Eastwood Guitars Airline Tuxedo

2008 Eastwood Airline Tuxedo Korean re-issue of the Kay/Airline "Barney Kessel Pro" model, manufactured from 1956 to 1960.
Set and bound maple neck with 19 frets. Enclosed hollow body with maple top and back, and mahogany sides, finished in a hi-gloss black "Piano finish" with white trim. Two hot, Custom P-90 pups, 2 volume, 2 tone, 3-way switching. Tune-o-matic ABR-1 style bridge, trap tail with optional Bigsby, Wilkinson-style open mini-tuners. I dropped some points for the short neck, even though its no real issue to me.

This guitar suits me beautifully. I play classic rock, jazz, blues. I've used it with a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Bluesman, 40 watts with a Vintage30 speaker and the usual Clean/ Drive/ More Drive settings. This guitar is incredible, in any pickup position, on clean channel, which every one likes about these amps, but it positively growls down deep on the drive/ more drive channels. I really disliked these channels with my Les Paul. This guitar found what was right about it. My H&K switchblade is the perfect marriage for this guitar. It works great with the half stack. Even my little Vox DA-20 sounds really good. Of course being single coil, there is some hum, if you are facing or close to the amp, but I don't find that it bothers me, as much as my strat s/s/s did. It responds well to my FLIP TD-X Tube Echo and to my TS-808 Tube Screamer. but fell flat with a Boss CS-2 compression sustainer. Why, because this guitar sustains, on its own, for such a long time that the digital enhancing just flattens it and deadens the tone. The tone of this guitar is incredible and it is truly articulate on the end. The design, unplugged has a near dobro sound quality to it, and is so pick sensitve, it almost growls. Plugged in it has to be heard to be believed. Rich does'nt cover it, and other than the hum, I haven't found anything to complain about

This is the first guitar that I've bought that truly needed no further setup. Action is perfect and although the neck is quite wide, this is a really comfortable and playable guitar. In fact, the tuning reliablity is better than either of my Gibsons or my American Strat. I've had to make absolutely no adjustments to the pups, which I am just as glad of, as the very funky pick guard would have to be removed to access them. Fit and finish are all incredibly good, except a slightly wobbly pickguard. Just like my ES-339, but at a fraction of the Custom Shop price. Boo Gibson. Although the white plastic pickguard and pickup mounts are a slightly different white from the binding and headpiece face, this is actually relatively accurate for the times and is part of the retro vibe.

This guitar is robust enough for a hollowbody and with reason will handle live gigs well. Its not a tank, like a strat, but I feel as confident about it as I would a 6120 or 335. with solid hardware and a finish quality that is as good as anyone's. I initially had some qualms about the tuners but that went away quickly. I've seen nothing that would make me think I couldn't depend on this guitar.

Eastwood Service is becoming quite famous for its proactive and prompt, courteous service. Eastwood 1 - Gibson/Fender 0. A "fair to all parties" three year warranty, covers the guitar. Although I have not had to make any repairs or claims, response to my enquiries was RAPID, helpful and friendly. These guys are working at capturing some market share

I've been involved in music throughout my 58 years. Like the rest of us, I've made some good purchases and others that were not so good. Happy with what I have now for gear, although I think the HRD Bluesman's drive channels are just plain rude with every guitar I own except the "TUX". I have no regrets about purchasing this guitar. I'd buy another, you bet, I might anyway. I really like this guitar, its sound is unlike anything else I've heard, in a really good way. As good a guitar as I've seen generally available, for half the money. Oh yeah! Player quality for a song! Eastwood is a contender.

Its all been covered below. Korean made. Its a basic guitar layout. 3 position pickup selector. Two vol, two tone. Nothing too surprising here.

Sounds good with a slight amount of tube distortion. Say, a Deluxe Reverb. Hi-gain distortion (Peavey) comes across sounding very solid state. In general, the tone is not overly complex. It sounds a little boxy, though the guitar IS a hollow body. Bottom line for me...the pickups are cheap and uninspired, and that is where so much of the guitar tone comes from.

For almost $800, I would have expected better quality pickups. These look and sound very generic to me.

