Opinions - Eastman El Rey

**gspirro1** · 07-20-2015, 07:58 PM

Nice playing Jack! That's the tone I'm getting from my ER1.
I thought of having a pickguard made for it, but for now, I'm using a very thin clear tablet screen protector that I cut to follow the lines of the top, much like a flamenco guitar's golpeador. It's virtually invisible and keeps my fingernails from marring the rather delicate finish.

**jzucker** · 07-20-2015, 08:00 PM

Originally Posted by gspirro1

Nice playing Jack! That's the tone I'm getting from my ER1.
I thought of having a pickguard made for it, but for now, I'm using a very thin clear tablet screen protector that I cut to follow the lines of the top, much like a flamenco guitar's golpeador. It's virtually invisible and keeps my fingernails from marring the rather delicate finish.

unfortunately, 30 years of playing with a pickguard close to the strings has left me needing one in order to play accurately with a pick. Thank Randall Dollahan at UofM for that. I used to play without touching anything down until he got hold of me.

**Jehu** · 07-20-2015, 10:54 PM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

Gorgeous.

I cannot for the life of me figure out why Eastman won't push more original designs like this...these are so cool...the future of jazz guitar, now.

Probably because Eastman don't do any original designs like this! This was designed by Matt D'Ambrosio.

I agree, this is super cool looking design... they should think about commissioning some other custom luthiers' designs. Maybe they should have poached Baker before D'Angelico got to him?

**Cunamara** · 07-20-2015, 11:05 PM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

Gorgeous.

I cannot for the life of me figure out why Eastman won't push more original designs like this...these are so cool...the future of jazz guitar, now.

I was thinking much the same thing. Instead of selling knockoff Gibsons and Benedettos, focus more on the really distinctive and creative stuff like this. I think this is the sort of guitar that could really make a name for Eastman. There is really nothing else out there that looks like this (I've never had a chance to play one).

**Klatu** · 07-21-2015, 08:30 AM

Originally Posted by Jehu

Probably because Eastman don't do any original designs like this! This was designed by Matt D'Ambrosio.

I agree, this is super cool looking design... they should think about commissioning some other custom luthiers' designs. Maybe they should have poached Baker before D'Angelico got to him?

Otto D'Ambrosio works for Eastman, so why would you say they didn't design the guitar?

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 07-21-2015, 09:46 AM

She's a beaut!

Not to detract from it, but is it just me? I'm just not a fan of gold hardware. I'd love a chrome version.

**gspirro1** · 07-21-2015, 09:57 AM

Thanks BDLH! I think the gold hdwr is minimal and the color complements the flamed maple binding rather well. I am thinking that ebony tuner buttons would subdue the bling-factor and lighten the headstock a tad, though.

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 07-21-2015, 10:39 AM

Speaking of colour, the wood staining is outstanding!

And has anyone compared the El Rey I or II to the III? I'm more of a fan of a stop tail piece. I was wondering if they sound much different.

**Max405** · 07-21-2015, 10:53 AM

Originally Posted by gspirro1

Thanks BDLH! I think the gold hdwr is minimal and the color complements the flamed maple binding rather well. I am thinking that ebony tuner buttons would subdue the bling-factor and lighten the headstock a tad, though.

I LOVE the feel of ebony buttons.

Enjoy that cool Guitar!

JD

**jzucker** · 07-21-2015, 01:36 PM

Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles

Speaking of colour, the wood staining is outstanding!

And has anyone compared the El Rey I or II to the III? I'm more of a fan of a stop tail piece. I was wondering if they sound much different.

I have. The guitars are different in several ways. One way is that the ER II has maple back and sides instead of mahogany so it's brighter. The ER3 has a maple top so it's brighter still. Some of the ERIIIs had the bridge pickup too close to the tailpiece and it was extremely tough to get the strings through the reverse tailpiece because of that. They later moved the pickup forward a little to accommodate re-stringing.

The ER I has the best jazz tone IMO but the ER II like I had gets a pretty good jazz tone too. Not quite as much acoustic vibe which does translate through the amp due to the slightly microphonic pickups (and this is a good thing IMO)

The 3 has more of a blues guitar vibe to it but is still very good.

