Eastwood Airline Jupiter
Review
Review Date: Friday 8th of March 2013 01:50:10 PM
Last Updated: Thursday 1st of January 1970 01:00:00 AM
Reviewed By: Marcus Leadley
Eastwood has become the first port of call for guitar players seeking the feel of a quirky vintage classic without the issues associated with an original.
Raise a glass to Eastwood, the fearless reissue merchants for whom no guitar of the past is seemingly deemed unworthy of resurrecting. This month we’re dusting off the coily white lead and cranking the reverb to sample a bluesy semi-acoustic.
There never was an Airline Jupiter, but there was a Silvertone Jupiter made by Harmony, who sold much the same guitar as the H-49 Stratotone. The originals had a three-bolt neck and a semi-solid body with a spruce top and back and maple sides, plus Rowe/DeArmond pickups which delivered classic twang with a vengeance.
Today’s Jupiter riffs on these themes without being a slavish copy. The body is maple, and the maple neck is fixed on with four bolts and a metal plate.
This reissue has a more rounded, less dumpy-looking bottom bout and the independent tone and volume controls are located on the body rather than in line on a curving white scratchplate. Eastwood has chosen to omit the original ‘tone blender’ circuit, but the ‘flipper’ style three-way pickup selector remains.
The redburst finish with the white scratchplate looks the business, and overall this guitar has a very stylish appeal. The bound rosewood neck is a pleasure to play; it’s thin without being skinny and favours fast, accurate playing.
Unplugged, the hollow build gives good volume, which makes it an ideal late-night couch guitar. You might imagine the rosewood bridge would encourage a very mellow tone, but the guitar is surprisingly bright with plenty of pick-edge scratchiness.
This reissue has a more rounded, less dumpy-looking bottom bout and the independent tone and volume controls are located on the body rather than in line on a curving white scratchplate. Eastwood has chosen to omit the original ‘tone blender’ circuit, but the ‘flipper’ style three-way pickup selector remains.
The redburst finish with the white scratchplate looks the business, and overall this guitar has a very stylish appeal. The bound rosewood neck is a pleasure to play; it’s thin without being skinny and favours fast, accurate playing.
Unplugged, the hollow build gives good volume, which makes it an ideal late-night couch guitar. You might imagine the rosewood bridge would encourage a very mellow tone, but the guitar is surprisingly bright with plenty of pick-edge scratchiness.
Sounds
The Jupiter sounds bright and clear with good midrange clarity but a slightly understated bass. As a singer/songwriter guitar it gets top marks, and old-school pop instrumentals sound really authentic. The Airline Argyle Diamonds have a similar spec to the old DeArmonds; even the grille pattern emulates the ‘multi-diamond’ look.
There’s not a huge difference in sound between the three positions: there’s a toppy tone from the bridge, full-spectrum clarity with both units together, and a slightly warmer brogue from the neck. This tonal closeness is an advantage, as you can really work the variations though a song for creating nuance.
Surprisingly for an instrument with a ’50/’60s pedigree this guitar doesn’t have a mellow jazz chord comping voice: even with the tone rolled off a certain brightness cuts through. A little amp grit and reverb is great for rockabilly, and mid-level distortion turns the Jupiter into a wiry ’60s blues machine or modern alt-rock contender.
Too much drive seems to choke the tone so it won’t really compete as a rock soloist, but you can cover much of the dirty territory for which you might employ a Gretsch Duo Jet with Dynasonics… and it sounds excellent with a germanium fuzz and tremolo.
There’s not a huge difference in sound between the three positions: there’s a toppy tone from the bridge, full-spectrum clarity with both units together, and a slightly warmer brogue from the neck. This tonal closeness is an advantage, as you can really work the variations though a song for creating nuance.
Surprisingly for an instrument with a ’50/’60s pedigree this guitar doesn’t have a mellow jazz chord comping voice: even with the tone rolled off a certain brightness cuts through. A little amp grit and reverb is great for rockabilly, and mid-level distortion turns the Jupiter into a wiry ’60s blues machine or modern alt-rock contender.
Too much drive seems to choke the tone so it won’t really compete as a rock soloist, but you can cover much of the dirty territory for which you might employ a Gretsch Duo Jet with Dynasonics… and it sounds excellent with a germanium fuzz and tremolo.
more at www.eastwoodguitars.co.uk
Verdict
The Jupiter is a great player with a real ’60s sound. It would be excellent in the right covers band, but it can also hold its own in modern genres, except those that need smooth overdrive or controlled sustain. The Hi-Flyer Phase 4 is a rude monster that can speak sweetly if you want, and we love it. Whether or not there is any real Kurt Cobain connection doesn’t matter; it deserves to be more popular now than it was first time around.
Latest Issue
Guitar & Bass Magazine June 2013
COVER: PAUL KOSSOFF - We tell the tale of Free's tragic genius.
INTERVIEWS with six-string wizard JOE SATRIANI, DAVE KELLY and STEVE EARLE
VINTAGE: This month Lars Mullen meets Michael Warmsley and surveys a collection with Gretsch at its heart
WORKSHOPS: Learn to play like THE KINKS and JOY DIVISION
COVER: PAUL KOSSOFF - We tell the tale of Free's tragic genius.
INTERVIEWS with six-string wizard JOE SATRIANI, DAVE KELLY and STEVE EARLE
VINTAGE: This month Lars Mullen meets Michael Warmsley and surveys a collection with Gretsch at its heart
WORKSHOPS: Learn to play like THE KINKS and JOY DIVISION
