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16" lower bout
2 9/16" body depth
25" scale length
1,75" nut width
3 piece maple neck
ebony fretboard
I wanted to try an Eastman for a while, but they are not so widely distributed around here.
So, when my son suggested that we could go to Pigalle to visit the music shops (he had in mind a Vigier 6 strings bass to try !), I thought : why not.
Usually 2 hours drive, but around Christmas 3 to 4 hours ! (Is anybody talking about crisis ?)
Not really Ochanomizu, but Pigalle has got a lot of different music shops, and in one of them I saw hanging on the wall an Eastman archtop.
So we came in, saw an AR 503 CE SB inside, I asked to try it, unplugged first (wanted to be sure to like the neck width and the ebony board) and then (as it passed first step easily) plugged in a DV Mark Jazz.
I was convinced !
Nice (but maybe bright to some) sound unplugged with good volume (not a flattop, but ...)
Sweet (but maybe bright to some) sound plugged in. Volume and tone pots are efficient.
Nice sound balance plugged or unplugged
Absolutely no flaws of any kind. Nice finish, nice fret job, nothing to complain about nut height (my first guitar like that !), beautiful binding.
No marks on the fretboard, only side dots. Classy !
Back home on my amp, first impressions were confirmed. Probably will need some time to get fully accustomed to neck width, but it is very confortable.
To sum up : what a guitar for that price (why do we always have to add :"for that price" ? It's a great guitar, that's all !)
We'll see in a month, after the honeymoon, but I'm confident ....
Some mandatory pictures :
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12-28-2015 07:22 PM
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Congratulations! Looks great, and I'll bet it sounds great. Have fun together!
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Its a beauty! Good luck with it! Bob
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Beautiful guitar. Eastmans are very nice archtops - enjoy.
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Nice looking guitar! Congratulations, and play it in good health!
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Nice addition to the 339!
Enjoy it!
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a friend lent me his Eastman once as I had to fly to Miami for a few gigs and didn't want to take my old L-5.
it had a floating pickup and howled until I taped the f holes over.
I wouldn't mind trying one like yours w/a built in p.u.
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Very nice guitar! Congratulations!
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très bien..nice looking guitar and good family christmas story
one that will only get better with time..the guitar and the story
could always change out the pickup one day..(keep the family!!) haha
cheers
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Une Beauté ! Bien Joué ! Congrats !
Could it be from that store at the beginning of rue de Douai ? What was that ... Viintage Collection, or some name like this.
You say "for the price" but what price actually, if it's not rude to ask ?
Happy NGD
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Thanks You all for the kind words. I Forget to mention that my son went back with the bass, too !
next and first occasion to play it in group and at higher than bedroom volume Will be next week. I'll report about feedback issue, if any.
I'll play it some time and experiment with différent kind of strings before considering pick-up swap.
xuoham, it's the store called acoustic guitars, and they told me that they just started jazz guitar activity and that my guitar was the first Eastman archtop they sold. 1249 € is the price. For a carved top, I feel it's fair.
Sorry, I've to go back to practice !
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Good job and good intuition of taking the trip. That's indeed a good price, specially considering the scarcity of Eastman guitars in France.
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That's one pretty guitar. Because it's an Eastman, it will be lively, responsive and a joy to play.
the paint on that is really well done.
congratulations! Enjoy your new Guitar.
JD
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I too am a happy owner of a recently purchased Eastman AR503CE. I had Lou at Guitars and Jazz put Flatwounds on mine which toned down the brightness some. Mine is a Blonde and I love it.
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Of course, you'll have to change your name to AR503CESB in December...
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Nice guitar 339! You'll have no regrets with the Eastman. And you'll be surprised how easily you get used to that nut width and scale length. Congrats
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Here's my Blonde happy with its Roland Cube 60. I selected this guitar above all others because of the nut width and scale and of course the price !
Last edited by superdave; 12-29-2015 at 05:46 PM.
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Some more feedback (pun intended !) after 4 months sharing the life of this guitar.
This morning was her first outdoor gig, and, if I had no feedback problem before (rehearsals, indoor gigs in small places), I had to stand with my amp on my left, looking to my right, to manage this feedback.
In spite of this, always very happy with this guitar. I really feel very confortable with this ebony fretboard and the 1,75" nut. This one gets now the most of my playtime.
Next outdoor gig (which means louder ?) will be with the 339 ! (in june for La Fête de la Musique !)
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Sounds like you got the sonic spectrum well covered:
339 (have one as well)----ballsy, oozing mid-range tone...blues guitar beast--I find myself boosting treble to get more jazzy tones, but definitely do-able.
Spruce top archie---more delicate and defined sounds
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You can make a very solid pair of plugs for the f-holes that will significantly help the feedback problem. Make a tracing of your f-holes. Then buy a very cheap pair of beach slippers (sometimes called in the US "flip-flops" or "thongs" [not the underwear!]). the soles of these are made of about 1/2 inch stiff foam rubber. Trace your f-holes on the rubber soles of the slippers and, using a fine saw, cut just outside your tracing so the resulting rubber-f-hole shapes are slightly larger than the f-holes on the guitar. Using an emory board file the taper from outside to inside so you can press the plugs into the f-holes and they friction fit.
Originally Posted by 339 in june
I promise, you plug the f-holes and most of your feedback problems will go away, and the flat-black color of the plugs made of that stiff foam rubber won't detract from the appearance of your lovely guitar the way tape, or just randomly cramming stuff in the f-holes will.
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[QUOTE=lawson-stone;643813]You can make a very solid pair of plugs for the f-holes....buy a very cheap pair of beach slippers (sometimes called in the US "flip-flops" or "thongs" [not the underwear!]).
However, if you have a guitar with what is often referred to a "racy Florentine cutaway", then the latter might be appropriate.
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Enjoy! Pretty finish on your guitar. Very classic looking jazzer.
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