Eastman's T486. Worth consideration?

Here I review and demo the Eastman T486, a semi hollow clearly based on the Gibson ES-345, which is one of my favorite semis. I have to admit it may have something to do with Freddie King's use of the guitar, but in any event, Eastman's version looks sharp and I discuss the features and do my best to give you an idea how it plays and sounds.
Last year I reviewed the slightly less expensive Eastman T386, another worthy contender. I went into a little more detail about the company and you can catch that video here:
kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4awlJKce7djqZI
To further help support the channel, become a member at:
patreon.com/leonardgriffieblues

[@redcatcliveupnorth7338]

Good to see you back, all the best from the UK. Always love your reviews - honest and useful from a player not a sponsored mouthpiece. Oh, and always enjoy your playing. Take care!

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

Thank you so much. Yep, no sponsorships here. It can be a struggle to keep gear coming but you can always count on honesty.

[@Proberunner]

Love my T486, it can rock like hell on a hot amp channel too

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

It is a very nice model. Enjoy yours.

[@ew6629]

I'm a huge fan of the semi-hollow body guitars so really enjoyed the review and listening to some excellent playing. Happy to see your uploads again sir! 👍

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

Thanks so much. Very happy to be back. 😊

[@stevemiller1203]

It’s about time you came back! Glad your back.

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

I couldn’t wait to get back. I’m very lucky to recover faster than average. Thanks so much.

[@flyboymercury]

Great vid/content as always but today just happy to see you back Leonard, Glenn

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

Thanks so much my friend.

[@firstsgtrichard]

All I can say is thanks for the post brother. Just love to hear you play a cool guitar. Peace...and hoping your health is up to par now.

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

Thanks so much. I’m most of the way back in record time. I sincerely appreciate your compassion.

[@calsurflance5598]

Certainly worth a look and play!🎸 Glad your feeling better.👍

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

Thanks so much. I appreciate it.

[@MrRafaztar]

This video made me value my black t486 more and showed me it’s potential . Thanks and all the best ❤

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

Thank you so much for watching. Yes, these are sweet sounding guitars

[@Ken-wg4zy]

Really enjoy your playing and down to earth personality. You have new subscriber. Thx!!

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

Thank you my friend, I appreciate it.

[@TheTacticalButterknife]

I went in to a shop to get a Gibson 60s standard and walked out with one of these. I'm thrilled with it. I spent the rest of the money on a used Eastman SB59. These are really well made Guitars.

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

They are very nicely made. Enjoy them.

[@philnewton2011]

Good to see -- and hear -- you!

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

Thank you brother. I’m nearly all the way back in record time.

[@philnewton2011]

See you soon! @@leonardgriffieblues5845

[@guitarzan0515]

Hey!! Looking and playing Great!!!!

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

Thank you my friend.

[@chrisschopenhauer6261]

its leonard time - hi my friend great to see you back, incredible creamy warm tone, did you play it with one of your pedals on your fender amp or without pedal ?

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

Thank you so much. I'm recovering in record time. No pedals at all, just turned the amp up to about 7 and the humbuckers did the rest.

[@chrisschopenhauer6261]

Nice Leonard, thankyou ! 👍👍

[@KelsterVonShredster]

Sounds awesome! What were you playing through?

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

Thank you. Yeah, the T486 is a sweet sounding guitar. That’s my blonde spec Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb. Thanks for watching.

[@dieter6219]

Just one Iast question : which bIues aIbums do you suggest Iistening to the most ? I am jazz and bIues pIayer myseIf, but wouId Iike to Iearn more songs than onIy or key to the highway

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

Well, that’d be a long list. But I’d you don’t have the classic blues albums, I recommending starting with classics like BB King’s Live At The Regal, Albert King’s Born Under A Bad Sign, The Best Of Albert Collins, and Freddie King’s 17 Greatest Hits. Those would form a very solid foundation.

[@karlmartin849]

How would you describe the neck profile. Is it similar to a slim taper?

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

It’s actually a little thicker, and a pretty even C. Not as fat as a Gibson 50s neck, but not as slim as a 60s “slim taper”. Also, don’t forget it’s wider at the nut. 1.72”. Hope this helps and thanks for watching.

