Eastwood Guitars P-90 Special

2008 model year, made in China, similar to Gibson Les Paul special double-cutaway but more rounded body edges. Body made of basswood, neck is maple. Finished in transluscent yellow, 21 fret bound rosewood fingerboard with mother-of-pearl dot inlays, frets are low medium-jumbo, 2 P-90 style pickups. 2 volume, 2 tone controls, pickup selector switch, Kluson-style tuners. Compensated cast wrap-around bridge/tailpiece combo. No fancy features, just a basic two-pickup guitar. I was looking for something with 2 P-90s and lightweight, yet inexpensive. This fills that need nicely. No frills but well made. I've owned all of the "greatest hits" regarding guitar brands and models over the past thirty years but have gotten more into being a "bottom feeder" because I can't afford Gibsons anymore and they are simply WAY overpriced for what you get for the money. I'm quite experienced with guitar set-ups so I figured I could easily modify any components that need to be replaced, upgraded, etc.

My style is fairly eclectic from Pub rock to Power Pop with a whole lot of twangly-jangly surf, psych, and R & B. At the moment I play through a Rivera Clubster 45. Generally, I prefer a clean to slightly overdriven sound. My pedal board array is: tuner > MXR Super Comp > Visual Sound Son of Hyde Distortion > Boss Super Chorus > Rocktron Short Timer delay or a Boss Tremolo > amp. The stock pickups were actually better than I'd expected, not noisy, and a fair amount of punch. I have replaced them with as set of Lindy Fralin P-90s, with the neck pickup underwound 10%. It sings even better now and has that classic 60s Gibson sound. I'll give it a 6 because the pickups were not bad at all and if one didn't feel like spending the money on upgrades this guitar still delivers a good soapbar sound.

The set up out of the box was not perfect--perhaps a little high but that was easy enough to remedy. The bridge bushings appear to have been put in a few degrees off, leaning towards the neck somewhat, which required some overall string length adjustment for the bridge/tailpiece. As others before me have stated, it is best to replace these types of bridges if you really want to get the intonation set perfectly. I replaced it with a nice aluminum wrap-around bridge with adustable saddles from Stew-Mac for $100.00 and Tone-Pros locking bridge posts (metric) also from Stew-Mac for another $30.00. Worth every penny. Also, the tuners were functional but I prefer Grovers. Another $40.00 to make this guitar really a stand-up, solid instrument for the experienced guitarist. The frets were fairly well dressed, but I found rounding the fret corners a bit with a file made them nice, smooth with a played-in feel--they were just a tad sharp.

Given that the neck is maple, I don't fear the infamous brittle Gibson headstock snapping incident. Other than some of the above mentioned fit & finish issues, it is really a solid guitar. The finish seems durable, and being polyurethane will last long after my skin has decomposed. I would rate this as a very dependable, professional-worthy instrument. I may or may not bring a backup as I'm a careful sort of fellow. There is no hardshell case but a gigbag should suffice.

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Been playing since 1977 and I've owned over 60 guitars, although I'm down to just a couple these days. After seeing prices on big brand name guitars go out of reach for your average wage earner, and the quality being hit and miss, I've come to appreciate the honest and dependable imports out there. I still own the 1984 Japanese Squier Tele I bought new for $275.00 and it's played on hundreds of gigs and many recordings.
Having the itch for the beloved P-90s and wanting something lightweight I figured I'd take a chance on Eastwood, knowing that I'd most likely spend a bit more on upgrades I enjoy doing myself. So, I bought the guitar for $399.00, and added great pickups, tuners and a nice bridge for another $300.00. I bought this guitar through an eBay vendor so it was pretty much sight unseen. The bridge post issues weren't so bad that I needed to return it but given a choice, I would have preferred they were installed correctly. Can you get something like this out there for $700.00 with these particular upgrades already included? I doubt it. But given the features and solidity I was looking for with a few niceties added on, this guitar now suits my needs perfectly. Very pleased. I'd probably try to duplicate this guitar again if it were lost or stolen. I would highly recommend this instrument for both beginners and veterans.

