-
I also bought my 2008 Eastman 803ce (seen in my logo) from Blue Note Music in 2009. After playing an Eastman 803ce against a couple of Heritage guitars, I was about to happily settle on the Eastman, so asked James, the owner, for a case for it. He went back into the stockroom and brought out what he thought was an empty case; when he opened it, there was the 803ce in a rare golden color. Somehow that one had escaped their inventory list, and though it probably went for considerably more, James let me have it at the same price as the violin-finished one. I still marvel at the quality and sound every time I pick it up, and it's my main guitar (my only other one being a Tele).
Last edited by Perdido; 12-11-2021 at 04:18 PM.
-
12-11-2021 03:40 PM
-
Thanks everyone for the pieces of advice and sharing of experiences with these Eastman's. I ended up taking an hour drive south of me to a little instrument store. I need my amp repaired and they happened to be an Eastman dealer so I asked if I could try some of them out. Had to sit in a 'premium' acoustic room where they sat.
I tried a AR503CE, AR805CE, and a John Pisano AR880CE. They were all good but wow that AR880CE was really something else. I never really got the whole 'bonded with my instrument immediately' thing until I played that one. Coincidentally, I liked the AR805CE the least and in the middle was the AR503CE. However, they were both in my opinion a fair bit away in quality from the AR880CE - it really was a splendid playing instrument. It's even marked down from the base price because of some imperfection I will have to check when I go back. I've basically decided on picking it up. Absolutely will be the most expensive instrument I've ever bought but I'm sure it won't matter as much once I'm playing.
Cheers!
-
Congrats on a excellent decision! I bought a Pisano 880 when they were first introduced, mine is a 2005 build. I've played hundreds of gigs with it, I love the neck profile. It's a very comfy guitar. My main working guitar is a Bob-built Benedetto Cremona with a floating Bartolini pick-up, however there are occasions when that instrument just doesn't fit the bill. The Pisano gets the call.
Originally Posted by chris32895
I currently have the Pisano set up with TI Jazz Swing 12's, they work wonderfully on that guitar.
Enjoy your Pisano, and do a NGD when you get a chance.
-
I've owned 4-5 Eastmans (800 series archtops and also an SB59 LP-style single cut). This company is outbuilding Gibson, IMO. You really cannot go wrong with an Eastman made in the last 5-10 years. I decided long ago I do not require "Gibson" on the headstock, and with that realization saved myself a ton of wasted money.
-
Originally Posted by chris32895
congrats!! and we need pics, you know.
-
cool, i bought my first Eastman from James at BNM too. On that day, I asked him to bring them all out and line them up - he had like 10+ of the CE810, and I A-B'd them 2 at a time until I could pick the best, lol. It was a long day,. Originally Posted by Perdido
-
I agree wholeheartedly! I love that neck too. I also play a Bernie Lehmann, but the feel of the 880 cannot be beat for me. Originally Posted by SierraTango
BTW: as I said earlier, mine is a 2007 so between Sierra and myself I think it's safe to say they've been making great instruments for longer than 10 years. (some of the time at least :-)
I hope the OP enjoys his 880 as much as Sierra and I do ours!
-
My personal experience with Eastman guitars goes back at least 20 years. They have been producing Archtops since around 2000-IMHO they really started getting good around 2005. Originally Posted by ccroft
I believe they started binding the F-holes on the 880 around 2007. Also, I have seen some examples with a outline around the headstock, so there are some variations.
Here's a crappy Christmas photo of my 2005. No bound F-holes or outline. Just showing the OP how nice his will look under the tree when Santa visits!
-
So just for the archives: my 2007 has unbound f-holes and an outline. Must be a transitional year. It's got nice rims:
-
Alright, guys, so I went ahead and drove to the store with the AR880CE Pisano, tried it out plugged in (I only tried unplugged the first time) and picked it up. They were nice enough to discount me on some strings and a stand and strap I picked up for it as well. It is my only ever 'nice' (over $1k) guitar and it really feels like it. It's funny having a quality instrument after playing mostly mexican strats and cheap laminated hollow bodies for so long. Funnily, mine came with two truss rod covers - one is too short though, hmm. Also, I didn't notice until I got home but there are no strap buttons installed. It's a 2013 and apparently it's been sitting in their store this whole time so it definitely needs a setup too. Otherwise, very happy with the instrument. I'll post NGD once I get it back from the setup and strap button install.
-
I bought 2 carved-top Eastman archtops at Rudy's, both identified as "custom" even though they are really signature models that have been available. I have played several other high-end archtops (although I didn't try out the $50k-and-up gems at Rudy's), and although I envy my friends owning them, I am happy with these two. One is a AR905 CE CC – it's got a Lollar Charlie Christian pickup, and I really enjoy playing it.
The other is a PG2 – it's designed by Claudio & Claudia Pagelli, kind of based on their Gringobeat guitar. It's absolutely my go-to guitar – the neck is perfect, the sound is crystal clear, it sounds sweet unplugged, and it has a larger body while still feeling like a 16" under one's arm.
These are both on the more expensive end of Eastman archtops, but the finish is terrific, they look great, they feel great, and they sound great.
-
This PG2 is for sale on Reverb, and the seller will take offers. Since it is my favorite guitar of all that I have owned, I think it's a good deal, because I'm biased.
