Eastwood Guitars Airline Map

This is an update of an earlier review. I have since sold this guitar because it simply did not play well or stay in tune. No matter what I did or had done by a luthier, the guitar would not stay in tune or intonate properly. It wouldn't even hold a tuning for one song. I also grew to dislike the large size of the body, and found it clumsy to play. This is the second Eastwood guitar I have owned that couldn't be fixed. I have several other friends who bought Eastwoods. All but one of them have sold theirs. They all realized what mediocre instruments they were.

The sound with Eastwoods humbucking pickups was acceptable, but hardly memorable.

This is one area where the guitar succeeded. It looked flawless, but the bottom line is Eastwood guitars are not really well made at all.

No opinion

No opinion.

Sold. Gone. Basically, I think Eastwood guitars are mediocre, overpriced, kitchy pieces of nostalgia. I don't see myself buying another.

The Eastwood I ordered came in Seafoam Green with a Bigsby licensed trem (stays in tune!), and 2 single coil pick ups. It has a chambered mahogany body and a 22 fret, rosewood fingerboard that is bolted on securely to the body with 4 heavy duty screws. Each p-up has its own volume control (great for blending), one overall tone control, and a 3 way switch. This gtr is made in Korea.

Also included were a DVD of some live performances, a CD of a sponsored artist, a gtr cable, and a whack of stickers.

The case was extra, but is solidly built (in Canada), and worth the money.

I opted for the single coil pick up up grade, and after changing the heights of the P-ups, am really happy with the sound. I can get the trad surf sound through my reverb tank and Vibrosonic amp without any trouble. For me, the most useful positions are bridge, and bridge and neck. The neck p-up offers a nice jazzy tone. The tone chambered mahogany body really resonates, even when unplugged. Plus Eastwood threw in the humbuckers with the guitar.

The finish is flawless, as is the fret job. This guitar was ready to play out of the box. All the hardware is solid, and very quiet. The single coils hum, but that's the nature of the beast. My only complaint is the plastic nut that comes with this gtr. Bits of it are fraying, and it really should be upgraded.

This is versatile enough to be my main gigging guitar. No worries here!

Mike at Eastwood was great to order from. He kept me up to date when the guitar was back ordered, and when he received the shipment, the guitar was couriered promptlty to my place. Excellent customer service!

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality, and playability of this gtr. There will definitely be be more Eastwoods in my future.

Honestly, all of the specs about the guitar are detailed in the above reviews. It is a Korean made solid body with a tone chamber with two humbuckers. You can read the rest in the other reviews. It has a 3 way switch with separate volume knobs for each pickup and a tone knob with a VERY broad range.

I've played this amp through my VHT Pittbull combo, a Fender Hot Rod Delux, and a Mesa Boogie Studio 12. This is, BAR NONE, the best sounding electric guitar I own. I have a '96 Blueshawk, a '62 Gibson 330, a Parker, a '72 SG, and a '96 Les Paul and THIS guitar sounds better than ALL of them. With the pair of humbuckers you can go bright and crunchy or thick and full and it always sounds great. The stock pickups are SUPER HOT and sound incredible. I honestly bought this guitar because it was cheap and looked cool and would be fun to play here and there. It has become my primary stage guitar and recording guitar.

As a matter of fact, I was in the studio yesterday recording and my amp crapped out so I had to go direct. I'd brought the SG and the Airline to the studio. No matter what pre-amp or amp simulator we ran the SG through it sounded super thin and horrible. I was sure that I would have to go home and bring another amp but we plugged in the airline and it sounded good enough that we put down 11 songs which were keepers. Don't let the low price fool you, this is an amazingly versatile guitar.

Everything was flawless. If you'd told me this guitar was built in the US or Japan I would have believed you. Intonation was prefect, everything was tight, the pickups sounded perfect, I was blown away.

I have gigged HARD with this guitar over the last year and there is not even a chip on the paint. It is amazingly durable and stays in tune very well even when abused. I put straplocks on it the moment it arrived but otherwise I haven't touched it. With regard to the backup question, I would NEVER gig with only one guitar due to the possibility of strings breaking but mechanically I am 100% confident in this guitar.

Never dealt with Eastwood on this.

I've been playing for 25 years and I own the electrics listed above and a 20 year old acoustic tak and a '94 guild acoustic. I also have a mid-80s Japanese P Bass. If this guitar were lost or stolen I would DEFINITELY buy another one even if I had to sell a guitar to buy it. If you have $800 to buy one online don't hesitate. I found mine on Craigslist for $550 or something but I would have happily paid $800 if I knew what I know now.

Very comfortable neck. Simular to a Les Paul.

The map has a fat incredible sound. It sustains like a dream. Is sweet both clean and with some dirt on it.

