I have always loved the old Harmony Stratotone guitars and have wanted one for a while. The vintage ones have now gone beyond my reach. Eastwood is making what looks like a very nice reissue for about $500. Any guitar players here have an opinion on this guitar? Thanks!

I know Jack white plays these guitars not sure about any of the stones but they seem to have a good reputation. Any idea where they are made?

Go Dawgs!

Actually, Jack White plays Airline guitars, which are from that 50-60's Harmony/Silvertone/Teisco Del Rey/etc. era. Airlines were sold through Montgomery Ward and Silvertones through Sears, who also owned Harmony for several years. Eastwood makes copies of the Airlines, but I don't think Jack plays them, I think he sticks with the originals. I imagine Jack sticks with the originals because he played one long before Eastwood copied them, and because they are made out of fiberglass, which probably gives them a sound and feel he likes, whereas the Eastwoods are made of wood. I could be wrong, he may play the Eastwoods or have some as back-ups, and I wouldn't be surprised if he at least owns one, but I don't think he is known for playing them.

Eastwoods are supposed to be a good for value for the money. They are made in Asia, which is why the prices are pretty low, but of course this means the quality can be inconsistent. I read somewhere, it may have been Harmony Central, where someone ordered one of their guitars online and something wasn't right about it. If I remember right, he called Eastwood and spoke to the owner, who was very understanding and took care of it. I can't recall for sure, but I think his reason may have been that they are assembly line guitars from Asia, and they just can't catch everything when it goes through them for set-up/inspection. From what I've read though, they have a good rep overall.

I feel the thing with buying ANY guitar is that mechanical/set-up issues, such as the quality of pick-ups, action, neck adjustment, tuning machines, etc., can always be taken care of if you want to put in the effort and money. If it's a finish issue, such as sloppy paint or poor binding work, that really can't be fixed, or if it can be, it's usually not worth it.

Eastwood's site:

[www.myrareguitars.com]

Stratotone reviews are fifth one down:

[reviews.harmony-central.com]

Quote
boogie1969
Actually, Jack White plays Airline guitars, which are from that 50-60's Harmony/Silvertone/Teisco Del Rey/etc. era. Airlines were sold through Montgomery Ward and Silvertones through Sears, who also owned Harmony for several years. Eastwood makes copies of the Airlines, but I don't think Jack plays them, I think he sticks with the originals. I imagine Jack sticks with the originals because he played one long before Eastwood copied them, and because they are made out of fiberglass, which probably gives them a sound and feel he likes, whereas the Eastwoods are made of wood. I could be wrong, he may play the Eastwoods or have some as back-ups, and I wouldn't be surprised if he at least owns one, but I don't think he is known for playing them.

Eastwoods are supposed to be a good for value for the money. They are made in Asia, which is why the prices are pretty low, but of course this means the quality can be inconsistent. I read somewhere, it may have been Harmony Central, where someone ordered one of their guitars online and something wasn't right about it. If I remember right, he called Eastwood and spoke to the owner, who was very understanding and took care of it. I can't recall for sure, but I think his reason may have been that they are assembly line guitars from Asia, and they just can't catch everything when it goes through them for set-up/inspection. From what I've read though, they have a good rep overall.

I feel the thing with buying ANY guitar is that mechanical/set-up issues, such as the quality of pick-ups, action, neck adjustment, tuning machines, etc., can always be taken care of if you want to put in the effort and money. If it's a finish issue, such as sloppy paint or poor binding work, that really can't be fixed, or if it can be, it's usually not worth it.

Eastwood's site:

[www.myrareguitars.com]

Stratotone reviews are fifth one down:

[reviews.harmony-central.com]

I just brought one home. I like the baseball bat neck and the light weight. I will plug it in and see how it sounds. They are made in Korea, by the way.

Yeah, I read China and Korea, which is fine with me. As long as it's a good instrument, I could care less where it's manufactured (outside of a concern for slave labor, that is). I like the look of the Airlines, but what I was really interested in on their site is their Les Paul Jr. copy, and the orange Classic 6. I'd love to have both of them.

The Jr. is only $399, but I always hear the same thing about the Asian made guitars. You have to replace the crappy pickups and sometimes the rest of the electronics if you want one to sound good, and the tuners and hardware if you want one to stay in tune and set-up well. You still end up with a good guitar for less than whatever it's a copy of costs, but I generally can't afford to do all that, and plus, it's a pain in the ass getting it all done.

How's the quality of your Airline Tele, do the pickups seem ok?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-04-09 07:31 by boogie1969.