[@dieter6219]

The schooI of bIues pIayiing. The tone reminds me much to the crossroad CIapton of 68. There is someone having adored CIapton is his youth

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

What Clapton mainly did for me was introduce me to some of my biggest influences: Freddie King, Albert King, Otis Rush, etc. I think it might have taken me a lot longer to find those guys without the John Mayall with Eric album I bought in the 60s. Thanks so much for watching.

[@nicfabrizio1776]

I just traded some gear about two days ago including my premier dc Dangelico at GC and got one of these and it’s an amazing feeling and sounding guitar. I was very torn between this and the prs se piezo ii hollow body guitar. I’m really posting here to make sure I made the right decision this was the only Eastman I ever played and I compared heavily against my Dangelico, the prs and the Eastman just seemed better and felt more comfortable. Does anyone think I made the right decision in my trade?

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

I think you’re trade was fine. I’d prefer the Eastman as well.

[@nicfabrizio1776]

@@leonardgriffieblues5845 after spending more time with the guitar now I’m starting to love this guitar. It feels so well made and it plays and sounds just as good as any of my Gibson or any 335s I’ve tried before.

[@nicfabrizio1776]

@@leonardgriffieblues5845 after spending more time with the guitar the T486 is an amazing guitar and just as quality as any Gibson 335 I’ve tried before glad I went with Eastman love prs but I’ve never really connected with any of the prs se guitars immediately felt like the T486 had some special sauce to it

[@GPLP335]

Sweet! Great review and playing as usual, thanks!

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

Thanks. So glad you enjoyed it.

[@mskcrc]

I have a T386 and wish I had gone for the T486 or better yet, the T59/v. The Kent Armstrong pickups are dull-sounding and absolutely have to be replaced, and semi-hollow pickup jobs aren't fun, even if you know what you're doing.

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

I feel ya there. I’ve done it and I have another one to do which I’ve been putting off. Best of luck my friend and thanks for watching.

[@mskcrc]

@@leonardgriffieblues5845 I think the tubing method is the best way. I've done string and it becomes a total nightmare. If you're going to do string, make sure you mark each one with electrical tape or use different colors for the different pots. If they get tangled up and you don't know which one you're pulling into a hole... good luck.

[@timothykresko1984]

200%

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

Yep. Thanks for watching.

[@mns8732]

No other manufacturer comes close to Eastman for playability, construction, sound and feel. I dunno why, maybe the long tenures of their employees is a factor. If they can build an 1100 -1400 dollar les paul style guitar - game over for Epiphone.

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

Eastman makes a great Les Paul style guitar, significantly superior to Epiphone. They are a lot more expensive, and the truth is, Epiphones will continue to outsell them simply because a majority of guitar hobbyists want their Les Paul to look as exactly like a Gibson as possible. Makes no real sense from a players perspective, but tradition and guitar hero worship drives a great deal of the market. Thanks so much for watching.

[@lazvt8469]

My T486 is the best guitar of the 40 or so I've owned in last 10 years....including Heritage H535...The 'finish' quality is not as good as Gibsons I've owned (except frets, Eastman fretwork is superior!) ...my two Eastman have finish bleed into binding in spots unseen in any of the half dozen or more Gibson's I've owned. But....for the price....can't complain. Oh, I'm a bit put off by the wider nut...to be fair. Tone makes up for it. My avatar over there

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

Yes, they are fine guitars. Interesting on the finish bleed on the binding, because my small sample size has shown no such issue (a T486, T386, and AR372), and ironically it was very common on vintage Gibsons. Go figure. In any case, I’m glad you’re enjoying your T486. I’ve owned Gibson 335s and while they sounded a little different, the Eastman sounds beautiful and there really is no advantage to spending over twice the price for the least expensive 335. Thanks so much for watching.

[@mikeadams4605]

OK....how does the Eastman T486 compare to the Inspired by Gibson, Epiphone ES-335? Both are made in China.....The Eastman is double the price.....which is the better value? Eastman with better fit and finish plus SD pickups or the Epiphone with their own electronics and pickups.

