Eastman AR403

**Tom Karol** · 03-11-2012, 11:10 AM

New 'problem': I got the AR403 almost 2 months ago now, and I haven't played my other 4 very nice guitars for more than 10 minutes at a time each before bringing it back out again since then!

**Section Player** · 03-11-2012, 11:32 AM

Arnie.....I'll take that blonde 403 off your hands to alleviate your guilt!!??

**Tom Karol** · 03-14-2012, 06:23 PM

Here's a quick one-chorus test recording of Misty I did with my son's computer recording rig. Not my best playing - one take each with no click track - but it gives a reasonable representation of the sound of my new Eastman AR403CE. Recorded direct into an MBox into ProTools with a clean 6L6-powered tube amp simulator. No addtional processing. Comping was done first with fingers, then a lead track with a pick on top of that. I hope to record it with my Henriksen and a good mic next. (And how do you embed the video right here in the post?)

**ruiner54** · 03-14-2012, 07:38 PM

Excellent playing esp. For one take..your Eastman sounds fantastic too...only increases my want for one.

**Tom Karol** · 03-14-2012, 08:31 PM

Thanks so much guys! I do really love this guitar. I hope to record some more stuff - this time through my amp, or even do a comparison of the acoustic and electric sound - soon. In the meantime, I'll keep practicing - I have to learn another song!

**Retroman1969** · 03-15-2012, 01:06 AM

Wow, you're really coaxing some beautiful sounds out of it. You have a lot of control, of which I'm envious.
I'd like to hear a sample through an amp, so I look forward to that.

**monkmiles** · 03-15-2012, 09:56 AM

Sounds great, Tom! Thanks for sharing. Nice playing and tone.

The AR403 seems like a great guitar. I'm now consdiering it between the AR371...or going a completely other direction and going for a light, solidstate jazz combo (polytone, henriksen, etc).

**arnie65** · 03-15-2012, 08:06 PM

Great tone, I love mine! The 371 doesn't sound anywhere close to that, at least with the stock pickup.

Cheers,
Arnie..

**monkmiles** · 03-15-2012, 08:47 PM

Originally Posted by arnie65

Great tone, I love mine! The 371 doesn't sound anywhere close to that, at least with the stock pickup.

Why do you think that is? Both the 403 and 371 are laminate and I think they have the same pickup too (from specs I could fine online). Must be the body size difference?

**fep** · 03-15-2012, 09:06 PM

Originally Posted by Tom Karol

Here's a quick one-chorus test recording of Misty I did with my son's computer recording rig. Not my best playing - one take each with no click track - but it gives a reasonable representation of the sound of my new Eastman AR403CE. Recorded direct into an MBox into ProTools with a clean 6L6-powered tube amp simulator. No addtional processing. Comping was done first with fingers, then a lead track with a pick on top of that. I hope to record it with my Henriksen and a good mic next. (And how do you embed the video right here in the post?)

Yes, sweet playing. And great sound. What was that amp simulator? That is such great way to record. I'm interested in comparing that to the sound of your amp mic'd.

Fabulous pictures too.

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**jorgemg1984** · 03-15-2012, 09:17 PM

I am also curious about the 403 vs 371

**arnie65** · 03-16-2012, 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by martinopass

Why do you think that is? Both the 403 and 371 are laminate and I think they have the same pickup too (from specs I could fine online). Must be the body size difference?

I think it may have something to do with the bracing, which is different on both, plus the cutaway of the 403 gives the guitar a little bit more wood and space inside to resonate. But in reality, I'm just guessing. I know for a fact that I have play them both, and the tone is very different. I you go to the Eastman website, the description on the 403 says "feedback resistant", so it leads me to believe the there's something different in the construction.

Cheers,
Arnie...

**monkmiles** · 03-16-2012, 10:16 PM

Originally Posted by arnie65

I think it may have something to do with the bracing, which is different on both, plus the cutaway of the 403 gives the guitar a little bit more wood and space inside to resonate. But in reality, I'm just guessing. I know for a fact that I have play them both, and the tone is very different. I you go to the Eastman website, the description on the 403 says "feedback resistant", so it leads me to believe the there's something different in the construction.

Yea, that's why I was asking you, since I knew you played both. I didn't think about the bracing...could be. I take the "feedback resistant" mention on the Eastman website for the 403 (and 371 for that matter) to be in reference to the laminate top. Whereas the 503 has a solid top (as do the rest of their models as far as I know).

**Tom Karol** · 03-17-2012, 09:06 AM

My AR403 is X-braced. I don't know if that's standard. I also don't know about the AR371's bracing pattern - never played one. Retroman? But they are both laminates, and I think they use the same pickup. (I lowered mine considerably from the factory positioning.) And thanks again to everyone for the kind words - I'm psyched to post more samples when I can!

**arnie65** · 03-17-2012, 11:35 AM

Originally Posted by Tom Karol

My AR403 is X-braced. I don't know if that's standard. I also don't know about the AR371's bracing pattern - never played one. Retroman? But they are both laminates, and I think they use the same pickup. (I lowered mine considerably from the factory positioning.) And thanks again to everyone for the kind words - I'm psyched to post more samples when I can!

Mine is X-braced too, and the thing about it is that the darn thing sounds good unplugged too! I'm playing with the idea to sell it and get a 503, but every time I pick it up and play it, I wonder if I'll ever get that tone out of the 503. Although I've customized mine a bit. The tone on your is exactly what you want on an archtop, sounds like a $6,000 guitar....

Cheers,
Arnie.

