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Agreed! Now that they have upgraded many of their gits from the Asian Armstrong pups the only thing I can see that makes some hesitant is the well documented fragile finish. The Eastman I own has several "oops" dings but I don't care, it's harder to get a great sounding and playing git than it is to get one with an ironclad finish that plays like crap in like new condition :-)
Originally Posted by BigMikeinNJ
I only own one Eastman now but I can see at least one more like a T486 or T186MX in the future for me. But I already have an MX (a T-165MX) so the 486 is the more likely candidate of the two.
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11-10-2017 11:36 AM
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Always wanted to get an Eastman but the timing never worked out, but like the ones I tried.
Play the hell out of the one you get and make it you voice.
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I own a Gibson 1979 ES175cc, wanted a 17" carved archtop with strong acoustic properties I purchased an AR910CE (2011) replaced the pup with a KA hand-wound 12 pole and I'm in heaven. Love that guitar, fit, finish and playability, a perfect compliment to my 175. Tend to play the 910 more frequently than my other guitars. Photo of the guitar before I replaced the pup.
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Here is the lightly used 186mx I recently acquired via trade. The nut width is 1.75", like my Taylor 612C, and the necks are very similar in feel, so I am tickled. Actually there is enough volume unplugged that I could just go with the 186 for quiet practice, but I like the plugged in sound, using the neck pickup with tone dialed down a bit.
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V-E-R-Y cool, you got an earlier model with the gold hardware? Or, was that lighting?
Here's my 165 in the same finish as yours.
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It is a 2009, gold hardware (so I guess I will NOT try wrapping the strings up and over the stop tailpiece), maple top and mahogany back and sides. I like the toned down fretboard, dots on ebony, less distraction
plus it feels great. I A/B'ed it in the shop against a new 386, acoustically, and there was no contest. If they had not gone for my swap offer, I was prepared to order a new 486, they did not have one on the floor. The money for a new Heritage would have been beyond my present budget, but I was told they cannot keep the Heritages in stock, they blow right out. I am happy with the way it turned out.
Nice fiddleback on your piece!
Next step, choice of an amp, to replace my old Silver Face Fender Champ, or maybe people would advise to hang on to it. I was thinking more maintenance/stress free, but have no idea what to look for. that will be a whole other thread.
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Mark, do you have your 486 yet? I found it was only $100 over the 386 price, and the pics look really nice.
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I like the T486 a lot. As I mentioned above, I was looking for a relatively inexpensive 335-type semi hollow for the versatility of using it for blues or to add a different tonal color for jazz. For me, it fits the bill perfectly. It's definitely not a 335 clone. It has a somewhat brighter tone due in part to the maple neck. But, the brightness is a nice feature, IMO. It can be dialed back to great effect. Every note along the full length of the neck rings beautifully. This is an exceptional guitar for jazz and is great for blues and rock as well.
Here are a few of the things I find to be great about it:
The neck and fretboard is as nice as my L5 CES. The frets are perfectly crowned and polished. The neck is full but not as big as, say, a 50's ES 335. But, it's fuller than a 60's 335. The nut width is 1 3/4", which is nice, but takes a little getting used to at first. The fretboard is triple bound ebony with real MOP split parallelogram inlays. It's absolutely gorgeous! The setup on this guitar is the best I have ever played. I like lower action, and it is perfect along the length of the neck. It plays like butter! The intonation is perfect. I recommend buying from the same seller I bought from. I'll provide the link at the end of this post. I have no affiliation with him. He's a stand up guy who is meticulous about the guitars he sells and provides an expert setup before shipping.
The Duncan pickups sound great, very full and fat. To me, they sound very comparable to the Gibson '57 Classics in my first 335.
The fit and finish is near perfect and it is about the most beautiful guitar I own (second to my L5, of course). I love the translucent red finish with the flamey maple top, sides, and back. The headstock is bound and the top has 5 layers of binding. I think it's very classy without being overdone. There is one minor flaw that I have also found on my other Eastman guitar. It seems that they must install the strings before the lacquer is completely dry and the string winders sometimes leave a mark on the side of the headstock. I have included a picture to show you what I mean. To me, it's a very minor thing.
