longterm test
A few months’ gigging, recording and everything that goes with it – welcome to Guitarist ’s longterm test report
Writer Jamie dickson Guitarist, Editor-in-chief This month, Jamie’s 330 faces a stiff challenge from a well-spec’d rival hollowbody from the East. Which will prevail?
After my last Longterm report, I received an email from Pepijn ‘t Hart, the designer behind Eastman Guitars. He wrote to say, being a fan of 330s and Casinos, he had read the report with interest and would I like to put my Gibson up against Eastman’s T64/v AMB to see how his 330-inspired design (which scored highly in a
Guitarist review) measured up? I accepted the offer and days later, the Eastman arrived.
The first thing I did was stand both guitars side by side. This revealed some interesting differences. The Eastman’s bridge pickup, for example, was located further away from the bridge than on the 330. The Eastman also has an ebony ’board, as opposed to the rosewood of the Gibson, plus the slightly more slender body shape associated with mid-60s 330s. As usual, Eastman hasn’t skimped on the spec: the P-90s are Lollars and the guitar comes fitted with D’Addario NYXLs, its flagship electric set.
By contrast, my 330 is a ’59-spec Memphisbuilt reissue that exudes Gibson heritage. The appointments are plainer but historically accurate, and that rich Cherry Red still looks stunning every time I open the case. Mine’s fitted with ThroBak 0.011 gauge strings, a fine vintage-voiced set that suits it perfectly. Ideally, I’d put a set of NYXLs on it, too, for fair comparison’s sake, but I had none to hand.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating. It’s time to plug them both in. As mentioned in previous reports, my regular amp (a Dr Z Jaz 20/40) is being repaired. I have a worthy stand-in on hand, however: a Victory V30 head running through a Blackstar Artisan 2x12 cab loaded with an asymmetric pairing of a Celestion Alnico Gold driver and a G12H Greenback, which gives a nice balance of warmth and punch (G12H) and crisp, crystalline clarity (Alnico Gold).
As the challenger, the Eastman goes first. I notice the jack socket is mounted on the side
of the guitar rather than the top, meaning you can use straight jack cables instead of the less common right-angle versions. Strapped on, the Eastman is light, easy-handling and beautifully set up. The fret ends are smooth, polished perfection, making for a slick, comfortable playing feel. How about sounds? Straight away, I enjoy the liveliness; sustain is a little better than on my 330 and the pickups slightly hotter, adding up to a guitar you could really burn on at a blues jam. Getting the multimeter out, I find the neck pickup reads at 7.96kohms DC resistance while the bridge reads 8.86k, making this an intentionally balanced set. But I’m most impressed with the chunky bottom-end – there’s heft to every note and chord, although there is plenty of edge and bite, too.
Plugging in the 330 straight afterwards is interesting.The Gibson feels a touch heavier and, dare I say it, clunkier. The neck profile is fuller and rounder, in line with its late-50s spec.While the low-wind pickups are cooler, they are so classic in this context. They read out at 6.87k for the neck and 6.88k for the bridge, making them all but identical in output. You have to squeeze each note a bit harder to get the juice out and the 330 is a little lighter on low-end than the Eastman – but stronger on warm, toothy midrange. Overall, in terms of first impressions, the feeling of the Gibson is that of a stately Cadillac compared with the Eastman’s sporty Stingray.
I drop Pepijn a line asking about some of the tweaks he made to the 330-inspired formula, including that bridge pickup placement. Ever helpful, he replies,“Having owned many 330s and Casinos, my concern was that you can’t use all three pickup positions. The difference in output and thickness makes you almost need to redo the amp in terms of voicing. This position makes it more usable.”
That’s certainly worthy of debate. On the plus side, it’s true the Eastman’s balance between positions feels less disjointed and easy to switch between without drops in relative output levels and EQ issues. However, part of me likes the irregularities of the 330 – it’s part of its character that I’ve learned to work with and all those classic 50s tones are there if you care to find them. But then I would say that, wouldn’t I? I would add that the Eastman will feel more familiar to players coming from a solidbody electric because of the way Pepijn has finessed the design.
It’s been a close-fought first match. I’m going to chuck the same set of strings on them and deliver my full A/B verdict in the next report. For now, though, choosing between these two fine guitars is a nice dilemma to have.
“The Gibson feels like a stately Cadillac compared with the Eastman’s sporty Stingray”