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That joint is indeed strange... can't imagine any reason to make it this way.
As for natural finish: to me ES guitars just look fabulous in blonde. I have a 335 and an Epi Riviera in natural finish.
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07-15-2017 08:09 AM
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Originally Posted by GNAPPI
I can't figure out what you guys are seeing that looks odd. Is it the length of the fret board extension piece? I find you can usually see that fretboard extension on most archtop guitars. Usually you can see a change in grain pattern, or slight change in the finish where the fret board extension goes into the heel.
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I never saw that joint in a natural or light colored 3 piece neck that goes so far into the heel. Under the FB? Sure, but not so B-I-G.
Here's the extension on my Ibanez AF-125
Last edited by GNAPPI; 07-15-2017 at 08:43 AM.
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On all of the archtops I have here including the Benedetto, the fret board extension piece does extend into the heel piece like that. When keeping the fret board extension clear of the guitar top, perhaps it has to go further into the heel to get enough support.
(On the Ibanez photo where the fretboard extension does not go far into the heel, it appears the fret board extension is making contact with the guitar top.)
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It's odd that Eastman didn't do a better job of color matching at that joint, but that seems to be the only defect.
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Originally Posted by KirkP
Hard to match colours when it's only a clear coat. And if you try to match the natural colours of wood you won't know how the different pieces react to a clear coat...
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Originally Posted by KirkP
That pic does one thing for sure, reinforce my opinion that natural finishes can hide little. I like that.
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Checked with my dealer yesterday and he got in touch with the importer / distributor. Will arrive next week - then probably another week before I'll get it. My dealer usually does inspection, a final setup and string change before he ships out to customer.
I can stand another two weeks but my fingers are-a-itching!
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Originally Posted by TOMMO
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Originally Posted by DanielleOM
The AR372CE in natural. I always had a soft spot for the look of blonde ES models including the blonde ES 175 but wouldn't want to spend around 4.000 and more on a Gibson.
Contrary to what the 2017 Eastman catalog says, natural is not a production finish so I had to put in a special order and I was given a waiting time of four to five months. Five months are over now...another two weeks and there'll be a NGD!Last edited by TOMMO; 08-11-2017 at 09:05 AM.
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A few of us have here have found the hardware on the threaded portion of the rod to be loose. Not sure if it comes loose during shipping. I suggest you make sure it's tight when you receive it. A loose nut there can create a rather irritating buzz.
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Originally Posted by DanielleOM
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Originally Posted by TOMMO
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I play (sometimes) a PG1 Eastman. It's a great sounding guitar, looks amazing. I prefer the way my Gibson plays, only because I've been using 335 style axes 20 years now and just am not used to the 25 scale of the Eastman.
Ultimately I'm happy with the guitar. It certainly is very articulate and has a lot of character to it. They are expensive, especially for Eastman. I think however, it was worth the investment.
Eastmans are I think your best budget archtop, at least from what I've played.
You can hear the PG in a vid I posted in the Showcase forum if interested.
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Originally Posted by Longways to Go
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None of my hollowbodies had Florentine cutaways (all Venetian) and after jonesing for a 175-type jazzbox I ended up with a '73 Greco. I love everything about it except the neck which is too skinny and thin for me. I now know that the later Greco's had beefier necks...oops.
It was almost an accident that I even got the guitar. I made what I was pretty sure was an insulting offer on the guitar which was on Reverb, AND in Japan (something else I have never done)! The guitar had apparently been listed for quite a while and the seller accepted my offer which shocked, and then worried me.
So I got it. It was in stellar shape aside from some binding cracks in the cutaway (stable), and the old Maxon pups sound very good, but the neck isn't my cup of tea. I'd LOVE to trade it for a similar guitar with a wider/fatter neck, but only if there was someone interested nearby SF Bay Area) so we could play each of them first.
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Originally Posted by Rhythmisking
The guitars are hand made. I was at a road show where there were two new AR371CE guitars. The two necks felt substantially different. It's difficult to generalize based on trying one. I would have felt comfortable playing either one.
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I've told this elsewhere (maybe here) my childhood friend had an Aunt that worked in the Gretsch N.Y. plant and she said the thickness of the neck varied greatly based on how tired the neck shaper was before they sent it on to be finished. :-)
We used to get Gretsch stickers and put them on our Zim Gar guitars :-)Last edited by GNAPPI; 08-11-2017 at 06:32 PM.
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I have an Eastman PG1 and absolutely love it. Sound is great, light, well made and looks & plays like a dream.
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Originally Posted by TOMMO
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Originally Posted by GNAPPI
Fingers crossed that mne will be a fine example....
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Update on my previous thoughts.
I had not owned an Eastman guitar, but today I received my first, a 2007 T165MX, which is a single cut with a Venetian cutaway. It's quite a looker.
The neck is very much like a 335's slim taper, the "root beer" colored bound body sides and back are carved mahogany, top is carved flame maple (bound "F" holes) and the bound neck/head is 3/5 piece mahogany with ebony FB like a Gibson 355, but with less conspicuous dot markers. Weight is 6lb 14 oz. about 1lb. 9 oz. lighter than most 335's I've weighed. Pups were replaced by the PO with Lindy Fralins. Funny, the body is totally hollow with a beautifully sculpted back portion that rises at the ~3"x4" maple block.
Fit is much like any custom shop I've handled, but the finish as has been reported here, has some issues. It seems to scratch and dent easily, no biggie it's not a $25k git.
It's setup with unknown flats, the action is fast and the Fralin's sound great. Acoustically it's as I'd expect louder than a 335 type git, and the warm acoustic influence on the electric sound is obvious. I never have considered Fralin pups before but I will in the future.
For a 10 year old guitar, it speaks well of Eastman. No warpage, neck FB or binding area shrinkage, no binding cracks or separation. Opinion... As a first Eastman I have to say, it will not be my last. This one definitely inspires more practice :-)
PS, I'm AMAZED that gits in this style (single cut semi's) are not more popular, and I'm totally mystified why Eastman Discontinued it.Last edited by GNAPPI; 08-24-2017 at 12:57 PM.
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Pic from my archtop dealer - should be here by friday!
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Hi Tommo, how about the 372, I hope it arrived fine and that you are enjoyn’ it.
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Originally Posted by hagstrom
Can anyone date this? goodwill epiphone
Yesterday, 05:40 PM in For Sale