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Hi all,
I am looking for general set-up advice and lowest attainable (sensible) action height, etc. I'm new to archtops, so bear with me, please!
Currently, with the action at 1.5mm treble/2mm bass, there's a bit of rattle on the body when playing full chords, either within the body itself or the hardware, but not along the fretboard. Is that around as low as I should try to go?
I believe these come from the factory with 12s. The guy I bought if from had 11s fitted. I intend to go back to factory, with flatwounds, but the seller had it adjusted by a luthier for 11s. Likely just a truss rod tweak required?
Any thoughts are welcome.
Thanks!
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07-21-2020 10:43 AM
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I have an Eastman T49 also, awesome guitar.
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Can't tell without having the guitar in hand. Changing string gauge, type, and brand will often require tweaks to get the action to the ideal height. Assuming perfectly level frets (a big assumption, but no other option at this point) the nut slots need to be perfect, both in depth and angle. Given that, the truss rod is the next thing I consider, and I like my neck perfectly straight. Others like more relief, and it's a subjective preference, which depends greatly on one's playing style. Banging the strings makes more relief necessary, a light touch can allow a straighter neck. The last thing I adjust is the bridge height, and I lower that until I get buzz, then raise it until the buzz goes away and the tone is acceptable to me. I can generally get 1 mm or less at the 12th fret, but that can take a lot of fiddling and adjustment over time. I make very small adjustments and play between them. Techs will seldom, if ever, bother to get the action as low as it will go, both because they don't know the exact preferences of the customer, and because it just takes too long to be profitable. They get it close and go to the next job. For my own guitars, I have nothing but time, so I have the luxury of being able to tweak at will, for as long as I want. Truthfully, I tend to overtweak because tweaking is almost as much fun as playing.
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Understood! I'm an experienced player, not the most wonderful guitar tech, but just wondered general experiences as I imagine it's at least a bit different to a regular electric...or not!
Originally Posted by sgosnell
Can't tell without having the guitar in hand. Changing string gauge, type, and brand will often require tweaks to get the action to the ideal height. Assuming perfectly level frets (a big assumption, but no other option at this point) the nut slots need to be perfect, both in depth and angle. Given that, the truss rod is the next thing I consider, and I like my neck perfectly straight. Others like more relief, and it's a subjective preference, which depends greatly on one's playing style. Banging the strings makes more relief necessary, a light touch can allow a straighter neck. The last thing I adjust is the bridge height, and I lower that until I get buzz, then raise it until the buzz goes away and the tone is acceptable to me. I can generally get 1 mm or less at the 12th fret, but that can take a lot of fiddling and adjustment over time. I make very small adjustments and play between them. Techs will seldom, if ever, bother to get the action as low as it will go, both because they don't know the exact preferences of the customer, and because it just takes too long to be profitable. They get it close and go to the next job. For my own guitars, I have nothing but time, so I have the luxury of being able to tweak at will, for as long as I want. Truthfully, I tend to overtweak because tweaking is almost as much fun as playing.
Do you have any close-up pics of the finish on yours? There's a mark which looks like spilled stain on this one, which looks a bit rubbish. Seems decent enough though! Unplugged it seems quite rattly too. Originally Posted by Bimmer
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The T49/V has an Antique Varnish for Vintage looks. No close up pictures. I had the T49 setup at Chicago Music Exchange I not noticed any rattling noises.
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This is apparently how it was shipped but I can't help but doubt it: Originally Posted by Bimmer
How low have you got the action? With the bridge as low as it will go on the treble side, it's about 1.375mm at the 12th fret.
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Chicago Music Exchange did the set up when I got it. I told the tech to set it up with the lowest action possible. You just made me take the guitar out of the closet for the first time and play with it since March because of this covid, awesome it is still with in the specs from the last set up. I would call Chicago Music Exchange https://www.chicagomusicexchange.com/ 773-525-7773 and talk the guitar tech he's awesome.
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Sorry for the segue but what's the difference between T49 and AR372? It's not easy to find this information on the Eastman website.