Frets should have been cut back a fraction of an inch more. Every one of them. The pick guard is not securely attached, and has cheap quality screws, so it buzzes frequently. The vol/tone knobs have cheap glued in aluminum labels. The pickup selector feels is lose in its mount, and audibly vibrates unless when in the middle position. Also, the nut for the selector (and pretty much every piece of metal on the guitar) feels like cheap, lightweight, metal coated plastic. It IS metal, but it feels very cheap. Again, for $800 you should be getting a lot more for your money.

I just don't know. Its the most shoddy feeling guitar I have owned. I would think you'd be better off getting an early 90s Epiphone or maybe a Gretsch.

The guitar plays nicely, and seems physically constructed with reasonable care. The Eastwood guys must be making money hand over fist though, because for $800 this should be far better constructed. You can get a Prestige Ibanez guitar for this amount of money, and Eastwood simply cannot compare in build quality or componentry. Alternatively, you could buy a number of guitars for the same amount of money and get high quality TV Jones pickups as a standard, instead of no name, bland parts. Having stated that, this is not a bad guitar. It is playable, and it sounds fine. I own/have owned Guild, Ibanez, Memphis, Vintage and 90's Epiphone, and Fender guitars.

This guitar should retail for $600, with a case. I'd be happy having paid $500 for it, but at almost $800, I feel like a sucker.

Year made - 2008.
20 Frets.
Hollow-body, Maple Top, Back, Mahogany Sides.
2 Volume, 2 Tone controls
Two Custom Hi-Output P-90's inputs with 3 way switching.
Electronics seem to be high quality. No issues for me.
Neck: Set Neck, Bound Maple. Fingerboard: Rosewood, Block Markers
The Finish is beautiful. It looks so nice, You can practically see your reflection in it. I have gotten many compliments on the looks. I have the sunburst finish, and I'm stuck on it.
Vintage Style Open Back Tuners

I also bought a Eastwood case which is very nice and sturday and fits the guitar very well

I am currently playing the blues, classic rock, rock, and funk/psycadelic. I have had no problem getting the sounds i am looking for. I feel like this guitar is very versitile, but it also has a plug and play ability. I am set up with a Fender ABS100. I use Cool Cat vibrato, and distortion pedals, and a Boss wah pedal. I play purely for recreation and joy of music. So i do not have to elaborate of a setup, and my amp is a bass amp. But I am still able to get great classic Rock and Blues sounds from the guitar, and I get a very cool funk sound. I also am able to acheive some very dirt sounds with the volume and tone turned all the way up with both pickups. This is my first electric guitar of my own, but I have played many over the last 3 years. I am very happy with my Tuxedo and I am learning more about it every day.

When i purchased my guitar I had no problems with anything. Everything was perfect in my Eyes. I am not experienced enough to have desire to change settings so i have left them as they are. I am happy and I have found no flaws. Everything is of high quality.

I dont play live but I do transport this guitar from where I live to other locations for playing. Everything is holding up and time will tell. I plan on having this guitar my whole life. It is very sturdy and feels very durable. The only thing I can imagine would ever fall off would be the pick guard and that would happen if it got snagged on something that wripped it off. So just be contious as you should with any instrument and all will be fine.

I just dealt with the Company yesterday and they actually made things much easier for me. I was asking them about registering my instument which i have had for over 3 months now. And they said to just scan my info and send it to them. This makes things easier for me because i dont have to deal with sending it to Canada (im in USA) via the postal service. I give them a 10 because they are a small company and you the customer can speak to actual people who run the company. No robot machines or audamated systems here.

I have been playing for just over 2 years. I am loving guitar and I have many years a head and much to learn. I own 1 other guitar, currently a Morgan Monroe Acoustic. I have owned one other acoustic prior.
- Before I bought my Tuxedo I was looking at Tellocasters, and some other guitars of that variety, But it was the quality, looks, uniqueness, and playability of the Tuxedo that sold me on it.
If it were stolen I would replace it if I could.
I love this guitar because it is NOT a strat, or a telli, or another guitar that so many people have. I feel very unique when i pull this out but I know it can run with any guitar out there. Expert guitarists that I have been lucky enough to have them play my guitar have been very impressed with it. I feel pride in that. I have plugged my friends Les Paul into my same set up and It effectivly sounds similar. I feel like this guitar can compare to that of many top brand guitars. I find people who have never herd of the Eastwood Tuxedo, picking up mine and playing it. Then saying how nice of a guitar it is.

