Eastman FullerTone Offset ’62 Review

Right On the Nose

The Offset ’62 succeeds on many levels. But what really stands out is how effectively Eastman assembled a kind of greatest-hits-of-classic-American-solidbodies mashup that plays and feels like something very unique. The FullerTone Offset ’62 didn’t arrive out of nowhere—it’s the product of a few earlier designs, and it shows. The first is the U.S.-built Eastman D’Ambrosio, a solidbody line drawn up by luthier Otto D’Ambrosio, which gave us not just the shape seen here but the 2-bolt, long-tenon neck that’s so critical to it. Eastman also released China-made takes on the D’Ambrosio models—the FullerTone SC '52 and DC ’62, which retained more literal S-style and T-style design elements.

The Offset ’62 shares the same basic dimensions as the SC ’52 and DC ’62. But the ’62 Offset curves more sharply from the endpin toward the waist. The most remarkable thing about the ’62 Offset’s body, however, is how comfortable it is. The compact, featherweight, roasted black limba body feels a lot like a Les Paul Junior, except that the beautiful forearm and belly cuts give it the contoured, extension-of-the-body sleekness of a Stratocaster. This contributes to a fantastic sense of balance. It’s hard to imagine a guitar hanging more comfortably off the shoulders. And while the scale length is 25 1/2", the bridge sits much further back on the body than it would on, say, a Jazzmaster. This design element, combined with the deep heel cut enabled by the 2-bolt, long tenon joint, make the 24-fret, 2-octave neck feel more tightly integrated with the very compact whole.

"It’s hard to imagine a guitar hanging more comfortably off the shoulders."

The neck itself is a lovely piece of maple capped with a rosewood fretboard, but its deep profile is not what you’ll see on most of the Offset ’62’s competitors. It’s very substantial, which won’t be to everyone’s taste. But it feels very much of a piece with the already cohesive whole, and it works with the 12" radius, the medium-jumbo Jescar FW47104-P frets, and the beautifully rounded fretboard edges to feel natural and precise. Your results may vary, and this facet of the Eastman’s design, as much as any other, makes it critical that you try before you buy. But I would prepare to be stoked. Apart from old favorites in my collection, I haven’t encountered a neck that felt this good in a very long time.

The Offset ’62 excels on other ergonomic counts, too. The very Stratocaster-like volume and tone control layout is ideally situated relative to the playing hand—with a few twists. I like that each pickup has a dedicated volume governed by master tone rather than a master volume with independent tone controls. This configuration enables a lot of interesting and unique tone pictures. But in the combined pickup setting, if you zero either of the volume controls you mute the whole instrument rather than a single pickup. And while orienting the neck pickup control closer to the bridge correlates more directly to the position of the pickups themselves, my preference for the bridge pickup’s sound made we wish their positions were reversed.

The Goldo DG vibrato system is a treat as well. It’s smooth, accurate, free from squeaks and clatter, and will pitch down or up while remaining tuning-stable. But the vibrato arm itself can feel short—especially if you’re used to a Jazzmaster vibrato and/or tend to keep the arm in hand while you pick and strum. Additionally, the arm is pretty close to the body in its rest position, which compounds the aforementioned issues a bit but also makes dramatic de-tuning trickier. It’s another design factor that makes it important to try before you buy.

​Not The Same Old Pickup Line

The Offset ’62’s pickups, called “soapbar humbuckers,” are by the UK company Tonerider. They are not, as the appearance suggests, true gold-foil pickups with rubber magnets, and they have unique voices that are hard to pinpoint. In search of a best tone match, I played them alongside PAFs, P-90s, and Jazzmaster, Stratocaster, Telecaster, and Firebird pickups—and they sounded quite unlike any of them. From the bridge pickup I heard many of the wide-vista clean properties of a hot Stratocaster unit. But it can evoke a bigger, fatter Telecaster bridge pickup, too, or a less growly Firebird. In any case, it’s airy, with enough lean muscle to drive amps but headroom enough for fuzz and drive voices to shine. The neck pickup is warm but relatively sedate in the fashion of a Telecaster neck unit. I’m aware this might not sound like a flattering comparison to those who unjustly malign Telecaster neck tones, but I loved it in clean, jazzy contexts and in dirty, Marshall-style drive environments alike. Both pickups, by the way, have a very low noise floor.

​The Verdict

Lightweight, comfortable, well-proportioned, tuning stable, a great neck, intriguing pickups. If you’re looking to have a beef with the Eastman Offset ’62, it will probably be a very personal and subjective one. The neck might be too thick for some. Maybe the amalgam of Telecaster, Stratocaster, and Starcaster elements that make up the headstock will look awkward to your eye. Perhaps you’ll want more heft or cut from the neck pickup. But in purely objective, performance- and quality-oriented terms, the Offset ’62 is a thoughtfully, often brilliantly conceived and executed instrument. At $999 it ducks under the $1k threshold by technicality. But in many respects—not least the overall sense of balance and unified design—it beats import rivals that cost hundreds more. Again, it’s unique enough in feel and sound that it merits a try before you buy. But if you’re in shopping mode, don’t be surprised if you walk home one guitar richer, and a very satisfied customer.