Eastman Jazz Guitar Recommendations

[QAman]

The AR580ce is a great choice and tons of value. This is a carved top guitar with a laminated back and wood binding. The current build quality is excellent and at around $1500 dollars new- its hard to beat.

Here is a great in depth review of this guitar

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[Bflat233]

I have crossed paths with four Eastmans so far: an AR810, two AR371s (a sunburst and a blonde), and a T386. I still have the blonde 371 and the T386 in violin/classic finish. These would be the last guitars I'd part with if it came to that. They are beautiful and sound rich through my Quilter. I take the 386 out to jams and gigs and I get offers for it constantly.

[KirkP]

For our anniversary wife bought me a new 2006 AR810CE because I couldn’t put it down in the store. It has a sweet tone (not a cannon) and the neck suits my hand perfectly. Whenever I find the tone lacking I realize it’s overdue for a string change, which bring back that tone I loved in the store. The tailpiece failed after 10 years, but it just took a call to Eastman to get a replacement with an improved design.

Oh, and I did give my wife a nice gift too.

[lukmanohnz]

Yup - I have an AR503CE - identical box with simpler cosmetics and a SD Seth Lover pickup instead of the SD Jazz. I’ve had it a few months now, and I am still thrilled by it. I pretty much love everything about it, especially the playability. It was set up superbly. I have a couple dreads that were Plek’d and the Eastman plays as well as them. I would love an all-acoustic archtop someday, but this is all the guitar I’ll really ever need for jazz.

[SierraTango]

Eastman has come a long way and I go back to the late 1990's with them. I heard about a Chinese company offering a fully carved 17" 7 string for about $1200 and contacted the importer. They were in Maryland at that time as I recall. I ordered one up and it was SO terrible. There was a gap I could put a credit card through between the heel and the body. The frets ends were sharp enough to draw blood. My Labrador could have done a better finish with her tail. I contacted Gordon and my money was cheerfully refunded.
I was intrigued however and followed the company at NAMM shows. Slowly the quality improved, and then I was told Mark Lacey, who I had met when he had a shop on Gardner St. in Hollywood was hired to consult.
I ordered a John Pisano 880 in 2005 after playing one at the NAMM show. It's number C46 build dated 7/11/05. I have gigged a lot with that guitar and still use it on gigs that my Benedetto Cremona is not appropriate for.
I, for one, am glad to see a company produce instruments that give choices to such a wide range of players at affordable prices.

[BBGuitar]

My first Eastman was an AR605 serial number 1.

Great Big Band guitar unfortunately it was stolen. I replaced it with a AR610 I like it better.

I replaced my stolen Alvarez Yari with a Eastman E6D it is good but not as good.

I'm looking at replacing my 1968 Gibson ES175D (not stolen) with a AR503ce as soon as this current issue is over and our local music store gets one in.

[ESCC]

In 2013 I wanted a hand craved archtop with a floater. I own a 1979 ES175cc, Heritage 535, LP, Tele & Strat. I was not going to spend the money on a Gibson JS so it came down to Heritage, Eastman and Peerless. After multiple trips to stores playing different archtops I decided on an Eastman AR910ce. I like the craftsmanship, weight, acoustic properties, the neck, etc., etc. I rotate playing my different guitars, they all feel, play and sound different which I enjoy, however, I find the 910 speaks to me more than the others. Playing it is extremely satisfying . . . a wonderful instrument. I would own another Eastman.

[Joeontheguitar]

I have three Eastmans: a T64, AR403 and SB59. The 403 was the only one that I bought specifically for jazz, but the others are used for that now too. The T64 now sounds a lot better with TI Bebop 12, more arch top-like. The 64 is my 'newest' Eastman and it is built extremely well. Too bad upper fret access isn't the best, but it's so lightweight.

Now that SB59 is out of this world. I tried a few similarly priced Gibson LPs, but the Eastman was simply better. Mine has Amber Spirit of 59 pups and plays and sounds great. It's even pretty light for a LP.

The AR403 is about to receive a new PU and I hope to get a better tone from it by then. This is the only Eastman that needed some fretwork (sharp ends), which I did by myself and is good now.

All in all, I'm a fan of the brand. Yes, I do get the people staring at the headstock and saying 'never heard of it', but I don't really care about that. The one thing I don't like is the aging or 'reliqing'. Just as lame as a new jeans with holes in it. Says a lot about our society. We want to look like we've been playing an instrument of decades, even though it's brand new.