The guitar was set up way to low, but that is easily fixed. Also the last fret had a nic that the 1st string kept getting caught in but also easily fixed.

Extremely Durable and good looking.

The service was incredible. I couldn't have asked for more.

I love this guitar.

I upgraded to the VVSC pickups available from the website and it made a world of difference. the stock humbuckers were fine - it sounded like a typical humbucker guitar. But the VVSC in the map gave it a great vintage sound. Little more nasal - more piercing- with distortion it howls - on a clean set it sounds great. truly one of my favorite sounding clean tones. I have some old teiscos that can get a bit more narly sounding - but with the vvsc pickups the Map can get pretty close with tons more playability. And again, for a clean tone - the map would be my number 1.

Great great great.

There was a bit of fret buzz - but otherwise a great setup. action is great and the neck is super fast. Im used to a lot of vintage guitars that lack in this field.

The map is a hefty guitar. not heavy but solidly built. it seems very dependable and well built. I was concerned with it Being made in Korea - but the quality is surprsingly good. WOuld love to have an American made option but Eastwood being Candadian based that wouldnt make much sense.

Amazing. Mike and his crew are great. Returned emails promptly with answers to my nagging questions.

Great guitar.

First attractive to the great look. My girlfriend even said "thats a sexy guitar"

then, fell in love with the playablity and quality,

then, was finally sold on the tone - especially with the upgraded VVSC pickups

I bought this '06 Eastwood Airline Map guitar used and believe it was made in Korea. I have always liked the shape, which is a copy of the old National Westwood Res-O-Glas USA map guitar from the early sixties. The coolness factor is undeniable. Mine is finished white, with a chambered body, two volumes and one tone, rosewood 'board on a comfortable medium C-shaped bolt-on neck, and three-way pickup selector. A licensed Bigsby was factory installed with a roller bridge, and the tuners are Grover-style kidney-shaped models with the name Jenko on them. They seem to work fine. The pickups are Eastwood humbuckers. More on them later.

I play mostly 60's rock and blues, and the guitar plays well. It sounds like you would expect a chambered body, humbucking equipped guitar to sound, but after using it at a band rehearsal last night, I can tell that the pickups are pretty low output. I played my Gibson Les Paul Junior next, and there was no comparison. The Junior's one P-90 blew the Map out of the water as far as volume. If I keep the Map, I will change the bridge pickup to something hotter, like a Lollar or Fralin. I might also swap out the pots and capacitors for better examples. The guitar came from the previous owner with .009 strings, which were too light. Any use of the Bigsby threw it right out of tune, and tuning stability was not good even when not using the Bigsby. I changed the strings to my usual 10-46 gauge and it settled right down and held it's tuning pretty well, although I now hear some fret buzz. It needs a setup, obviously.

Fit and finish is excellent. Action is fine. No flaws that I can see.

I think it will hold up just fine. The previous owner installed Strap Locks. It seems dependable. I'll find out next weekend on the gig. I always take 4-5 guitars to every gig becaue I like tonal variety.

Eastwood's customer support is always good. I have known Mike Robinson for a couple of years. He's a man of integrity.

I have been playing over thirty years. I love the cool shape and vintage vibe of the guitar, as well as the classy white finish. If it was stolen, I might replace it, but the jury is still out on that question. I have many guitars, but my favorites are my '06 Les Paul Junior and my '94 60's reissue Stratocaster. I thought long and hard before buying this guitar and never buy on impulse. Too many times I have bought guitars on a whim and sold them a month later, so I have learned to practice restraint.

This guitar has a TON of different sound options. The pickups are screaming hot. The tone switch actually works (different than many guitars out there), and this guitar has proven itself worthy of just about every music style out there.

The MAP has that vintage vibe, and a look that's second to none. There were just a few finish issues, but nothing that I can't overlook. It's a killer guitar!

I've played the MAP through a Vox tube amp, as well as a Line 6 Spider III. The guitar is great on both amps. It does get just a little noisy once the volume and distortion are cranked, but most guitars do.

The pickups are awesome!

This guitar was born for surf music, and has an incredible 60s throwback sound and feel.

It's also incredibly crunchy if you want to jack up the distortion. I was pleasantly surprised there. Since our band plays all sorts of music (60s- now, punk, metal, surf, folk, etc) I'm happy to find that this guitar has the sounds to match the song.

Everything looked great. There were a few minor finish issues along the neck, but nothing that takes away from the look or feel of this awesome guitar.

My advice, after having played American Fenders and Gibsons for many years? Don't be worried about getting this guitar. The action, fit, and feel are every bit as good as most of the Gibsons I've played, and I love it a LOT more than my American Strat.

