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What do you think about the Eastman Romeo?
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12-09-2019 09:55 AM
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It's a new model, designed by Otto D'Ambrosio. Announced at Summer NAMM 2019 and just now beginning to appear in stores.
Review: Review: Eastman Romeo - Guitar.com | All Things Guitar
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Yeah, they came out earlier this year. Solid spruce top, but we don't know how it's braced.
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Guitars in this class depend a huge amount on all the variables that you cant see in a photo: interior design and engineering, neck construction, bridge seating, pickups etc. I'd have to hear a few reliable first hand reports before I'd consider it.
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I like that headstock design much more than the traditional Eastman design. I like a relatively straight string pull, and the normal Eastman design results in a strong bend at the nut. If I were in the market for a semi, and I'm not, I would certainly consider this model, given my previous Eastman experience.
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It looks a little like a Samick Greg Bennett Royale.
Another semi-hollow thinline electric guitar. I guess it's good to have options....
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Looks like an old harmony...
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Eastman is calling it "an original design"
I think Otto was influenced strongly by the Fret King John Etheridge except the FK has the controls more logically placed behind the bridge and it has a pickguard.
Also, The FK is about half the price of the Eastman.
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I like the overall concept, but it needs a pickguard.
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Looks pretty cool to me. I wonder how much of the interior is blocked.
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Looks too much like a Chuck P. Thornton guitar for my liking. I like CP Thornton and his guitars, and I hope Eastman does the right thing by the man.
Edit: I just read that it was designed by Otto D'Ambrosio. Oh well, still reminds me of a CP Thornton.
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The problem with the Eastmans is the price, they're too expensive
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The Romeo has a small block under the bridge. This model from the specs I've read uses a 1 11/16 nut width vs their usual 1 3/4". I like what Otto had done with the headstock. I wish my ElRey's had the same. Pickups are Lollar Imperials with a low wind and they sound pretty good to my ears.
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Not bad, a little generic looking. The f-holes look too "low" or something.
Not sure the world needed another semi hollow (or thinline hollow with a little block under the bridge) but here we are. I mean, they sell...see the 10,000 335 copies out there.
Personally, I wish Eastman would push ideas like the El Rey. That was a really cool design, with very little else out there like it.
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Looks like a bad copy of a Collings SoCo, IMO.
Tragically wrong f-hole placement.
I'll check it out at NAMM - I'm sure it will play and sound fine.Last edited by Hammertone; 12-10-2019 at 06:31 AM.
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Yeah. But the first ER's were 14"(?), then the ER4 is 16". I'd be awfully tempted at a 15" model.
Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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Unfortunately for everyone who likes innovation or something different there are 20 others who want the status quo. Guitar players are in general a hidebound and dogmatic bunch. And while guitar players say they want new and different ideas, they don't vote with their pocketbook.
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Kinda like this Scero:
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Hmm.. when there are 5 different 'looks like one of these' does that mean it's an original design?
I do like it. Think it looks good in a conservative sort of way. I like slim hollow bodies with a block just under the bridge. And a solid spruce top. And the Lollar pickups. If I didn't have something similar would be looking into these. After all, a full block semi like the Gibson 335 is just a skinny Les Paul with wings.
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Hard crowd to please,lol! I like it,but have to play one before making a final judgement on it.
I do wish that they would offer bigger neck shapes as an upgrade.
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I got the Romeo 10 days ago and I love it. It has all what I want:
exquiste sound, less than 2,5 kg, 44 mm neck, looks beautiful and the price is ok.
It is my favorite electric guitar.
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Spot on, Hammer. Collings CL Jazz: Originally Posted by Hammertone
Originally Posted by sgosnell
Agreed. One of the things I like about my ER4 is that it's not a knockoff of any particular instrument. You can see where Otto refers to elements of Steve Klein, Ken Parker and others but it's not "The xxx Model." Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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Perhaps a bit more SoCo than CL (given the block/tune-o-matic/stop tp), but the intent is there.
