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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.
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07-20-2015 07:58 PM
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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.
Originally Posted by gspirro1
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Probably because Eastman don't do any original designs like this! This was designed by Matt D'Ambrosio. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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?
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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). Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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Otto D'Ambrosio works for Eastman, so why would you say they didn't design the guitar? Originally Posted by Jehu
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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.
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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.
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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.
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I LOVE the feel of ebony buttons. Originally Posted by gspirro1
Enjoy that cool Guitar!
JD
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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. Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles
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.
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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. Originally Posted by Klatu
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D'Ambrosio does *NOT* work for eastman, his guitars are handmade in the USA and *START* at $10k!
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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.
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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. Originally Posted by jzucker
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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.Last edited by ColMc; 08-18-2015 at 06:34 AM.
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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Why the need to refinish? Is it a cosmetic repair or color change?
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I wanted a tougher finish as well as a slight colour change (darker). The stock Eastman finish was taking a beating. Originally Posted by Klatu
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How much does a good refinish go for in your neck of the woods?
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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.
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Pete, that is quite an accomplishment. Very impressive and smooth. 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
keep up the great playing.
Joe D
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