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Hi all,
I am considering buying one of these guitars after have spent a multitude of hours here, on youtube and elsewhere.
Has anyone here played both?
I am looking for a rich, deep jazz sound. I will be playing quietly amplified and acoustic in home settings alone and with one or two friends.
These both have a set pickup. The main difference is in the wood: carved spruce with mahogany back and sides on the Pisano and carved maple top, maple back and sides on the Cremona. The scale is close: 25 on the Pisano, 25.5 on the Cremona.
There are so many variables that influence the sound on the youtube vidoes (even my computers speakers), so I am reluctant to totally trust the few examples and what I might achieve.
I suspect the Pisano to be darker over all due to the shorter scale and woods, while the Cremona might be more lively.
Looking for first hand feedback on these. Thanks so much in advance!
Ben
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02-09-2012 10:12 AM
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That is a tough call. For me I think I would take the Cremona every time
If you are into the Wes Tone....this Guy is NAILING TO THE WALL. I honestly don't feel like there would bea huge difference in tone from a 25" to a 25.5" scale. The difference is so small as compared to a 25.5" scale to a 24 3/4"...could be wrong. I think the Cremona is a fantastic instrument.
Best of luck deciding. Wish I wish I was in such a situation...haha Its like deciding which supermodel to take home...the blond or the red head...
'Mike
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Thanks for the response.
I know what you mean about the supermodels. I usually can't decide, so I take both. Can't do this with the guitars this time.
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Either one will work. What kind of amp do you have?
I imagine I'd like the tone of the pisano unplugged better than the cremona, but then again, mahogany is an interesting back and sides choice for an archtop.
How about a Peerless Jazz City? Yum.
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I like my monarch better than the Jazz City. But to each there own. As it is I have 52% hearing loss in my left ear...so what do I know...haha
'Mike
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Amps are a Fender 70's (SF) DR and a 67 Princeton.
For some reason, I'm not crazy about the looks or the sound of the Jazz City.
Yes, one of the reasons that I'd like to hear from people who have played the Eastman 680 (vs, the 880, Pisano with maple back and sides) is just for that reason. I don't see many archtops with mahogany. Must be a reason for that. Too dark?
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Talk to Lou at guitars and jazz. He's pretty good at describing sound. I own a 16" Cremona and have owned a Pisano but not the mahogany one. Can't offer a difference for you between those two. Between the ones I owned they are very different guitars. For a "deep" jazz sound the Cremona would be the choice between the two. The Pisano has a very modern sound much more open sounding. Both real nice players.
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Pm sent.
That's intersting. I bet the two Pisano models sound very different side by side.
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Can't say it enough...give Lou a call at guitarsnjazz.com If he does not answer(rare) leave a message and he WILL call you back.
'Mike
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Until buying one, I had no idea how good the Cremona was. The Cremona sounds absolutely nothing like a Pisano 880 or 680 model.
+1 on contacting Lou at GnJ.
Last edited by 2bornot2bop; 09-30-2013 at 08:17 PM.
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An old thread for sure born2,
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I've been enjoying my Eastman Pisano 680 since shortly after starting this thread in Feb 2012. It's been really wonderful. No regrets. A 25" scale and the 1 3/4" nut suit me well. And you're right. I think they sound dissimilar. Both good. If I add anything to the stable, it's going to be a laminate for an entirely different feel and sound. Glad you like the Cremona. I do like it's sound from the recordings I've heard. And FWIW, I did contact Lou. He listened to me and after considering my thoughts, recommended the Pisano.
Cheers,
Ben
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I love the warm-dark sound!
The Eastman Pisano model 680 seems to be closer to this, while the Cremona is (in my opinion) more clear and bright. The Gibson L4 Mahogany is wonderful....
Osvi
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Beautiful playing and sound!
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Hi,
Originally Posted by thrush40
Have you checked out the Eastman Elite Jazz 17? I like it's tone:
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Originally Posted by helios
Yes...this is a very good sounding Eastman!
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Beautiful playing, too.