Great idea to knock off the Collings at a significantly lower price point:
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I’m wondering if anyone has a review to share about this? It seems to check many of the boxes I’m looking for, albeit in a slightly higher price bracket. I’ve heard that availability will become a little better come April/May.
Last edited by telejw; 02-07-2020 at 04:15 PM.
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There is a review on Guitar Player and Premier magazines. Very favorable on both reviews!
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I have not played a Romeo (which is what I think you mean!), but I love Eastman guitars. I have owned half a dozen over the past 5-6 years, most recently purchasing a T184MX. I know that doesn't help directly, but I almost always recommend Eastman to people.
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CL is carved spruce like Romeo right, SoCo seems like it's plywood maple. Originally Posted by Hammertone
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I played it a few weeks ago, the one with two humbuckers. I was there for a test drive on the Heritage 575 which I didn't like.
I thought the neck on the Romeo felt a little fatter than my T64 and SB59. Also a bit wider maybe. Not love at first feel for me. The tone was surprisingly airy, more than my T64, yet with more sustain than the T64, which all makes sense, considering the specs. Very good fret access, very light, very resonant. I considered buying it, but didn't, now I consider it again, but I already have too many guitars. There's also a clip somewhere of an Eastman sales rep saying that the Romeo makes for a complete new platform on which they will build different types of guitars, including bigger archtops.
You should try to play it. I liked the looks. The headstock is small, but it's a bit of a unique guitar.
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Ever since I got a Byrdland last year I've been fascinated by carved spruce top electrics. It's a got mellower attack, richer tone and more dynamics compared to my other guitars. But I don't prefer the 17 inch body (even though it's not very deep). I'm looking for a smaller, lighter guitar with similar characteristics. Romeo is a good candidate but I suppose they are not gonna be easy to come by.
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I was just commenting on the overall shape/look and hardware configuration. Originally Posted by Tal_175
For clarity:
-Romeo is carved (I bet that Eastman will introduce a laminated version if the model does well);
-Collings CL Jazz is carved;
-Collings Soco Deluxe is carved;
-Collings Soco LC is laminated.
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Collings is also 3x more $$$ as well! Collings makes wonderful guitars, but you defi Italy pay for it. Eastman makes wonderful guitars as well a d the bo us is they player affordable.
Comes down to playing them and finding which fits you best. Ive ended up with both a reissue 1958 ES-335 and a CS ES-339 that suit me tastes and styles well.
Although I do miss my Benedetto Bambino Std .
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Yeah Romeo is carved spruce though like CL Jazz. It's basically carved spruce archtop Tele. I can't wait to try one, carved spruce electric sound of 2 grands: Originally Posted by Hammertone
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Tele, except with two humbuckers, set neck, archtop, hollow body, etc. Just like a Tele, except entirely different.
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You just need to look closer (I didn't say just like Tele BTW read again) Originally Posted by sgosnell
Tele, except with two humbuckers, set neck, archtop, hollow body, etc. Just like a Tele, except entirely different.
Last edited by Tal_175; 06-05-2020 at 08:51 PM.
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I don't see that the body shape is all that much like a Tele, certainly no more than many others. But please do note the emoji.
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Interesting , I just found this. Apparently the designer of the guitar Otto D'Ambrosio started out this model with the question: “What would the Telecaster of the archtop-guitar world look and sound like?": Originally Posted by sgosnell
New RomanticLast edited by Tal_175; 12-30-2020 at 07:56 AM.
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Well, that's an interesting way to design a guitar, I guess. It has no attraction for me, but then a real Tele has little attraction. Yes, the body shape is vaguely similar, but no more than many others. If the object was to sound and look like a Tele, I think Otto missed the mark, but to me that's probably a good thing. I do wish Eastman luck with it, and I think they make excellent guitars for a reasonable price. I just don't see the Tele in it, but maybe my eyes are the problem.
