Gibson Custom Shop vs. Eastman Les Paul | Really A $5,500 Difference?

If you picked up the antique varnish version of the Eastman and put on a blindfold I’d bet you’d pick the Eastman over the other two. Eastman makes other great guitars that you should check out as well.

I feel like electric guitars all sound the same. Acoustics on the other hand. Even the slightest things affect the tone dramatically

The wearing of the Novo t shirt let off it wasn't a Gibson or Eastman sponsored vid...

Gibson is out of reach ..sad

i love how les pauls look but they arent my thing, even though i have one, best looking one there was the heritage for me, i dont like cherry bursts and if i was paying 7 grand i would want it to be a colour i like

The complaint about rough frets and smoother neck are things that are EASILY modified yourself or by a luthier. Seems the comment section has more useful opinions than the video. - Basically, we know they're all considered good. This video didn't change that. But saying, "I felt better" playing the most expensive guitar doesn't tell you how the guitar plays so much as how much of a status bump it felt like to play it.... Like driving the most expensive car, wearing the most expensive cloths or living in the most expensive house. Gibson prices are ridiculous - The fact that a $1,500 guitar can come close to a $7,000 guitar means Gibson's COULD/SHOULD be cheaper. - This is why young bands are all playing Fender. They're priced to PLAY not to pose with and collect.
(And FWIW - A guitar shop salesman is always going to tell you the most expensive one is best. Just saying).

I have 5 Gibson USA Les Pauls (Tribute, Studio 2024, Classic, and 2 Deluxes), a Heritage H-150 Std, and 2 Eastman SB59’s. I love all of them and think they’re all special in their own way. But if I could only have 1, it would be a tough choice between a Gibson and an Eastman. The Eastman’s really are fantastic and perfect out of the box. Lucky for me, I don’t have to choose now. I will leave that decision to someone else once I’m pushing up daisies! 😅

are you sure its not a "Am-eastman"? ( a cheap counterfit of the genuine quality Chinese Eastman faked by unscrupulous sketchy American factories that sell on Aliexprss with terrible customer service in broken Manderin)

Close enough. We live in a great era for guitars. If you can get over the name on the headstock you can get a great guitar at an affordable price.

No doubt the Murphy lab is amazing... Still has the weakass headstock unfortunately.... "Oh traditional, historically correct"😂

Eastman is made in CHINA! 🚫Cheap / exploratory labour and god knows where they get their woods. They don't play by fair regulatory standards and get rewarded with our money. Support western manufacturers!

Do it blindfolded, with the same pickups in every guitar. I respect craftsmanship, but not sure how much that has to do with being a musician vs being a snobish rich person.

When one is comparing similar models from different manufacturers, and there is a knowledge of which is which during the comparison, the name on the headstock is 99.99% likely to bias the outcome. I’m not saying that is the case here, but we will never know for sure.

I say this after watching a professional guitarist compare, while blindfolded, several sub-$1000 LP style guitars and a real LP, and ultimately selecting an $800 guitar as being the best of the bunch, an ~$400 guitar ranking 2nd, and the real LP ranking 3rd.

It’s human nature to want to be seen playing the historically popular and expensive brand, and that is unlikely to ever change.

Your playing is killer!!

With today's competition and Eastman's example that you can make guitars of at least the same quality as Gibson for 1/3 of the price, you are paying to carry the BRAND no more!!! If you feel good about that, go ahead, but there are no more reasons than that, it's like driving a Ferrari, other cars will give you the same performance, but I don't know what they are called Ferrari!!

you really needed to compare to a SB59/V or SB59/TV .. more love given to the fit and finish and vibe and MUCH better pick ups.. Pick ups matter! those Seymour Duncan 59's.. You can do much better imo. The/V or/TV has Lawler imperials, which still are not my favorite Humbucker's for a Les Paul but they're much much better.