**Jehu** · 07-22-2015, 06:44 PM

Originally Posted by Klatu

Otto D'Ambrosio works for Eastman, so why would you say they didn't design the guitar?

I'm only going off what I've read, but I didn't get the impression that D'Ambrosio was an employee. It seemed like he was commissioned as a consultant to design a model... but maybe I'm mistaken.

**jzucker** · 07-22-2015, 07:02 PM

D'Ambrosio does *NOT* work for eastman, his guitars are handmade in the USA and *START* at $10k!

**Cunamara** · 07-23-2015, 01:08 AM

And they were smart enough to commission a design from him. They look and sound great. Ditto being smart enough to work with John Pisano. Eastman should focus more on developing their own unique product line than on cloning the work of others. It will give them a longer heritage.

**Klatu** · 07-23-2015, 08:57 AM

Originally Posted by jzucker

D'Ambrosio does *NOT* work for eastman, his guitars are handmade in the USA and *START* at $10k!

I believe that he runs his own shop along with working with Eastman. Last I spoke with him, he was in the process of moving out to California so that he could be closer to Eastman headquarters.

**ColMc** · 08-18-2015, 06:04 AM

Not in the market for a guitar at the moment but I'm fascinated by
the cool shape and vibe of these instruments.

Anyone own one or has played one?

Cheers Col.

**jzucker** · 08-18-2015, 06:34 AM

i've owned several. Great guitars but they are neck heavy if you play standing. I ended up with a T386 which has a similar vibe but well balanced

**jzucker** · 08-18-2015, 08:42 AM

Incidentally, the maple top on the T386 / T186 series sounds decidedly different. The El Rey has some of the L5 vibe to it. I did some clips of mine and it's really a cool, unique sound. I was kind of hoping the newer, larger version solved the neck-heavy issue but haven't had a chance to try one.

**Top of the Arch!** · 08-18-2015, 12:23 PM

Youre 100% right Jack, they are neck heavy, Ive had both the ElRey 1 and 4, both were neck heavy. You can swap the tuners for open back ones with ebony or other wood buttons and it will help quite a bit in making the guitar balance better. I have a friend who put a set of open back Waverlys on his and it balanced evenly although I think the Waverlys were really pricey. Bob

**petestorz** · 08-31-2015, 02:10 PM

Hey everyone,

I've had my El Rey 3 for about 5 years now and it's been my main guitar throughout many many different musical projects. From jazz to tango and even recently to metal :P And it's always performed incredibly. I didn't find mine neck heavy at all and very comfortable to play.

I recently finally finished learning a Shostakovich Symphony that I recorded on my El Rey hope you guys like

**krusty** · 09-01-2015, 12:58 PM

My ER1 is out for refinishing and some minor modifications at the moment, but it is one of my favorite guitars. The neck width and body shape make it an extremely comfortable guitar to play.

**Klatu** · 09-01-2015, 01:21 PM

Why the need to refinish? Is it a cosmetic repair or color change?

**krusty** · 09-01-2015, 01:35 PM

Originally Posted by Klatu

Why the need to refinish? Is it a cosmetic repair or color change?

I wanted a tougher finish as well as a slight colour change (darker). The stock Eastman finish was taking a beating.

**Klatu** · 09-01-2015, 06:55 PM

How much does a good refinish go for in your neck of the woods?

**krusty** · 09-01-2015, 07:07 PM

From the man I took it to? Not cheap, but he is doing some mods as well (tailpiece, pickguard, pickup ring to make the P/U parallel to the strings, etc). I won't know the final bill until it's done, but it will likely exceed the new value of the guitar. He builds for Alex Lifeson, and his work is impeccable.

**Max405** · 09-01-2015, 09:16 PM

Originally Posted by petestorz

Hey everyone,

I've had my El Rey 3 for about 5 years now and it's been my main guitar throughout many many different musical projects. From jazz to tango and even recently to metal :P And it's always performed incredibly. I didn't find mine neck heavy at all and very comfortable to play.

I recently finally finished learning a Shostakovich Symphony that I recorded on my El Rey hope you guys like

Pete, that is quite an accomplishment. Very impressive and smooth.
keep up the great playing.
Joe D