Eastwood Guitars Sidejack Baritone DLX

Year: 2008
Body: Bound Solid Basswood (Mosrite reverse Strat style), metallic blue glossy finish (back of neck also)
Neck: Bound Maple, SET neck
Fingerboard: Rosewood, Dot Markers, 22 frets
Scale Length: 28"
Width at Nut: 1 5/8"
Pickups: Two Vintage EW P-90's
Switching: 3-Way, Gibson-style toggle
Controls: 1 Volume, 1 Tone
Bridge: Vintage Style Adjustable Roller Bridge, BURNS Tremolo
Hardware: Gotoh Nickel/Chrome or Gold
Strings: #13-62 Baritone Light
Case: custom hard case (paid $99 extra)
Unique Features: Baritone B-B tuning, BURNS tremolo w/rolling bridge

Sounds amazing. P90s are very hot. Rich and full on the neck pickup and bright and growly on the bridge. Moving the picking hand around the body produces a nice variety of tones on each pickup. Middle switch position is humbucking, but with a nice and hot Fender middle position Tele sound. Though the pickups are loud, the guitar is not noisy.

I run it through either a 74 Fender Super Reverb (Blackfaced), a 65 Fender Tremolux head with 2x15 cab, or a Reissue 65 Fender Deluxe Reverb. It sounds nice through all of them. No issues. Of course, through the Tremolux and 2x15 cab it really shines. Huge low end and nice top end too.

I think you can use this guitar for any type of music. Sounds great for rock, country, surf, metal, alternative... whatever. It all comes down to how you play it.

I purchased this direct from Eastwood. This is my first time buying without playing first and I was happy to find that the fit and finish was very nice on this guitar.

One thing I did notice immediately was that the truss rod needed some adjustment. The neck was set VERY straight (no relief at all) and the action was set low, so it would not produce a clean note at all. I adjusted the truss rod and now it plays great. No need to change the intonation or action. Nice. Not what you expect from a lower priced guitar. Says a lot about the craftsmen Eastwood uses in China.

I did not notice any flaws in the paint or any part of the guitar. Nice finish throughout. Set neck has great sustain. Frets are a little dull, but nothing to complain about. No sharp edges or unevenness.

Tuners have a vintage look, but feel a little flimsy. Just the plastic part. The gears seem to work great and tune well.

I will update this section after a few months of playing. For now, I will say that is seems to be very solidly made. Strap buttons feel tight and solid.

Mike and Peter are very nice to deal with. 3 day shipping is the standard for only $49, even if you add a case to the order. NICE! They answer the phone promptly and offer great resolutions to any problems you may have. I ordered a demo unit and it was sold already so they offered me a discount on a new one. Let's see any of the big names do that! Has a 3 year limited warranty.

I have been playing for over 20 years and have a large collection of amps and guitars. A few 2K Teles, an '84 Strat, a '68 Jaguar, a '92 Jazzmaster, a '49 Gibson L50, an '84 Aria Pro II TA-60 (335 type), an '03 Tele-Sonic. Amps are listed above.

I played several baritones when shopping and found this one to be the best sounding (under $1000) and of comparable sound quality to the higher end baritones (Gretsch Baritone, Fender Bass VI Reissue). Blows the Danelectro and Gretsch Electromatic away.

I love the sound and look of it. I don't like that it is slightly unbalanced (neck wants to drop some if you don't hold it). Burns trem is subtle. Similar to a Bigsby I think, but with a slightly different feel. No deep bends on this thing, but that is not what it is there for anyway. ;^)

If lost or stolen I would buy it again.

The Eastwood Airline remakes are also excellent and may be my next purchase. Especially like the Tuxedo.

OF NOTE: They are sold out of the current Sidejack Baritone DLX and are releasing a new model. They are changing the bridge and whammy unit to a jaguar/jazzmaster type. This will change the sound somewhat and I will be interested to hear the difference. I still consider the Fender Bass VI the ultimate baritone, but the prices on even the reissues are way past my budget...