Gibson Les Paul Junior VS Eastman SB55

[RomanS]

Eastman!
With every Eastman I have tried, the build quality was A LOT better than the corresponding Gibson model - at much lower prices.

Plus, I prefer a brand producing affordable, well-made "tools" for working musicians to a "lifestyle brand" coasting on its fabled history, making status symbols for lawyers and dentists to display on their walls.

 

[lancefrei]

I agree with those who post you should stick with the choice that you emotionally connect with. I have played the real 54 Gibson and the one piece wraparound bridge is a significant plus imo. Mojoaxe makes one that is smoothly staggered for intonation but not adjustable which to me is a significant addition since it is the best of both worlds for tuning and sound. Good luck with whatever you buy. Remember, ultimately you are the instrument.

 

[Spazzmaster]

Eastman!
With every Eastman I have tried, the build quality was A LOT better than the corresponding Gibson model - at much lower prices.

Plus, I prefer a brand producing affordable, well-made "tools" for working musicians to a "lifestyle brand" coasting on its fabled history, making status symbols for lawyers and dentists to display on their walls.

While I agree with everything you wrote, I think the OP should get the Gibson. It's clear that's what he wants. Anyone who wants a Gibson, with Gibson on the headstock and the proper Gibson body shape should get a Gibson, not an Eastman. Also, the SB55/v and the Les Paul Jr are both $1599, making the Eastman a harder sell. A Les Paul Standard is $900 more than an SB59, and the ES-335 and USA Casino are $15-1600 more than the T59 and T64. I played two USA Casinos before I bought my T64/v. I would have bought the Eastman even if they had cost the same. The money saved was just a nice bonus. I've played several Les Pauls. I prefer my SB59 to any of them. But, if you want a Gibson, buy a Gibson.

 

[RomanS]

Yeah, the T64 is the single guitar I still have GAS for - my local music store usually has 1 or 2 on display, and every single one I tried was just stunningly great.
Unfortunately, the T64 doesn't fit any of my current musical projects/bands, so I haven't pulled the trigger - yet...

 

[sammy1]

My vote is buy American. Eastman is a knock off with no price point advantage ( based on Sweetwater offerings). When you “thin the heard” the east man will cost you. If you go the other direction I.E. custom shop upgrade you will get more mileage trading / reselling the Gibby.

Why as guitar players would you consider weakening one of the few American brands that have given us so much ? As soon as Gibson rolls over or is dealt off by the current VC owners, maybe . But right now your fellow citizens ( several hundred in Nashville and.Bozeman ) could use our support

 

[Spazzmaster]

My vote is buy American. Eastman is a knock off with no price point advantage ( based on Sweetwater offerings). When you “thin the heard” the east man will cost you. If you go the other direction I.E. custom shop upgrade you will get more mileage trading / reselling the Gibby.

Why as guitar players would you consider weakening one of the few American brands that have given us so much ? As soon as Gibson rolls over or is dealt off by the current VC owners, maybe . But right now your fellow citizens ( several hundred in Nashville and.Bozeman ) could use our support

No price point advantage of SB55/v over Les Paul Junior. Significant price point advantage of SB59 over Les Paul Standard. HUGE price point advantage of Eastman hollow and semi-hollow over Gibson. I bought both of my Eastman's used, so Eastman didn't get a dime from me. I bought one from SoundPure in North Carolina, the other from Dave's Guitar Shop in Wisconsin, presumably from fellow citizens. A good chunk of the money I saved will be spent in my local community, supporting more fellow citizens. Gibson will have to get by without my support. I wish them the best.

 

[sammy1]

My bad I thought we were talking about the SB 55….. but now that you mention it, there’s not a huge gap in savings (per Sweetwater) between SB59, and an LP Standard. No guilt here on my part brother….. just economics that apply to the player as well as a US company. As a guitar player? I am better served with an American company making instruments than I am by offshore companies.IMHO. BTW I think the city of Detroit applied your philosophy of spending the savings locally with respect to the Auto industry that didn’t work out too well did it?

 

[sloppychops]

While I agree with everything you wrote, I think the OP should get the Gibson. It's clear that's what he wants. Anyone who wants a Gibson, with Gibson on the headstock and the proper Gibson body shape should get a Gibson, not an Eastman. Also, the SB55/v and the Les Paul Jr are both $1599, making the Eastman a harder sell. A Les Paul Standard is $900 more than an SB59, and the ES-335 and USA Casino are $15-1600 more than the T59 and T64. I played two USA Casinos before I bought my T64/v. I would have bought the Eastman even if they had cost the same. The money saved was just a nice bonus. I've played several Les Pauls. I prefer my SB59 to any of them. But, if you want a Gibson, buy a Gibson.

Hey, I think maybe you missed something in this thread. See, I started out wanting to get a Junior, but wasn't impressed with the one I tried. Then I revisited the Eastman Juliet I had looked at previously and liked it so much I got it.