[ccroft]

I've had a 2007 Pisano 880 for a little over 3 years. I'll never sell it. It's a great one.

I do have one other more expensive archtop. The Pisano has something the other doesn't... and vice versa.

[EarlBrother]

Hay on you 403 let me know what P U you choose and why i am tempted to do the same to my 403

[arielcee]

Wish there were more of them around my area. Had an ar371 and couldn't find much to like about it. Even a p-up swap was un-fruitful. Pretty disappointed with the t486 as well, the neck was giant!
Maybe people are just jumping on the bandwagon.
Not to say they are bad instruments. But I don't understand the hype. That said I haven't had a chance to try any of the carved models so I should really be quiet...

[EarlBrother]

I tried the 371 and was not comfortable with it.But it was more me.My first time ever playing an Archtop.Money was tight and i wanted to make the best possible choice.At the time looks was one of my weakness.And a 403 Blonde popped up on Guitarz n Jazz.The ( nice sized)pick guard and fret board, bridge and head stock were same color and price was right.The passion for the guitar itself, not the selling of it, was sincere.I really appreciated these guys.Then poor Tom Carol i pm'd him so many times.Ok sorry.I like it.Oh and a slight flaw made the price very right.

[Joeontheguitar]

Hay on you 403 let me know what P U you choose and why i am tempted to do the same to my 403

I ordered the CC pickup from The Creamery, after I saw the clip that forum member Rob made with it. I'm waiting for it to arrive and I'm very curious.

[sgosnell]

Eastman bought Benedetto's book and followed it precisely, and still do, AFAIK, at least for the carved-top models. Thus they will never sound like Gibsons - different build style entirely. They do tend to be brighter than Gibsons, due to the lighter build and thinner tops and backs. They don't try to be Gibson, but they do a pretty good job of being Benedetto, at a far lower price. The build quality on my T145 is excellent. Some people will not like the 1.75" nut width on most models, but that's subjective. It works for me. I keep putting mine on Reverb, and pulling it back, because every time I play it I change my mind about selling it. I don't expect to be able to get what it's actually worth. I have too many guitars, though, and still have GAS for more, and it's really a duplicate, so I should sell it, but I really hate to part with it, so it's still here. I think it's hard to beat Eastman for a working, playing archtop guitar at an affordable price, especially for one with a carved spruce top and an actual acoustic voice.

[Ukena]

These are two custom Eastmans: the one on the left is an AR905CE Charlie Christian model, the one on the right is a Pagelli 2, designed by Claudio & Claudia Pagelli. Both are carved solid wood arch tops.

I bought the 905 first, at Rudy's Music in Soho NYC. I played a bunch of different archtops; Rudy had a used Trenier, but even used it was quite a bit more than I was willing to spend. It was the best sounding arch top in the shop, to my untutored ear. But the 905 was the next best sounding one (I didn't play anything with a price tag north of $10k), and I thought it also sounded really good acoustically. I have played high-end Martin dreadnoughts for decades, and only recently have cultivated an interest in arch tops.

A year later I went back to Rudy's to meet a young jazz guitarist and help him choose a guitar; I arrived early, and Gordon insisted I try the Pagelli 2. Wow! a beautiful sound, and the easiest-playing neck I've ever played. It sounds great acoustically, and has a lovely tone though my Henricksen Bud.

I really enjoy them both.

[AKA]

Eastman bought Benedetto's book and followed it precisely, and still do, AFAIK, at least for the carved-top models. Thus they will never sound like Gibsons - different build style entirely. They do tend to be brighter than Gibsons, due to the lighter build and thinner tops and backs. They don't try to be Gibson, but they do a pretty good job of being Benedetto, at a far lower price. The build quality on my T145 is excellent. Some people will not like the 1.75" nut width on most models, but that's subjective. It works for me. I keep putting mine on Reverb, and pulling it back, because every time I play it I change my mind about selling it. I don't expect to be able to get what it's actually worth. I have too many guitars, though, and still have GAS for more, and it's really a duplicate, so I should sell it, but I really hate to part with it, so it's still here. I think it's hard to beat Eastman for a working, playing archtop guitar at an affordable price, especially for one with a carved spruce top and an actual acoustic voice.

I have a T145. Every time I play it I can’t believe that, like you, I once considered selling it. A couple years ago I had a guitar buddy over and successively brought out each of my instruments and had him play them - all really nice archtops (that included a Ribbecke, Benedetto, Mirabella, LeGrand). At the very end I brought out the T145 and handed it to him. As I expected he was immediately struck by how light it was. Secondly, he was surprised at how acoustically alive it was considering it is a thin line. When he plugged it in he was blown away by the full, fat, warm tone. In his words, “This is a special instrument.” I have one other Eastman, a 16” oval hole archtop. Another superb instrument.

