is the balance on the strap and that the switch nobs seem kinda light, but all in all find myself going back to this bass increasingly reguarly, recently used it on a recording for a tv show so look forward to hearing the finished mixed tone.
The pickups on the map are much hotter and responsive, the tone reminds me of what you may consider to be the "Ampeg" tone, bright driven and kinda naughty dirty while always holding plenty of bottom end, it makes me what to play some punk lines with a pick on it, (Something i haven't done in many, many years).
As mentioned above Eastwood are a great company to deal with , which I find really important, and when these Bass's are out on the road with me, they often invite questions from the musicians in the crowd after the show, and am always happy to recommend Eastwood to them.
 
#16
Yeah, I think these Eastwood Semi Hollows look great, cool vintage colors.But i did not know they were like 500.00.I can get something name brand traditional used at that price.I paid 500 for my Sting Signature made in Japan.

Relic said:
I like these, but it's one of those situations where they're just a liitle bit too pricey to be a "cheap beater", but a little to cheap to be a quality instrument worth hanging on to.
IMHO of course.
If I can find one used or something like that I may give it a shot. I especially like the Gretsch clones.
Click to expand...
 
#17
bluewine said:
Yeah, I think these Eastwood Semi Hollows look great, cool vintage colors.But i did not know they were like 500.00.I can get something name brand traditional used at that price.I paid 500 for my Sting Signature made in Japan.
Click to expand...

Definitely I agree, that's my point. In my earlier post, I inadvertently worded it kind of snotty-like. I didn't intend to imply that they're a cheap/cheesy instrument not worth the selling price, actually I suspect that they're pretty good quality-wise. What I mean is that from a resale value, I can't see spending $500 on something that I may or may not like and having to resell it at a much lower price. A Sting bass like bluewine mentions is easily resellable should you not like it, etc.
Not dissing Eastwood, I'm just saying that if you don't like it and want to resell, you're going to take a bigger hit than you would with a lower end Fender, Squire or a Turser which is cheaper right from the get-go

These kind of fall into the same category as Waterstone's stuff I suspect.
I do have to admit though, I am tempted....very tempted...
 
#18
I hope Ed doesn't mind me posting this. I just read this on Ed's The Bass Whisperer equipment list page: Invalid Link Removed

"Eastwood Classic 4

This was a review axe that I couldn't bear to send back. First of all, it looks super cool, but it's also a great example of a short-scale semi-hollow bass. It has the sound, and it plays great. I have Thomastik Jazz Flats on it, and it's great for vintage rock tone—pickstyle or fingers, or thumb-mute/upright bass tone."

Check out his YouTube preview (played with a foam mute):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_TYFm-7tE0&feature=related

Cheers

Andy in Oz
 
#19
Any more info on these? The classic 4 sounds nice. If I got one in white it would be a pretty close match to my guitarists' Gretsch white Falcon.

One question... can you get decent action with this style of bridge?

Never had a bass with one of those and that's one thing that is a question mark for me on this bass.
 
#20
::::BASSIST:::: said:
Any more info on these? The classic 4 sounds nice. If I got one in white it would be a pretty close match to my guitarists' Gretsch white Falcon.

One question... can you get decent action with this style of bridge?

Never had a bass with one of those and that's one thing that is a question mark for me on this bass.
Click to expand...


My Rogue viola bass has that same style bridge and the action is very good. Assuming it has the same floating bridge style, the string tension holds down the bridge so you have to play with it a bit when setting your intonation, and probably won't want to change strings too often as a result. (I put flats on my Rogue and will probably never change them).
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back