Basic little guitar, with all the spunk of the original... for thousands less, eh? The guitar needed some set-up and the pickups sucked... REPLACE THE PICKUPS with SD's or Lindy's and then read the rest of my review...

Oh -- then replace the bridge with anything from Tone-Pro's or Guitar Fetish that will aloow you to dial her in. The cheap bridge that came with this guitar is an accident waiting to happen...

Now... with the Lindy's and a new bridge, this beauty is the best value on the market. I paid $440 new, $210 for the Lindy's and $100 for a really nice bridge, and she rocks. I'm going to replace the crappy plastic tuners with nickel Klusons too.

Warm, growling chords and piano-note single notes are the chef's choice.

The finish is a little dicey, which can happen with a transparent stain, where it overlaps, the transparency shifts around a little. Still better than the last USA Gibson I got... REALLY

This thing plays like an acoustic when it's not plugged in. It's crazy. Not sure how the boys at Eastwood pull that off. Seems to be built like a tank, except for the stock pickups that are noisy and messy.

No issues here.

Playing for 30 years. Had every USA model know to man. This is in the top 10 list for me. GREAT VALUE! Perfect for a kid starting out where you just can't justify $1,500 for a USA fender or $2,000 USA Gibson but you cannot stomach paying $350 for an Epiphone or Squier... This is the ONE!

Left handed model. Purchased in early 2007. Double cutaway, 2 P-90 style pickups, 21 fret, 24-3/4 inch scale. Vintage-style tuners with plastic buttons. Has a pickup selector switch, 2 tone and two volume controls. Came with picks, cable, allen wrench and literature (with the warranty card). Made in China

I am a lefty player and play mostly classic rock, southern rock and blues. I have used this guitar primarily with a Behringer GX-110 amp and it sounds fine. Pickups are somewhat flat, but for their type they sound good. Not noisy. Acoustically, this guitar is great. I don't always plug in at home, so that is important. Very light and comfortable to play.

As a lefty guitar player, I always feel slighted by not being able to buy what I really want. Like a Gibson Les Paul Junior or Special. Gibson doesn't cater at all to lefty players, other than offering a narrow selection of catalog guitars. Their Custom Shop will not make a Junior, Special, Explorer or Firebird lefty for you. So, the term "Custom Shop" is subjective. It's a business decision based on profitability, and I understand that, depsite my disappointment.
But, this is where Eastwood hit a home run for me. For a $399 guitar, I was impressed with the factory set-up. The action is almost too low! The intonation is good, wiith the low E string slightly sharp at the twelfth fret. This isn't uncommon with wraparound-style bridges. The pickups were adjusted within spec. The fit and finsih were also good. I expected worse. It is a very presentable and attractive guitar.

I haven't gigged with this guitar, but I certainly would. Even without a backup. The hardware is typical or better than most guitars at this price. The finish is yellow and has no noticeable flaws. It came securely packed and had no issues. The strap buttons are large enough to securely hold a strap

I never had it repaired. I spoke to Mike at Eastwood prior to buying it and he was helpful with my questions. I had several e-mail converstaions with Peter after I bought it about the set-up (intonation) and he was very helpful. Good guys.

I have been playing for about 20 years. I have several lefty guitars. I keep the Eastwood P-90 Special on a stand in my bedroom becuase I've been using it as my primary guitar since I bought it. If it was stolen, I'd order another one. I like it's playability, weight and features. At this price point, it's great. I wish it had better tuners and better bridge hardware, but if it did, it wouldn't be $399. I would compare it to higher-priced Gibson-style copies.

Features are well covered in previous reviews. Mine (second guitar, first was sent back for many problems) is a yellow one, original pickups were terrible, the hum was expected for a single coil but severe microphonics and feedback were not. And I'm not talking about high gain settings on the amp, the neck pickup squeeled like a pig, new pickups were sent. They were a bit oversize and did not fit the guitars' routed pocket. The bridge/tailpiece was the cheapest one I've seen, the strings were already cutting through the raised ridge that they rest on.