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If the bridge is as low as it will go and the action is still a little high, tweaking the truss rod, just a little at a time, can often bring it down a little, and it wouldn't need to be much lower, just a fraction of a millimeter. The bottom of the saddle can be sanded down a little if necessary, but that wouldn't be my first attempt at a fix. My preference is to try the easiest things first, whatever the problem. As for what's rattling, that's a complicated subject. There are innumerable things on an archtop that can rattle. There are several threads on the forum that discuss the possibilities.
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Eastman T49/V Antique Varnish (Video Demo) I brought my T49/V from Rich.
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I watched that before buying Originally Posted by Bimmer
It’s hard to tell but does your finish look like this? And that odd ‘stain’ above?
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Looks like normal wear that shouldn't affect the tone. Maybe a shop can retouch the guitar.
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Originally Posted by Tal_175
The diference between the 371/372 models and the newer T49V are: the nut on the T49 is bone, not plastic, the pickup on the T49 is a Seymour Duncan "Seth Lover", not a chinese PAF pickup, the finish on the T49V is a hand applied varnish finish with a light satin coat, not a Poly finish. It also takes a little longer to produce the T49V than the 371/372 models and you can hear hands down the difference in the tone.
Cheers,
Arnie...
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My AR-371, in stock condition, has a bone nut and nitrocellulose finish but the standard KA pickup. Last time I spoke with the local Eastman rep he mentioned that T49s came with Antiquity pickups. Looks like there is room for variations! Originally Posted by arnie65
Cheers
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The rattling may not be coming from anything touching the string. I had a mysterious rattle on my old Guild X50. Only on certain notes, strings. Finally figured it out. The volume knob is just loose enough to rattle. And it does.
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I've had knobs rattle, both the knobs and the shafts. You just have to keep on investigating, one thing at a time until you find it. I've seen the wiring buzz against the back, loose nuts on the headstock - the list is almost infinite.
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Hi. I recently bought a T49d/v (two pickup version) and had some similar buzzing/wolf note issues. After some head scratching, listening and googling I solved the problem by inserting a tiny plastic ‘shim’ (made from a cut up Gibson plectrum) between the metal pickup covers and the plastic mounts. Solved the problem easily and completely. Does that help?
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The Kent Armstrong pickup that comes on the AR-371 and other low priced Eastman's says "KA designed" which in reality is a Chinese reproduction of KA pickups. I was told this by Kent himself, I order pickups from him all the time. The cheaper models (371/372) are constructed in the same manner as the T49's and the same factory, is the little things like the finishes, PU's and small parts that are different in order cut production costs, but they're not inferior guitars in any way. Just upgrade the nut, and PU, and you're there. Originally Posted by thelostboss
Cheers,
Arnie...
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Originally Posted by arnie65
No argument about the pickups but concern / confusion about this bit "The cheaper models (371/372) are constructed in the same manner as the T49's and the same factory, is the little things like the finishes, PU's and small parts that are different in order cut production costs". The 371 / 372 predate the the T49 series and so it is more true to say that the T49 is built in the same manner as the AR series but costs more due to different electronics and finish options. As far as I know there have been no Eastman archtops built with anything but nitro or spirit varnish finishes, all have bone nuts. The 371/372 series were never built as low-cost alternatives to the T49 series, the T49 was built as a more expensive version of the 371/372 when Eastman realised how many buyers were getting them with the intention of putting more expensive parts into or onto them. Good business sense says that Eastman can do the more expensive fit-out and get the extra profit, but to do this the product needs a new name or model designator.
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Check for things like the pickguard or pickups rattling from acoustic vibrations when playing. That's pretty common and something like a small piece of felt can "fix". I have an AR372 that I get a small amount of rattle that I believe is the pickguard vibrating against the bridge pickup ring that I need to further isolate and try some felt at some point.
Also current AR372 specs are a bone nut. So to me, the only thing worth upgrading on an ar372 are the pickups...and I put Seth Lovers in mine.Last edited by monkmiles; 02-11-2021 at 11:16 PM.
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Felt, high density foam, leather, cork, whatever you have that can deaden the vibrations, can work. The hardest part is usually isolating the exact parts that are rattling.
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