Eastman AR371CE Arrived - Quite Impressive

[patchr]

@bluesmusic4us

Did your tech reuse the original pick up ring? I just had a seth lover put in and the original ring was not used and it looks quite odd. The pick up is angled and sitting very high in the ring.

[bluemusic4us]

Yes you have to use the original ring as that is cut for the archtop. Use the screws that came with the Seth Lover as those are longer and give you the adjustment that you need.
Your tech should know this. Have you had work done by him before?

[jads57]

Well I just played a new one that a local dealer had, single p/up version. Loud as all get out,acoustically! Smoking deal for a 175 for sure. I would say the neck depth was .860 -.920 just a guess on my part. I thought it sounded good plugged in as well, but definitely weaker p/up compared to a similar Historic Gibson ES-175 single p/up.
I will say I preferred the Gibson overall except the smaller frets. But at 5-7x's the price No Way!

[Rob MacKillop]

After much deliberation I've decided to get an Eastman AR371 (sorry Rich!) from Foulds in England, and choose a pickup from the Bare Knuckle range, allegedly some of the best pickups in Europe. I've also ordered a DV Little Jazz and a quieter fan :-)

The question is which pickup.

The four choices are:

1. The Mule: https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/mai...ickup=the_mule

2. The Manhattan: https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/mai...ckup=manhattan

3. Blue Note: https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/mai...lue_note_hsp90

4. Stormy Monday: https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/mai...=stormy_monday

The links all show levels of bass, mid and treble, the magnets used, and the output.

I'm aiming for roughly this sound:

...though some of that sound comes from a superb amp, great mics and recording equipment, alongside a fine player.

I'll be using Thomastik flatwound 11s.

I can't make my mind up about the pickup. The only jazz-related soundfile is for the Manhattan, and it's a little brief, though good.

The Manhattan and Blue Note are P90s in a humbucker casing. The Mule and Stormy Monday are true humbuckers. You can see that the bass, mids and treble vary with each pickup. I'm looking for warm, mellow and sweet, with clarity.

Anyone have experience with these pickups in an archtop, jazz context? All advice grateful received. Oh, and stop everything you are doing, and give this 100% attention I have to tell the shop on Wednesday...

[dmorash]

Sounds like you are really on the right track. I would go humbucker based on your mellow and sweet want. I would choose the lowest output since any Eastman I have put my mitts on is inherently acoustic and lively - the pickup does not have to I don't know - compensate for that.

Sounds like a great guitar, great pickup and great amp (I have the little jazz )

[dingusmingus]

It's probably obvious, but you may want to play it for a bit before swapping pickups. I like the stock pickup fine.

[spiral]

Sounds like you are really on the right track. I would go humbucker based on your mellow and sweet want. I would choose the lowest output since any Eastman I have put my mitts on is inherently acoustic and lively - the pickup does not have to I don't know - compensate for that.

I agree with this. The 371 is bright despite being laminate, and with too hot or too bright pickups it can get a little clangy. I ultimately ended up with a PAF copy from Mojo Pickups UK. Eastman stock pickups tend to be a little dull which is why I think they work OK with their guitars which are a little bright.

FWIW I have a bunch of sound files which I was swapping pickups into my 371.

[Rob MacKillop]

A student of mine has the 371, so I know the stock pickup. He replaced it with a Classic 57 - much improved. I could go that route, but the BNs intrigue me.

I agree that the 371 is a little bright, and therefore a cooler pup would be better.

3rdwaverider - good luck with your Fralin. Looking forward to hearing it, hopefully, some day.

Spiral - I'll look up Mojo pickups.

I think I'll eliminate the Stormy Monday - too hot, perhaps, for this guitar.

I'm liking the description of the P90 Bluenote.

[newsense]

Rob - I would contact Bareknuckle directly via the website. I once asked them some questions about pup replacement on a thinline semi and got a very full & honest reply, giving me the pros and cons of a couple of possibilities. However, as it is Easter, a response by Wednesday may be a tall order.

As I still haven't bitten the bullet and ordered replacements, I can't give you any insight into the usefulness of the advice I received.

[Longways to Go]

looking forward to the results! Should be a great sounding set up -- especially through that Little Jazz.
My 371 still has the stock pickup, but I think it sounds sterile as is -- I make have to try a new pick up at some point too. P90s are out for me -- the noise in my old house's electrical circuits makes single coils sound bad.

I use TI rounds on my 371 -- nicely balanced tone IMO.

[Teddyfm]

Dug this up for you.

Bare Knuckles Mule (their PAF-type)

Hope it helps.