Acoustically the guitar sounds great, the only reason I stuck with it. The original pickups sounded OK but had very bad microphonics and feedback, after talking with the company new ones were sent that did not fit. I have Gibson P-100's in it now and it sounds great.

The first one I got from a dealer was a joke! Finish problems, gouges in the frets, the emblem in the headstock way off center. I bought this guitar after buying several other brands made in China that were amazing values. A Washburn Idol model that blew me away with fit, finish, playabilty, sound. A few guitars and basses from Rondo Music. Even their cheap line, SX is made with amazingly high quality. So I thought this guitar would be similar. Way wrong. My first one was promised to be shipped one day and went out several days later, after seeing the poor quality and the strange treatment I got from the dealer I contacted the factory. I thought they might be interested in how their product was being represented. I got a curt note back from Eastwood's owner. After contacting him again I was told the quality varied quit a bit from their factory in China. I returned the first one and was told another would be sent right away. I had to contact the dealer again when I did not hear anything for a while. Now I was told that all their stock was poor quality also and they would find a good one at the factory for me. More waiting and another bad guitar. The fret job is just piss poor and the pickups were useless. After calling the factory again I was told that they knew about the bad pickups and were trying some new ones from China, they sent me a set. As mentioned they were too big to fit in the guitar. At this point I figured I was done with the factory and this company and put in a pair of Gibson P-100's. Problem solved, those pickups sound great! I'll deal with the really cheap pots and switch another time.

This guitar was only gig worthy after changing the bridge, replacing the pickups and getting the frets worked on. For $400 I feel it was a piece of junk! I paid $300 for that Washburn and also a six string bass from Rondo and they were far superior instruments. I've been a pro for over 30 years and have over 20 guitars, mostly Gibson and Fender. I also have been a luthier for most of that time and have worked on thousands of guitars. This model was a real shame.

I don't think I will deal with this company again. At first the owner tried to make me feel like I was a pain complaining about nothing. Then when I called him on all the issues with the guitar he fessed up and told me how widely the quality varied. Isn't that why the guitars are checked when the get to Eastwood in Canada? I've read many reviews about this guitar, partially why I bought it. But I'm guessing the quality has dropped a bunch since the first ones were bought. This one and the first one I returned were really cheap pieces of junk. A total waste of money. Maybe if you are able to try a few in the store you'll find a good one - good luck!

I'm a seasoned pro with many years of studio and road experience. I've worked as a service manager for a few large music retailers, I'm not new to this. If this guitar were stolen I would only miss the pickups I put in, I'd use the insurance money to buy one of the new models from Rondo that have P-90's, they have some sweet ones! My final advice: stay away from this company, they seem to feel that offering odd looking guitars excuses them from maintaining any kind of quality level, or so I was told.

I was trying to replace my early 1990s dual cutaway Gibson Les Paul Special which had recently been stolen. I came upon a new Eastwood P90 Special for $399.00 with essentially identical features in December 2006. Notable differences include: a more rounded edge, solid basswood body and maple neck with rosewood fretboard. Although I found that Gibson specifications will vary, the neck and fretboard presented a similar chunky action. The neck is less chunky than the Gibson making it less fatiguing to play. It has 22 medium jumbo frets dressed a bit low. This gives the instrument a somewhat shallow feel, particularly if the ridiculous stock extra light strings are replaced. I was distressed by the tone and volume knobs which are as difficult to manipulate as the standard Gibson, but present a different profile. If they could not be accurate to the originals they could at least employ a bit of knurling. The bridge volume knob was in full contact with the body, preventing any reasonable usefullness until I sprayed it with guitar polish. The Specials's 2 single-coil pickups run distinctly hotter than the stock, passive Gibson P-90s. ALthough I found the neck pickup on the Les Paul to be very loud, muddy, difficult to balance, and nearly useless, the P-90 special provides well balanced output. This guitar provides a singularly superior playing experience over the Gibson Les Paul Special, particulary since the current versions of the Les Paul are satin finished, form fitted monstrosities. The Special also employs a bridge and tailpiece as a single unit without adjustable intonation. I actually prefer this arrangement.
I worry for the US guitar industry, such as it is, when such amazing instruments come to us from China.