There was an earlier comment alluding to low-wage child labor being used to build these instruments. Another commenter noted that Eastman actually treats it’s workers well. I truly hope it’s the latter. (Now, I definitely need to know the truth and will do what I can to confirm.) I certainly empathize with those being exploited in this fashion as my ancestors were forced to work 400 years without any wages here in America.

AKA

[RoboTom]

I ordered the CC pickup from The Creamery, after I saw the clip that forum member Rob made with it. I'm waiting for it to arrive and I'm very curious.

I'm looking to replace the pickup in my Eastman AR371 and after seeing that same clip of the CC pickup from The Creamery, that pickup is among my two candidates. The other is the Mr. 2000HB Dearmond from Gabojo. I really like my Eastman but I've never been sold on the pickup and am hoping a change will help. Hoping you like the results when your CC pickup is installed and I'd be keen to hear what you think of it.

[Ukena]

The Eastman custom AR905CE with the CC pickup is a Lollar; it seems to have similar specs to the one from The Creamery: 38 gauge wire, and Alnico 5 magnets. It sounds terrific.

I have no idea if the Lollar 2-point mounting set is a drop-in for a humbucker as The Creamery version is. The Eastman AR905CE CC has the 3-point mounting version, which is obviously just to make it look like the Gibson CC pickups.

[Joeontheguitar]

The Eastman custom AR905CE with the CC pickup is a Lollar; it seems to have similar specs to the one from The Creamery: 38 gauge wire, and Alnico 5 magnets. It sounds terrific.

I have no idea if the Lollar 2-point mounting set is a drop-in for a humbucker as The Creamery version is. The Eastman AR905CE CC has the 3-point mounting version, which is obviously just to make it look like the Gibson CC pickups.

It has a hum bucker route: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar...umbucker-route
Not sure about the mounting though.

[monkmiles]

I've had a wonderful Eastman experience thus far. It started with a b-stock 2005 AR805CE I found on ebay in or around 2006. Had a couple finish imperfections but otherwise what a beautiful acoustic instrument. From there I wanted to go more electric and got a new El Rey 2 right when they came out in 2006. I think mine was #003. I found out Otto D'Ambrosio (the designer of the El Rey among others) had a shop nearby in RI at the time and I had him to a setup, got to see his notebook of El Rey designs and chit-chat...it was a great guitar but then I wanted a tad more traditional and sold the El Rey for an Ibanez AK105SM which I played for a while. Eventually moved the Ibanez on for an Eastman AR403 in 2012 because I wanted a guitar with more resonance.Even though the wood was nice on the Ibanez AK105SM, they have such thick finishes that dulls the tone some in my opinion. So I found and fell in love with the Eastman AR403. I fairly quickly replaced the AR403 pickup with a 57 classic and it was my jazz guitar for many years, loved it. Then, just recently wanted something similar but different and more versatile and sold the AR403 for an AR372 in 03/2019, which is where I stand today. Now I'm thinking about replacing the pickups in my AR372!

[ccroft]

Now I understand what was said before about not understanding Eastman's naming system! I've been happily playing mine for 3 years, but I have no idea what guitars you've been playing :) :__)

[Bflat233]

I ordered the CC pickup from The Creamery, after I saw the clip that forum member Rob made with it. I'm waiting for it to arrive and I'm very curious.

My Creamery-built Charlie Christian arrived yesterday from Manchester. I was hoping I could install it myself, given statewide restrictions it's not likely I will be able to get the guitar to my tech any time soon. But looking at the wiring inside the AR371, I don't think I've got the dexterity to land my soldering iron in the right places. So on the shelf the CC pick up will sit for a month or two ...

cc: The Impact of the coronavirus on jazz thread.

[wengr]

I have an Eastman John Pisano ar880ce. Its personal I know, but for me it's got the best neck specs and feel of any guitar I have ever owned.
If I was to have a custom commission, I would want to take the Eastman to the builder and say "here - make it feel like this".

[sgosnell]

FWIW, Wu started with Eastman, and knows Eastman specs and guitars very well.

[wengr]

FWIW, Wu started with Eastman, and knows Eastman specs and guitars very well.

Yes thanks. I have given this plenty of consideration.