Eastwood

Overview

Eastwood Guitars is a Canadian manufacturer of stringed instruments founded in 2001, specializing in vintage-style electric guitars, basses, baritone guitars, resonator guitars, lap steels, tenor guitars, electric mandolins, and ukuleles. The brand focuses on recreating rare and obscure designs from rock history that lacked commercial success originally, positioning itself in the niche market for tribute instruments that emphasize playability and aesthetics over mass production.⁵⁶

History

Eastwood Guitars was founded in 2001 by Michael Robinson in Canada, initially as a hobby of buying, selling, and recreating rare electric guitars due to issues with availability, cost, and quality of originals. The company has grown to produce a range of vintage-inspired stringed instruments. In recent years, it opened its first showroom in Nashville, Tennessee, marking expansion into the US market.¹⁵⁶³

Product Lines

Manufacturing

Products are manufactured in Canada with headquarters in Georgetown, Ontario. The company produces its instruments in-house, focusing on recreating vintage designs with modern playability improvements.¹⁵

Notable Products

• Airline Coronado - Vintage-style electric guitar associated with Adrian Belew.
• Spectrum 5 Pro - Obscure 1960s design remake played by Adrian Belew.
• Nashville 12 - 12-string guitar used by Peter Buck of R.E.M.
• Rivolta Combinata Jr. - Compact combo amp-guitar hybrid featured in showroom openings.

Reputation

Eastwood Guitars is regarded by enthusiasts for successfully reviving obscure vintage designs with improved build quality and playability compared to originals. Professionals like Adrian Belew and Peter Buck have used their instruments, adding credibility in niche circles. Some criticisms note inconsistencies in quality control on lower-end models.