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

The Eastman, in my opinion, is in a different league than the Epiphone. Forget where they’re made and look at the overall quality, construction details, materials, component quality, etc. I don’t think of the Eastman as twice the price of the Epiphone, I think of it as less than a 3rd the price of the Gibson, which it’s much closer to. BTW, the Seymour Duncans on the Eastman are stock. Thanks for watching.

[@adamswanson8216]

The Eastman is a far superior guitar. I truly wanted to buy one of the epic Phone, B.B. King, Legacy guitars, and did so hoping that by upgrading the pick ups and all of the other parts on it that I would at least have a B.B. King guitar by the time I was done I had $1200 into the parts and a pair of Lucille pick ups from lust. Frone the guitars is great, but still not worth gigging with. I still don’t like the neck profile and it is more of a decoration And I have $2200 tied up in it. I did the same thing only changing tuners and pickups and putting a VI wiring harness in the T4 86 and it sounds better than my custom shop 335 or not artisan H5 35 from Heritage, so as much as it’s odd to me as well to buy a guitar for so little money considering the benefits, it truly is a damn good guitar and they sometimes do need a little fretwork by the way they don’t all come pristine. Gibson is the only company that Plex, all of their Fretz on every guitar Eastman is doing it by hand. It’s a good job, but sometimes, they don’t get them all just right, but otherwise great guitar. Thanks again for allowing me to comment and thanks for the demo.

[@MrRFasters]

I do own a 90s blonde EPI DOT with true Gibson PAFs and a true Bigsby mountted. All and all a 1.100 or so guitar (500 the EPI, 300 the pups and 300 the bigsby mount). It s a keeper and in comparison sold a Gibson es137, which sounded alike, but not the bigsby fun and way to much money in there. Playin the EPI besides a Eastman 465B, also bigsby mounted and the Seymour Duncan P90s. Has so much more the P90 flavour going on. Both have their role to play in my lineup and love em both dearly. Eastman better build, finer details but EPI also dear after it s upgrades. The blond top of the EPI is aging gracefully. Playing wise comparable guitars aftrr decent setups. And both slay any Gibson I play them against. And soundwise, Im a blues / jazz / mellow rock player - they stack up fine sound wise against some serious Les Paul models I do own as well. Great guitars.

[@fordhammie]

Excellent guitars 100% but...Where are these guitars for 700? They run for 1400+; the T386 on Eastmans site is 1700.00...

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

It’s simple really. Eastman isn’t competing in the $700 guitar market. They’ve built a reputation for high quality, handmade guitars and players buy an Eastman rather than a Gibson, not an Epiphone. Dealers online sell the T386 for about $1260, and compared to $3500 and up for a dot neck 335 it’s not a bad buy, given it’s quality. If it were me I’d move up to the T486 or the more expensive T59, which have great woods, pickups and hardware and are still way below Gibson or even Ibanez Prestige. Yes, you can buy some nice guitars at all price points. Just depends what you’re after. Thanks for watching.

[@fordhammie]

100%... Im ordering a T386 first thing monday a.m.! There's such great buzZ about these handmade guitars! I also like the youtube video I saw of their factory... Not one person on their phones or BS'sing by the water cooler 😂 - very focused on quality craftmanship!

[@fordhammie]

@@leonardgriffieblues5845 😂I thought you said the Eastman costed 700.00 lol but I watched the vid again e

[@freddymclain]

Kicks Gibson ES models up and down the block. Better quality for much less money. Yeah, made in China, mostly by Chinese WOMEN! (get over it)

[@leonardgriffieblues5845]

Yeah, frankly, makes no difference “where” it’s made, only “how” it’s made. People are people wherever they reside. And it’s not political. Good people aren’t responsible for their government, regardless of what country we’re talking about. Eastman was founded by a Chinese classical musician and they do great work. That’s the bottom line. Thanks for watching.

[@freddymclain]

word is they watched Bob Benedetto's video 'How to build an archtop guitar' for instruction. They already knew about maple and spruce. They'd been building violins, cellos, etc. for a few years. They had to learn about frets. That was a new one for them.@@leonardgriffieblues5845