The feel, look and most importantly, playability are really outstanding given the cost of this guitar. As some people have observed, this isn't a guitar to be playing Punk, Heavy Metal style music, aside from those two styles of playing it's great for just about anything else. I play a lot of Byrds, FBB, lots of "Old Style" type music and this instrument is up to the task, no doubt. If you really are looking for a guitar that is versatil and unique get your hands on "Tuxedo", you won't be sorry.

This is the standard version of the guitar, all features are already covered by previous reviews.

It is a hollow body without f-holes, with a small (size of a Les Paul approximately), deep body: almost as deep as an acoustic guitar. It has two P90s and the usual Gibson-style double volume and tone controls.

It came with a nice sturdy case, the tuners are Wilkinson open tuners, the volume and tone controls feel smooth and nice. The neck is pleasantly fat.

Great for blues, rock, garage, psychedelic rock etc. (and probably also country and jazz, but I don't play those) and anything requiring a vintage-sounding guitar. It sounds powerful and clear at the same time. Great thick clean sound, with a vintage amp it breaks very nicely. With overdrive pedals it can get very powerful and thick.

The sustain mentioned by other reviewers is due to the hollow body with no f-holes - in the appropriate conditions (volume, overdrive, position relative to the amp), this guitar will go into a controlled feedback which is very nice to use to make noise and/or expressive, E-bow like solos.

I use it with a 70's Music Man combo and a Silver Face Bassman, and use a 1990s Marshall Blues Breaker pedal and a Tube Screamer. It works better with the Tube Screamer than the Blues Breaker: that suprised me because usually the Blues Breaker sounds better than any other pedal I've tried.

For a two-pickup guitar, it is quite versatile. I rarely ever use the bridge pickup alone on other guitars, because it often is too thin-sounding. Here it is nice and trebly but it retains a fullness of body. The neck pickup is very nice, the sound is very thick and bluesy. It is great for solos, and it's got a lot of personality. The mix of the two pickups is well balanced and full, I use this one the most.

I don't find this guitar to be noisy: I use quality cables and quality pedals, and I have no problem.

In comparison to a bigger hollow body like an Epiphone Casino, it has a very personal sound, it cuts more through other instruments since it's treblier in a nice way. I find nothing to dislike about the sound of this guitar. Maybe one could put some top of the line P90s in it to improve the sound further, but I like to play standard guitars and I like this one more than enough. For its price it's a 10. On an absolute scale, it's an 8.5 (my favourite guitar is a 1960s Gibson semiacoustic, and that's a 10).

When it arrived from Canada (I live in Europe), it was in tune. The action was perfect, frets perfect and no fret buzzing whatsoever. Everything was fine apart from the pickup selector which was a bit loose and buzzing, but a technician fixed it for me in no time.

The finish is quite good, there is a flaw where the white part of the headstock joins the nut, but overall the guitar looks very cool and stylish and well finished. It is a very elegant-looking guitar.

I've had it for a few weeks, but it seems quite sturdy. I would not use it without a backup simply because guitars with this kind of bridge take a while to change strings, so if you break one you're in trouble. It seems reliable, all parts are good quality.

Nice customer service, they reply to e-mails quickly, kindly and accurately.

I've played for 20 years now, I have a very nice 1960s Gibson Semiacoustic and a 70s Fender Musicmaster. I play indie rock, blues, psychedelia etc. etc. This guitar would not be suitable for punk rock or metal.

This is a very nice guitar for everyone who wants an instrument with a vintage feel that isn't too expensive. Good vintage gear is getting very expensive lately.

I am going to gig with this one and would definitely buy another one if it was stolen. It is very different from the usual stratocaster/tele/gibson clones and derivatives, it has a very personal sound. It's worth its price and more.

I wish Eastwood guitars made a DeLuxe version with top-level woods and craftmanship: I would buy one for sure.

This is one good looking guitar,the black and white is a nice contrast and the finish is nearly flawless. The case it arrived in is well built and very sturdy, looks like it is from the same Canadian company that makes the cases for Godin guitars. I ordered this guitar without ever having set eyes on one in person let alone playing one. Despite all the good reviews I was a little nervous as to what to expect. I have to say all the reviews here have been spot on, this is definitely a keeper. I find the controls simple and well suited to the guitar. The design here was well thought out.