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My main (read only archtop) is an Eastman AR610, and that is the spruce topped, mahogany backs and sides guitar. I think the acoustic tone is very warm and rich, yet quite snappy. It certainly sounds different than the more traditional spruce and mahogany. The reason I went with this guitar was it's the same combo used in Frank Vignola's guitar. Now while I will never honestly compare the Thorell and Eastman, that inherent familiar tone is there. I've got another Eastman on the way that has the maple backs and sides so I am really interested to see how different they sound.
Last edited by JSanta; 10-01-2013 at 09:44 AM.
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it was new 2 me, Originally Posted by thrush40
An old thread for sure born2,
That's very funny. My experience has been the total opposite of yours. Having now owned both guitars, it's not even close. The Cremona is classic old school fat jazz warmth and the Pisano is actually the "bright" archtop. Pisano's are known for brightness. I've owned 3. Originally Posted by osvi
What is your Cremona experience based upon? You've got to live with an archtop; set it up your way to get a real sense of what it's about. I'm running Thomastik bebop 13's on the Cremona and this guitar is warmer than 18" arch tops I've owned. Set ups matter. Where's a sound sample when u need one. I'd settle this.
I've owned archtops that were "bright." Notice the word "owned", as in past tense, i.e., gone because of their brightness.
In my brief ownership experience, there's nuthin' bright about a Cremona. The video's posted thus far aren't reflective of the Cremona. Period.
One can't judge an archtop's capability based upon youtube video's, because most video recording is crap, as reflected by the above video's, and not reflective of the actual gear being recorded. For example, notice the difference in the recording quality between Lou's GnJ video's and Jon Dalton's Trio? JD is using a pro gear recording setup, with even a high def video recorder. Clearly you must hear and differentiate and distinguish the difference?
I've owned an Eastman Elite 16...it's a superb guitar...and compared to warm guitars, the Elite is bright.Last edited by 2bornot2bop; 10-01-2013 at 12:50 PM.
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2bor2b2bdoo,
Totally agree that the Eastman has a bright character. I'd have to check, but I bet the bracing the Pisano and Cremona are very different. I can only imagine that the 880 is brighter than the 680. So, can I come over and play the cremona for a little while? Love your neck of the woods.
Cheers all,
Ben (decidedly 2b)
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I played the Eastman Pisano in the store and the Cremona from a friend but unfortunately for a short time. it is therefore possible that my impressions are wrong, you are right to say that you should play the guitar for a long time to understand its sonic character. Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
it was new 2 me,
That's very funny. My experience has been the total opposite of yours. Having now owned both guitars, it's not even close. The Cremona is classic old school fat jazz warmth and the Pisano is actually the "bright" archtop. Pisano's are known for brightness. I've owned 3.
What is your Cremona experience based upon? You've got to live with an archtop; set it up your way to get a real sense of what it's about. I'm running Thomastik bebop 13's on the Cremona and this guitar is warmer than 18" arch tops I've owned. Set ups matter. Where's a sound sample when u need one. I'd settle this.
I've owned archtops that were "bright." Notice the word "owned", as in past tense, i.e., gone because of their brightness.
In my brief ownership experience, there's nuthin' bright about a Cremona. The video's posted thus far aren't reflective of the Cremona. Period.
One can't judge an archtop's capability based upon youtube video's, because most video recording is crap, as reflected by the above video's, and not reflective of the actual gear being recorded. For example, notice the difference in the recording quality between Lou's GnJ video's and Jon Dalton's Trio? JD is using a pro gear recording setup, with even a high def video recorder. Clearly you must hear and differentiate and distinguish the difference?
I've owned an Eastman Elite 16...it's a superb guitar...and compared to warm guitars, the Elite is bright.
But I must say that my sound I find it more easily in the Gibson L4, with a single pick-up would be perfect (for me).
Ciao (excuse my bad English),
Osvi
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Man - I can't tell you what I was feeling listening to the Jon Dalton Trio tone. Love that tone and sound of the Gibson L-4. That sounds like what I'd like. If the Eastman Pisano is shorter scale as well and with excellent playability plus smaller body size, that would help seal the deal for me. I think I've got to find a dealer nearby, maybe in Boston, to try those two models out - the Cremona versus the Eastman Pisano. They both sounded good to me.
