Wait – what? Did Eastwood simply convey again the Tremendous Axe, that extremely uncommon chook from the late ’70s?

Certainly, they did. A Korean-made reissue, it captures the spirit of Gretsch’s chambered curiosity.

Grabbing one, the very first thing you’ll discover is the outsized but skinny physique, with its arched high and the enchanting traces of its neck/physique joint. The Tremendous Axe has the final footprint of an archtop, however lowered to one thing even thinner than a standard thinline. Because it’s “tone chambered,” the burden is an inexpensive 9 kilos – hefty, however not uncomfortably so. The physique is mahogany with maple veneer on the highest, again, and sides, and a well-known Orange end or a darker choice referred to as Ebony Stain. The set neck is maple, with a form that’s skinny, fast, and sports activities a 24.5″ scale, appointed with a certain ebony fretboard with dice inlays.

There are two humbuckers, grasp Quantity, two Tone knobs, and three-way pickup toggle. The place the Gretsch Tremendous Axe had onboard part shifter and compressor results, Eastwood (understanding these results are commonplace in the present day) made intelligent substitutions. First, there are coil-tap switches for every humbucker. Don’t count on Fender tones, however actually, there are brighter flavors to discover.

Gamers will probably be fascinated by the OBEL (on-board results loop) circuit, which runs by the Tremendous Axe, not your amplifier. OBEL was utilized by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Lifeless to regulate the quantity of his results onstage. Utilizing a breakout field with TRS and different cables, you possibly can put stompboxes into the loop and isolate them from the guitar’s preamp. In essence, it reduces the guitar’s quantity whereas permitting the complete depth of every impact. An revolutionary characteristic, no query.

One other tone tip: When you plug within the Tremendous Axe and see edgy breakup, that’s the Transwarp Preamp, which is powered by a 9-volt battery and may’t be turned off. In order for you Garcia grit, depart it alone, however for cleaner textures, take away the battery cowl, the place you’ll see a small trim pot. Flip it counterclockwise with a small screwdriver and also you’ll discover cleaner preamp colours.

In all, the Eastwood’s Tremendous Axe is a superb remodeling of a one-of-a-kind ’70s axe, providing nice maintain, a quick neck, and funky electronics. Twang one. – Pete Prown

This text initially appeared in VG’s April 2025 challenge. All copyrights are by the creator and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.