I like Eastwood, I have a few of their mandolins. I like the idea of a retro-looking guitar with newer features and playability. I'd only care about vintage if I couldn't get the sound any other way,
That’s a good way of looking at it! Why spend the extra for a vintage guitar if you can get what you’re looking for from a newer more affordable guitar.
I am a fan of Eastwood and what they are doing, especially re issuing the vintage guitars that we all grew up with from the 50s and 60s with modern day specs.
My parents had catalogs from Montgomery Wards and from Sears and also from Spiegel's I remember drooling over the pages of these catalogs and I think that those guitars are American made gems of historic value
I have a 1969 H-75. Just 2 modifications I did to make it a daily reliable player. The bridge has adjustable saddles. I also pinned the Bridge so it won’t move. For me, this guitar sounds very much like a Stratocaster with the bridge and middle pickup played together. The DeArmond gold foil pups are great sounding to my ears. I have a few videos of this guitar up on my UA-cam page 🤗
Intonation and a stay-put bridge? Yes! Add a Bigsby? I love them. Both great practical improvements, if you like vibrato, at least. I prefer the aesthetics of the Harmony tailpiece and the "tortesque" headstock. But I'd want the function of the tune-o-matic and Bigsby. If the neck profile on the Eastwood is on the clubby size, like some old Harmonys, even better.
Funny - I had that same Harmony 75 (mine was a '64 model, I think) as my first 'real' guitar back in '81. Mainly because it looked really cool and I couldn't afford a name brand. Played it live for about 7 years. Honestly, outside of looking unique, I didn't find it to be a particularly well-made guitar. Short neck, so-so action, feedback was always a problem on stage. I was much happier when I upgraded to Fender Tele's and a Gibson Firebird. A couple years ago I scored an early 2000s Gretsch Country Gentleman for $1400 - about the same price those old Harmony's are now going for. There's no comparison. The Gretsch is a dream to play and sounds fantastic. These days you can score an American Tele for the same price. In my experience, older isn't necessarily better and if your aim is to spend wisely, you're better off investing in a better quality guitar that will give you a lot more bang for your buck. If you're a collector with a taste for quirky guitars, then sure. Just my 2 cents.
Back in the 60's, one of my favorite things to do was look through the Sears and Montgomery ward catalog and see all the cool guitars and basses. The H78 has always been my favorite I would love to have a vintage model. I think it depends on who your luthier is. It can be restored. But do you want to have a vintage instrument out on the bandstand every night?
That’s a great point! Having the vintage version is really great but you might not want to play it live where there is far more potential for damage or for it to be stolen even.
@6stringbelief You are right, and it is very scary to have a Vintage instrument that you love. Become damaged or stolen by some one. So I really appreciate them making vintage guitars with modern day specs.
i love my ‘61 harmony archtop acoustic, but i’m always scared of breaking it. nice to play at home (and look at!) but there’s something about having an easily-replaced modern guitar. sure, there are lots of secondhand guitars like it, but not always cheap or in great condition
My main firsthand experience with department store guitars is entry level acoustics from the early 1960s as a kid, and I’m mostly not nostalgic about those. Big fat necks, high action, and sloppy fretwork, etc. How does the fret dressing on those Eastwoods compare with the higher-end Harmonies? - Paul
Frets are incredibly important to me and I am really blown away at how well the Asian builders making these guitars are getting them. Nice and level with a great crown and very smooth ends.
IMHO, the vintage guitar market is overheated right now. If I get caught underwater with an instrument, I at least want a guitar that sounds good, or is easy to play. Ry Cooder considers oddball guitars as candidates for slide. Jack White did a lot to bring Airline guitars to prominence.
I guess if you find the right ones that are in good shape and playable it’s a good investment. There’s a finite amount of these old ones out there. Considering the prices of any “golden era” fender or Gibson, these old catalog guitars are the only way some can ever own a vintage instrument. I mean for those who want to.
I like Eastwood, I have a few of their mandolins. I like the idea of a retro-looking guitar with newer features and playability. I'd only care about vintage if I couldn't get the sound any other way,
That’s a good way of looking at it! Why spend the extra for a vintage guitar if you can get what you’re looking for from a newer more affordable guitar.
I am a fan of Eastwood and what they are doing, especially re issuing the vintage guitars that we all grew up with from the 50s and 60s with modern day specs.
