Would I get lucky ?

[hebaton]

Question to EAstman AR372 owners ;
What are the chances that, if I got a current production one and trouw a set of classic 57's in it, I could get a tone pretty close to a 175 ?
or, maybe SD Seth lovers ??

[TOMMO]

Since I've never sampled an ES 175 I can't tell you. What I can tell you is that the Eastman AR 372 is a fine quality guitar and the pickups aren't too shabby either. Before you plan on swapping them try to get the sound you want by adjusting the heck out of them. I'm happy with mine.

[dconeill]

It's been reported, IIRC by Jack Zucker among others, that the Eastman AR371/372 models don't sound particularly like ES175s, which is not to say they sound bad, just different. Mr. Zucker is pretty particular about his guitars' sounds - I'm not saying he's necessarily right all the time, but his opinions must be given some weight.

My recommendation, if you want an ES175, is to save up and buy one. The old adage is "buy cheap, buy twice".

There's a long thread about this in this forum, available here.

[Bflat233]

I have an Eastman AR371 and a Gibson ES-175 in my studio. The chances of the Eastman sounding like an ES 175 is zero. If the 175 is the tone you want, you have to buy one. A lot of players here have concluded that the closest thing to it is the Epiphone 175 Premier.

[John A.]

I've played a 371 and a 175 next to each other, and I'd say they were different enough that I don't think a pickup change would get them closer. That said, I thought the 371 was a good sound, much less bright and more 175-like than online demos and chatter led me to expect. So maybe a particularly dark 371/2 and a particularly bright 175 would be closer, but I wouldn't count on it.

Re: pickups, I played an Eastman ar503 with a Seth Lover side by side with another with a Kent Armstrong, and if anything I'd say the KA is the darker and more Classic 57-like of the two, but the difference is very, very slight, at the limits of noticeable (at least to me).

There are many, many threads here on how to get close to a 175 for less money. There is near-consensus that either an Epi 175 Premium or one of several MIj 175 wannabes gets you closest. Your best bet is to search the forum with terms like "175 clone" or "Matsumoku". My limited experience is that the Epi captures the essence of a 175 better than the Eastman.

John

[mr. beaumont]

Doubt it.

I actually thought the 371 i played was a terrible guitar. Weak, thin pickups were part of that, but not the only thing.

An Epiphone 175 is already a pretty good guitar, pickup upgrade might make it even better.

[medblues]

I have an Eastman AR371 and a Gibson ES-175 in my studio. The chances of the Eastman sounding like an ES 175 is zero. If the 175 is the tone you want, you have to buy one. A lot of players here have concluded that the closest thing to it is the Epiphone 175 Premier.

I tried four different ES-175 guitars of various vintages (50s to 90s) at Chicago Music Exchange using the same HRD amp. Then I bought myself a wine red Epiphone ES-175 Premium, put on a bone nut and TI JS113s. I don't think I can pass a blind testing for which one is a Gibson and which ones is the Epiphone (caveat: fortunately for my wallet, I don't have super sensitive ears).

With the right pickup, Godin 5th Avenue Jazz can come pretty close too but the Epi Premium is closer.

[Gitterbug]

I think the difference comes from the woods used. The Eastman is all maple, right?, whereas Gibson's neck is mahogany, and the laminate has two layers of softish poplar (IIRC) under the maple top ply. I'd say a used Ibanez AF 105 or 125 is closer to the Eastman, for less money, than the Eastman is to an ES-175. I'm really happy with my Ibanez AFJ-91, which has a spruce top ply on the top, and a Super 58 pickup.

[Jimmy blue note]

I think the difference comes from the woods used. The Eastman is all maple, right?, whereas Gibson's neck is mahogany, and the laminate has two layers of softish poplar (IIRC) under the maple top ply. I'd say a used Ibanez AF 105 or 125 is closer to the Eastman, for less money, than the Eastman is to an ES-175. I'm really happy with my Ibanez AFJ-91, which has a spruce top ply on the top, and a Super 58 pickup.

I've done this for players looking for exactly what you're looking for. Yes I think Gitterbug has got the right idea, I've replaced them with Duncan 59's and once with an Antiquity, which was amazing.