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I'm saving up to get either of these. What one would you recommend?
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04-04-2017 03:04 AM
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Eastman is a fully hollow, full depth jazzbox w/humbucker.
Gibson is a thin, semi-hollow, solid wood from tuners to bridge. It doesn't even need a trapeze tailpiece, it's got solid wood to anchor a stop tailpiece if desired. Pair of p100 pups...two very different guitars, with very differnt sounds IMO.
You must decide what kind of sound you're chasing. You could play grindcore on the Gibson, not likely on the Eastman.
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Do you have a chance to play before you buy?
You could find a gem or a dog with either model. While I would lean toward the Eastman, the Gibson can be fine instruments too...
Go with your gut, and try to get a chance to play some examples.
And keep an open mind...
The perfect one for you might not even be on your radar yet, at this point.
Sent from my SM-S920L using Tapatalk
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You didn't say WHICH 135 (P100 or HB) you were asking about so...
The 135 with two P100's (my preferred model) was discontinued and replaced with a two HB model, and it's not going to be anything like the Eastman. I have both a P100 135, and HB 137, both very unique players with little (if anything) in common with other Gibson models. When I was shopping for a 135 I liked the P100 version better as I already had the HB sound covered, and if I wanted to upgrade (or downgrade as it is IMO) to standard P90's I could easily do it.
Anyway, I like the slightly thicker body (+1/2") and necks on the 135 and 137 better than the "slim taper" necks and thinner body 335's, and the sound with HB's is more "woody" than a 335 even though the 335 and 135/137 have the same 57 classic pups.
Why it is that Gibson can't get any traction on semi-hollow, single cut Florentine cutaway models is surprising. Then again anything not a 335, 175, Les Paul, Sg or other "classic" design has a dim chance of getting popular.
Prices on the 135/137's are going up, maybe players are starting to discover what Gibson was trying to do back when they came out in the 90's to the early 2000's.Last edited by GNAPPI; 04-04-2017 at 05:10 AM.
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Well today I was able to hold the Gibson 135 but the store wouldn't let me plug it in. But it felt amazing to me. Sadly I wouldn't be able to play the Eastman as no one here has one for sale. I hear great things about the Eastman tho so I wanted to see if anyone here has played both and can give their opinion.
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I just don't know what one is better for the price. I like a good versatile guitar but I'm scared the 135 won't have a good jazz tone
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What kind of store won't let a prospective buyer try out a guitar? OK, maybe an original D'Angelico, or a new limited edition but a 5+ year old guitar? The guy is a fool and won't be in business long.
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This guy gets a great sound out of a 135:
Whether you can, though, is a different matter. There's really no way to tell without playing it yourself.
John
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For a laminate guitar the AR371CE puts out a fair amount of acoustic volume. There's some good videos on You Tube. Listen to enough of them, pay attention to how they are recording and amplification, and I think you will develop some idea as to what the guitar is like.
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It doesn't matter.
According to what we "learned" in yesterday's thread on The Gibson Custom (Crimson) Shop, you can't hear the difference anyway, even if you think you can, and if you believe otherwise, you are a "brand pigeon", and deluding yourself.
So just throw a dart, toss a coin...whatever.
In fact this insight is so powerful, it renders all questions about picks, string choice, amp. choice, equalizers and pedal use, nugatory.
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Jordakisses,
Originally Posted by Jordakissss
It depends on what you want to do with it.
The 135 is basically a Les Paul in terms of tone. Very thick, very Gibson Like. The necks tend to be on the chunky side. Great guitar and its the real thing.
The Ar371ce is a nice ES175 copy. Looks just like it. Paintwork is a bit more fragile. Stock pickup is not that good. Acoustically it is very lively. Extremely playable in every way. Very nice guitar, that is becoming overpriced.
You can probably save a couple of bucks if you go with an Epiphone 175 Premium. Better pickups. Nice package.
I owned a 135 for a while and wish I never sold it. I played a 137 2 weeks ago at a open jam and to me, it is my favorite guitar to play out with. If I became a working musician again, I would definitely get another one. Solid, sounds amazing, no worry about feedback. The neck is made of the hardest maple and never needs adjustment. Built by the greatest guitar company on the planet, that came up with all these designs. Epiphone is a subsidiary.. Just sayin.
Joe D.
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It will have great jazz tone. This "hack" in particular got a decent sound out of one a couple of years back. Originally Posted by Jordakissss
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Try both guitars and buy the one you like best
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Gibson 135 by a longshot!