I started my guitar hunt on line, and I checked out the samples provided by Eastwood on their website. I also tried several dual P-90 instruments at local music stores but I found none that seemed to match the sound I heard on the website. Its tone in actual use was very good except for the 60 cycle hum (U.S. standard). As previously indicated, the pickup balance was superb, and even though the guitar has more output, I still obtain good clarity on all settings. I have yet to discriminate tonal differences between different woods, but this guitar seems to provide a more dimensional tonal spectrum at the high end. Perhaps this is due to the use of basswood, maple, and the combination bridge/tailpiece unit.
This guitar seems well suited to Rock, Blues, & Jazz. I need to really exaggerate my technique to obtain any 1960s style jangle, but this is also possible. The guitar is noisy like most single coil guitars I have used, but it is less noisy that the Gibson Les Paul Special (with P-90s). At softer volumes the instrument retains a particularly sinewy tonal nature that works very well with a deliberate, ham fisted technique. I find I must pick quite vigorously to get a useful envelope, but this guitar does not quack. I never noticed that the Gibson quacked either. All in all, the sound of this instrument represents one of the best examples of the genre. For those of you old enough to remember Lesley West in Mountain. This instrument definitely captires that perfect horn-like tone, with or without a stack of Marshalls.
I play through a Marshall 50 watt JMP, Fender Twin Reverb, and Fender Pro Junior. The Marshall provided the best sound stereotypical of this guitar.

Guitar factory setup was great. Just a but of buzz on the .009 string above the 9th fret. The factory strings did not bring out the true character of this instrument but these matched well with its shallow action. I changed the strings to D'Addario XLs (.010 high E). These gave me the body and output I was seeking, but reduced the feel of the frets on the lower strings. Also, the buzz had now spread to the E, B, and G strings. I tightened the truss rod 1/4 turn and this problem cleared up. The "TV Yellow" finish was perfectly applied, but it failed to capture the transparent elegance and wood grain that the Gibson finish typically provides. I like it, but I prefer the Gibson TV yellow finish.
The action can be set for what ever ones purpose may be. Beware that a lower action will reduce the fret feel even more. I did not need to reset the action or intonation other than the trus rod adjustment.
The upper bout strap button is far more sensibly located on the upper horn instead of centered on the neck, facing backward like on the Gibson. The strap stays put. Although I would normally adjust pickup balance on receipt of an instrument, this one was fine right out of the box. The tuners remind me of the stock Les Paul Standard, translucent green buttoned machines. They seem a bit tight, but the seem to work well.
My main suggestions to manufacturer would be to use a bit taller fretwire, and shallower, knurled control knobs. These are small nits, of course, and should not mar an excellently conceived and implemented instrument.

Gibson style guitars exhibit the lively tendency to inadvertantly break the headstock when lain face up and some lead-footed roady stomps it. This would be a bit less likely if the headstock grain ran parallel to its angle, but would require another machining and glue-up operation. I can not tell for certain, but I believe the headstock grain on this guitar runs parallel to the neck. However, it is made of maple rather than mohogany, and maple is harder and more resilient. Get a good case, and never lay the guitar face-up.
The hardware seems a bit cheesey, but surdier than many 30 year old Gibsons and Fenders. Few people remember the poor fit and finish and reliability on these iconic instruments. It takes companies like Ibanez and Eastwood to push these staid manufactures up to current standards. The hardware on the P-90 special seems sturdy and functional, but it is distinctly not comparable to Grover, Kluson, and Wilkinson. I have not examined the potentiometers, but I am not such a twiddler that I believe these with give me any issues for some time to come. The overall impression I receive is that this instrument will last longer and remain a joy to play longer than my old Les Paul Special would have been.

