For the sake of getting more reviews here on our site for easy access, I'm posting some reprints of previous reviews I did on Harmony-Central. In some cases, I've even revised my ratings now that the honeymoon is over or I've grown to appreciate/despise the instrument over sufficient time.
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Features : 10Damn! I was hoping to be the first to review one of these. Oh well. Anyway: Brand new 2007 LEFT handed (one of the first made), Sunburst finish over mahogany body with carved F-holes, Neck: Maple w rosewood fretboard, 34" scale, Width at Nut: 1 5/8", 1 Single Alnico EW-Humbucker, Controls: Volume, Tone; Bridge: Fender Style Adjustable, Rear String Mount, Chrome Cover; Hardware: Grover Style Nickel/Chrome, Strings: D'Addario #45-#100. There are not really extensive features to this bass, as it's a basic P Bass configuration, but aesthetically it gets a 10 for it's unique appearance.
Sound : 9Just a quick history lesson. Eastwood's EEB1 and EUB1 (fretless) basses are based on the design of the infamous Ampeg AEB and AUB basses first introduced in 1966. Aesthetically, these basses are striking with their carved out F-holes, slotted scroll headstocks, and unconventional "mystery" pickup in the bridge. Without a doubt, they are one of the coolest looking basses ever to grace the annals of music history, but with one very unfortunate exception...they sound like crap. The mystery pickup, while an interesting attempt at replicating the boomy sound of an upright, was better suited to replicate the sound of reverberated plastic going "boink" than a true upright. I used to own a right handed one, and it was by far the worst sounding bass I ever owned, which was unfortunate given the coolness factor. Ampeg did learn their lesson and reissued the bass in the late 60's with a magnetic pickup (the AMB1 and AMUB1 respectively), but by then the scroll bass's days were numbered.
Fast forward to 2007 and Mike Johnson, renegade head of Eastwood Guitars with a flair for non-convention and the uncanny ability to resurrect and, more often than not, improve upon quirky guitar designs either long forgotten or shamefully neglected. The Eastwood EEB1 differs from it's Ampeg counterpart with a few notable differences:
1. Sorely missing is the scroll headstock of the original Ampeg, though in Eastwood's defense the headstock design is cool in it's own unique way. I suspect that omitting the scroll was done to keep costs down as well as avoid any potential copyright infringement.
2. There's no "mystery" pickup, but rather 1 humbucker in the sweet spot (same distance from bridge as a P bass). That alone is a vast improvement over the Ampeg sonically. The tone is quiet, warm, and unmistakably Precision-like, with an almost built-in compression and evenness across the strings. Comparing to my '72 P Bass, the sound is very close, though the Eastwood is slightly warmer (I suspect the mahogany body/rosewood board has something to do with this), and is a breeze to play. I've always personally had a hard time reigning in P basses, as they can be very prone to fretboard clack or pickup clickiness if their not set up properly or if treble is up too high, (at least when I play them). I encountered no such problems with the Eastwood. It's smooth and forgiving.
Action, Fit, & Finish : 8When I first took the bass out of the box I was taken aback by the extreme light weight of the bass. The body with the F-holes is very light, while the neck feels noticeably heavier. This immediately raised a red flag: "Oh boy, this one's gonna be a neck diver." To my amazement, however, the bass balanced perfectly when strapped on. Eastwood has really done their homework here, as a diving neck would have been a deal breaker for me (who wants to hold up a bass neck all night? Go get a Thunderbird if you're looking to lift weights while playing!). The set up right out of the box was near perfect. Action was great with a nice "spongey" attack that I prefer, and the feel reminds me of some of my basses that feature a strung-thru body design. The only issue I encountered was a poorly intonated G string, but that took a couple of minutes to adjust. I encountered no dead spots, fret noise, or buzzing whatsoever, the bass is set up superbly. It's a given that the strings have to go whenever you get a new instrument, but surprisingly Eastwood strings these basses with quality D'Addario 45-100's, which are the gauge and string I am already used to so I'm leaving them on. Tuners are Grover style and work beautifully, which is often a weak spot with Korean made instruments in my experience. As for overall build quality, the only issue I noticed was some excess glue on the pickup cover. One wipe of Goof Off took care of that.
Reliability/Durability : 10This is a solidly built instrument, and feels far and away sturdier than any Ampeg. Hardware seems first rate and the neck seems stable and hasn't required any tweaking. i would have no problem gigging without a back up.
Customer Support : 10Mike is first rate. It's obvious that his instruments are his passion and he targets his product to those who are looking for quality and affordable instruments that are left of center of the typical standard fare. E-mail responses to my inquiries are usually received same day and he also runs a weekly newsletter of product info and interesting articles. Perhaps the biggest plus for me though is Eastwood's respect for us lefties. While arrogant mega-corporations like Gibson have recently announced their cutback of left handed instruments (no more Les Pauls?!), Eastwood is happy to offer many of their instruments in left handed models.
Overall Rating : 10I've been playing for over 25 years and I am a collector of left handed basses. You name it, I probably own it. I can't say enough about this bass. It has far exceded my expectations. I don't normally give high marks across the board, but I can find nothing wrong with this bass. The sound, construction, and attention to detail are all top notch and give me new found encouragement for Korean made instruments. I suppose one criticism could be that it doesn't have a particularly original sound, as it's basically a P bass with a radical design, but I think that's the point. Like it or not, the P bass is the benchmark by which most passive basses are measured, and there's a legitimate reason why they are so prevalent in recorded musical history: they simply work well with their simple, solid, meat and potatoes sound. Eastwood was smart in designing the EEB with this in mind because they've given you a bass that you can actually use in most musical applications. Sure, the Ampegs had a unique sound, but good luck getting a call back when you show up with one at your next session. What's more, this is a solid, well-built, and affordable bass with true practical use. I couldn't fathom owning a left handed Ampeg-style bass before now. There is only 1 known original lefty Ampeg AEB in existence, and it was once owned and played by Joe Long of the Four Seasons. Even righties are very rare, since Ampeg didn't make many to begin with and many were modified by owners adding a magnetic PU after players learned that the basses desperately needed something resembling a halfway decent sound. Eastwood manages to give you the cool aesthetic of the original Ampegs with a better, more practical sound than the originals in a price point that can't be matched ($699 for my lefty). Vintage Ampegs or Bruce Johnsons's well-made yet expensive updates on these basses will run you over $2000 easily, and while I can't comment on Bruce's work I can restate that the original Ampegs are not worth the money they're commanding right now. So the next time you're looking for a P Bass but you're tired of the same dull, "everyone's got one" look of a P and you'd like to make a bold visual statement, get yourself a EEB.