The tone of this guitar is something I have never quite heard before. I haven't played too many hollow body electrics before and I have always enjoyed single coils. I've tried out a few Epiphone Casino guitars and came very close to buying one, but the Tuxedo with these biting P-90's and no f-holes creates a unique tone that made it hard to put down.The crazy sustain also helps keep this guitar interesting. I've only played it through my Fender champ 600 which has an electro harmonix 12ax7, Tung-sol 6v6 and a Weber alnico speaker.It seems a good match for this guitar.

The action of this guitar suited my taste, just needed a quick tuning and it was ready to play.I rest the heel of my hand on the bridge a lot to muffle the strings and it didn't take much for me to get used to where the bridge and tail piece sit on this guitar. It came with D' addario strings which I am not a big fan of, but strings are meant to be changed. I have noticed a slight buzzing once in awhile when playing unplugged as someone else mentioned in a review here but it is very minor and nothing I haven't heard from other guitars I have that cost twice what this one did.

I've only just gotten this guitar but it seems to be pretty sturdy. It doesn't make me feel nervous when I'm carrying it around like some other hollow body guitars I've picked up.I'll give it an 8 for durability mostly because I haven't owned it long enough to have gotten rough with it.

I e-mailed the owner Mike Robinson about getting this guitar who was very helpful and answered all of my questions.

I personally wouldn't add or take away anything from this guitar (except the strings)I'm sure I will be playing it for years to come.

I've recently bought and sold several "affordable" vintage electric guitars (mostly Kays and Harmonys, the working man's
guitars) on ebay, looking for the "right" one. These are primarily to be used for recording, for the right vibe for cd
projects and soundtrack work. I've found a couple gems but even these have had their quirks that I have find ways to work around, eg. won't stay in tune, pickups not balanced, neck ergonomics etc. The Airline Tuxedo has all the the vibe I need, without the issues. I'm not really looking for allot of features ... just a guitar that plays and sounds great for what I want to do.

TONE is what the Airline Tuxedo is all about and not only does it have amazing tone, it's also extremely versatile. Great for americana roots music, blues, rock-a-billy, slide! I've never been a big fan of the bridge pickup only setting but on this guitar I find it very useful for flat picking old school country licks. The Neck pick up is the one that really blows me away though. With a a moderate amount of overdrive there's this air (almost a breathiness) around the sound which can be very expressive in even the simplest played lines. Only reason I give a 9 to tone is because the pickups are somewhat noisy... but as I understand this is part of the trade off for using p-90 soapbox pickups ... and the tradeoff in my mind is well worth it.

Nothing to fault here at all. The action and intonation came perfect from the factory ... so I didn't change a thing... a first for me. The finish is flawless both to look at and to touch. What I'd expect from a guitar costing many times more than I paid.

No problems with tuning issues. I had a Bigsby installed at the factory and they did a great job and I'd highly recommend adding one if they're your thing. Solid well made guitar!

Terrific!! I placed the order during the Christmas rush and Peter made sure I had the guitar within a week, which included the time for the Bigsby install. They were temporarily out of cases for the Tuxedo so they are shipping that later ... at their expense!

I've been playing guitar for over forty years .... have owned dozens. This is definately one of my faves and the most versatle. I'm really glad to have discovered Eastwood guitars and I truly believe they are doing something special.

The only thing this is missing is a middle pickup, but then again so are most guitars. Rating for feature is kind of silly. It has strings, pickups and a great finish. The detailing is quite clean and the shape is sexy. The P90's look beautiful and the double binding makes for a very custom look!!!

The model stands out above many other guitars tone wise . I have around 200 that I use daily( on a rotation basis), and the Tuxedo is like a CD I can't seem to get out of my car stereo. It has a warm sound and a nice attack that fits for rock and pop and even jazz. It has a snap that is very seductive and is just plain juicy sound for solos and for slide work

Came from the factory with great intonation and setup, I lowered the action just a bit because I like a very low play angle , but the wayitI came to seems the standard. Both my black and sunburst models( I couldn't resist both they sound too nice) were very clean and detailing was of a custom nature of a much more expensive axe. The sunburst tuxedo has a nice book matched top that is very stunning!!!