I put a poker chip and a pickguard on my SB59 Goldburst and it looks sssoooooo good. It already played amazingly and sounds awesome so that was the cherry on top. It's a lifer for me!

Thats a really good sounding amp. I think i like the Haritage the best, but it could be because i like the finnish the best.

The "59" Gibson is for folks that have their priorities screwed up. Epiphone is for players, with their priorities in order. It's about the music, not the guitar finish.

The tone is the sum of its parts. But, the most important effect on tone, IMO is the wood it's made of. It has to be resonate. Different pieces of wood cut from the same tree can sound different. Of course you want a quality build, but I've played expensive guitars that are awful, and cheap guitar that sound great. Ordering a guitar sight unseen is flipping a coin.

That Heritage is gorgeous

Street price for the pickups in the Eastman is over $450. Gives you a sense of the value your getting for your money. Go Eastman!

This is like a TV ad comparing TV screens through whatever my TV screen is capable of. Unless you are there, in person watching, listening and playing, then these kinds of comparisons are meaningless. A BIG difference between Custom Shop Les Pauls and less expensive ones is NOT just how it sounds but also how it feels in your hands, the quality of construction and parts used (pickups, tuning keys, etc.). A Custom Shop LP is sweet but way over priced.

The Eastman is sooo beautiful in its shape. If anything, it has perfected the single cut shape. Sacrilege to the Gibson fans, I know. But ask someone who isn’t expecting the Les Paul silhouette and they will tell you which is more aesthetic.

$5500 difference? Of course..... in price tag.

With the same scale length, same pickups (and pickup height), these guitars will would sound 99,9% the same, you wouldn't be able to consistenly identify them in repeated blind tests. They all look beautiful, build quality and finishing of the Eastman leaves nothing to be desired. So, is it worth paying €5500 difference? If you care for nostalgia and resale value maybe it is, otherwise a clear no.

Okay. First of all, how much does each Guitar cost? I know for sure the combination of man hour manufacturing the CS vs. the Eastman would not be close by a huge margin. The cost of the quality of better wood and better parts on the CS would be more. All of those extra hours of manufacturing plus you're paying CS employees who make much more than standard Gibson USA employees also has something to do with the higher cost of a CS guitar. Don't forget the power of Brand. Gibson is one of the biggest guitar brands, second to none. Eastman is not a huge brand in comparison, which also adds to the price.

Eastman uses " borrowed" IP, they have no environmental regulations, they dont have local and state taxes, building regulations, pay their employees a living wage, 401k, insurance, matching taxes for each employees u employment. China doesnt care where the wood is harvested nor were the production chemicals are dumped. Wouldnt wipe my arse with something made in china.

Just for fun, a few years ago I bought a used Harley Benton. Cheapest model.
50$
Absolutely perfect. Intonation, fingerboard - everything.
Stays in tune all day playing.
It tries to look like a Les Paul, but I don't care. I only care about functionality.

I have friends playing Fender and Gibson. They look at my HP with disgust. While constantly tuning their guitars. Maybe my HB makes them feel a little stupid.

The Emperor has no clothes.

7 grand is Bonkers

Eastman o Gibson custom shop?quale la migliore? The best?Thank you👋

Generally lol
Your videos but your partiality is so obvious and no harm in liking what you like but in no way are you a fair person in terms of comparison

I got the Eastman SB59V. You can't bet the price for what you get, and I'm not good enough player to spend $7000 for a guitar. I'm just a home player and play in the church once in a while.

The eastman looks like it's pitching a tent in sweat pants.

I bought an Eastman SB59/v, it comes with Lollar Imperal pickups and It sounds and feels perfect to me. Never played a custom shop or Murphy Lab Gibson, but, I got rid of my Les Paul standard after getting the Eastman. Now, if I had the money, I'd probably get the Murphy Lab 🤤

I recently got an Eastman SB59/v (already had 4 SB59's, but not the /v model) and it is the best guitar I've owned or played, which include a number of Gibson LP's and a Heritage H-150 (which are all also great, btw). The SB59 in this video is still a great guitar, but the /v model with the antique varnish finish and the Lollar pickups is on a whole other level!

