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I love my Eastman blonde 905-7 7 string as much as I love my blonde Peerless Imperial 6 string. My Ibanez AFJ957 7 string is my traveling/couch guitar. I really love the Ibanez 7 string neck, it's like "buttah". Frankly, I don't give a damn where my guitars are built as long as I am happy with them. I can't imagine spending a ton just to own a Gibson, Guild, Benedetto or DeAngelico, much as I like their looks; I'll be happy to pay Dale Unger and/or Bill Comins for a 7 string (I would love to own both) when I feel my playing is up to that level. If I can find a decent Ibanez 207 7 string I will buy it and take it to a luthier to have it stripped and turned into a blonde because that's what I want and I will play all of them every day. There's nothing after the dirtnap, guys, politics don't/won't matter when you're dead; if you can find an instrument that gives you a voice and you can afford it, why in the world wouldn't you give yourself that? And if Peerless built an Imperial 7 I'd be on it in a heartbeat. I'm too old for the political correctness BS. I just want to spend what time I have left playing music. Hell, I've even considered a Yunzi 7 just to check it out!
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11-10-2015 01:31 AM
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I have an Eastman AR810CE. The fret board was bad above the 19th fret requiring releveling to play the last 3 frets. Once done, the guitar plays great. But it has a very open, almost flat toppish tone - not the tone one associates with a smokey jazz guitar. Jack Zucker has commented on this before. It's not bad tone, just not Wes' tone. I have swapped in a Benedetto A6 and Shatten tone cotrols and while better, not a smokey jazz tone. Oddly enough, my old Ibanez AS73 with TI flats and Stewmac Golden Age humbuckers had that smokey tone in spades.
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This is a much better solution:
Originally Posted by DRS
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What a beauty! Who built that guitar?
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Happy to tell you if you tell me why I posted it.
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Short Fretboard? :-)
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That's a Solomon, yes? Never saw one in person but they look pretty interesting. Pretty pricey, though. I think they start at around 7K and just go up from there. I'd love to hear/play one live.
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You're a good sport - when the guitar has only 15 frets, issues at the 19th fret cease to be a concern. Originally Posted by redwater
Yes, it's a Solomon Phidelity, as identified by the above fellow wheeze-squeezer.
And it's a lovely looking Solomon at that. Not mine, sadly. I bet it sounds just swell.Last edited by Hammertone; 11-10-2015 at 09:31 PM.
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oh that ain't no thing. got some fresh comments re: Eastman Originally Posted by 10course
Oh shoot, this is my fault....I didn't mean to rekindle a dull or hated subject. ---I considered selling my used 2007 Eastman 805NC to another member on this board and realized I didn't know the market value since there was a trade involved in me buying this particular guitar. I started reading everything Google turned up on Eastman....this thread came up. It seemed relevant because it could give insight on desirability....
Also, I overlooked something in my post which campusfive caught: aged wood certainly gives vintage instruments an advantage. ---Which I don't think any newly made guitar can duplicated.
The irony: in searching and reading all these things, I decided not to sell the 805 yet!---Might not be able to find another if I needed it.
So here, I will sign off -----and read the date on the post before adding next time
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Right, and people still have a hard time equating Chinese manufacturing with a quality product...as they type on their Apple computer or text into their iPhone......
The good news?...if you are savvy, openminded and trust your hands, eyes and ears you can get a great instrument at about 1/3 the price or less than an American made one. Because on the used market they seem slow to sell and there is an abundance of models available you can be pretty picky and get something without settling for a great price.Last edited by grh2015; 11-24-2015 at 12:38 AM.
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I think it's great this old thread was revived, because 3 years is quite a long time in the world of modern Chinese production. I can't say that every single Eastman I've played has been great, but that's not true of most production manufacturers either. I can say that three out of three Eastman AR371's I've tried have all been stellar, and the thinline I had for a while was also great (if a bit prone to feedback for a thinline). I PSA's about one of the 371's some months ago since I was travelling at the time, but I just recently picked up a demo model from a local dealer for a great deal. Other than needing some work on the nut to lower the action to suit my taste, this is a sweet guitar. Obviously the specs have to work for the player - but I really dig the scale length and nut width. Just a great guitar, even at several times the list price.