The Tuxedo seems very sturdy! It stays in tune, even though I change tunings all the time for cool effects and for slide vibes. The keys and bridge seems spot on and I am sure i will get years of rocking. I will absolutley play this guitar Live!!!!!

I am not sure I am ever dealt with a more helpful company before. They ship in great boxes, add the extras when needed and are easy to get on the phone. I have not needed any service, But I am confident that I would be handled very kindly!

I give this guitar a 10 Because it is sexy play great sounds great and because If I lost it, I would have to have another. Nothing else sound like a tuxedo. I own guitars of all kinds by everyone out there and some great vintage pieces as well. and The tuxedo just has it's own sound. Like a vintage Les Paul jr. and a Gretsch had a baby!!!!!!!!

Not feature rich really, but just right. Has all the basic stuff you need in a guitar [see other review] and not much more. Mine was ever so slightly used, but that saved me some $ over retail, these are still a little hard to find other than new from a dealer. No surprise, I won't be getting rid of mine anytime soon. The Tuxedo is an interesting combination of class and kitsch -- the shape, finish and layout are beautiful and certainly have a very cool vintage feel, but the pickguard and the pickups and knobs are somewhat low budget in the way they look and feel, but in a retro '50s kind of way. I read somewhere that the original Barney Kessel guitars that these are modeled after were sold by Montgomery Ward stores -- that would fit perfectly with the vibe of this guitar. Don't get me wrong, its a quality instrument, and the pickups are great, love the P90 style soapbars, they look and sound wonderful, but there's a certain almost toylike feel to the guitar. Compounded by the fact that its so light, you might think it can't be a real screamer. Wrong. This is like finding an antique in your uncle's attic, you think it looks cool but probably will sound cheap. You play a few chords, hey sounds good, then you plug it in ... scrumtrulescent !

Wasn't sure about this guitar till I gigged with it. Playing it in the comfort of my home was pleasant, but didn't really knock me out. But playing it live, a little louder, a little more sweat and energy, with the full band, wow, what a great guitar. Compared to any of my others, it made it through the night without ever sounding thin, shrill, harsh, weak, muddy, etc. Just thick rich tone and versatility. I play a variety of styles, but mostly a blend of swing, blues, alt-country, pop rock with three basic guitar settings: Clean through my Swart AST, through a Menatone Red Snapper for low gain OD, and through a modded [Monte Allums kit] Boss SD-1 for higher gain OD. Sounded great with all three, especially with the Red Snapper. The soapbar style pickups sound great in all three positions - neck, neck/bridge and bridge. I rarely use the bridge pickup on my other guitars as they tend to sound thin, but on the Tuxedo its got great gain and bite, not just brightness. The neck pickup is round and full, but gets strong bluesy growl. Bonus feature -- sweeting singing sustained and controlled feedback with the SD-1 when you face the amp. Awesome. The Tuxedo has now moved into my #1 slot.

Very well put together, can't complain about a thing. Not sure if the previous owner did anything to the setup, but other than change the strings I haven't done a thing since I got it a couple of months ago. I give it a 9 just because of the use of somewhat flimsy plastic for the pickguard, but as I said above, that's part of the charm of this instrument.

This guitar is definitely up to live playing. It does feel a little bit more fragile than a solid body, so I guess I might be a little more careful with it than with my phenolic top Reverends [can't hurt those even if you stab 'em with a screwdriver], but no issues so far. Very light, but very solid. Stayed in tune pretty well, though not as well as my guitars with locking tuners. Would never gig without a backup guitar unless I had no choice, but I never touched the backup after I started the night with the Tuxedo. Seems very dependable so far.

No experience with Eastwood.

Been playing about 30 years on and off, own a bunch of guitars. Have been a big fan of Reverends of late, but now I may have to check out some other Eastwoods. If this were lost or stolen I would replace it as fast as possible. I just love how it feels and sounds, and you won't see too many other folks playing one or anything like it. If you're interested in playing something that isn't the usual Fender or Gibson, try one, you may discover something special. A great value if you can find one used, and I feel like these could go up in value down the road. Bottom line -- this is a very cool and great sounding instrument.