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I bought a Romeo about two months ago - came with dual Bare Knuckle humbuckers - and wow - I love the sound and the feel of this guitar. It is super light and well balanced on my lap. I'll try to get a review up in the near future. Until then, +1 for this guitar.
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I like the look and specs for this guitar. If this came with the 1 3/4" nut width, I'd probably have picked this up. I like that they attempted to fix their head stock issue. That change is a direct result of Otto D'Ambrosio's influence. I use a String Butler on my ElRey to address the string pull. I look forward to your review.
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I bought mine in June (I think) and I have played it a lot. I started of with D'A chromes, switched to TI Swings and replaced the wound G with a plain G and now it sounds superb. It's very comfortable to play, seated and standing up. I really, really like the fact that the neck is so close to the center of your body. With a Tele, I need to reach more to the left, while with the Romeo, it's all very compact. Much like the difference between a 335 and 330 I guess.
While I find my T64 (330) a tad too large to play seated on a couch, the Romeo is just a bit smaller.
Sound wise, it can do a number of things. You can get almost strat like sounds, but also very dark jazz tones with the very responsive tone control. Mine has the Lollar pups. They're great. Bare Knuckles are great too, I haven't played them. The tone is very airy/hollow, yet far less susceptible to feedback than my T64.
I also like the look and the fact that the headstock provides excellent tuning stability.
If you think they're too expensive for 'a Chinese guitar' it's not for you. My 'made in USA' Telecaster which costs the same as the Romeo doesn't have the refinement in build quality this Eastman has. It might depreciate faster than a Tele, but maybe it won't. After all, they're very, very fine guitars that are not mass produced. Who knows what will happen. I won't be selling this one.
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The videos show two hum buckers, yet the picture (in the original post) show a strange kind of single-coil. Any more information on that?
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There are two versions: the Romeo SC (single coil) and the 'normal' Romeo. The Romeo came with Lollar Imperial hum buckers, but due to covid Eastman made a couple (I think only 20-30) with Bare Knuckles pups.
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There are not really any videos demonstrating jazz tones on the Romeo. I found this one though a while ago. My Thai is pretty rusty, but I get the impression they like it. Mine sounds a bit more 'airy' though. A lot depends on strings, amps, etc.
Tones start around 3:15
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I'd like a 1 3/4" nut AND a 25 1/2" scale length. I mean, if it's supposed to be the archtop answer to the Tele! Originally Posted by rob taft
But I guess the only 25 1/2" scale length Eastman does is on their top archtops.
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As far as I know, all of Eastman's archtops including their high end have a 25" scale length. Their flatop acoustics have a 25.4 and their Romeo, ES 335 types and solid bodies have a 24 3/4" length.
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Looks like the first Eastman that kinda grabs me.
To each his own but ... I`d do something with that big ol upper horn and put the pickup selector up there.
And somehow I see a Bigsby on it (as I said ...to each his own)
I guess it`d have to be a B5 like a Hamer Newport
Look forward to playing one
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I picked one up last spring. Replaced the neck Lollar with a Fralin p92. It’s become my main guitar. When gigs return I plan to use it in my main band. It definitely has the uber compact feel of a 330, but sounds very different. Extremely light, great sustain thanks to the block under the bridge. Hangs well on a strap.
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Can you describe the difference between the Lollar and the Fralin? You have a sound clip maybe somewhere? Originally Posted by D.G.
It does sound different than the ES330, just like you said. And very compact indeed, but with much better fret access than the 330.
I tried this Duesberg Les Trem on my Romeo, but it wasn't stable enough for me. It didn't fit straight out of the box though. I had to slightly modify it.
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I think it would sound MUCH better if 2.25" or more deep and 15.5 inch wide .
'Big Romeo'.Last edited by Robertkoa; 01-08-2021 at 05:46 PM.
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I don’t get along with standard neck humbuckers, I always swap them out. The Fralin p92 is bright, kinda like an underwound p90, but with a bit more compression. Pretty firm on the wound strings. Originally Posted by Joeontheguitar
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