So, for all the additional appointments alone it is worth the extra $100 over the T386. Plus, it has better pickups. The maple neck makes it a bit heavier and brighter than the 386, and both of those things might be important considerations for some.
I ordered mine from SKY Music in Denton, TX. I just stumbled upon them on-line, but I have a buddy that lives there and I asked him about the store. He said they have a good reputation, so I called them and talked to the owner (whose name escapes me now). After getting the sense over the phone that he knew his stuff, I placed the order. Delivery was very fast and, as I said, the setup was spectacular. I will definitely do business with him again. Here's the link: Sky Guitars Your Denton Music Store
I would not hesitate to purchase a T486. It can do everything that I need it to do, plays, looks, and sounds great. And, I didn't have to spend a lot for.
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This T486 popped up and I couldn't say no, it will be inbound next week. Damn blondes, funny I go for testarossa women, but alas couldn't afford a car with that name :-)
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Here's my t146. Same carpet, different guitar, same name on the headstock
This guitar is everything I wanted, and actually much more.
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Nice! I figured that Sky Guitars would be good to deal with just by looking at the way they lined up the guitars so perfectly on that carpet for the pictures. Originally Posted by tamirgal
Here's my t146. Same carpet, different guitar, same name on the headstock
This guitar is everything I wanted, and actually much more.
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I sort of wanted a T146, but didn't find one readily available and ended up with a T145. I'm glad I did, the smaller body suits me better. It's the same guitar, but the older version with a 15" lower bout. It's a very nice guitar.
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I have to admit that I was a bit of a snob about Eastman guitars at first. To my defense, I think they have improved in quality a lot over the years. I bought my first Eastman about 3 years ago, this beautiful E6OME-LTD. I have always loved OOO or OM sized flat tops. This one sounds as nice as any Martin I have played. It was a special run (mine is number 61 of 100 made) with herringbone binding and rosette, ebony fretboard and small diamond MOP position markers. Mine has a nice bearclaw spruce top that adds some character. It plays great and sounds fantastic. It made me a believer in Eastman.
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As far as I can see, Blonde 486's are rare ... not in the 2016 or 2017 catalogs. I was watching the item too, got a ping that an offer had been made, logged-in but the deal was already closed. Good for you, mate. That is a beautiful guitar. Enjoy!
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Hey Mark,
My 486 came in yesterday, and like you think it's a great git, but I have to ask you, is yours body heavy? Not heavy in weight, but in balance.
Despite mine being 8 ounces lighter than my 335 the neck rise is so much that if I let it go it would fall off my leg. None of my other 7 double cut semis are balanced like this. It's no biggie, with a strap, or on my left leg it's fine.
BTW, I "reviewed" it fully on the new Eastman site.Last edited by GNAPPI; 11-18-2017 at 01:19 AM.
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Nope, I haven't noticed that, Gary. But, I have been playing it with a strap. Also, sorry you don't like the p/u's. I don't think they are too bright at all, though I do dial the tone back quite a bit on the neck p/u when I'm using it for jazz. Like I said, it's a good tonal contrast to an archtop.
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Very nice Mark, both your new aquisition and this acoustic. I had been skeptical of all the praise heaped on the brand but became a believer after getting my first one, an E20 OM I found on CL. This, after trying some Martins, Taylors and Gibsons in a local music store and getting sticker shock and not even being very impressed. I'm a very casual acoustic player and have too much of an electric collection to justify putting big bucks into a new acoustic. Originally Posted by Mark M.
I have to admit that I was a bit of a snob about Eastman guitars at first. To my defense, I think they have improved in quality a lot over the years. I bought my first Eastman about 3 years ago, this beautiful E6OME-LTD. I have always loved OOO or OM sized flat tops. This one sounds as nice as any Martin I have played. It was a special run (mine is number 61 of 100 made) with herringbone binding and rosette, ebony fretboard and small diamond MOP position markers. Mine has a nice bearclaw spruce top that adds some character. It plays great and sounds fantastic. It made me a believer in Eastman.