It's too early to tell, but this guitar seems to be very well built.

Honestly, if you're considering an Eastwood guitar, this is the most important reason to buy. Mike and his folks have been fabulous. I had a ton of questions, and some special requests, and I've NEVER dealt with a better instrument company.

They handle their business like they still love what they do. It's refreshing, especially when I'm used to dealing with huge faceless companies.

Their customer service and attention to detail have been incredible, and I'm recommending the guitars to friends now because of this level of service.

I've played for 25 years, all music styles, in lots of bands and solo. I've owned and played dozens of guitars, and it's rare that I get impressed.

The fact that the coolness factor is off the charts, Eastwood is so incredibly good to work with, and the guitar sounds and feels like a much more expensive guitar made me feel strongly enough to write this review.

I'd recommend Eastwood, and the MAP, to anyone who is looking for a better experience.

The Airline Map guitar is now my most prized musical posession. It has a tone-chambered mahogany body, a wonderful heft to the instrument, a nice flat neck and large frets. It's not only a pleasure to play, but gorgeous to look at. It has a Bigsby and integrated rollers in the Tune-O-Matic-style bridge. The Bigsby works really well, and I haven't gotten any adjustments to it yet - hasn't needed any. The guitar has volume pots for each pickup, a master tone pot and three-way pickup selector (which has a tele-style knob on it, and a good solid 'clunk' when you switch positions). The pickups are called Alnico Hot-10's and I don't know what 'famous' humbucker style they most resemble, but they're hot and they're great. (they don't crunch - not a metal pickup). Also, it has a zero fret just ahead of the nut, which is new to me. I had to my fingers used to the bigger frets, but now I love them.

The Map has tone like a mother. Like some others have pointed out, the pickups are hot, but they're great. A caveat to anyone evaluating the Airline Map using the Eastwood site: Most of the video and sound sample demos are done by a player who gets a really 'quacky' sound out of the bridge pickup. The bridge pickup sounds far better than Eastwood's own demos would lead you to believe. It has a great range of tones and overtone colors. It'll go from twang to buzzsaw to woman-tone. If you listen to any demo, the one by Wendell Ferguson demonstrates the bridge pickup the best. The neck position pickup is wonderfully rich, deep and nuanced - no explanation necessary. The middle position is going to be a truly interesting area of this instrument- I tried playing some Scotty Moore Sun Sessions stuff and I see a lot of potential there, especially with different volume levels.



I'm so happy with the range of sounds I can get out of this instrument. This thing sustains like nobody's business. This guitar will go far on a moderate level of finger vibrato. I sometimes run this guitar through a reverb, a Big Muff and a Cry-baby into a Victory or a Marshall, and whole universe of sounds opens up: I play a lot of slide, so I can get the 'Duane' tone if I want, or Billy Gibbonsy blues tones. Rev it further and this guitar'll even get some Mick Ronson-sounding rock lunacy. So it really delivers on Gibson-style tonal ranges. But it isn't limited. Drop out the distortion and keep the reverb, and some trem, and you can get fantastic rockabilly tones through a Twin-style amp. And it has such thump in the neck pickup that when I play with just another guitarist and drummer, I can really put some bottom in our mix. At home I play through a POD 2.0, and I get great sounds out of that - again, the POD samples on the Eastwood site aren't a good representation.



And for all the name-dropping of styles and effects, this guitar is so much fun to play unplugged. It has a wonderful resonance (someone does mention that in the Eastwood videos - but it's really true). While lead playing is fun and all, this is an addictive rhythm instrument.

The guitar came to my house via UPS and I was in a studio rehearsal with it two hours later. The setup from the factory was good enough to play comfortably, and in tune on the very first day for a three-hour session. I let a few guys play it and they raved about it - and they're all diehard strat players. I haven't gotten it set up yet because I still want to try out a few different string guages. The guitar came strung with .10's, which sounded much better than I expected - I normally play .11's. The guitar is so resonant that you don't have to up the gauge for more tone. (Like I used to with my Tele). The finish and appointments on this instrument are beautiful. I special-ordered a white one, with black binding along the body and neck. The retro plexi pickguard with pinstriping is really cool. The guitar's aesthetics remind me of a KitchenAid mixer or some other classic industrial design - same rounded lines and deco detailing.



When looking for a guitar I looked at low-end Gibsons, specifically the Les Paul Studio, and I would say that the fit & finish on my Map is better than the current crop of LP studios I looked at. The binding, fretting and paint are nicer than the Gibson costing 400 bucks more - no joke. There was a very minor sanding irregularity at the base of the neck, but that will buff out easily. And Eastwood customer service was very responsive.