[Rob MacKillop]

Thanks, Longways. Single-coils OK chez MacKillop. Let us know if you get something to replace your current pickups.

Ted - thanks for the link to Jim's excellent recording, albeit on a solid-top. Good to hear.

[LEE PHAY]

Hi guys,

I am new to jazz to just bear with me haha. I own an Eastman AR371 (ES 175 copy), running into an Axe FX II. The closest I have gotten to a decent jazz sound is in the video below.

That wasn't too impossible as I was going for a Pat Martino "live at Yoshi's:" tone, although I still could not get that Pat Martino punchiness. However these days, I am trying to go for a more traditional gibson jazz tone. If I had to describe it, it is a plum sound that is less acoustic in nature. The Eastman can be rather bright and flat sounding in the mids, and I have spent hours trying to tweak my Axe FX (Fender Vibrato King Model with reverb), but I just can't get it. When I try to boost the mids & bass to give it body, it gets muddy and dead sounding. Was thinking of switching out the pickup to a Gibson Classic 57. What do you guys think?

Here is the tone I am looking for:

Pat Kelley's sound here:

This guy really nailed that ES175 tone I hear in my head:

Thanks in advance

Lee Phay

[Bill C]

what strings and pick are you using?

[Drifter]

I like the tone you get with your Eastman. But if you are chasing a very specific Gibson tone, it might be a good idea to buy a Gibson guitar. Not sure though if that would be the end of it. The chase for tone is not easily cured.

[Franz 1997]

The guitar in your first example is a carved spruce top L4, and sounds different from a laminate top IMO.

The Borys in the second example is laminated, as is the Norlin ES175 played by grahambop. The Norlin 175 especially is a heavy guitar, a bit 'deader' acoustically, compared to an early 175, and this partly accounts for the 'plummy' tone IMO. So do strings, pick etc, as Bill C says.

But I agree with drifter, I like your tone with the Eastman. In my experience, though, if you really want 175 tone you have to get a gibson ES175.

[LEE PHAY]

what strings and pick are you using?

Hey there, I was originally using Thomastik-Infeld Jazz swing flatwound strings, but i have just switched to D'addario chormes because it is cheaper and accessible in Singapore, where I live. I use jazz 3 picks.

[DanielleOM]

Acoustically I find the Eastman AR371CE brighter than my AR503CE guitar.

I have GHS flatwounds on both of these guitars. They really sounded muted to me acoustically compared to other flats I tried. But I have come to like them and find them to be very warm and well balanced, without the lower strings overpowering the other strings.

[Philco]

Hi Lee, this young man achieves some of the plum with his Eastman.
Worth noting that this has been mixed after the performance.

[jzucker]

i don't think you'll get that sound on an eastman. There's something about a gibson that just gets that sound. I've owned and played dozens of eastman's and they're cool but they just can't get that gibson sound. Nothing sounds like a 175 or an L5 IMO.

[Rob MacKillop]

Possibly true, Jack. But many of us can't afford Gibson prices in Europe or most other places outside the U.S.

[Rob MacKillop]

Case in point: One of the biggest retailers in the UK, Guitar Guitar, is offering various Gibson 175s at between £3,500 and almost £4,000. To an American that would be around six to seven thousand dollars.

[jzucker]

Possibly true, Jack. But many of us can't afford Gibson prices in Europe or most other places outside the U.S.

You can get a decent 175 for $2200 in the US. Is that more than your budget? I think you'd be better off with one of the 175 copies than an eastman. Aria, Tokai, Greco, Orville, should all get you into the ballpark. The eastmans are just a different beast. I have played the AR380, 371, 372 and while they are great guitars, they don't sound like an american plywood hollowbody like the Guild, gibson, etc. Not sure what they are doing different but the japanese copies are closer IMO and they can be had for around $1000 USD.

I think the real issue is that people are afraid to buy used and some folks just like new, shiny things.

[DRS]

Hi Lee, this young man achieves some of the plum with his Eastman.
Worth noting that this has been mixed after the performance.

This is an AR805CE, no? Sounds pretty decent. I really like the OPs tone and playing. One importyant thing, the L4 clip the OP posted is into a DRRI. I know the Axe FX II is supposed to have dead-to-nuts tube amp tone, but . . .

Just sayin

Margarine ain't butter.

[fritz jones]

Reg Schwager is playing a AR371, after decades of playing an old ES 175. The sound of his Eastman is definitely more mid rangey, with less sparkle than the 175.

he isn't a gear head, so he might have the stock pickup in the Eastman.

the Gibson: