Eastwood Hi-Flyer

Calum13

I really like the look of univox hi-flyers, but I can’t find any in the UK. Buying Eastwood guitars off of their website seems a bit expensive, but are they worth the money? The mosrite ones are also very good looking, but I’m not sure if I’d buy a guitar without trying it. 

https://eastwoodguitars.co.uk/collections/sidejack/products/hi-flyer-phase-4-dlx

https://eastwoodguitars.co.uk/collections/sidejack/products/sidejack-pro-dlx?variant=1404332507150

Anyone have any idea where they’re made?

HarrySeven

FWIW, I’ve yet to play an Eastwood which isn’t a case of style over substance.

They don’t ‘feel’ like quality guitars and (IMHO, anyway), hardware, etc seems quite cheap.

dazzajl

I’ve lusted after a few Eastwood models but never actually played one. In too many years of guitar forums I’ve never read a ‘Got my Eastwood and thrilled with it’ post. A fair few saying it’s OK though. 

pintspiller

I tried a couple about ten years ago after seeing them advertised on the internet and thinking they looked cool.

They played below average and felt like toys.

horsehead

I recently got one in a trade and I'm impressed. I really enjoy playing it and it sounds awesome as well. 
It might not suit everyone, but it suits me, so....:p

Funkfingers

Wiz awarded to H7.

I recently took an Eastwood guitar in a gear exchange deal. The looks are bold and distinctive but some critically important parts of the guitar were, frankly, not finished.

For example, the fret heights and ends were all over the place. Either the fingerboard has shrunken severely or the final Q.A. inspector is in want of a straight edge and a fret rocker tool.

The electronics are cheap ‘n’ nasty. (Not necessarily a bad thing.) At Squier Affinity, JHS/Vintage and Harley-Benton prices, this would be forgivable. At an MSRP over £800, it is not.

Having said all that, I am in the process of performing some sick/expensive modifications to my Eastwood. 


EDIT #1: Eastwood guitars are made in China. 

EDIT #2: £800 is pre-owned American Fender, PRS S2 and Gibson money!

Shark_Eyes

My only experience of Eastwoods was the sidekick baritone. I tried two in separate shops and neither stood up to a squire bass VI, both had sharp frets and dull sounding pickups and the general body shape didn't feel well thought out, badly balanced, impossible to play sitting down etc. Definitely style over substance.

Gchip

Not sure where you’re based but there’s a used one of these in one of the guitar shops on Denmark St at the moment ( or at least , there was yesterday. ). Think it was about 500. 

horsehead

horsehead said:

I recently got one in a trade and I'm impressed. I really enjoy playing it and it sounds awesome as well. 
It might not suit everyone, but it suits me, so....:p

And just realised we're talking about Eastwood's not Eastman's


Ignore earlier comments!

JezWynd

Briefly had a Tenor. Very unimpressed. H7 nailed it - 'Style over substance'.

dazzajl

horsehead said:

horsehead said:

I recently got one in a trade and I'm impressed. I really enjoy playing it and it sounds awesome as well. 
It might not suit everyone, but it suits me, so....:p

And just realised we're talking about Eastwood's not Eastman's


Ignore earlier comments!

For a short while, you reignited my gas for a Surfcaster 

Calum13

So they look good, but just aren’t worth the money as there’s much better things available under £800. If only it was as easy to get a Univox here than it is in the States.

gordiji

They seem to be very consistent..... in their ugliness, 5 whole pages of ugly, the only respite being the humorous take on the LP with the outward pointing lower horn.

Henrytwang

They look like a Mosrite but don’t sound or feel like one. Avoid.

Schnozz

I heard these are pure doggo

brooom

I recently got a morales mosrite. You might want to look into one of those.

benecol

I love a good cheap guitar, but the Eastwood I bought a few years ago is without a doubt the worst guitar I've ever laid hands on. To their credit, they accepted the return without question.

However, a few years later, I bought a set of their Mosrite-alike pickups from them (I was building a Mosrite baritone) and received about the worst customer service I've ever had. The Eastwood guy (not Clint, just want to err slightly on the side of litigious caution) knows his guitars are trash, talks about them in much the same way, and is happy to speak to his customers that way. Avoid at all costs.

(the Aria Mosrite copies are very good, if that's some small consolation).

Grunfeld

A wiz to H7 because he's nailed it for my one and only Eastwood experience. 

I got an Eastwood Breadwinner and it looks superb but I've still not got it to play.

Jon at Feline got it to play well enough but the pickups were horrid.

The dimensions of the p/ups were... curiously unique... so you couldn't just swap them out.  Ash at Oil City did some truly heroic bespoke reconstructions to the Eastwood pickups but, no, with this slab of wood it didn't work.  I have a Plan B but no time yet.

I will get this bugger to gig.  I just don't know when. 

All I can say about Eastwood is that they make shapes which you can't otherwise get.  I can't yet say they're great guitars.

Cookiemonster

I had the white stripes style Eastwood, it looked good, but really that's about it, cheap guitars with a high price tag, that are not authentic in build either. Style over substance. 

Cookiemonster

I wish Thomann would make some interesting shapes at least the prices would be good, and build on my LP and 12 string Ricky like guitar are great 

HarrySeven

They do a Microfrets-alike which is pure sh*te.