I agree Mark! Eastwood is doing some really cool stuff!
My parents had catalogs from Montgomery Wards and from Sears and also from Spiegel's I remember drooling over the pages of these catalogs and I think that those guitars are American made gems of historic value
They really are a piece of Guitar history and I feel like they don’t get the credit. They deserve in many cases.
I have a 1969 H-75. Just 2 modifications I did to make it a daily reliable player. The bridge has adjustable saddles. I also pinned the Bridge so it won’t move. For me, this guitar sounds very much like a Stratocaster with the bridge and middle pickup played together. The DeArmond gold foil pups are great sounding to my ears. I have a few videos of this guitar up on my UA-cam page 🤗
Thanks for sharing! I’ll check them out! Yes, the gold foils are amazing!
Intonation and a stay-put bridge? Yes!
Add a Bigsby? I love them.
Both great practical improvements, if you like vibrato, at least.
I prefer the aesthetics of the Harmony tailpiece and the "tortesque" headstock. But I'd want the function of the tune-o-matic and Bigsby.
If the neck profile on the Eastwood is on the clubby size, like some old Harmonys, even better.
The airline neck is definitely nice and chubby! Haha. Great insights, thanks for sharing!
Funny - I had that same Harmony 75 (mine was a '64 model, I think) as my first 'real' guitar back in '81. Mainly because it looked really cool and I couldn't afford a name brand. Played it live for about 7 years. Honestly, outside of looking unique, I didn't find it to be a particularly well-made guitar. Short neck, so-so action, feedback was always a problem on stage. I was much happier when I upgraded to Fender Tele's and a Gibson Firebird. A couple years ago I scored an early 2000s Gretsch Country Gentleman for $1400 - about the same price those old Harmony's are now going for. There's no comparison. The Gretsch is a dream to play and sounds fantastic. These days you can score an American Tele for the same price. In my experience, older isn't necessarily better and if your aim is to spend wisely, you're better off investing in a better quality guitar that will give you a lot more bang for your buck. If you're a collector with a taste for quirky guitars, then sure. Just my 2 cents.
Plenty to agree with there! The great thing about the guitar world these days is that there is something that works perfectly for every player!
Back in the 60's, one of my favorite things to do was look through the Sears and Montgomery ward catalog and see all the cool guitars and basses. The H78 has always been my favorite I would love to have a vintage model. I think it depends on who your luthier is. It can be restored. But do you want to have a vintage instrument out on the bandstand every night?
That’s a great point! Having the vintage version is really great but you might not want to play it live where there is far more potential for damage or for it to be stolen even.
@6stringbelief You are right, and it is very scary to have a Vintage instrument that you love. Become damaged or stolen by some one. So I really appreciate them making vintage guitars with modern day specs.
i love my ‘61 harmony archtop acoustic, but i’m always scared of breaking it.
nice to play at home (and look at!) but there’s something about having an easily-replaced modern guitar. sure, there are lots of secondhand guitars like it, but not always cheap or in great condition
That’s a good point. A lot of these old guitars are a bit fragile and they are not easily replaced.
My main firsthand experience with department store guitars is entry level acoustics from the early 1960s as a kid, and I’m mostly not nostalgic about those. Big fat necks, high action, and sloppy fretwork, etc. How does the fret dressing on those Eastwoods compare with the higher-end Harmonies?
- Paul
Frets are incredibly important to me and I am really blown away at how well the Asian builders making these guitars are getting them. Nice and level with a great crown and very smooth ends.
IMHO, the vintage guitar market is overheated right now. If I get caught underwater with an instrument, I at least want a guitar that sounds good, or is easy to play. Ry Cooder considers oddball guitars as candidates for slide. Jack White did a lot to bring Airline guitars to prominence.
I guess if you find the right ones that are in good shape and playable it’s a good investment. There’s a finite amount of these old ones out there. Considering the prices of any “golden era” fender or Gibson, these old catalog guitars are the only way some can ever own a vintage instrument. I mean for those who want to.
My fingers started bleeding just looking at the "vintage" original version. NEVER
Haha! What? Elaborate!
What is the strength of the pickups on the Eastman? If it's another cheap Asian guitar- who cares?
They are medium output and I’d say a little hotter than the vintage Harmony pickups.