Eastman SB59v vs Gibson Les Paul Standard
The Eastman is tough to beat.
- Custom Shop Quality
- Price
- Versatile pickups
- Aging is sublime
- Lightweight
- Doesn't say 'Gibson'
- Finish is not for everyone
- Iconic design
- Auhentic pickups
- Great setup
- Nitro setup
- Expensive
- Heavy
- Poor QC
Eastman are known for offering incredible value for money when it comes to guitars. Their instruments are handcrafted in Beijing, China, with unmatched quality of components and attention to detail. Their solid-body SB59/v model has been particularly popular, as it offers similar specifications to Gibson’s Murphy Lab Custom Shop guitars at a fraction of the price. How does it compare against Gibson’s similarly priced Les Paul Standard? Let’s find out!
Specs
Both guitars offer very high-quality components. Both come with two-piece flame maple tops with similar levels of figuring. The SB59/v is very similar to the Les Paul Standard 50s model – thicker 50s profile neck, plastic Kluson-style tuners. The neck on the 60s Les Paul standard is slightly slimmer. The hardware is excellent on both guitars. Gibson use their own branded hardware and electronics (bridge, pickups, pots, etc.), while Eastman have opted for some of the best aftermarket components - Gotoh tuners, bridge and tailpiece, Switchcraft jack and pickup selector, and CTS pots. I don’t think that the Eastman components are necessarily better, but they are certainly more expensive. The Gibson also comes with a pickguard and features a self-lubricating Graph Tech nut, while the SB59 has a bone nut and no pickguard.
Eastman SB59/v Goldburst
The pickups follow a similar pattern. The Les Paul Standard has Alnico V Burstbuckers, while the SB59 has aged Lollar Imperial Humbuckers. Both are excellent choices, but the Lollars will be considerably more expensive if you want to buy them separately.
Despite neither guitar having weight relief, the Eastman is significantly lighter. The Les Paul Standard 60s is 9.5lbs, while the Eastman is just below 8.4lbs. It is a very noticeable difference when playing and highlights Eastman’s dedication to quality and consistency.
The huge difference in specs between the two is ageing and finish. The Les Paul Standard has a high gloss nitro finish. It looks great, feels great and will age nicely. The SB59/v has a French polished violin varnish, applied slowly by hand in many layers. The varnish is very soft and easy to relic, compared to nitro.
The relic job on the Eastman is very well done. The guitar looks like it has been carefully played for 60 years, discoloured in the areas where hands make contact with the body and neck.
Both guitars come with hard cases. I prefer the harder material and aesthetics of the Gibson case over the stylish satin pattern of the Eastman hard case.
Eastman also offer a slightly cheaper nitro-finished SB59 without relicing and Seymour Duncan pickups.
Winner: Eastman
Sound
Sound is somewhat subjective. Both guitars sound excellent. Gibson have been making their PAF humbuckers for over 60 years and the Standard 60s doesn’t disappoint. It has a warm tone that lends itself well to blues and rock and pairs nicely with a distorted amp or pedals.
Gibson Les Paul Standard 60s Tobacco Burst
The Lollar Imperials in the Eastman sound fuller and brighter. They have more clarity and offer a slightly higher contrast between the neck and bridge positions. The SB59/v sounds a bit more resonant and has more sustain. When playing on your own, the Eastman sounds a bit fuller and more pleasing, but this will not necessarily translate to a full band mix. You might even prefer the slightly darker sound of the Les Paul. Overall the Eastman is more versatile.
Winner: Eastman
Playability
Both guitars have a very traditional construction. No belly or arm carves make them uncomfortable to play for long periods of time, although the lighter weight of the Eastman certainly helps. Upper fret access is equally limited on both guitars.
That said, both guitars were set up well with low action. The frets had no high spots and the bridge saddles were intonated correctly. Both guitars were a joy to play.
One area where the SB59/v was noticeably better was tuning stability. The Gibson-style headstock (on both the Les Paul and the Eastman) has a very sharp string break angle at the nut, but Eastman have resolved this by cutting the nut slots at an angle. This makes it much less likely that the strings will get caught in the nut, leading to better tuning stability, especially on the G string. Even Gibson Custom Shop models don’t get this treatment.
Winner: Eastman
Build Quality
I haven’t had any serious issues with the Gibson, but there are several spots where the red body stain bleeds onto the binding on the neck. Meanwhile, the neck is not properly sprayed and looks unfinished in some areas (only if you inspect it closely). The fretboard has lots of visible tooling marks.
Gibson fretboard binding
This does not affect playability in any way, but it is still disappointing to see on such an expensive instrument. I’ve had the Gibson Les Paul Standard 60s since 2019 and one of the pearl inlays started popping out of the fretboard a few years in. Gibson refused to fix it despite their lifetime warranty.
Gibson inlay coming out
The Eastman SB59/v, on the other hand, is flawless. It is, of course, easier to hide imperfections on an aged guitar, but the binding is uniformly coloured throughout and the fretboard is free of any tooling marks.
Winner: Eastman
Botttom Line
If you are looking for a reason to justify getting an Eastman over a Gibson, look no further. They are just better guitars. Whether you want to get the aged SB59/v or the nitro-finished SB59, Eastmans are made with more attention to detail and the best components money can buy. The price difference is staggering as well, especially when compared to Gibson’s Custom Shop offerings.
However, if you want a Gibson Les Paul, then it’s unlikely anything else will fill that gap for you. The Les Paul Standard follows a simple, tried and tested formula. It looks right, sounds right and plays really well. If you buy one, you can be sure it will last you a lifetime and you will never have to wonder if you made the right choice. Just make sure to shop around for one that is a bit lighter.
Overall winner: Up to you