**Retroman1969** · 03-17-2012, 11:54 AM

Okay i checked... My 371 is parallel braced.
Of note though (and this might explain the acoustic properties), the top is very thin and the bracing appears to be scolloped. It's thicker under the bridge, the pup, and the ends, but curved to much thinner sections elsewhere.

**Retroman1969** · 03-17-2012, 11:58 AM

Originally Posted by arnie65

Mine is X-braced too, and the thing about it is that the darn thing sounds good unplugged too! I'm playing with the idea to sell it and get a 503, but every time I pick it up and play it, I wonder if I'll ever get that tone out of the 503. Although I've customized mine a bit. The tone on your is exactly what you want on an archtop, sounds like a $6,000 guitar....

Cheers,
Arnie.

Agreed, and I've had similar feelings.

It's interesting that the 403 is X-braced. I would think that's pretty unusual.

**monkmiles** · 03-17-2012, 09:34 PM

Hey Tom, just curious, do you have flats or rounds on your 403? If you mentioned it already on another thread, sorry I missed it. Sounds great eitherway.

Man, I'm really thinking about the AR403 and AR503 now. I was about ready to pull the trigger on a 371, knowing that my Ibanez AK105 would be redundant with it and I'd probably end up selling it. But if I went the route of the AR503, it would be different enough and provide a good solid top compliment to my laminate AK105. It seems like the shallow-ish depth of the AR503 (along with its laminate back & sides) would help in feedback reduction. So even though the 503 has a solid top, I'm wondering if it fights feedback well. They seem to go for around $999 from what I can find online. So I'd just save up a few more bucks over the next couple months and either order online (through Jeff Hale or someone) or maybe see what the local shop (Music Emporium) would charge to order one for me (but then I have state sales tax to pay). Anyway, just thinking out loud here...an AR503 in classic finish could be the one for me!

**Tom Karol** · 03-17-2012, 10:54 PM

I have coated roundwounds on it. They're Elixir Nanoweb .012-.052, which are basically the same as the D'Addarios that came on it except for a light coating of something akin to dental floss on the wound strings. I used flatwounds on some guitars that I previously owned, but I now prefer roundwounds on all my guitars.

Jim Soloway had an AR503 in classic finish for a little while a few months back and posted about it with pictures and sound samples. You might search for that thread if you weren't already aware of it.

You're welcome to come over and try my AR403!

**monkmiles** · 03-17-2012, 11:32 PM

Originally Posted by Tom Karol

I have coated roundwounds on it. They're Elixir Nanoweb .012-.052, which are basically the same as the D'Addarios that came on it except for a light coating of something akin to dental floss on the wound strings. I used flatwounds on some guitars that I previously owned, but I now prefer roundwounds on all my guitars.

Jim Soloway had an AR503 in classic finish for a little while a few months back and posted about it with pictures and sound samples. You might search for that thread if you weren't already aware of it.

You're welcome to come over and try my AR403!

Cool, I searched and read through that thread...wonder if Jim still has or likes it? Though his sound samples always sound so good, it doesn't matter what he plays!

Tom, I think I'll take you up on that offer to come and try your AR403 if you don't mind! We can jam together on some real book tunes too like I think we've talked about before. I'll PM you soon to try to set that up!

**Tom Karol** · 03-18-2012, 09:52 AM

Fair enough! I think you have my email and other contact info.

As an aside, for those of you who might think a single pickup electric lacks versatility, I found out last night that I can get a variety of tonal colors by varying only my picking location.

Oh, and Jim sold the guitar; it was just an experiment for him - he liked his own creations much better! (But I think if you were to give him one of those Parker archtops ...!)

**CarlT** · 03-19-2012, 04:22 PM

Tom, you sound terrific. I like your rendition of Misty, one of my favorites. I put together my own, but like your's better. Please let me know how far down you adjusted your pickup as I'd like to do the same, but don't want to experiment too much. I feel really guilty. I have picked up my other guitars (not to make them too jealous), but put them down right away. Can't stop playing my 403. Thanks -- Carl

**fep** · 03-19-2012, 04:48 PM

Originally Posted by CarlT

Please let me know how far down you adjusted your pickup as I'd like to do the same, but don't want to experiment too much. Thanks -- Carl

+1

I'd also like to know what you specifically are listening for when you adjust the pu height and your observations regarding different pu heights.

I have a 503ce and I've never played around with the pu height. I wonder if I have the same pu as you do.

**Tom Karol** · 03-19-2012, 04:52 PM

Originally Posted by CarlT

...I feel really guilty. I have picked up my other guitars (not to make them too jealous), but put them down right away. Can't stop playing my 403. Thanks -- Carl

Me too! And thanks for your kind words! I don't know how far down I brought the pickup. I never measure these things. I do it by feel and by ear. If you do it a little at a time - no more than 1 rotation of the screw(s) and maybe even only a half turn at a time - you can't really go wrong. And if you go too far, you can always go back up. Once I get the overall pickup height where I like it, I adjust the individual pole piece screws for string-to-string balance.

**Tom Karol** · 03-19-2012, 05:01 PM

Originally Posted by fep

+1
I'd also like to know what you specifically are listening for when you adjust the pu height and your observations regarding different pu heights.
I have a 503ce and I've never played around with the pu height. I wonder if I have the same pu as you do.

Wow, you guys are tough! I think too high = too hot, compressed, and especially lower string boominess. Too low = thin and lifeless. Somewhere in between seems to yield sparkle and clarity - even a touch of the acoustic character of the guitar - and wider dynamic range, while still retaining a certain desirable fatness in the high end.