Last edited by coolvinny; 11-24-2015 at 12:51 PM. Reason: replace "instruments" with "manufacturers"
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Probably too late to bring this thread back alive again. I am looking & a bit torn between the Eastman's & Peerless guitars. I don't have a good feel for the Eastman's. Maybe they were not made as well in the early days? I lean Peerless as I have an old D'Aspiranta which plays & sounds quite good. Looking to step up just a bit but not too high. I dumped my Herb 165 because I set motionless while recording fearing I would scratch it. I seem to do better with less expensive guitars.
Not discounting Ibanez. Open to decent ones there too.
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Every Eastman I have played has been an excellent guitar and a bargain. What's not to like.
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I own a Peerless Imperial and an Eastman AR905-7CE. They are both excellent guitars; I could probably get rid of everything else I own except my flat top and be quite satisfied. I also have the Ibanez 7 as a couch/travel guitar and it is exceptional for the money. Just my opinion.
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I've noticed less controversy swirling around the Chinese Eastman question as of late. If true, why would this be?
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I own five Eastmans ranging from the AR371 to the AR910 LTD and there are zero quality control issues. I love them all.
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Perhaps many of the naysayers finally got around to actually playing one? Originally Posted by Klatu
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I think because the QC has gotten really solid with Eastman recently Originally Posted by RonD
Perhaps many of the naysayers finally got around to actually playing one?
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My 2005 805ce has some issues with the neck bowing back too much, but I like heavy strings so it's ok - the fretwork was good. Two adult students of mine - one has an 805ce that plays nice, the other has a Pisano which has fret issues around fret 13-14. FWIW
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I bought an Eastman archtop a few years back, and while it was a nice guitar the quality control wasn't what I had hoped for, and the tone just wasn't as good to me as some others that were comparable in price. I ultimately returned it. It just comes down to preference, and the reality that everyone has a different idea of what they want from a guitar, which is why there is not just one maker of guitars. Find what works for you, and don't worry about what others think.
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I just scored a "like new" Eastman AR371 off Reverb and I super happy with it. Sounds like butter with some new TI GB 12's!
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I suspect there are two reasons: first, the early guitars had a lot of finish problems. The more time and distance they get from those issues, the less they become a part of the conversation. Second, because the early guitars were all of a single type: solid wood, light weight, traditional archtops. The market for those has become somewhat limited as compared to more modern laminate archtops with top mounted pickups. As one would expect, the sound from those earlier guitars was the thinner, more acoustic tone that one would expect from a guitar of that design whereas more players were looking for that thicker, darker 175 type sound. In recent years, they've added a lot of new models that have diversified their lineup to at least some degree, including a few with all-laminate bodies and several with laminate side and backs. So now while they remain focused in their lineup, they have guitars that fill a much broader niche. Originally Posted by Klatu
Last edited by Jim Soloway; 04-19-2016 at 11:16 AM.
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I find this interesting. You froze up in recording session fearing a scratch on a 165? I'm not being difficult here, however at the end of the day a guitar, any guitar is a tool for making music. I'm sure glad the carpenter that built my home didn't freeze up when constructing my house because he bought a new Black and Decker saw and was worried about using it. Originally Posted by TGV
Violinists and Cellists regularly play out with $50,000 instruments and $10,000 bows. When I was fortunate enough to obtain my Bob built Benedetto Cremona I gigged out with it on my next booking, which was about a week later. Granted, I am protective of it and care deeply for it, however, again it is a tool that will get a ding, a scratch or other finish imperfection over the years. That is part of the instruments soul.
I was lucky enough to play a couple of Jimmy Bruno's Benedettos back in the 90's and they had nicks, dings, even cig burns here and there-but they were full of mojo and played and sounded heavenly.
I guess if you feel you need a lesser instrument than a 165 (which can be a wonderful tool in just about falling apart condition) so be it, to each his own. By why let cosmetics rule over function?
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I believe Eastman had quality issues after the "partners" split. I've read that from 2009 forward Eastman got back on track with more consistent quality. They also are better about marking a flawed instrument as a second "2" which makes one think they may have a better understanding of quality as defined by the customer. Originally Posted by Klatu
I own a 2011 AR910CE and I enjoy playing it more than my other guitars for a number of reasons.
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