The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    My 371 arrived today and although I've only had a few hours to play around with it, I'm very impressed. I agree with what the others have said: I've seen nothing in this price range that compares favorably. This thing is a whole lot of guitar for the money.

    It's quite light, coming in at 5.5 pounds. I know Retroman said his is 4.5, so they somehow packed another pound on mine. Also, mine doesn't have the flame to the back/sides as his does. He got a real looker there.

    It took a couple hours of playing it and looking it over before I realized the right side of the body has more of a gradient to it than the left side. The pickup ring is much thinner on the left side than the right to make up for the difference in depth. Also, the underside of the floating neck is tapered to match the top. Not sure what the reasoning behind it is, but it's pronounced, so it must serve some purpose.

    Mine is a used model with a Gibson '57 Classic pickup installed. I would have liked to have heard what the Kent Armstrong pickup it came with sounded like. The guy I bought it from included the original pup, so I can always swap it out for the heck of it at some point if I so decide.

    Compared to my 175, the body is 3/8" shallower, and the neck is a tad wider (1 3/4") as well as thinner. I haven't put micrometers on the top yet, but it appears to be thinner. I didn't measure, but the lower bout seems to be narrower. The placement of the pickup from the neck is identical. Lots of other differences that are pretty obvious to the naked eye, and aesthetic only. Acoustically, the 371 is markedly louder.

    It came with a set of what appear from the colored ball ends to be D'Addario Chromes. They're a lighter gauge than I prefer, but will spend some time on the guitar as I don't find them uncomfortable.

    It's a very nice guitar...better than I expected. The reviews have been good, but after 2 duds from The Loar, and the good reviews I've seen of them, I expected to have similar disappointments from another Chinese archtop. My apprehensions faded quickly when I pulled it from its case.

    I'll update the thread with some comparison pics and stats if anyone is interested...probably over the weekend.


    Eastman AR371CE Arrived - Quite Impressive-eastman-ar371-jpg

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  3. #2

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    Congrats man!

    Yes, please do share more thoughts on it when you get more time on it. I've been considering one myself.

    I would be curious if you were able to measure the lower bout to see if both are the same size or not.

  4. #3

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    yeah would love some pics and comps. I am really thinking about getting one to swap out to a p90

  5. #4

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    Congrats, and nice review!
    I looked, and your offset-gradient thing isn't a fluke. Mine has it too. Not sure what the reason might be.
    And yes, it's almost silly how loud these things are acoustically. Unplugged, almost louder than my flattop acoustic.
    I look forward to pics and an update.

  6. #5

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    I think the offset to one side is to allow for the pickguard mounting, mine has it to, the top they left thin for ascetics I think. I have had mine now for about a month and just the other day did a truss rod tweak and the action at the 12th fret is under a 16th and not a buzz in this critter....Man I love this guitar!! I just sold a Jazz 17 that was 2495.00 from G&J and this is a better guitar believe it or not. The 17 had killer tone over this one but playability none have topped this guitar. Mine came in at 5.2 lbs. but it has ebony fingerboard so maybe a little heavier..........

  7. #6

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    I've got one coming tomorrow from Bernunzio's. It wasn't easy to track one down. Lou's got one at Guitars 'n Jazz for just under $700. Are the D'Addario EJ21's (round) any good? I hope I'm as happy with mine as you guys are with yours. Thanks for all comments and pics.
    Last edited by Eric Rowland; 03-11-2012 at 07:34 PM.

  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by jerrylm
    I think the offset to one side is to allow for the pickguard mounting, mine has it to, the top they left thin for ascetics I think. I have had mine now for about a month and just the other day did a truss rod tweak and the action at the 12th fret is under a 16th and not a buzz in this critter....Man I love this guitar!! I just sold a Jazz 17 that was 2495.00 from G&J and this is a better guitar believe it or not. The 17 had killer tone over this one but playability none have topped this guitar. Mine came in at 5.2 lbs. but it has ebony fingerboard so maybe a little heavier..........
    I agree about the playability. Mine already feels like an old friend. When I bought a 605 carved top I thought I might sell the 371, but I still ended up playing the 371 more. I guess it will have to stay.

    For some reason, most of the ones turning up on eBay are priced higher than the local dealers.

  9. #8

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    I'm really digging this guitar. Having too much fun playing to take the time for some decent shots...here's a quick side by side photo.



    I took a few more measurements...

    Neck thickness at center of 7th fret:
    G: 1"
    E: .850"

    Top Thickness:
    G: .185"
    E: .172

    Lower Bout:
    G: 16.25"
    E: 16"

    Pickguard Thickness:
    G: .110"
    E: .205

  10. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by martinopass
    Thanks, man. Geez, that picture certainly makes me want an AR371...seeing as I can't swing an ES175. Other than the flame top on the Gibson, it looks the same to me...with the bonus of not having an unused bridge pickup.
    Having both, I can honestly say you wouldn't be missing anything by getting the 371. I've owned many Gibson guitars in the past, and still have a couple, but the prices on them are getting crazy. I know there's the whole wage/overhead/insurance/etc reasoning for why a US made guitar costs more than some imports, but what they've done with this guitar at this price is amazing, overseas or not. It's truly top notch and there are many things I like about it better than the Gibson. The top 3 being weight/neck pickup only/acoustic resonance.