I agree with you on the pricing issue. There isn't any real price difference between the SB55 and a LP Jr. But...the Eastman is more likely to get a bigger discount when buying new, and even more when buying used. And I think a case could be made for the Eastman being better built (the hardware, the one-piece body, and the varnish finish).

 

[slimfinger]

I prefer the finish and overall build quality of the Eastman over Gibson for 'equivalent' models.

So I'd buy the Eastman and replace the Lollar pickup with a Gibson P-90 and sell the Lollar to a cork-sniffer. I like Lollar's Imperial PAF a lot, but for me his P90s are a little too bright and clear. I don't like any of the other third-party P90s I've heard out there, either. Nothing quite like a Gibson P90, for me, even the current production models.

 

[Spazzmaster]

My bad I thought we were talking about the SB 55….. but now that you mention it, there’s not a huge gap in savings (per Sweetwater) between SB59, and an LP Standard. No guilt here on my part brother….. just economics that apply to the player as well as a US company. As a guitar player? I am better served with an American company making instruments than I am by offshore companies.IMHO. BTW I think the city of Detroit applied your philosophy of spending the savings locally with respect to the Auto industry that didn’t work out too well did it?

We were talking about the SB55, and I said the OP should buy the Gibson. And, per Sweetwater, in an apples to apples comparison, I'm seeing the Les Paul Standard '50s at $2799 and the SB59 at $1899.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LPS5TONH--gibson-les-paul-standard-50s-tobacco-burst

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SB59SB--eastman-guitars-sb59-solidbody-electric-guitar-truetone-sunburst-gloss

The Eastman being 32% less expensive may not seem like a huge gap to you. I said it was a significant gap, and the huge gap was between an ESS-335 and a T59.

Gibson ES-335 Semi-hollowbody Electric Guitar - Sixties Cherry

Semi-hollowbody Electric Guitar with Maple/Poplar Top, Back, and Sides, Mahogany Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, and 2 Humbucking Pickups - Sixties Cherry

www.sweetwater.com

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/T59TVVR--eastman-guitars-t59-tv-rd-thinline-semi-hollowbody-electric-guitar-truetone-vintage-red

The Eastman being over 45% less expensive is, to me, a huge gap. IMHO. BTW my car was built in Japan, my motorcycle in Germany.

 

[David PNW]

I own a Gibson Les Paul Jr, and it is a great guitar. No problems with tuning that I have experienced. As for the pickups, it is easy to change to another brand of pickups if desired. I find the Gibson P-90 sounds great. The guitar will go into Rock overdrive if pushed, unlike the single coil pickups on my Fender Guitars, almost like a humbucker.
As for resale, the Gibson will most likely sell easier.
In contrast, there are some excellent Epiphone guitars, that sound good, and made by Gibson company, just like Fender and Squier, but resale and owning the original, as long as you like the guitar, is a plus. You may at some point if purchasing the Eastman, think to yourself, I really wanted the Jr, not a copy with a different body style. Now if you already had a Jr, and wanted a backup, and liked the Eastman, that might be a reason to consider it. This is my Jr, purchased around 2003, and the case is easy to replace. Also pictured is a Gibson Special which feels the same as the Jr, except with the second pickup. But the Jr just has the mojo of a single pickup music machine!


One thing you mentioned that the Gibson is plek'd, I do not see that in the Gibson Site that this is the case, maybe the Retailer did this? Sweetwater?

 

[TyPierce]

I owned the doublecut version of the Eastman, the SB55DC/v, and it was hands down one of the best guitars I’ve ever played, and easily the best Junior style guitar.

The combination of the 50s Lollar dog ear, the resonance and ebony fretboard had all the snap and snarl you could want. Playability and fretwork were excellent. Unless you lucked into an exceptional example, I don’t see how Gibson could beat it.

Only reason I sold mine was the neck profile was a hair thicker than I prefer, as I really like the slim 60s carve when it comes to Gibsons. I still think about getting another back in the stable just because the tone was so damn good.

And on resale, if you’re buying used, the Eastmans tend to be really steady. If you’re buying new, then you’re likely to lose less with the Eastman since the overall sticker is lower.

Best of luck in the hunt either way, though!

 

[bigbenbob]

I'm tempted to get a Junior. The contestants are a Gibson and an Eastman. What do you all think?

Pros & Cons

- The Gibson is a Gibson, so resale value would be higher if/when I sell it
- The Gibson has a multi-piece mahogany body, the Eastman has a one-piece Okoume body
- The Gibson has a rosewood fretboard, the Eastman has an ebony fretboard
- The Gibson has a nitro finish, the Eastman has their antique varnish finish with moderate aging
- The Gibson headstock likely has the D and G string tuning issues
- The Gibson has a Gibson pickup, the Eastman has a Lollar
- The Gibson has the classic body shape, the Eastman has a slightly different curvature on both sides of the upper bout that just looks a little "off"
- The Gibson is plekd, the Eastman isn't
- Both are priced about the same, with the Eastman slightly lower and more likely to be discounted
- The Gibson case is that brown one with a hideously oversized Gibson logo, the Eastman case is an understated brown with no garish logo
- The Gibson is made in the US, the Eastman is made in China. My preference is for US-made, but Eastman is not the typical Chinese sweatshop

I would only consider the Gibson if I can try it before buying. I have less concern about this with the Eastman, as I have two Eastman electrics and both are stellar guitars in every way.