I have played this instrument since December 2006. I own a 1970s Gibson Flying V, several Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters (these instruments quack). Overall the P-90 Special represents an excellent example of this genre. If lost, I certainly would purchase an exact replacement. I am particularly fond of the action and the tone which cause me to work the instrument in a different way than I work my Fenders. The scale is shorter than with my Fenders, so I still tend to overbend some notes, but I can tell that this guitar will always be one of my main instruments. I only wish it did not hum as much, but then it would not sound like a P-90, and it would probably just gather dust on my shelf.

Great job here. I have the cherry color and the wood grain is really nice. Nice attention to detail. There is one imperfection in the finish but I really had to look to find it.

True rock and roll grit on these P90s. I mean hot when you need it but mellow when you roll of the volume. They stay fairly bright even at lower guitar volumes. If you want all the power and glory, this is a nice piece.

Had a little buzz on the A string but just need to be adjusted. Loved it the first time i played it. In this price range, you cant beat the playability of this axe

Looks tough enough. I will have to see. I would take it to a gig without back up at this point

The customer support at Eastwood is great. I get emails from the owner. He is sold out on making his customers happy. He is the man!

Got $400 bones and want a good gig axe? Go get an Eastwood P90. They look cool as heck and everyone will want to check it out. Gibsons are nice Fenders are solid. Everybody knows that. But they are not the only guitars in the world. Case in point? Eastwood. Nice imports. Nice customer service. Nice price. Kick ass tone. A guitar to be proud of and you wont feel like a sucker for paying the 2G price tag of the other brands.

They designed this guitar to look a lot like a Gibson double-cutaway Les Paul Special (I think from around 1960 ?). It's also similiar looking to the more familiar Les Paul Junior (but the Junior is a single cutaway style). 22 fret (I think), basswood body with maple neck. It has two P-90 type pickups, three ply pickguard, 2 vol 2 tone, with a three way toggle like the Les Paul. Kluson-style tuners with that aged plastic end that has that greenish tint that old tuners get. I did note that the Eastwood website had listed the P-90 as having a 1 5/8 neck width, but when I measured mine, they were 1 11/16. Peter at eastwood confirmed this, it seems that the P-90 Special is a new model, and they mistakenly listed the wrong neck width on the website. I think that they might have already updated the site. I was a bit disappointed at first, I normally only play fenders with the 1 5/8 necks, however for me, the standard P-90 Special's Gibson sized 1 11/16 neck was fine, and this width is actually more 'authentic' to the original LP models. I guess it's the age-old 'Fender v. Gibson' thing I guess, some people like the feel of Gibsons, some like Fenders......

Once I changed out the strings to 10s and fiddled around with the action and bridge height (pretty easy to do, no special tools or skills req'd), I plugged in the yellow one and it definitely has that P-90 sound. I tried it thru a 15A class A tube amp (crate 1512) and thru a Digitech GNX3 workstation. Sounds especially good thru the tube amp with the tubes cranked up to higher gain. As others have noted, the bridge p/up has good range, with good 'bite' (bright), however the neck p/up is a bit darker sounding. As you can blend the two quite well cuz EW was smart to include sep volume controls, it's quite versatile and you can dial in a broad range of tones. The painted neck is smooth, and I imagine that it'll get even better over time once my left hand breaks it in a bit. P/ups aren't noisy when plugged in, just a faint hum which I found to be a pleasant surprise (I thought all single coil p/ups hummed a lot?). I think it'll be good for all types of music except for really heavy metal stuff (I think humbuckers are better for metal). I'll use it for punk/rock/alternative (would also be great for blues, but I'm not into that)