Bought an Eastman SB59/TV which has the newer Truetone Varnish finish. It's kinda like a guitar you have kept under your bed for 50 years. It definately is a stunning guitar to play, the pickups are articulate and it just feels right. I have played Gibsons, PRS and own a Maybach Lester (which is alsio a great guitar) but the Eastman wins. It comes in at 8lbs which is perfect for me and the quallity aged hardware make it feel like an old guitar but without the beat up look, which I like.

I recently ordered an Eastman guitar from Righteous Guitars and they were phenomenal to work with. I live out of state and paid extra for overnight shipping. It showed up the next day in perfect condition and perfectly set up. Big shoutout to Righteous! Can’t wait to order from them again!

i would like to see this test being done blindfolded

I have two Custom Shop Les Pauls that I love. I'd been wanting to check out an Eastman for years to see if it lived up to the hype and finally got to play one at the local shop. I was NOT impressed. The feel of a guitar is a big factor for me and It just didn't FEEL right...like it WAS made in China.

Heritage needs to sort headstock ..

Take the eastmen to high voltage guitar and have them do what they did to your R9, it will be awesome, thanks for your time making these videos!!

But you should also tell that Eastman bodies are build of non genuine mahogany (oukoume) which makes them less durable: break much more easily and scratch more easily then Genuine mahogany. Please tell the complete story. They use inferior timber to save up for more QC, expensive humbuckers. But those guitars will not last. The reason the QC of Gibson or The Heritage is not as good because they need to create savings in their production process to keep up to this unfair competition. Unfair because of the non mentioned factors.

I liked the heritage the best, it had a nice warmth. The Gibson had more attack. The Eastman was the cleanest sounding but not my taste.

That heritage killed the others completely

I played probably 12-15 LPs before buying my artisan aged Heritage H-150. I did not play a Gibson Murphy Lab guitar because I just couldn't find one locally, and it was out of my price range anyway. But the Heritage I ended up with blew every other one I tried out of the water and it wasn't even close. The standard Gibson LPs I played just didn't sound or feel like they were worth the price compared to the Heritage. I've since bought another Heritage H-535 and I love it too. Probably more than my H-150, but that's really just because I like that style of guitar better.

just wanted to share that i bought an eastman after watching your and Phillip's reviews, thank you man!

Looks like a straight-up win for Eastman.
Subjectively better than the Heritage LP version.
Better finish quality than the Custom Shop, as was stated in the video. I believe that.
Funny they didnt pit the Eastman against a regular sub-$3000 Les Paul, instead of the Heritage.
Im sure Gibson would have something to say to Righteous Guitars if that happened..

Blind test wouldnt work for these guys, they would know the Custom shop LP in a heartbeat, Im sure.
But I think if you read between the lines, the Eastman is the way to go

I bought an Eastman SB58 TV Faded Blue based on this and a couple of other videos Ive recently watched.

I could care less about tradition, I just want the best for my money. Ive got plenty of guitars. Most are higher-end Made in USA (Parker, PRS, Warmoth, Wayne Charvel, Etc), Ive yet (since starting in 1985) to get a Gibson. Ive tried on many occations, but cant find one thats competitive (not junk) for the price.

Been wanting LP for so many years, but went with PRS SC58 to scratch that itch. Wanted a P90 Les Paul, and I think the Eastman SC58 will mostly take care of that.

Its in the mail, and Im expecting very good things..

Murphy lab LP which is a $3,000 guitar with a $7,000 price tag. A regular LP should be as good as you can get you shouldn't have to have a "Custom" shop LP Why do players these days wiggle the guitar around like that's going to make a difference?

This video is idiotic- you are not payed the same as Clapton - is that fair

The Heritage sounded best to me.