I don't think it's even a close competition.
I've got the 135 with the P100s and it is a great guitar IMO.
I had an AR371, but traded it off quickly. Liked it, never loved it.
One other nice thing about buying an older Gibson is that it will hold it's value well over time.
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Beautiful playing, transcription, and tone. Originally Posted by Max405
But it's not an L5, Super400, or 175 ... how can this be!
lol
Stumbling fingers still need love ...
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Thanks RNeil.
These guitars are great values. I wish I still had one.
Joe D
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The Eastman will have a wider nut... maybe useful info...it would be for me.
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I have a 135. Superb guitar with hard-to-match versatility. IMO it has a much mellower tone than the 335-type guitars and is more suitable for jazz. Mine has Classic 57 HB's and a trapeze tailpiece. Very comfortable neck, no feedback.
The only downsides, such as they are, are that there is not much acoustic volume--not useful at all unplugged; and it's rather heavy--about 9#, IIRC, quite a bit more than other thinline fully hollow guitars.
I've played an Eastman 371 in a store. Nice guitar with a good acoustic sound, seemed perfectly acceptable. As many have pointed out, it didn't have the 175 thunk, but otherwise it's a good jazz guitar.
If you are interested in music other than jazz--rock, blues, country--the 135 would be the way to go. Like a Tele, it's a Swiss Army knife guitar.
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That for sure was decent sound.. and you sold it? WHAT were you thinking? Oops, I guess you weren't, sorrryyy. :-) Originally Posted by Max405
Tell ya what, the next time you go to sell a git, post a clip like that and we'll decide for you whether or not you should sell it.
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What kind of store doesn't let you plug in a guitar to try it? What store was this? I feel like I should write them just out of principle to see what their reasoning is there - that is absurd.
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I know it's been said, but an AR371ce is a close cousin to the Epi es175 Premium. Not the es135. Of the inexpensive 175 clones, the Epi seem to get the most love on this board, probably because of the excellent pickups among other things. There are at least three treads on the Epi in the last couple of months. I recommend checking out what people are saying. It is hard to imagine beating it for the price. But, of course, you have to try them out.
For an inexpensive semi, the Epi 335 is hard to beat. And you can walk into almost any guitar store and try one out. Of course there is a whole world of used out there, but if you are on a budget and are looking for a style of guitar that is new to you Epiphone, Ibanez, and Eastman are all putting out the goods. Until you know a full sized double cut semi, or a full hollow jazz box, or a chambered Les Paul, etc. is what you want, for a small investment you can test it out on a new Chinese built Epi. Bonus is you can usually get half your money back selling it to someone else later.
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I have owned a 371CE for a bit more than two years, purchased new from a dealer. As folks have said, the guitar's acoustic qualities differentiate it from other 175 lookalikes. I often practice unplugged, even when playing backing-tracks. Plugged-in, it sounds wonderful - and not just in the practice room. I have played it in jam sessions and live at a local pub with drums, bass, keyboards and it sounds just as I'd like it to. That may be due in part to the fact that I replaced the stock humbucker with a Lindy Fralin P92. But honestly, I found the stock pick-up to be perfectly acceptable. I replaced it mostly because I wanted to experiment with the sound of a P90.
People have complained about the delicate finish on Eastman Guitars, but I wonder if that's a problem the company corrected since 2015? That's the vintage I have, and after two years of playing it, I've had no problems with finish wear that I didn't bring about myself. The trim and woodwork on the guitar is flawless. The attention to detail is obvious and delightful. I recently attended an Eastman roadshow and played a bunch of their guitars and this attention to detail is a hallmark of their line.
I played the 371 side-by-side with the Epiphone 175, and my own Gibson 165 and 175. They are different guitars, and the feel is totally unique. I found as others have that one really must play a guitar before buying it. The way a guitar looks in photos versus how it feels and sounds ... they are often quite different. That said, I'd have the Epi 175 in my guitar closet too, if I wasn't out of room!
Good luck with your hunt!Last edited by Bflat233; 04-07-2017 at 09:26 AM.
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I think the Eastman "delicate finish" woes were pretty much taken care of a decade ago.
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As of late 2012 early 2013 the finish issue was still under investigation. So far I have not heard of any finish issues like I had heard of in the past. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
Eastman finish issue?Last edited by GNAPPI; 04-07-2017 at 01:57 PM.
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I have 4 Eastman guitars that I play regularly, and none of them have ever had any finish issues.
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