Then my teenage son "adopted" the E 20 OM which justified me getting this AC 812 OM for myself. Also a CL deal. I have never played an electric Eastman but if the acoustics are any indication I bet they are great. The semi hollows and Jazzers look very interesting. One day maybe one for me too, some beauties on this thread. We're lucky to have the option.There are a few on the NJ CL now I believe. I need to keep off CL ha ha.
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Did somebody just mention an Eastman T486? I have this one (stock photo, unfortunately) arriving next week from Project Music, in their Spring Sale.
I've bought a couple of jazz boxes recently (after selling a theorbo!) - Both Eastmans: 910CE and the Pisano 680, both of which I am 100% happy with. But this one is more for jamming Blues with BB King and others, lightly strung. If the pickups are not to my liking, I have in mind a pair of Bare Knuckle Stormy Mondays. We shall see!
Here endeth my Guitar Acquisition Outburst - there's no money left in the kitty, and not likely to be, but this lot will keep me happy. Oh, and the theorbo also covered the cost of a Fairfield Circuitry Barbershop Overdrive...on order from Anderton's at a pre-order price for new stock coming soon. That plus the Henriksen Blu 6 should keep me covered.
I'll let you know how I get on with the T486.
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Those 486's are great guitars,how Eastman sells them at the price they do is beyond me.Having played a couple,i think you might like the pickups that comes with it.Enjoy my friend. Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
Did somebody just mention an Eastman T486? I have this one (stock photo, unfortunately) arriving next week from Project Music, in their Spring Sale.
I've bought a couple of jazz boxes recently (after selling a theorbo!) - Both Eastmans: 910CE and the Pisano 680, both of which I am 100% happy with. But this one is more for jamming Blues with BB King and others, lightly strung. If the pickups are not to my liking, I have in mind a pair of Bare Knuckle Stormy Mondays. We shall see!
Here endeth my Guitar Acquisition Outburst - there's no money left in the kitty, and not likely to be, but this lot will keep me happy. Oh, and the theorbo also covered the cost of a Fairfield Circuitry Barbershop Overdrive...on order from Anderton's at a pre-order price for new stock coming soon. That plus the Henriksen Blu 6 should keep me covered.
I'll let you know how I get on with the T486.
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And I got a 3rd off the selling price. I've been told it should arrive Wednesday.
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I'm very happy with my T486, although I find it a bit too heavy
When I got it initially it had some pretty bad fret buzzing in a couple places on the neck.
My guitar tech did a proper fret level and setup and the guitar has been playing great since.
Enjoy your new guitar!
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Cheers, thelu. I must say that I've had three Eastman archtops and a thinline in the past, and not one of them has seemed heavy or had nothing but perfect frets. Maybe you were just unlucky. But I've not had a 486 before, so I'll check mine as soon as it arrives, and report back. Thanks for the heads up.
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Had this one a couple of years, sounded, played great.
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That looks gorgeous, Aiq. I’m sure you both have spent some happy times together!
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Well, my black T486 arrived an hour ago…and I’m in two minds.
I’ll be using it for blues playing, from BB King to CWAG: “Clapton With A Gibson”. Using a THR 10 it took me a while to find the BB sound, though the notes seemed to lack some weight. I couldn’t get near my idea of the CWAG. Overall the guitar seemed trebly. Even for the slightly thin BB ‘Thrill is gone” sound, I had to use the neck pickup with tone half way.
I even plugged it into the Henriksen Blu 6, and used the only overdrive pedal I have - the Jetter Gain Stage Red - but found no real joy.
Although I said I’m in two minds, I’m finding it hard to share positives. The guitar is well made, but certainly the body end is heavy, difficult to hold, though I haven’t tried a strap.
I’ll play it more before deciding to keep or return. At the moment the odds are on the latter, which would disappoint me.
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