This guitar just says "solid" and "substantial." The construction is really tops, and there's nothing flimsy or chintzy about the instrument at all. The neck, bolted using four bolts, is attached to a contoured joint - not a square block that hand bangs into. The neck sits firmly in the body. I'm not so sure about the tuners; I may upgrade them one day, but they've done the job thus far. The silver-colored plastic tone/volume knobs will probably lose their finish, but they're fine. The Bigbsy and bridge are solid, and stay in tune. This is a dependable instrument.

Eastwood customer support is the best. When I was evaluating the Eastwoods, I spoke to Mike, the owner, and he told me about the differences between each model I was looking at. Once I bought it, the UPS tracking number was sent immediately and the guitar arrived perfectly. There was a very minor scuff in the neck; they resolved it. When I had a question about the Bigsby mounting, they answered it and answered it so thoroughly that even my local guitar shop - Ludlow Guitars, NYC - was interested to hear what they said.


A friend remarked that Eastwood's like the Microbrewery of guitars - I think that's very apt. Limited production of quality product, selective dealers and buyers, and they care about the customer.

I've been playing for 5 years. I play a lot of different music - garage rock, rockabilly, blues, punk, slide, roots/rag/folk blues, surf, country. That's why I the love the Map; it's versatile. I have a Telecaster w/Dimarzio Twang Kings, A 50's Gibson Lap Steel, a home-retrofitted Frankenstrat and my "Lightnin' Hopkins" - A Yamaha acoustic with a humbucker clamped in the soundhole. I play through a POD, a small tweed-style, a Twin, a Victory and Marshalls.



I chose the Airline Map after looking at the Gibson SG standard, Gibson LP Studio, the Eastwood Airline 3P DLX and Eastwood Supro Coronado. While the 3P DLX and Supro had similar tonal properties, I really liked the heft - not weight, but heft - of the Map; the tone; the easy access to the upper frets because of the cutaway and the tapered neck joint; the body shape; and the placement of the jack. I have no buyer's remorse - I know I got the right instrument. I would buy another - I dream of a three-pickup version in a classic cream with gold hardware.



This instrument has opened up new worlds of playing.

My name is Vincent and i'm the singer of the Belgian pop rock band WONDERLAND (www.wonderlandmusic.be). I've bought the white Eastwood Airline MAP and...this guitar is fantastic ! It's seems the Original National for a great price, i'm sure it will a best seller !

Model Name: AIRLINE?? MAP
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Price :$799.00 US
History
NATIONAL MAP Guitars were made in the USA from 1958-64 by VALCO and sold through Montgomery Ward. This AIRLINE?? MAP is a tribute to the NATIONAL Newport Guitar from 1962. Today they are played by people like David Bowie, The Cure, Calexico and White Stripes. Original MAP Res-O-Glas models now sell for $3,000-$5,000.
Colours: Seafoam Green, Red, Black, White
Body: Tone Chambered Mahogany
Neck: Bound Maple, Bolt-on
Fingerboard: Rosewood, Block Markers
Scale Length: 25 1/2" (648mm)
Width at Nut: 1 11/16"
Pickups: Two Alnico Hot-10 Humbuckers
Switching: 3-Way
Controls: 2 Volume, 1 Tone
Bridge: BIGSBY tremolo, Roller Bridge
Hardware: Grover Style Nickel/Chrome
Strings: D'Addario #10
Case: extra
Unique Features: NATIONAL Style Striped Pickguard

I use it for pop rock music with my band Wonderland, but i think you can play wathever you want...(even it's better to have a good amplifier, i've an ENGL). The pickups make a good job, in clean sound and in distortion too, really.

The guitar arrives in a very good condition, in 2 box, don't worry about the travel if you hesitate to order one !
The guitar was ok when arrived, the pickups adjusted, cords ok, ...All !

I will you it during some titles of my band, specially for songs more quit, more atmospheric. I will use with my Gretsch Duo jet guitar too ! Of course...

The customer support is great, i've had an answer for every question and...quickly.
I've received my guitar after 1 week...It's soo quick ! Thanks Eastwood guitars !!

Nothing more...

GREAT GUITAR !!!!

Fit and finish on this guitar is terrific. Body of chambered Mahogany and a rock maple neck is superb.

I have played this through a 1974 Fender Supoer Reverb and a Roland cube 30 and it is great through both amps. Great for surf tunes with alot of reverb.

this guitar was set perfect from the factory. In fact when it arrived it was in tune.

the rep at Eastwood Guitars was very helpful. He went out of his way to mke sure my order went smoothly.

i have been playing for 43 years and have owned many guitars in my life. i currently own 6 electric guitars from a gibson Firebird VII, a Strat, Tele and Gretch. The Airline is one of my new favorites.