Decent setup out of the box, no real issues here, and believe me, I looked. I wasn't going to be shocked if I found some flaws, cuz hey, it's an inexpensive guitar, however I really didn't find anything to complain about - well done eastwood (but you really should change out the strings). My two items that I noted are: Found one grain of rice sized darked spot on the neck - can't feel it, but it looks like some dust or something got caught under the paint when it was sprayed. The pickguard had a scratch where the protective plastic covering was put on (this is the plastic that you peel off when you get it). I called EAstwood, and they're sending out another pickguard, free. To be fair, I didn't even see the scratch until after I pulled off the plastic film, so I think that they just couldn't see it when it was inspected. Other than that, either I don't see other spots, or the semi-transparent finish covers 'em up - either way it looked good to me. I do strongly recommend, however that you put a set of 10s on - it's a world of difference. You can set the action MUCH lower with 10s. EW should really consider putting D'addario 10s on this model right out of the factory. Again, no biggie for me, it's just a $6 set of new strings and 10 minutes to tune it up. I also gave the neck truss rod a 1/4 turn, which is good to do whenever you put on heavier strings. After that, I had very nice low action, with just a hint of fret buzz around 12 on the low E, but I'm working on that. The bridge is a one-piece wrap-around, you can't set the intonation, but you can set the action height. The intonation came out okay, maybe not absolutely perfect pitch at the 12th fret, but that's a really minor point, and hey, the Gibson originals and some reissues have the same bridge, and it's well known that a LP Special or Junior doesn't intonate perfectly either.

Mine came in the TV Yellow and Cherry finishes. TV Yellow - I've seen the Gibson double-cut reissue in a store (but they're $800...), and this eastwood finish is a bit different, but nice. this P-90 finish is glossier and perhaps a tad bit of a deeper yellow, but is still semi-transparent, so you see some of the good grain thru the finish. Or it could be that the Gibson, which comes already "relic'd" is just duller because it appears that Gibson sanded it down to give it the aged look. To me, the TV Yellow has more of a 'punk' or modern vibe, ala Johnny Thunders (New York Dolls), Mick Jones (Clash), Buzzcocks, and Steve Jones (Sex Pistols) - they all used LP Juniors and/or Specials like this one in that yellow color. The Cherry - I really like this color! Very deep color, and it shows the wood grain a lot better than the TV Yellow. A more classic look, IMHO.

Well, haven't had these but a few days, so I don't know about durability. I put this at a '5' rating as everyting seems very solid, and I haven't noticed anything that seems like it is cheap or would come loose, etc. EW has a good warranty, and also a 'no questions asked' return policy, which made it a lot more comfortable to buy a guitar without seeing it. EW doesn't yet have many distributors carrying their stuff, but after getting mine, I'll seriously consider getting one of the other models, too. I always bring along a backup guitar when I play, (if a string breaks, or if you do some songs in different tunings, etc.)

If you've read other eastwood review, this is old news, and I guess I'm now another believer - those guys at Eastwood really are customer oriented - I've spoken to both Mike (the owner) and Peter at www.myrareguitars.com and you honestly forget that you're talking to guys from a guitar shop - these guys will take time to discuss the guitars, answer emails, etc. - in my experience, I haven't found guitar shops to be this customer friendly. A refreshing change for me, Peter with eastwood cheerfully offered to send out a free pickguard when I noted that mine had a scratch on it. In most places, I always seem to get the young guy with the 'rock star attitude' every time I walk into a guitar store! I gave this an '8' for initial contact, etc. and hopefully I won't have to use the warranty (but if I do, I get the feeling that eastwood will be easy to deal with).

I'm 43, and I've been playing on and off for 20 years. I have several guitars ranging from a Fender mustang to a Gibson explorer (and now I have an Eastwood). Guitars are funny in that everyone sees then differently - for me anyway, it's all about how it feels in your hands. This P-90 Special just felt good when I picked it up. For me, it's a good quality, inexpensive yet very playable rig that I think any player from novice to daily player will appreciate. this ain't no 'starter' guitar - it's the real deal. 'nuf said there. To do some research, I goodle'd Eastwood and read an article on Eastwood in Guitar Player (the issue with John Frusciante/chili peppers on the front). I took advantage of Eastwood's 'buy one get the second 50% off' deal that they're running right now on their new P-90 Special. Right now, I think I'd buy another if this one was stolen or lost. I also bought hardshell cases for each ($99 ea), the cases are good, they're not flimsy - I guess all cases around $100 are about the same, not sure why makes this caes for me, as Eastwood puts their logo on the case.