    I don't know what the original pickup sounded like, so I don't know if the '57 Classic that's in it is really an upgrade or just a modification. I do know that I can dial in a great tone and never feel like it would be improved if I was playing the 175. I almost hate saying it, but at this point, I prefer it over the 175. I know I'm still in the honeymoon stage so things may change down the road, but for now it's taken center stage.

  11. #10

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    Hello all!

    Posting-wise, I've been somewhat absent due to school starting again, however, I wanted to share my new guitar, as it is my first archtop.

    I had been waiting to try an Eastman for a while, as the only dealer in town that carries them also receives very few, very sporadically. So it was a bit by fortune that they receive one of the models I was interested in hopefully purchasing, and not one of the really expensive models!
    When I tried it though, one of the things that really appealed to me was the neck. It was a little reminiscent of an amazing guitar I tried at the Montreal Guitar Show, and combined with the feel and the sound, I decided to get it.

    Here's one photo! Maybe more will come later!

  12. #11

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    Congratulations. From what I have read about this model, it performs like any high end Eastman, which means that you have a pro level guitar that should serve your needs for many years to come.

  13. #12

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    What materials are the split-block inlays made of?

  14. #13

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    On the one I had they appeared like genuine inlays...not the stick on's like the Epi Reissue. It's a lot of guitar for that amount of money...needs a new pup, but hey very nice, imo!

  15. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by Klatu
    What materials are the split-block inlays made of?
    Yea, they look like genuine inlays...they also have a pearloid look to them, but not heavily featured though. Same with the writing on the headstock.

  16. #15

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    The guitar is actually really nice and fairly comfy to hold. The neck is not as sticky feeling as I thought, but I've also just played it so much that my "finger essence" covers it. For a rosewood board, it's nice and smooth, frets are great. Everything looks and feels and plays fantastic. There's also a bit more acoustic sound and tone than I thought there'd be.

  17. #16

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    Yes, the acoustic volume impressed me too, for such a small plywood guitar.

  18. #17

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    I've come to really dig the classic violin finish of the AR371! I could see myself going for one at some point.

  19. #18

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    Congrats on a beautiful guitar. Love that tobacco sunburst!

  20. #19

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    Which pup would be good to replace with?

  21. #20

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    Congratulations on your Eastman! That looks like a real beauty...

    And, yeah, they're pretty hard to come by. My local dealer has had two so far over about a year (?), with both selling pretty quickly. Both played very well, had a great neck and fine workmanship (much better than the new $3800 blonde Gibson 175 in the store! And I preferred the 371 tonally, too.). My only real issue is with the sunburst quality; yours looks like it has a nice golden tone in the center, but the two my dealer has had in so far have had a very definite greenish cast to the gold center—just the way that particular wood took to the stain, I suppose—most definitely a turn-off for me. (The dealer totally agrees with me but says he never knows what he'll be getting in.) When he finally does get another one in—with a "real" golden sunburst—I'm very likely to be on it myself. Or I wouldn't mind that "classic" reddish finish elsewhere in this thread (but I've never seen one anywhere except for a few of these mystery photos. Anybody?).

    Not only for the great price, but in comparison to anything out there, the Eastman AR371s seem to be simply great guitars. Best of luck with yours!

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rich D.
    Which pup would be good to replace with?
    i'm a fan of the SD '59

  23. #22

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    I recently picked up an Eastman AR371 which was originally bought at the Twelfth Fret here in Toronto. For those that don't know, it's an unbelievable guitar store so as expected, the setup on the Eastman was perfect.

    All other opinions on the guitar aside (it plays great, intonation is excellent, etc., I picked it up to play some live jazz in an ensemble class so I don't care about the acoustic tone too much - only what I can get out of this thing plugged in.

    The original owner switched out the stock pickup with a SD Jazz which I'm finding a bit too bright. I'm wondering if anyone has any opinions on what pickup I could drop in to this guitar to give it a darker tone? I plan on experimenting with amp settings, picking style, and whatever else - but what in general would give me a darker tone?

    Any experience with the KA hand wounds in a guitar like this?

    Thanks for any help!

  24. #23

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    The Duncan "Jazz" is actually poorly named, as it's ironically known for being a bit bright. Try a Duncan Alnico II Pro or a Gibson '57 Classic. For something more pricey, a Lollar Imperial (regular wind) would be good. There are tons of choices. I have a KA hand wound but it's a floater. It's very juicy and strong, which works on my particular guitar. On a laminate as a set-in pickup I don't know if it would be overwhelmingly dark or not.

  25. #24

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    I put a Seymour Duncan Classic 59 in mine and it is excellent. It gives me exactly what I'm looking for in that guitar.

  26. #25

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    If you're looking at Duncans, the Seth Lover model seems popular among the jazz cognoscenti.