Eastwood Guitars

Eastwood Guitars

Country	Brampton, Ontario. Canada
Introduced	by Michael Robinson in 2001
Markets	Music instrument
Website	https://eastwoodguitars.com/

Eastwood Guitars is a Canadian manufacturer of stringed instruments founded in 2001 by Michael Robinson, based in Brampton, Ontario. The company specializes in making tribute and vintage-style instruments, including electric guitars, basses, electric mandolins, resonator guitars, lap steels, tenor guitars, and ukuleles. The manufacturer started by selling direct to consumers online before expanding into retail stores.

Design

Eastwood Guitars is known for producing modern reinterpretations of rare and discontinued electric guitar designs from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Many of the company's instruments are inspired by so-called "pawnshop guitars" originally manufactured by brands such as Airline, Teisco, Harmony, Kay and Wandrè.

While preserving many of the visual characteristics of the original instruments, Eastwood typically updates its models with modern construction methods, hardware and electronics.

The company has also produced signature instruments for musicians associated with alternative, experimental and indie rock scenes, including Warren Ellis and Bill Nelson.

The company has also used public voting campaigns to select obscure vintage instruments for modern reissue production. In collaboration with Premier Guitar, Eastwood launched the "World's Ugliest Guitar" project, inviting readers to vote on unconventional mid-century guitar designs for possible reinterpretation.

Airline

After acquiring the rights to the Airline trade name in the early 2000s, Eastwood Guitars began producing modern reissues of several Valco-era Airline models, including the early 1960s "JB Hutto" design, reissued as the Airline DLX. Unlike the original Valco-made instruments, which featured hollow fiberglass bodies, the Eastwood version used a chambered mahogany body, resulting in a more conventional electric guitar feel and tonal response.

In December 2008, Eastwood introduced the Airline '59 Custom model in two-and three-pickup configurations. The instruments incorporated design elements associated with the original Airline guitars, including striped pickguards and rubber body binding.

Signature models

Warren Ellis Tenor Guitar

Eastwood has collaborated with several musicians on signature instruments. In 2010, the company introduced the Warren Ellis Tenor Guitar, a signature model developed with musician Warren Ellis, known for his work with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Dirty Three, Grinderman.

The Warren Ellis Signature Electric Tenor Guitar features a Fender Mustang inspired solid alder body, a bolt-on maple neck, and a rosewood fingerboard. The instrument is equipped with a custom single-coil blade pickup with volume and tone controls. The initial limited release was produced in a Vintage Cream finish with a tortoiseshell pickguard and chrome hardware. The tenor guitar is primarily tuned in fifths (CGDA), similarly to a violin (Ellis primary instrument), though alternative tunings including "Chicago tuning" (DBGE) and open tunings for slide playing are also supported.

Bill Nelson Astroluxe Cadet

Eastwood Guitars collaborated with musician Bill Nelson on the production of the Bill Nelson Astroluxe Cadet, a signature electric guitar model inspired by Nelson's longstanding interest in futuristic and non-traditional guitar design aesthetics. The model was based on Nelson's own Astroluxe custom instruments and reflected his association with experimental rock and art rock music. The guitar featured retro-futuristic styling characteristic of both Nelson's visual approach and Eastwood's focus on reviving unconventional electric guitar designs.

The Bill Nelson Astroluxe Cadet is a semi-hollow electric guitar featuring a slightly arched top, a single f-hole with a grille design, and a double-cutaway body shape. The instrument is equipped with three Airline Argyle White Coil pickups and a control layout based partly on standard Gibson-style electronics. A three-way selector switch operates the neck and bridge pickups through independent volume and tone controls, while the centre switch position allows the master volume control to blend the middle pickup with either the neck or bridge pickup.

The Microtonal Doubleneck

In May 2026, Eastwood Guitars released the Microtonal Doubleneck 4/6, an electric guitar and bass hybrid, with alternative fret spacing designed for microtonal playing. The guitar was inspired by the instruments used by the Canadian experimental band Angine de Poitrine. According to Guitar World, the design originated from an earlier request by guitarist Khn for a white microtonal version of the instrument with black appointments.

Eastwood stated that discussions about producing a direct signature replica of Khn de Poitrine's instrument were ultimately abandoned at the musician's request but discussions between Eastwood and the band's luthier Raphael Le Breton led to the release of an Angine de Poitrine inspired instrument.

Dennis Fano Rivolta Combinata bass

In 2026, Eastwood Guitars reissued the Rivolta Combinata Bass, a model originally designed by luthier Dennis Fano under his Rivolta brand. The reissue formed part of Eastwood's continued collaborations with independent instrument designers and boutique-inspired guitar models. The instrument retained the offset body shape and retro-inspired aesthetics associated with Fano's original design while adapting the model for Eastwood's broader production line.

Notable users

• Warren Ellis
• Bill Nelson
• Ed Rodriguez
• Jeff Wootton
• Laurie Vincent
• Nick McCabe
• Albert Bouchard
• Ripley Johnson
• Anton Newcombe
• Josh Klinghoffer
• Nick Valensi
• Corey Taylor
• Jack White

Airline Coronado DLX autographed by Earl Slick

Eastwood Airline Bighorn electric guitar

External links

• Official website