Airline JB Hutto

Red and white Airline. You could buy it from Montgomery Ward. Stamped pots date mine to 1965. To correct the previous review, this guitar was made in the USA by Valco. Valco loved knobs, so this has 6 of them: 3-way pickup switch, tone and volume knobs for EACH pickup, and master volume. The pickups are single coils disguised as humbuckers with chrome covers. Nice. Rosewood bridge and fretboard. Chunky Les-Paul style neck. Headstock that looks like Gumby. The guitar of the future!

She is pretty versitle, the knobs allow you to do much to the blending of sounds from the pickups. The neck pickup is a bit too dark and bassy for me; I don't use it much. The bridge pickup is my favorite, and virtually all that I use. Hot Hot HOT! It has quite the bite to it. A powerful bite at that. I use it with a '64 Bassman (AA864 circuit for you vintage amp geeks). I crank up the amp and the bridge pickup and I have one snarling beast! The sound is very warm too, I would imagine this is because of the body being hollow.

Body made of fiberglass ("resoglass"). The body is two fiberglass shells screwed together with a white gasket in between (the support is a peice of wood running through the middle). The hollowness makes it light as a feather! Has the zero fret. The finish is glorious, the red pigment was mixed in with the plastic, so it is red through and through. The action is good for me, not too high and not too low -but my neck is straight. If you get one with a bowed neck, that could be a problem (no truss rod). Original rosewood bridge is fine. Tuners turn loosely, but it keeps tune pretty well.

Mine is in excellent shape, and I believe it will last well. It's made of fiberglass, so don't drop it and you'll be okay. The red pigment is mixed in with the plastic, so its red on top and if you scratch it, its red underneath too. I could gig with it without a backup. Just don't drop it.

Go back to the sixties, my friend. Valco is long gone.

Thsi guitar is perfect for me. I love the sound of this guitar, it's rip roaring. I also can't get enough of shape and look of it. It is because of this that I feel it is my duty to take up for this guitar that usually gets such crappy reviews from the gear heads. Naysayers, do you expect it to be made like a '59 Les Paul? It was a department store guitar!
Anyway, I've been playing for a while, but I still have a lot to learn. I also have a black Reissue Eastwood Airline (I'll get to that later), a delightful cheapo Kay electric Archtop from the 50's, a Gretsch Nashville 6120 that was GIVEN to me (thanks so much Kirk!), and an Epi Acoustic. If it were stolen or lost, I would be sad. I don't know if I could find another one...

NOW ABOUT THE REISSUE EASTWOOD AIRLINE, let me first say this disclaimer: They are not the same guitar, so it is difficult to compare them. The Valco is hollow plastic, the Eastwood is chambered mahogany. The Eastwood neck is more skinny and had a truss rod. The Valco has single coil pickups, the Eastwood has humbuckers. They obviously cannot sound the same. (Eastwood is a nice company, the guitars are foreign made, but what isn't these days?) Unfortunately, the Eastwood doesn't have the bite of the Valco, it is more muffled and bassy sounding. (I may try some replacement pickups) The Eastwood still has a warm sound due to the semi-hollowness. FYI, Valco and Eastwood parts are NOT interchangeable. So naturally, the vintage guitar takes the win over the new one. Just keep in mind though, the Eastwood is a well made guitar, but they just aren't the same. It's comparing apples to oranges.

1960's Red Res 0 glass with white trim around the body, came with non original tune o matic bridge, made in Japan

It souded ok through my marshall MG 30 but when I plugged it into a Marshall JCM 900 it was real bad- tinny as hell. My friends epiphone dot blow it out the water. Unpugged it sounded great though so a new set of pick ups would of helped alot- stock though was dire.

Very high, alot of people use these as slide guitars- I can see why. Even with the original bridge this action would be pretty high, the trible pick up prevents the action from being lowered.

Preet Good all round, but I would never use this live.

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Been playing 3 yrs, im no Hendrix but I know agood guitar, this isn't it. Anyone wanting one is probably better off buying a reissue from eastwood. I made my money back on this selling it on, it looks so cool but I wouldnt buy another one