Eastman PG2 Pagelli Archtop Recent | The Fellowship of | Reverb
-
I have a Pisano AR380CE and absolutely love it. Comparing it to Gibson ES-175s it has more of a thunk and woodier type sound. Kind of the character of a double bass but in a guitar. Mine is stock and I absolutely love the pickups. They don’t really sound so much like Gibsons but I assume they add to that sound it has. Maybe it would be better with hand wound pickups but I love it as is. The only “bad” thing I can say about it is that to me it’s not a duplicate of an ES-175. It’s its own guitar and excels at it. It may be able to be dialed in to a more 175 sound but I don’t want to. Also, I have two other Eastmans that I love also. AR810CE and AR805CE that my dad finally traded back to me yesterday after I missed it for several years.
-
One thing about the sound of the AR380CE I have. The strings are different that on the ES-175s I’ve played. I haven’t identified them and I’m pretty certain that this effects the sound a lot. Flatwound with light blue silk at the bridge.
-
The 380 never could duplicate a 175. It is a full inch thinner body depth.
And besides the pickups are different as well.
That said, if you are not fussed about obtaining a 175 sound then it is a great guitar.
I wonder if people see a Florentine cutaway and immediately assume a 175 copy.
-
I have to admit, when I saw it I immediately thought 175. When I played it I immediately thought this guitar is amazing, I need it! Just played it amplified vs an ES-175 and they aren’t the same guitar. Cover some similar territory but not the same.
-
Totally agree with you.
on paper there is similarity but then enough subtle changes make it it’s own thing.
ebony fretboard, maybe the tailpiece, ebony bridge, the thickness of the body plates, then larger macro differences like body depth and pickups.
Either way a joy to play and I appreciate the wider nut. And looks a million bucks too.
-
As of yesterday, I have (am having) more experience with Eastman. Picked up a used 2006 T146smd. Same dark antique color as AKA's T145. A very pretty instrument. My wife was quite impressed when I pulled it out of the case.
Getting to know it now. On first hearing, thought I should change the pickups, put in Seth Lovers. That's a good idea, but now I'm realizing there are some great sounds in here as is. Got the neck only position sounding much better by lowering the p/u on the bass side. Put on pyramid pure nickel roundwound .011s, subbing in a .021 wound third and .0115 for high E. But still a bit dark and dull at lower volumes. Some p/us do well with lowered volume at the guitar. This neck p/u wants to be louder. Perhaps new pots would help here.
It's the middle p/u position that really works wonders. Fat and twangy. Up a bit louder, the good stuff starts. The edge of feedback sound is different with this all solid wood body than the laminated hollowbodies I have. Especially noticeable holding a note on the B or E string. The notes swell up, start to feedback, but in a controllable way. I could get used to this guitar ...
Something very appealing about the T146smd. I've been so curious about thin hollowbodies. This turns out to be a very interesting example.
-
I have an Eatman T-165 MX and T-486 (both semis) and they're very usable. I'd put the 486 on a par with the best Ibanez.
The MX OTOH is superb. I had a Gibson ES-275 a very similarly constructed git which was a major disappointment and it went back. I'd buy another Eastman in a heartbeat.
-
I bought an AR 905 CE around 2004 / 2005 and it was my main guitar for a couple of years. A very fine instrument but also a bit delicate as it tends to feed back very fast. IMHO these delicate carved guitars (like the 805 - 910 – these were the only eastman guitars available in Germany then, I think since then they introduced other guitars that may be less sensitive to feedback) work best in very quiet ensembles. The eastman's playability and sound were second to none. I just sold it lately and I hope the new owner loves it.
-
I had an Eastman AR580CE for a couple of years; it was my fourth archtop guitar after playing for a while on a Loar LH-350 and before that a Yamaha AES1500 and an Ibanez Artcore.
Overall I thought it was a nice looking instrument with a strong acoustic voice, and a decent if a little muddy electric tone from the KA pickup. Compared to the Yamaha or the Ibanez it felt a little less precise to play, but it had a nice resonance that felt good to play swing on. I only sold it because I picked up Hofner New President that does all of the archtop things I need better.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
-
I found three Eastman acoustics locally over the years. Two OM size models that were towards the top of the Eastman line regarding specs. Both for less than $800 each. They are great especially for the price. I gave one away to my son. So if he breaks it it will hurt but not like a $3k Martin (3 years so far not busted yet).
The third is an acoustic electric a 722 CE I believe . I met that seller at a Guitar Center and compared it to a similar spec’d Taylor costing 3 x more. The Eastman sounded better to me.. subjective of course but it struck me.
We are lucky to have Eastman as an option.
-
good value for money, but that in itself does not mean great, Gibson & Ibanez and other makers have made great guitars simple.
Having owned a few Eastmans, good but not great. IMO
-
I purchased my Eastman Jazz Elite 17 from Guitars 'n Jazz in 2013 for $2250. It now has a Lindy Fralin Pure PAF & Jescar 47/104 fret wire. The body is 17" x 2.5" with heavy parallel bracing. Well made with cazy nice wood binding, it sounds great! I've seen used ones for around $1600.
-
I've played a number of Gibsons through the years that were not great guitars and not worth the price.My friend is a Gibson Les Paul Custom Shop fanatic.When he played my Eastman SB59,he was blown away how good it was and immediately went and purchased two of them.He's a diehard Gibson guy and even he had to admit the Eastman was on par with some of his Gibsons and they cost a hell of a lot less.I've been an Eastman fan for the last decade and at least for me they are making some great guitars.
Reply With Quote
Raney and Abersold, great interview.
Yesterday, 11:21 PM in Improvisation