2007, Korean made, deep black gloss finish that is slick to the touch.
This single cut-away, double bound, fully hollow-body has a set bound maple neck.
The body has a maple top and back with mahogany sides.
The top binding has 5 ply aged w/b/w/b/w, and the neck and back of the guitar have single ply aged white binding.
Very nice touch on this guitar.
The Wilkinson open back tuning keys are smooth with little to no backlash. They hold the strings in tune, even during heavy bending.
The nut is of unknown (to me) material.
It has been filed smoothly and does not ping at all when tuning.
The frets are medium jumbo and are polished smooth with no fret end sharpness. They are leveled perfectly with no buzzing.
The set-up out of the box measured 4/64" on all of the strings at the 12th fret. These measurements are taken with the guitar in the playing position with a capo on the 1st fret.
I lowered the action to 3/64" across the board as to my liking, and there is not a buzz anywhere.
The relief was .005", and I lowered it to .002". I like the relief pretty straight. This way the neck drives the guitar more.
The 2 passive pups are pretty hot and are sensitive to your attack.
What's cool is that the adjustment for the pups are just like a humbucker. The pup surrounds allow for this. Much better control than the 2 screws that are too close together for any fine tuning which you'll find on most P-90 types.
The pups are 3/32" from the strings on the bridge and 4/32" on the neck. They have lead-wire connect clips for the Gibson type controls which makes it real easy (because there are no "F" holes) to switch out pups if you want.
The bridge matches the neck radius which I believe is a 10.
No sharp ends or burrs on the saddles.
The retainer for the saddle screws (as always) buzz a little.
It's not picked up by the pups, but acoustically (even though it is really low volume), I prefer not to hear it. So as on my other ABR1 bridges, I crimp the retainer a little, just between the screws. This simple proceedure eliminates that.
All of this allows for my preference of a low action without buzzes.
The trapeze tailpiece is really close to the bridge which I think in design attributes alot for the tone this guitar has.
The angle is 12 degrees which lends alot of pressure on the bridge. There are no problems with strings jumping out of the saddles when bending or strumming hard.
The design of this guitar is unlike anything I've played before.
I like it.

Blues, Jump, Rock-a-Billy, Country, R&B, Rock, Pop, even some acoustic stuff through my JC-50. She does it, and does it well.
I'm having alot of fun with a little slapback and verb lately through my Carr Mercury.
She can purr and give that nice crunch, or rock out easily.
The clips at Eastwoods website show how you can make this guitar howl with alot of control. They were right. Lots o fun!
The controls on this guitar are smooth and they work from 1 to 10. There isn't that wham it's on all the way or off all the way. This not only goes for the volumes, but the tone controls as well.
Very usable pots.
Check out their website for lots of sound clips and videos.
Wendell Ferguson is awesome! He gives the Tux a good workout alone and doing a couple of duets with Joey Leone.
Wendell is an inspiration. I do not do alot of fingerpicking, but I should after listening to his stuff.
I am deeply satisfied with my Tux.

Haven't any complaints at all.
Wait...maybe just one.
The corners of the nut could be a touch more rounded.
Everything out of the case (it comes with it) was set-up prety well.
Most new guitars do not have as nice of relief as this one.
I'm definitely impressed.

The Tux feels durable for a hollow-body.
Very solid feeling.
My JL Revolution Casino is down right fragile in feel compared to my Tux.
I'm going to trust that this Tux will do what I need it to do.
It feels like it will. No problem.

Just do yourself a favor and contact Mike Robinson.
He treats you like your family or something.
At least thats how I feel after talking and emailing him.
I know he will do anything in his power to make sure you're up and running, and happy gigging or just playing the instruments he's offering.
Mike is offering not only quality instruments.
He is bringing the FUN back into these guitars.
It's not the run-of-the-mill stuff that everybody has at least one of.
Cool, fun and great sounding...yea, I'm stoked.

If I've missed anything here, you can read my other post about my Tux at The Gear Page.
I've got my eye on either the Town and Country Deluxe (in antique white), or the Supro in black from Eastwood.
I really do not think you will find more value for your money, or more built-in fun from any other guitar being made out there.
Right now, out of my collection of guitars (less than 20, more than 10), my Tux and my CpThornton Fusion s/s/h are the only guitars that are getting played.