I just checked out that great looking web site of Guitars'n Jazz. Darn, I used to live in Summit, NJ back around 1990! Don't know if they were around but I certainly never saw this place.
JayLast edited by targuit; 10-02-2013 at 01:38 AM.
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The welcome mat is ALWAYS extended my friend. Play 'til your hearts content. Good gumbo too! Originally Posted by thrush40
2bor2b2bdoo,
Totally agree that the Eastman has a bright character. I'd have to check, but I bet the bracing the Pisano and Cremona are very different. I can only imagine that the 880 is brighter than the 680. So, can I come over and play the cremona for a little while? Love your neck of the woods.
Cheers all,
Ben (decidedly 2b)
Your English is wonderful my dear friend. And I too love the tone JD gets from that L4...and I've seen him get an equally fabulous tone from a rare 80's vintage, and hard to find, Washburn J10. Originally Posted by osvi
Please report back Jay. I'd love to hear your results. All I know is, I've owned 3 Pisano's, and now the Cremona for all of 6 days, and the latter has a much warmer tone. I'd like to know what the humbucker is, for it's the fattest bucker I've heard since the Super 70's in an Ibanez L5 knockoff. Good stuff...and cheap too! Originally Posted by targuit
Last edited by 2bornot2bop; 10-02-2013 at 01:52 AM.
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Mr. B-Bop : First embarrassing admission - as I watched the Jon Dalton Trio video the first time, I thought he was playing the Eastman...ok, it's late, and it did look a lot like the Gibson L-4....
Then when I checked out that Summit, NJ guitar site - looks so nice - I realized the Pisano was not a Florentine cutaway, and checked back to the video for a more focused look. Yes, the $5 grand L-4 is a beauty.
Mr. Bop, since you seem to have played or owned a couple of fine guitars through the years, what would you choose for the classic warm, Joe Pass style tone, shorter scale, smaller body, great fingerstyle playability criteria? I have to admit that $5 grand is more than pushing it these days for my budget. I'm thinking closer to $2 grand or so. That Cremona does sound sweet, too....
One of these fall days I'm going to have to find a music store in Boston that might carry a few of these nice archtops to compare.
Jay
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Check these very well-recorded demos out of the 680 and 880 Pisanos... Originally Posted by thrush40
Same player and amp in both videos. Wish he had played the same exact material, but I'm thinking that the nuances per guitar were simply leading him into somewhat different directions. Which is fine, too!
Anyway, I doubt that you'll find a better comparative of these archtops anywhere short of having both guitars in your own two hands. Some great playing here!
Last edited by ooglybong; 10-02-2013 at 02:11 AM.
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Hey Jay. 2b is happy he doesn't live near Lou's Guitars 'n Jazz! He'd have serious trouble on his hands. Originally Posted by targuit
For 3 grand a Heritage Golden Eagle gets my money 7 days out of seven...especially if you have the good fortune to locate a hard to find single humbucker model.
Having said that, and having owned 5 Golden Eagles, 4 Super Eagles, a Super Kenny Burrell, each of those latter models being 18" archtops, I've yet to own a warmer sounding archtop than exhibited by this humble Cremona...it's a keeper. It's so good in fact, another Cremona, in a 16", appeared for sale late last week, just days after I'd bought this one, so I couldn't resist buying the 16" florentine as well...I'm curious to hear how the 16" compares to the 17"....it'll be here Saturday.
There's lots around the $2k price point I'm still curious about...and even though I've owned 70 archtops in 3 years I've sampled but a small fraction of whats affordable and 'out there'. I'd like to own a Gibson someday, but prices what they are, and capabilities of affordable archtops being what they are, I can't seem to bring myself to sample one...I even passed on an L4 available for $2400 last year because so many other great archtops were available at the time the L4 availed itself...instead of that L4 a Dana Bourgeois got the nod...it was bright too...but it was as close to a miniature piano as I've owned...what can I say, it's a feast out there.Last edited by 2bornot2bop; 10-02-2013 at 02:27 AM.
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