I'm leaning toward the Gibson, but can't help thinking the Eastman is overall a better guitar.

View attachment 1264791

Eastman has a tune-o-matic. Gibson no. That would help the D/G tuning issues. That's a no brainer to me.

 

[Duncan]

I have a Gibson LP Jr from 2006. It has a Honduras body, rosewood board, and a chunky, 50's style neck. I play fairly hard, and the tuning is very stable. I have friends that are great players, and every one of them that has played it my through one of my Marshalls has offered to buy it. I bought it used and paid $850 for it. It is an insanely great guitar.

I haven't shopped for a guitar in years, and have never seen or played an Eastman. I am in the camp that says if a guitar really floats your boat, buy it. I don't personally care if there are small flaws or imperfections.

 

[sloppychops]

My vote is buy American. Eastman is a knock off with no price point advantage ( based on Sweetwater offerings). When you “thin the heard” the east man will cost you. If you go the other direction I.E. custom shop upgrade you will get more mileage trading / reselling the Gibby.

Why as guitar players would you consider weakening one of the few American brands that have given us so much ? As soon as Gibson rolls over or is dealt off by the current VC owners, maybe . But right now your fellow citizens ( several hundred in Nashville and.Bozeman ) could use our support

I buy American as much as possible, but like many here I've also bought Korean, Indonesian, and Chinese-made guitars. The fact is that many of those offshore-made guitars are made for US companies (and probably the two biggest offenders here are Fender and Gibson, via their Epiphone line). It's easy to shame someone who buys a Korean or Chinese-made guitar, but let's not overlook who contracted with those offshore manufacturers to have them built. And who helped these offshore manufacturers get up to speed with CNC equipment and modern guitar manufacturing standards?

As far as why anyone would want to weaken one of the few American brands (Gibson) that have given us so much, I understand the sentiment you express, but honestly feel no allegiance whatsoever to Gibson. As far as I'm concerned, they've rested on their laurels for decades, and they completely lost me when they became a "lifestyle brand." When I think about how pricey their guitars have become, I can't help but think about all the big name artists they pay to endorse the brand.

It's easy to lump Eastman in with all other Chinese guitar makers, but from everything I've read they're not the typical sweatshop cranking out cheapo guitars. They have a long history, starting with making high quality violins. They treat their employees like craftsmen, not slave labor. And they make instruments that outclass many of their US counterparts. Also, with their Romeo and Juliet models they have gone beyond being just a knock-off guitar manufacturer. How often do Fender and Gibson come up with anything genuinely new?

I'm all for free trade, but the only way to address the advantage offshore manufacturers have over US manufacturers due to lower labor costs and laxer regulations is through the imposition of tariffs. But, of course, that's going to hurt those US brands that derive a huge portion of their profits from the sale of guitars made by those same offshore manufacturers.

 

[Hodgo88]

Can someone illuminate me on the tuning issues called out? I don’t understand how the Eastman gets points here

 

[sammy1]

We were talking about the SB55, and I said the OP should buy the Gibson. And, per Sweetwater, in an apples to apples comparison, I'm seeing the Les Paul Standard '50s at $2799 and the SB59 at $1899.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LPS5TONH--gibson-les-paul-standard-50s-tobacco-burst

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SB59SB--eastman-guitars-sb59-solidbody-electric-guitar-truetone-sunburst-gloss

The Eastman being 32% less expensive may not seem like a huge gap to you. I said it was a significant gap, and the huge gap was between an ESS-335 and a T59.

Gibson ES-335 Semi-hollowbody Electric Guitar - Sixties Cherry

Semi-hollowbody Electric Guitar with Maple/Poplar Top, Back, and Sides, Mahogany Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, and 2 Humbucking Pickups - Sixties Cherry

www.sweetwater.com

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/T59TVVR--eastman-guitars-t59-tv-rd-thinline-semi-hollowbody-electric-guitar-truetone-vintage-red

The Eastman being over 45% less expensive is, to me, a huge gap. IMHO. BTW my car was built in Japan, my motorcycle in Germany.

Hence my comment about Detroit

 

[David PNW]

Can someone illuminate me on the tuning issues called out? I don’t understand how the Eastman gets points here

If you look at the eastman bridge, it is adjustable, the Gibson jr is set. But I have no issues with being out of tune with the Jr.

 

[14strings]

I will go back and read this thread but wanted to chime in.

I have had both and still own the Eastman. No comparison in my opinion. The Eastman is a better instrument.

More versatile pick up. Better hardware. Varnish finish. Etc.

 

[14strings]

Can someone illuminate me on the tuning issues called out? I don’t understand how the Eastman gets points here

Eastman has a better compensated wrap around bridge. Shockingly the Gibson bridge is not compensated.